Updated as of Monday, May 22 to reflect Glenn “Shemy” Schembechler’s statement regarding his resignation from the University of Michigan football program.

Three days after joining the Michigan football team as an Assistant Director of Football Recruiting, Glenn “Shemy” Schembechler resigned Saturday evening amid controversy surrounding his social media presence.

The son of former Michigan coach Glenn “Bo” Schembechler, Shemy previously interned at the University of Michigan from 1993-1995, working in the recruiting department. Bouncing around scouting positions in the NFL, Shemy’s short-lived return to Ann Arbor supposedly marked a homecoming for the youngest Schembechler.

However, social media users rapidly unearthed a variety of Twitter interactions that sparked concern. On a now-deactivated Twitter account, Shemy seemed to endorse a variety of posts that promoted racist and bigoted content via likes and retweets. Upon announcement of his resignation, Michigan Athletics released the following statement:

“Effective this afternoon, Shemy Schembechler has resigned his position with Michigan Football. We are aware of some comments and likes on social media that have caused concern and pain for individuals in our community. Michigan Athletics is fully committed to a place where our coaches, staff and student-athletes feel welcome and where we fully support the University’s and Athletic Department’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. 

Warde Manuel, Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics

Jim Harbaugh, J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Football Coach”

Evidently, Shemy was aware of the stir his social media was causing even before his resignation and while already on Michigan’s staff. Some Twitter users pointed out that he was removing interactions off of his page, such as likes, appearing to erase potentially controversial and incendiary content.

The damage had already been done, though, as Shemy left the program not even 72 hours later.

On Monday of the following week, as fallout continued to swirl around the Michigan football program, Shemy released a statement regarding his resignation. Within his response, he issued an “unabashed and unequivocal apology to (his) hundreds of friends and fellow coaches in the Black community” for his actions on social media.

Nevertheless, these words may ring hollow for many as the Michigan athletic department scrambles to contain yet another public relations fiasco.

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The Michigan football team has the National Football League seeing double.

After three days of the NFL Draft, four separate franchises had drafted at least two Wolverines to their incoming roster.

After the Dallas Cowboys selected senior defensive lineman Mazi Smith and fifth year tight end Luke Schoonmaker in rounds one and two of the draft, the Seattle Seahawks decided to join in on the party. The Seahawks selected senior edge Mike Morris with the 151st pick in the fifth round and then graduate center Olusegun Oluwatimi just three picks later, at 154th.

From there, the Cincinnati Bengals selected graduate punter Brad Robbins with the 217th pick in the sixth round, making him the seventh Michigan athlete to graduate to the professional level. The selection came on the heels of the Bengals’ third-round selection of senior defensive back DJ Turner.

The Miami Dolphins incited the seventh round for the Wolverines, selecting graduate offensive lineman Ryan Hayes at the 238th position. Hayes started 29 games at left tackle for Michigan. Serving as a rock on the back-to-back (2021-2022, 2022-2023) Joe Moore winning offensive lines, Miami hopes Hayes’ selection comes with copious upside.

While the Dolphins may have interrupted the Wolverines’ double trouble, the San Francisco 49ers provided a quick return to form. Selecting graduate senior wide receiver Ronnie Bell at 253rd in the seventh round, Bell joins a talented wide receiving corps in San Francisco featuring stars like Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. The 49ers had previously selected graduate student kicker Jake Moody in the third round.

After tearing his ACL in his senior season, Bell’s return to Michigan cemented his meteoric rise to stardom for the Wolverine faithful during the 2022 season. The receiver returned to prolific form across a campaign that saw him haul in four touchdowns and 889 receiving yards. The 2022 Michigan offensive player of the year and 2021 team captain brings a wealth of personal and football experience to San Francisco.

To round out the group of Wolverines making the jump to the professional level, the Arizona Cardinals signed graduate student tight end Joel Honigford and the New York Giants inked graduate defensive back Gemon Green as undrafted free agents.

As it stands, the 2023 NFL Draft and early offseason have been a productive one for Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh’s program. With nine selections this year — the most in the Big Ten — the Wolverines have sent the third-most rookies to the NFL via the draft in Harbaugh’s eight years at the helm.

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The 2021 Lou Groza award winner is ready to take his talents to the National Football League.

The 99th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, kicker Jake Moody was selected by the San Francisco 49ers during the third round Friday night.

After five years at Michigan, college football’s best kicker in 2021 looks to continue his career success at the NFL level. Converting on 82.9% of his field goal attempts this past season, Moody was a rock for the Wolverines en route to their second consecutive College Football Playoff appearance.

