Opinion Roundtable: Discussing Our Concern For Michigan Football's Physical State

Recently, some videos popped up on social media showing Michigan players Christopher Hinton, Nick Eubanks and Luiji Villain all going through the paces in great shape. The question is, how convinced are we that most of the team will be physically fit when workouts begin?

We discuss...

Brandon Brown

While I'm very encouraged by how Eubanks, Hinton and Vilain specifically looked, there are 82 other scholarship players on the roster to be concerned with, and many of them are built much differently than the three aforementioned players.

Hinton is a big boy at more than 300 pounds, but he's rare in terms of how it's distributed, and Vilain and Paye certainly aren't small, but none of them have to worry about their weight like a lot of offensive linemen do, for example. I'm not trying to downplay what they've potentially done, I'm just trying to keep it real. There are players on every roster in the country that have struggled with their weight, physique, strength and endurance, and it's going to happen with U-M players upon return as well. It's like any line of work — some people are going to take everything they do very seriously and some aren't. That's what's going to happen with football players across the country, and some of them are going to suffer because of it.

On the flip side, these guys are 18-22 years old and naturally special when it comes to their bodies and their athleticism, even the "out of shape" guys. Getting back into shape and rounding into form is a lot easier for them than it is for the average person, especially if your 20s and 30s are in the rearview.

I think most players are going to be ready to go, and I don't think it'll be a widespread problem for the players who slipped a little to right the ship. I also expect every single player to hit it hard once they're back on campus in order to get into football shape and ready to go. They've been missing what they do and want to practice, play, work out and get ready for the season. Every school in the country is dealing with it, so if it's a problem for one, it'll be a problem for all.

Steve Deace

I think the timing of college football facing its most tumultuous offseason since World War II, coinciding with senior cornerback Ambry Thomas calling out the lack of internal accountability within the program after another bowl loss, is fascinating. We are going to know right away if the Wolverines did address Thomas' concern about team culture, because the players have been away from the structure and discipline provided by a direct connection to the program for three months. The three examples cited in the question are positive anecdotal evidence they did take accountability seriously this offseason, but a team is much more than just three guys. There's 82 other scholarship players to find out about, too.

Eric Rutter

In staying true to the letter of the question, I think it's a fairly safe bet that most Michigan players have remained diligent in their workout habits and will report to camp in shape, but there will certainly be outliers at every school. For example, most of the true freshman class will be eager for their first taste of college football and will not want to be even more behind the rest of their teammates, so rather than having to get in shape and learn a new playbook I bet most will keep up their fitness habits. As for upperclassmen, that can go in one of two directions. Some players, such as Nick Eubanks and Luiji Vilain, appear eager for the season to begin and want to secure a stranglehold on starting positions this fall, so they've applied that drive to their offseason conditioning. Other upperclassmen that are further down on the depth chart and might not be as integral to Michigan's success this season might not have the same incentive to push themselves through these trying circumstances, so it is feasible to assume that some players won't be on their A-game immediately upon returning to campus. However, it will be clear pretty quickly which players took their training seriously over the spring and summer months, and that answer will be reflected in Michigan's depth chart during the non-conference portion of the 2020 schedule.

Michael Spath

Certainly those social media posts were positive signs for Michigan and its fans, especially someone like Hinton that could anchor the middle of the U-M defensive line as a difference-making upfield rusher, but I don't believe the overwhelming majority of the team will show up in tiptop shape because not everyone has access to private coaching, facilities and the proper food to maintain a healthy diet. I would bet that anywhere from 10-25 players will require significant conditioning and proper eating to return to positions where they can compete for playing time. On top of that, the whole team will likely need the final two weeks of June and all of July to participate in the voluntary workouts necessary to be in "football shape."