It's hard to believe that I've been working with Zach to improve the quantity and quality of content here at Maize N Brew for well over a year now. The site has definitely made strides in that time period, largely because everyone on the staff has been putting time and effort in to make sure MnB continued to move up.
The recruiting section has grown in many ways during my time here, but Zach and I both knew it would make a world of a difference if we could find a talented young author capable of seeking out prospects for interviews. After searching for weeks and months, we've found that individual. Read on to learn more about Eric Rutter.
Tell us a bit about yourself. Who is Eric Rutter?
I'm currently a junior at UM-Flint studying Communications with a focus in Mass Media. Figuring out what to expect next is, in my opinion, one of the most fascinating aspects of sports. The best way to know what to expect in college football is to closely monitor a given program's recruiting. As a result, I've been drawn to uncovering the finer details of Michigan football recruiting.
How did you become a Michigan fan, and how did it lead you down the path that brought you through The M Block, and now Maize N Brew?
I can honestly say that I have been a Michigan fan for my entire life. My grandfather, Al Sigman, was a member of the 1955 and 1956 Michigan football teams and started on the same line as Ron Kramer. He also lettered in baseball at Michigan. This love for the Wolverines was passed down to my father who made sure to instill the same values within me. The first shirt that I wore in the hospital when I was born was, I kid you not, a Michigan Wolverines onesie. So Michigan has always been a big part of my life.
I started writing about Michigan football on and off throughout high school, but decided to more seriously pursue sports journalism about a year ago. I reached out to Brandon Brown, the editor in chief of The M Block at the time, and approached him about joining his site. We agreed to team up and began to work cooperatively for the next few months. Brandon eventually left The M Block for MGoBlog in July, which is when I took over the Michigan football recruiting beat. Operating The M Block allowed for me to explore several areas of Michigan athletics that I have thoroughly enjoyed, including the varsity football team, football recruiting, basketball team, basketball recruiting and hockey teams.
Tell us about your prior experience and what you think you'll bring to the staff here at SB Nation.
I was fortunate to take in each Michigan home football game from the press box through my school's newspaper, The Michigan Times, and attended each subsequent post-game presser. This will extend to basketball games once Michigan gets deeper into their Big Ten schedule, and I will catch an occasional hockey game at Yost Arena as well. I hope to provide a close link to Ann Arbor in addition to topical interviews from Michigan's top football targets of the future.
I'm incredibly excited to join the Maize N Brew team and continue to provide a first-hand recounting of Michigan's recruiting outlook. I will be attending a good number of camps across the state of Michigan this year, which should provide a close look at the quality of each Michigan class. I will be attending HYPE Athletic's 7-on-7 tryouts later today and have built a great relationship with their Director of Community Relations, Justin Cessante, and Head Speed, Strength and Conditioning coach, John Vickers. I will have the scoop on several camps throughout the offseason.
What are your long-term writing goals?
In the future, I hope to continue covering football recruiting full-time and managing a team page. In a perfect world, this school would be the Michigan Wolverines, as my love for the University of Michigan is a dominant driving force in my life. Hopefully this gives a solid look at what Maize N Brew can expect in the coming weeks and months.
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Give Eric a welcome, and make sure to check out the many recruiting stories he'll be publishing in the coming months.