Michigan
Michigan football lands 3 players in top 15 of ESPN’s early 2025 NFL mock draft
Debating Michigan football’s starting QB candidates on ‘Hail Yes!’ podcast
Michigan football will have a new starting QB, but will it be Alex Orji, Jack Tuttle or Davis Warren? The “Hail Yes!” show debates that and more, May 22, 2024. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
As the kids say, it’s mock draft SZN (season).
Okay, technically the bulk of mock draft season happens in the 100 or so days between the end of a college football season in mid-January and the NFL draft in late April. But that has never stopped early speculation before.
With the college football season fast approaching, it’s never too early to take a look at what the next crop of prospects will look like. The good news for Michigan football is ESPN’s Matt Miller released his first mock draft ahead of the 2025 NFL draft (which will be held in Green Bay, Wisconsin) earlier this week, and the Wolverines were well represented, with three picks mocked in the first half of the first round.
The first U-M star off the board? Cornerback Will Johnson at No. 3 to the Denver Broncos, which comes as no surprise. After his freshman season, Johnson appeared in the top 10 of some mocks that were drafting the best athletes available, not just those who were draft-eligible.
In the meantime, Johnson has developed into one of the most NFL-ready cornerback prospects of the past decade and could be a clear fit for Denver, which Miller said could well be in “best player available” territory.
“Johnson’s tape from his first two seasons at Michigan is some of the best cornerback tape I’ve seen,” Miller wrote. “The 6-foot-2 playmaker’s closest comparison as a college prospect is Pat Surtain II, whom he’d be lined up opposite in this scenario.”
BACK ON TRACK: Sherrone Moore preached patience. A month later, U-M’s 2025 class is rounding into form.
Johnson, a former five-star product from Grosse Pointe South, was named an All-American as a sophomore and was a consensus All-Big Ten first-teamer. With 25 games played (16 starts), Johnson was named defensive MVP of the January’s College Football Playoff title game, finishing his second year with 27 tackles (including one for loss), four interceptions (including one returned for a touchdown).
If this holds, it would make Johnson the highest-drafted Wolverine since Aidan Hutchinson went No. 2 to the Lions in the 2022 draft and the highest-drafted U-M cornerback since Charles Woodson came off his Heisman Trophy campaign during the 1997 national championship season and was selected No. 4 overall (Oakland Raiders) in 1998.
According to Miller, U-M won’t have to wait all that long to hear its next name called. Mason Graham, the star defensive tackle who former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh called “a gift from the football gods” upon his arrival in Ann Arbor, was pegged to go No. 7 and reunite with J.J. McCarthy on the Minnesota Vikings.
“The interior of the defensive line should get a big look next year, and Graham is a legitimate contender for the class’ top overall prospect,” Miller wrote. “His stats won’t blow you away, thanks to Michigan’s defensive line rotation and assignments — he had three sacks in 2023 — but Graham’s explosion and power jump off the tape.”
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At 6 feet 3 and 318 pounds, the Anaheim, California, product was named a second-team All-American last season after he appeared in 13 games (13 starts) and recorded 36 tackles, which included 7½ for loss, and three sacks to go with three quarterback hurries, one pass breakup, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
The final U-M prospect mocked in the first round was not Graham’s running mate in Kenneth Grant, nor was it running back (and cover athlete of EA Sports College Football 25) Donovan Edwards or safety Rod Moore, who was pegged as a late first-rounder before he suffered a knee injury in the spring.
Instead, it was Colston Loveland, perhaps Michigan’s top offensive weapon this season. Miller had him going No. 14 overall to the Indianapolis Colts. Loveland is widely regarded as the nation’s top tight end as he comes off a monster sophomore season that saw him catch 45 passes for 649 yards (14.4 yards per reception) and four touchdowns.
Loveland had 10 games with at least three receptions and seven games with at least 55 receiving yards, despite playing in a run-first offense that had the most decorated running back the program has ever seen, as well as two receivers who were taken in the NFL draft.