The poster child of consistency, Moody attempted 60 field goals in his final two years at Michigan, converting on 52 and scoring 272 points on fourth downs alone. The 2021 consensus All-American set single-season program records for made field goals (29), PATs (60), points scored (147) and 40-plus-yard field goals in a season (10) in 2022.

Only the second kicker drafted in the top 100 in 17 years, Moody’s high selection reflects his value not only to the Wolverines, but also to his future franchise. The 49ers hope Moody will create an immediate impact for a team losing long-time NFL placekicker Robbie Gould.

Moody is used to immediate impacts. In his first game kicking for Michigan against Indiana in 2018, he set the record for single-game kick scoring for the Wolverines and field goals in a game, scoring 19 points on 6 field goal makes.

And on the same day that Michigan says hello to incoming kicker and Saline, Michigan native James Turner, it says goodbye to its most successful kicker in program history. 

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While heading to the NFL usually means finding one’s place on a brand new team, tight end Luke Schoonmaker will have a familiar face alongside him.

The Dallas Cowboys selected Schoonmaker with the 58th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, a day after they drafted defensive tackle Mazi Smith late in the first round. Both were the first two players from the Michigan football team to get picked in this year’s draft.

Schoonmaker finished his Wolverines career with 54 catches for 637 yards across 43 games played. The lion’s share of those yards — 418 to be exact — came this season due to increased reps at the position. Whereas the year prior Schoonmaker had split time with tight end Erick All, an injury to All meant that Schoonmaker had sole possession of the TE1 title starting in this season’s conference slate.

With that extra playing time, Schoonmaker became a reliable cog in the offensive machine. His 35 catches ranked second among all Michigan players.

But Schoonmaker wasn’t just a receiving tight end. His blocking helped fuel Michigan’s run game as well, often creating holes for running backs to burst through. That included one that kickstarted a 54-yard run by sophomore running back Donovan Edwards at the start of the 2022 Fiesta Bowl.

While there’s no telling if Schoonmaker will parlay that college versatility into an NFL career, the Cowboys felt impressed enough with his resume to pick him in the second round. He was the fifth tight end to be drafted, including Utah tight end TE Dalton Kincaid, who was the first to be selected at the position at 25th overall.

Schoonmaker’s task now becomes cracking the Dallas roster and building on his professional goals. And with longtime teammate Smith heading to the same team, he’ll have plenty of company on his journey.

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On Friday night in Kansas City, Michigan cornerback DJ Turner II was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the NFL Draft with pick No. 60.

Turner, who spent the past four years with the Wolverines, will enter the Bengals organization as a coveted prospect known for his elite athletic ability and speed. 

Hailing from Suwanee Georgia, Turner came to Ann Arbor as a three-star recruit after a year at IMG academy. And in his first two seasons at Michigan, he played in a mostly limited role, generally spending much of his time on special teams. But over the past two years, Turner has grown into a defensive force. 

In 2021 Turner had his breakout season, starting eight games, nabbing two interceptions and earning the title of co-most improved player from the Wolverines’ defense. In 2022, fully cemented as a starter, Turner’s upward trajectory continued as he posted 11 pass breakups, an interception and a 45-yard fumble recovery touchdown. For his pronounced season, Turner was then acknowledged by the Big Ten, this time receiving second-team All-Big Ten Honors. 

Turner’s body of work at Michigan was enough to generate draft buzz around him. However, it was his stellar performance at the NFL Combine that boosted his reputation even further. Running a 4.26 40-yard dash, Turner’s time was the fastest of any player at the combine, and the fifth fastest ever run at the event. With his athleticism and agility on full display, Turner’s performance elevated his draft stock greatly heading into this weekend. 

Now a Bengal, Turner is expected to sign with the team and could be a key component of their defense in the years to come. The Bengals are hoping that Turner’s immense speed, strong technique and positional awareness that made him so successful in Ann Arbor will translate to similar success in the NFL.

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On Friday afternoon, former Louisville kicker James Turner announced via Twitter that after four years with the Cardinals, he will be transferring to Michigan for his final two years of collegiate eligibility. 

Turner, a native of Saline, Michigan, has spent the past three years as Louisville’s starting kicker and has posted a strong resume in that time. A two-time All-ACC honorable mention, Turner’s 2022 season was by far his strongest to date. He went 20-for-22 on field goals, set the Cardinals single-season record for field goal percentage and missed no kicks from within 40 yards.

