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via Imago

via Imago

The Michigan Wolverines were yearning for a messiah figure to lead them back to their pedestal. They identified No.1 overall recruit Bryce Underwood to fit that bill. Boy, did they make sure the love was reciprocated. Upwards of $10 million in NIL money later, Sherrone Moore has his man. Underwood’s arrival is akin to a mythical being descending upon Ann Arbor from the heavens, to lift the vibes in and around the program. Speaking of mythical, a unicorn may now be following suit.

After playing 3 different ones last season, Michigan’s personnel issues at quarterback are now resolved. Bryce Underwood and portal-signee Mikey Keene have filled that void for the foreseeable. Now, it’s time to move to the ancillary pieces. For an offense that was super flat, weapons out wide are a requisite need. Coach Moore has identified an in-state recruit to bolster a fractured receiving corp. Except, he can play both sides- à la Travis Hunter. Something the player has expressed his wishes to continue doing.

Sherrone Moore has identified 4-star CJ Sadler as a target from the class of ‘26. On3 ranks Sadler as the no.1 recruit in the state, and 98th nationally. According to Michigan insider Aidan Sen, the program is pursuing CJ as a pass-catcher, which is his primary forte. However, he also states the player “his hopes to play both ways in college”. Mike Sainristil flashbacks, anyone? Well, as enticing as this sounds, it may be too good to be true. The reasons are multifold, and Sadler’s tangibles may begrudgingly be standing in his own way.

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For starters, CJ Sadler is merely 5’10, 170 pounds. Aidan Sen pointed to how that’s “under-sized in comparison to Michigan’s regular prototype corner” For context, Will Johnson stood at 6”2. Now, Sadler does still have room to grow so that’s a proverbial checkmark in the right column. But not every player is an athletic phenom like Travis Hunter, and not every coach is an eccentric maverick like Deion Sanders. Conventional wisdom has to take precedence sometimes, as vanilla as that may be.

Making false promises to recruits is not the correct way to go about things either. Full disclosure to CJ Sadler is the best way to move forward. You can don the iconic maize and blue and play at the Big House. Something Sadler has probably dreamed of as a Michigan native. But it’ll be at the cost of your two-way escapades. Perhaps the two parties can come to a resolution, like playing sporadic defense in certain contexts. New offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey will hope the program can successfully make this happen. Alas, Bryce Underwood’s future as the face of the program is not under threat from a potential 2-way unicorn. However, that future is still likely to be put on hold.

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Sherrone Moore not handing Bryce Underwood the keys to the program just yet

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Can Bryce Underwood handle the pressure, or is Michigan setting him up for failure?

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Throwing a true freshman straight into the deep end isn’t particularly wise. As talented as Bryce Underwood is, the weight of this blueblood program is perhaps too big for his young, frail shoulders. A contingency plan was a requisite need, especially after the QB shenanigans of 2024.Hence, Sherrone Moore has acquired the services of Mikey Keene via the transfer portal.

The veteran has traversed two different programs already and thrown for a cumulative 8,245 yards and 65 TDs through the air in his collegiate career. The general belief in and around Ann Arbor is that Keene will, at least initially, be QB1 for 2025. Underwood may still win the job and find himself stop the depth chart come September though. Conversely, he’ll hope a potential redshirt year will be a step in the right direction for his success at high school level to translate into college. 

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Whatever the case, Sherrone Moore will be pleased to have this figurative monkey off his shoulder. With the hardship they had to overcome to land him, it seemed like Michigan were placing all their eggs in the Bryce Underwood basket. Either way, it’s merely a matter of when not if before Bryce is throwing dots at the Big House. Will CJ Sandler be on the other end of them? We shall see. 

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Can Bryce Underwood handle the pressure, or is Michigan setting him up for failure?