“Who could resist the temptation to give Anthony Richardson more playmakers?” Miller wrote. “Tight end remains one of the team’s few offensive question marks and Loveland will be a top-10 player on my preseason board thanks to his ability as a receiver and expert run blocking.
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“The 6-5 junior has elite agility and speed in the open field as a receiving option.”
Though it’s a stretch, given he will be working with a new quarterback, Loveland is now just 763 yards away from passing Jake Butt’s Michigan record (1,646 yards) for career receiving yards by a tight end.
Although the Wolverines set a program record this past spring with 13 NFL draft picks — second-most by one program in a single draft — it came with just one first-round pick, in McCarthy. Baring something unforeseen, Michigan can expect to have at least a trio of first-rounders next spring — and possibly more.
Michigan
Yaxel Lendeborg scores 29 points and No. 2 Michigan stays unbeaten with 101-83 win over Maryland
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Yaxel Lendeborg had 29 points, a career-best nine assists and eight rebounds, and No. 2 Michigan rallied from a nine-point deficit Saturday night to defeat Maryland 101-83.
Aday Mara scored 18 points for the Wolverines (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten), who overcame a halftime deficit for the second time this season and the first since they beat TCU on Nov. 14.
Michigan scored 100 points for the fourth time in five games.
Diggy Coit made eight 3-pointers and scored 31 points for the Terrapins (6-5, 0-2), who lost center Pharrel Payne to a right leg injury late in the first half and forward Solomon Washington to ejection after he picked up his second technical foul early in the second half.
Coit scored nine of Maryland’s first 10 points and 22 before the break, helping to prevent Michigan from opening a lead larger than six in the first half.
The Terps lost Payne, their leading scorer at 18.7 points a game, with 4:36 remaining before halftime. Yet Maryland stretched its lead from one to 50-45 at the midpoint, then expanded it to 56-47 on Elijah Saunders’ 3.
Washington, who had a first-half technical for celebrating a 3 in front of the Michigan bench, was called for a delay-of-game technical just after Saunders’ basket. His departure left the Terps without their two most experienced and imposing interior players.
Lendeborg took advantage, scoring the next eight points. Mara’s dunk with 14 minutes left made it 64-63 and gave the Wolverines the lead for good.
Elliot Cadeau’s layup with 21.2 seconds remaining got the Wolverines to 100 points for the fifth time this season.
Up next
Michigan hosts La Salle on Dec. 21.
Maryland visits No. 24 Virginia on Dec. 20.
___
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Michigan
Aquinas College expands automatic acceptance to 2 more West Michigan high schools
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – After beginning a direct admittance program at one West Michigan high school in November, Aquinas College has now expanded the program to cover more classrooms.
The guaranteed admission program, first implemented for graduates of West Catholic High School with a 2.0 GPA or above, has now been expanded to Catholic Central High School in Grand Rapids and Muskegon Catholic Central High School.
The partnership will apply to students from all three schools entering college in the fall of 2026.
The direct admission program was described by Aquinas College leaders as offering high school students a “clear path to college success” while also continuing to develop partnerships.
Aquinas College, a private Catholic liberal arts institution located at 1700 Fulton St. E, was founded by the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids in 1886.
The college has enrolled 1,262 students during the 2025-26 academic year, and its new student numbers are up, with 419 new students on campus this fall, up from 311 in 2024-25.
The college’s overall enrollment total is just slightly under the approximately 1,300 students Aquinas recorded across its campus in 2023-24, according to a press release sent out in January 2025.
This year’s partnership announcements do not mark Aquinas’ first direct admittance deal.
The college also has a direct admit bachelor’s in nursing partnership with the University of Detroit Mercy, which allows students to take core curriculum courses at Aquinas and nursing classes from Detroit Mercy faculty.
On Nov. 14, Aquinas announced its direct admittance deal with West Catholic High School.