With Turner’s commitment, the Wolverines add depth and experience to a unit that lacked veteran presence up to this point. With the departure of Jake Moody, Michigan lost one of its best kickers in recent history and needed to fill the gap. Before Turner’s commitment, the job appeared to be a battle between freshman kicker Adam Samaha, who has not yet enrolled, and walk-on junior kicker Charlie Mentzer. But with neither of those two having seen game action, it seemed as if there would be some growing pains. 

Upon entry, Turner will be the most experienced kicker in Michigan’s room. He could, for the next two years, lead the Wolverines on special teams. It appears that the Wolverines have found their starter, and with Turner’s commitment, Michigan has shored up one of its major recruiting needs for the coming year.

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After four seasons with the Michigan football team, defensive tackle Mazi Smith is headed to the NFL. 

Selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft as the No. 26 pick, Smith was the first Wolverine selected in this year’s draft and looks to take his experience leading Michigan’s defense line at nose tackle to the next level. 

Hailing from Grand Rapids and East Kentwood High School, Smith joined the Wolverines his freshman season ranked by ESPN as the No. 2 overall defensive tackle recruit in the nation and the No. 38 overall recruit. He worked his way through the depth chart, appearing in only five total games over his first two seasons at Michigan. 

But in his junior season, Smith burst onto the scene as a defensive centerpiece. He started all 14 games and recorded 37 tackles on the year. That ascent continued into his senior season, where he led all defensive linemen with 48 tackles after starting every game at nose tackle. 

Nestled in the center of the defensive line, Smith wasn’t a flashy playmaker. Instead, he held down the fort. Pressure in the pocket typically came from edge rushers, leaving Smith with just 2.5 tackles for a loss and 0.5 sacks on the year. Nonetheless, with his high-volume tackling and activity in the middle, Smith was a run stopper. He clogged opponents’ run games and led the Wolverines to top-10 rushing defenses in both his junior and senior seasons.

Smith led by example throughout his senior season as a team captain, but his final year at Michigan was marred by a weapon charge that came to light in December, stemming from an October traffic stop. Smith was sentenced to 12 months probation in January under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act for a misdemeanor weapons charge. Through it all, Smith remained committed to impacting the team positively and worked to move past the charge with his team’s support.  

Now, Smith is looking past his days at Michigan as well. After four years that saw him work his way from a highly-touted recruit to a team captain and defensive stalwart, Smith hopes to show the Cowboys team that his success with the Wolverines can translate into success at the game’s highest level.

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Yet another Michigan football player has entered the transfer portal.

Senior defensive back R.J. Moten entered the transfer portal Tuesday, as first reported by On3’s Matt Zenitz. The move comes the same day as senior wide receiver A.J. Henning also put his name in the portal.

Starting 10 games at safety last season and appearing in all 14 games, Moten played a major role in last year’s secondary and leaves big shoes to fill. Moten also played 14 games in 2021, registering 65 total tackles across those two campaigns. As part of the safety rotation with fellow senior safety Makari Paige and sophomore safety Rod Moore, Moten provided ample experience that will need to be replaced.

While not normally a player who comes up with massive, game-defining plays, Moten played consistent in his role in stopping long runs. He also proved his chops as a pass defender, deflecting six passes and picking off two across the past two years.

While the likes of senior safety Caden Kolesar or freshman safety Keon Sabb could help alleviate that loss, Moten’s experience as a starter cannot be immediately replaced. Neither of those two safeties have started a game, meaning they’ll have to be caught up to speed this fall.

Michigan kept many core pieces of last year’s team together for a championship run this season, but it will have to find a new contributor to replace Moten’s production in the secondary.

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In a statement posted to Twitter early Monday afternoon, senior wide receiver A.J. Henning officially announced that he will be entering his name into the transfer portal. In his statement, Henning emphasized his gratitude to the Michigan program and his coaches and teammates, but he ended by declaring his intent to search for a new home.

Henning, a former four-star recruit out of Frankfort, Illinois, has spent the past three years splitting his time between receiving and returning duties. Behind a loaded wide receiver room with the likes of Ronnie Bell and Roman Wilson, Henning saw limited action on the offensive side of the ball, totaling 25 career catches through 33 games. But on special teams, Henning made a name for himself as a returner, bringing back 33 kicks and 33 punts throughout his career with the Wolverines for a total of 890 yards and two touchdowns.

Last year against Maryland, Henning scored the first of those touchdowns on a trick play, catching a cross-field lateral before taking off for an 81-yard score. And again this year against UConn, Henning displayed his blazing speed on a 60-yard punt return that earned him co-Big Ten player of the week honors. At the end of the 2022 season, Henning was named Michigan’s special team’s player of the year and was an all-Big Ten second team selection as a return man. 

