Michigan
Michigan football’s team filled with players ready for their chance: ‘It’s time to go’
Jim Harbaugh suspended 1 year by NCAA and sanctioned with 4-year show-cause order
Listen to the full “Hail Yes!” Michigan Wolverines podcast out now, available wherever you can get podcasts.
It seems hard to imagine there could have been three people better suited to deliver Michigan football’s message.
The pain in tight end Marlin Klein’s voice as he described a “tough” two years for him personally in college that saw him play less than 50 offensive snaps as he had to accept the notion he was not ready to crack the playing rotation.
The grace of Gio El-Hadi, the senior offensive guard who detailed his sleeplses offseason and just how many nights he spent praying to try and make sure that he remained on the best path for himself.
The hunger in TJ Guy’s voice after also waiting years, literally, for his turn to be a ‘guy’ on the Michigan defense.
In a lot of ways, these three guys represent the 2024 Wolverines. A collection of players who are defending national champions in their own right, but are still looking to make their own mark on the field.
On Friday, however, the group had a clear message: Just because they weren’t on the gridiron frequently last year doesn’t mean they’re not ready to uphold the standard that has recently been set.
READY OR NOT: Michigan football might ‘open the offense up’ despite no QB starter named
“It’s time to go, there ain’t nothing to talk about,” Guy said Friday morning before practice. “Sharpening the tools every day in practice, time to go. Get better every day for your teammates, you know? Everything that I’ve been here … it’s good to see everything is paying off. I’m just ready to seize the opportunity.”
For Guy, that opportunity has taken four years to materialize. The 6-foot-4, 250 pound edge from Mansfield, Mass., has played in 24 games through three years (17 on defense) with last season as his most productive, when he racked up 10 tackles, 1½ for loss and one sack.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Hail Yes!” your go-to Michigan Wolverines podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]
The numbers aren’t terribly impressive, but there’s a good reason for it. He was battling older players like Aidan Hutchinson, David Ojabo, Mike Morris, Jaylen Harrell and Braiden McGregor every step of the way, each of whom is currently on an NFL roster.
“The past few years, I would describe it as growing pains,” Guy explained. “I came here as a boy, I’m gonna leave here as a man, learning principles of life that translate to football. Just growing, handling situations better, getting better every day.”
For as many delays as Guy has had, El-Hadi can seemingly match him point-by-point. He too has had some chances here and there for the Maize and Blue − he started a few games his sophomore season in 2022 when Trevor Keegan battled through minor injuries − but after three years he’s appeared in 20 games along the line, but only three of them were starts.
He had to sit behind two of the most talented guards in U-M history, Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter, each of his first three years in Ann Arbor, while simultaneously watching three other linemen (Olusegun Oluwatimi, Ryan Hayes and Andrew Steuber) get drafted into the NFL.
El-Hadi admitted there were “opportunities” elsewhere, but said that he’d fought through so much adversity to get to this point, it didn’t feel right to jump ship.
“Didn’t want to leave nowhere else. Didn’t want to go nowhere else. Had opportunities, but decided to stay over here, be patient, and it’s my turn now,” he said. “I want to be a leader for the O-line. I’m giving it my all every day … I want to be one of those dawgs.”
El-Hadi certainly looks the part of a Michigan offensive lineman, standing at 6 feet 5 and a lean 310 pounds, with legs that look like tree trunks and the beard of a man twice his age. The unit has been a finalist for the Joe Moore award as the nation’s top offensive line group three years in a row and won it twice (2021, 2022), but lost every single starter from last year’s squad.
But for guys like El-Hadi, the doubt is only adding fuel to the fire that’s been burning for years.
“First off, we don’t listen to outside noise; we’ve been underestimated before,” he began. “We showed them last year, so every day, we’re bringing our all. … We have one of the best defenses in the country, but we’re going to show the world we have one of the best offenses in the country, too.
“Every day, working together, all 11. Not just an offensive line, all 11 have to work together for the play to work.”
One of those 11 this year figures to be Klein, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound tight end from Cologne, Germany, who recently cracked The Athletic’s ‘freak list’ at No. 90, which cites the 100 most athletic players across the sport.
It’s been a winding road for Klein, who grew up playing soccer then one day told his dad he wanted to try American Football. Sure enough, his father had a friend at a local academy and after one day, that’s all he needed to know he was hooked.
A few years later, Klein moved to Georgia for three years of high school ball as he developed into a top-30 tight end nationally, per 247Sports consensus rankings. He figured when he arrived in Ann Arbor, he’d do what he’d always done: dominate and get playing time.
MICHIGAN FOOTBALL’S WINK MARTINDALE: An aggressive play-caller’ but not like Don Brown
But that wasn’t really the case for a tight end who had “never put my hand in the ground.” Instead, much like Guy and El-Hadi, he was stuck behind older, more experienced future pros.