The school, located at 1801 Bristol Ave. NW, enrolled just over 500 students as of the 2024-25 school year, according to an online school profile.
West Catholic President and CEO Jill Wierzbicki said the initiative simplifies the college application process and offers students a straightforward path to higher education.
On Nov. 20, Aquinas then announced it had also partnered with Grand Rapids’ Catholic Central High School, 319 Sheldon Blvd SE, which enrolls 567 students and is the oldest co-educational diocesan Catholic high school in the nation.
Brian Matzke, vice president for enrollment management, said there’s “no doubt that Aquinas here has had more graduates from Catholic Central than any other school in our history.”
On Dec. 10, the college announced another partnership deal with Muskegon Catholic Central High School, 1145 W Laketon Ave., which enrolled just under 300 students in 2023-24, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Jerry McDowell, Muskegon Catholic Central president, said both the high school and Aquinas share a “deep commitment to developing the whole student — academically, spiritually, and individually.
“This direct-admit program provides our graduates with an exceptional opportunity to transition confidently into higher education while maintaining the Catholic values that guide their formation,” McDowell said.
Aquinas’ listed price for traditional undergraduate tuition is $41,192, according to senior director of strategic communications Dave DeJonge.
Students are eligible for annual merit scholarships between $15,000-$25,000, depending on their GPA and housing status. Additional scholarships may be available. This applies to all students who are admitted to Aquinas.
Matzke highlighted the direct admittance program’s easy transition from one West Michigan school to another, with those accepted to Aquinas able to live on campus or commute from home depending on what best fits their needs.
He also said a growing Grand Rapids job market, combined with support from the college’s career center, contributes to a 97% placement rate for graduates.
Michigan
Legal experts question University of Michigan’s role after charges against former HC Sherrone Moore
WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – Former Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore appeared in court Friday on charges of stalking, home invasion, and breaking and entering, just days after being fired from his position.
The 39-year-old coach, who has no prior criminal history, was terminated by the university on Wednesday following an investigation that uncovered evidence of an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
According to prosecutors, the charges stem from an incident that occurred after the victim, a University of Michigan staff member, ended her relationship with Moore on Monday (Dec. 8).
Following the breakup, Moore allegedly made numerous unwanted calls and texts to the victim.
The situation escalated on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2025, when Moore allegedly forced his way into the victim’s Pittsfield Township apartment.
Prosecutors say he grabbed kitchen utensils and threatened to take his own life, allegedly telling the victim, “My blood is on your hands.”
“The totality of the behavior is highly threatening and highly intimidating. She was terrorized, your honor,” a prosecutor told the court during Friday’s arraignment.
Defense attorney Joseph Simon pushed back on prosecutors’ claims that Moore could be a threat to public safety.
“My client’s 39 years old, with zero prior criminal history, zero prior contact with the criminal justice system in any fashion,” Simon stated.
Attorney Todd Flood, who practices both criminal defense and civil litigation, said the fallout within the university could continue depending on when the organization was first alerted about the relationship and how university athletic officials first responded.
“What did they know, when did they know it, and what did they do about it when they found out? Those are going to be the three major questions,” Flood said.
“The university could possibly have some culpability there, that they didn’t put a stop to this,” noted Flood, adding that the victim may have grounds to pursue action against both the university and Moore.
Flood said the stalking charge against Moore likely stems from a documented pattern of harassment.
“When there is a position where he is harassing, either via text messages, harassing via telephone calls, social media content, or showing up at a place where he doesn’t belong,” Flood said. “Those stalking charges are ones where you can show that pattern of conduct.”
“He’s ultimately going to probably plead this case out, under some sort of either misdemeanor, or something that gives probation,” Flood said.
Moore posted his $25,000 bond Friday.
As part of his bond conditions, he must wear a GPS tether, undergo mental health treatment, and have no contact with the victim.
He is scheduled to appear in court in person on Jan. 22.
–> Jim Harbaugh talks Sherrone Moore’s firing, arrest after former Michigan football understudy posts bond
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