With his name now in the transfer portal, Henning has the option to leave if he so desires. It appears as if finding a new home is his intention, but there are no guarantees and he retains the option to stay with the Wolverines.

If Henning does indeed leave, Michigan will miss him most on special teams. With a deep receivers room, his production can be matched on offense. Without his kick returning abilities, though, the Wolverines will have to find someone to fill the gap with similar speed and elusiveness.

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About a month ago, I was sitting at Good Time Charley’s watching the Michigan men’s basketball team get thrashed by Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament, the clock ticking down mercifully to end their NCAA Tournament hopes.

Before the ‘double zeroes’ even flashed across the screen, in a mix of jest and self-consolation, someone at my table chimed in:

“It doesn’t matter, we’re a hockey school anyway.” 

A “hockey school.”

That phrase — some sport with “school” tacked on the end — has cracked me up since Kentucky’s John Calipari and Mark Stoops got in a petty debate over the Wildcats’ athletic identity last year. 

In most scenarios, it seems equally as arbitrary as it is obvious. Kentucky is a basketball school (get over it, Mark), Alabama is football, Duke is basketball, Georgia is football and Michigan State is basketball.

See? Easy.

And regardless of whether the Crimson Tide have an up year in basketball or the Spartans have a down year under Tom Izzo, the label remains the same.

So, while in my friends’ case they were simply signaling their shift in focus to the then-on-a-roll Michigan hockey team and away from the anemic state of both Wolverine basketball programs, they weren’t correct in their assertion.

Michigan is not a “hockey school.” Nor is it a basketball school.

Say it with me:

It’s a football school.

And I don’t think it’s ever been more clear. No, the Wolverines haven’t won a national championship in over 25 years. And while they’re built to win a title now, they still might not in the next few years either (but that feels like a column for a different day). Yet that’s not what makes it so painstakingly clear to me that this is a football school.

Sure, the history helps, but when most living people have only witnessed one Michigan national championship and not a single current undergraduate student was alive the last time the Wolverines lifted the banner, that history loses its oomph. 

What makes it clear is that Michigan football is back.

Because it’s not just back from a down year or two — it’s back from the grave.

In my 22 years of life, the Wolverines have only beaten Ohio State four times, two of which came in the last two years. They’re also 11-11 against their second biggest rival, Michigan State, in the same time period. Not to mention a measly four wins in bowl games in my lifetime. A 15-29 record against its rivals and just four postseason wins in 22 years? That’s not “Michigan football” — that’s not the sign of a strong football program.

From the end of the Lloyd Carr era, to Rich Rod, to Brady Hoke, the Wolverines have been in the mud. Even the beginning of Jim Harbaugh’s tenure ushered in mixed feelings. Michigan might technically have been winning more, but not the important games. 

But after two consecutive wins over Ohio State, two consecutive Big Ten Championships and two consecutive College Football Playoff berths — not to mention a 2024 recruiting class currently ranked No. 2 while still picking up steam — the Wolverines have been resurrected.

It shows when Heisman-caliber and draft-eligible players like running back Blake Corum come back. It shows when five-star quarterback Jadyn Davis committed to Michigan and vowed to bring more players with him, just three years after star quarterback J.J. McCarthy did the same. And it shows when the Wolverines have set their sights on winning it all, from the coach down to the players.

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win it all,” Corum said on the “In the Trenches” podcast Jan. 9. “I hope Team 144 is ready. I’m going to make sure they’re ready.” 

Before him, McCarthy’s “job’s not finished” statements after beating the Buckeyes and winning the Big Ten Championship implied it.

Before him, Harbaugh put it simply:

“We could win college football’s greatest trophy,” Harbaugh said in March of 2022. “We could win the national championship.”

The Michigan football program is not just alive again — its heart is beating, its stomach is hungry and its eyes are filled with fire. Just a few years ago, these Wolverines were nowhere to be seen, and they haven’t been seen for a long, long time.

And this Lazarushian story arc is what solidifies Michigan as a football school. Because that’s what “football school” or “basketball school” means.

It means a program that can’t truly die, no matter how lifeless it might look.

That’s Michigan football.

On any given year, the basketball teams, the ice hockey team, the gymnastics teams, the baseball team, the softball team or any other team that dons the maize and blue might be better than the football team in their respective sport. That doesn’t change the label.

That success, even when sustained, remains temporary and fragile. The elite level could slip, and any one of those programs could fall off completely.

But Michigan football can’t be felled. 

Michigan is, Michigan was, and Michigan always will be:

A football school.

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