Since he stepped on campus, U-M has had Luke Schoonmaker (second round) and AJ Barner (fifth round) taken in the NFL draft while current junior Colston Loveland is on the pre-season Mackey list as the best tight end in the country.
“Coming to a school like Michigan, that’s really why I came here, you know play with the best, play against the best,” he said. “Michigan is really the top tight end school in the country, so coming out of high school, putting my hand in the dirt, being more physical … that was the biggest challenge for me.”
Klein has put on nearly 50 pounds since he arrived in Ann Arbor prior to the 2022 season and hasn’t lost a game in the regular season. The Wolverines are currently 28-1 since his arrival with the lone loss in the 2022 College Football Playoff semifinal to TCU.
It will certainly be a tall task to keep that streak alive, as Michigan has to break in two new coordinators in Kirk Campbell (offense) and Wink Martindale (defense), plus Sherrone Moore as a first-time head coach all while playing a schedule that includes Texas, Washington, Oregon, USC and Ohio State.
It won’t be easy, but nothing has been for this group of Wolverines − which is exactly why they feel ready.
“I learned that the games are easier than practice,” Guy said of his initial years in Ann Arbor. “It’s been real good to get those opportunities and now that I’m going to be on the field all the time, I’m going to be ready.”
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Black-legged ticks have been increasing across Michigan this summer, raising concerns about tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease.
—> Michigan health officials alarmed by surge in Lyme disease cases
Researchers at Michigan State University say the large white-tailed deer population plays a key role in spreading these ticks.
To address the problem, MSU scientists are testing food capsules containing biomarkers to see if deer will eat them.
Each capsule currently includes corn, alfalfa, molasses, and a biomarker that helps track how many deer consume the capsules.
If successful, the capsules will eventually contain a vaccine to help deer build immunity to ticks, similar to how dogs are vaccinated.
The goal is to reduce the number of ticks on deer, which could lower the risk of tick-borne diseases for people spending time outdoors.
MSU professors describe this as an innovative method that could be a game-changer for controlling black-legged ticks and Lyme disease in Michigan. The capsules are being introduced in selected parks and land preserves in the Mid-Michigan area as part of the early phase of this research.
In the future, the team plans to add a drug or vaccine to the capsules to eliminate ticks on deer, aiming to stop the problem at its source.
—> 4 ways to protect yourself from ticks in Michigan, and 4 things to do after you’re outside
Copyright 2025 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
President Donald Trump’s administration renewed its request Sunday for a federal appeals court to let him fire Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s board of governors, a move the president is seeking ahead of the central bank’s vote on interest rates.
The Trump administration filed a response just ahead of a 3 p.m. Eastern deadline Sunday to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, arguing that Cook’s legal arguments for why she should stay on the job were meritless. Lawyers for Cook argued in a Saturday filing that the Trump administration has not shown sufficient cause to fire her, and stressed the risks to the economy and country if the president were allowed to fire a Fed governor without proper cause.
Sunday’s filing is the latest step in an unprecedented effort by the White House to shape the historically independent Fed. Cook’s firing marks the first time in the central bank’s 112-year history that a president has tried to fire a governor.
“The public and the executive share an interest in ensuring the integrity of the Federal Reserve,” Trump’s lawyers argued in Sunday’s filing. “And that requires respecting the president’s statutory authority to remove governors ‘for cause’ when such cause arises.”
Bill Pulte, a Trump appointee to the agency that regulates mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has accused Cook of signing separate documents in which she allegedly said that both the Atlanta property and a home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, also purchased in June 2021, were both “primary residences.” Pulte submitted a criminal referral to the Justice Department, which has opened an investigation.
Trump relied on those allegations to fire Cook “for cause.”
Cook, the first Black woman to serve as a Fed governor, referred to the condominium as a “vacation home” in a loan estimate, a characterization that could undermine claims by the Trump administration that she committed mortgage fraud. Documents obtained by The Associated Press also showed that on a second form submitted by Cook to gain a security clearance, she described the property as a “second home.”
Cook sued the Trump administration to block her firing and a federal judge ruled Tuesday that the removal was illegal and reinstated her to the Fed’s board.
The administration appealed and asked for an emergency ruling just before the Fed is set to meet this week and decide whether to reduce its key interest rate. Most economists expect they will cut the rate by a quarter point.
It’s an in-state matchup on Saturday, Sept. 13, as Michigan football (1-1) takes on the Central Michigan Chippewas (1-1) for the Wolverines’ second home game of the season.
After a loss on the road at Oklahoma last week in which Michigan struggled to generate offense, the Wolverines — and particularly freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood — are looking to sharpen their offensive skills against a weaker Chippewas.
They’ll have to do so without coach Sherrone Moore, however. The coach is serving the first of a two-game suspension sanctioned by the school for his role in the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal. In the interim, Biff Poggi will lead the Wolverines.
Michigan’s task will be to hone its skills on both sides of the ball, but with an emphasis on offense. The Wolverines struggled to run the ball last week and Underwood had difficulty connecting with receivers downfield as well. Central Michigan provides a perfect opportunity for Michigan to build its offensive cohesiveness before beginning Big Ten play.
Follow along below for live updates.
Michigan football vs. Central Michigan early availability report
Michigan – Out: QB Davis Warren (knee), OT Andrew Babalola (knee). Probable: DB Rod Moore (knee), DB Shamari Earls (undisclosed), DB Caleb Anderson (undisclosed). Questionable: TE Marlin Klein (right foot/ankle), DB Zeke Berry (lower body), RB John Volker (undisclosed), LB Jaydon Hood (undisclosed), RB Bryson Kuzdzal (undisclosed), RB Donovan Johnson (undisclosed), edge Devon Baxter, DT Ike Iwunnah (undisclosed), WR C.J. Charleston (undisclosed). Doubtful: OL Gio-EL Hadi (left ankle/foot)
Central Michigan – Missed Week 2: TE Rory Callahan, OL John Iannuzzi.
Matchup: No. 22 Michigan (1-1) vs. Central Michigan (1-1)
Kickoff: Noon Saturday, Sept. 13; Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor.
TV/radio: Big Ten Network; WCSX-FM (94.7).Looking for a free mini puzzle? Play the USA TODAY Quick Cross now.
Line: Wolverines by 27½.
Michigan football schedule 2025
Week 1: W, 34-17 vs New Mexico.
Week 2: L, 13-24 at Oklahoma
Week 3: vs Central Michigan, Saturday Sept. 13, noon ET (Big Ten Network).
Week 4: at Nebraska, Saturday Sept. 20, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS).
Week 5: BYE.
Week 6: vs Wisconsin, Saturday Oct. 4, 12 p.m. or 3:30 p.m.
Week 7: at USC, Saturday Oct. 11, time TBD.
Week 8: vs Washington, Saturday Oct. 18, time TBD.
Week 9: at Michigan State, Saturday Oct. 25, time TBD.
Week 10: vs Purdue, Sautrday Nov. 1, time TBD.
Week 11: BYE.
Week 12: at Northwestern, Saturday Nov. 15, time TBD.
Week 13: at Maryland, Saturday Nov. 22, time TBD.
Week 14: vs Ohio State, Saturday Nov. 29, noon ET (Fox).
Contact Matthew Auchincloss at mauchincloss@freepress.com.
Our team of savvy editors independently handpicks all recommendations. If you purchase through our links, the USA Today Network may earn a commission. Prices were accurate at the time of publication but may change.
Gambling involves risk. Please only gamble with funds that you can comfortably afford to lose. While we do our utmost to offer good advice and information we cannot be held responsible for any loss that may be incurred as a result of gambling. We do our best to make sure all the information that we provide on this site is correct. However, from time to time mistakes will be made and we will not be held liable. Please check any stats or information if you are unsure how accurate they are. No guarantees are made with regards to results or financial gain. All forms of betting carry financial risk and it is up to the individual to make bets with or without the assistance of information provided on this site and we cannot be held responsible for any loss that may be incurred as a result of following the betting tips provided on this site. Past performances do not guarantee success in the future and betting odds fluctuate from one minute to the next. The material contained on this site is intended to inform, entertain and educate the reader and in no way represents an inducement to gamble legally or illegally or any sort of professional advice.
Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside. It is your sole responsibility to act in accordance with your local laws.
Donald Trump Fitness: Can His Golf Workouts Replace the Gym? Explore Trump’s Golf Exercise Routine and Health Benefits
They Call Him OG Movie Review: Action-packed yet narratively uneven gangster drama
Mail stolen from 6 USPS mailboxes across Fort Lee, N.J. Map shows where residents need to be wary
Human plague case reported in Bernalillo County, second in state this year
USDA terminates annual Hunger Survey as food banks see growing demand
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Read the Letter to the Inspectors General
GOP senator blasts Schumer, Dems as 'forcing' shutdown while demanding price tag report
Palestine as a state – what would that actually look like?
Farage refuses to criticise Trump over paracetamol despite health experts dismissing autism claims
House plans Thursday vote on government funding bill to extend spending through November
-
Health1 week agoWho Makes Vaccine Policy Decisions in RFK Jr.’s Health Department?
-
Finance3 days agoReimagining Finance: Derek Kudsee on Coda’s AI-Powered Future
-
Lifestyle1 week agoBobbi Brown doesn’t listen to men in suits about makeup : Wild Card with Rachel Martin
-
Business1 week agoHow Nexstar’s Proposed TV Merger Is Tied to Jimmy Kimmel’s Suspension
-
North Dakota3 days agoBoard approves Brent Sanford as new ‘commissioner’ of North Dakota University System
-
Technology2 days agoThese earbuds include a tiny wired microphone you can hold
-
World7 days agoRussian jets enter Estonia's airspace in latest test for NATO
-
Crypto2 days agoTexas brothers charged in cryptocurrency kidnapping, robbery in MN