Thursday Morning Brews: Trolling for feedback

I’m going to do something different this morning. As I mentioned in Tuesday Brews, we’re sort of in an offseason wilderness. Recruiting isn’t as big of a story as it was in years past with the arrival and popularity of the early signing period, and that was really the bread and butter of this January to February window.

So with that in mind, I’m going to drop some stories here in link form but what I really want to do today is hear from you. We’re through my first year of writing the Brews and I’m looking for feedback. What did you like about the Brews this year? What didn’t you like? What do you want to see more of? What do you want to see less of? What do you think of the format? Do you like the Thursday song or do you think it’s a gimmick? What do you want to see out of Brews until spring practice starts up?

I want some no holds barred feedback, so fire away down in the comments with whatever you think about this column. I’ll read all of it and I’ll incorporate some of it into the Brews going forward.

And just so those of you who like to read Brews at work in the morning don’t come away empty handed:

• Tyler Friday is now expected to commit to Ohio State. This one hurts, but it appears to be a done deal. Defensive line isn’t a position of need for Michigan this cycle, but it was thought for a while that the Wolverines led handily for Friday’s services. There was a flood of Crystal Balls for Ohio State yesterday, and I’ve heard nothing that makes me think this one isn’t over. Friday is expected to come to a decision soon, and then he’ll sign an NLI in February.
• Pep Hamilton to the Raiders? Bruce Feldman thinks it may be so. There has been a lot of talk about Hamilton having an NFL offer in his pocket, and Michigan’s passing game coordinator may be leaving for the West Coast sooner rather than later. Keep an eye on this one.
• Ben Herbert’s contract has been made public. For a strength and conditioning coach at this level, I find it patently unobjectionable. Herbert is set to make $450,000 his first year and $500,000 in each of the next two years. The initial contract is for three years.
• Al Washington to be a linebackers and special teams assistant. The new defensive coach from Cincinnati will be making $350,000 next year and $375,000 the year after that. His contract is for two years.
• Dan Enos signs a four-year deal to coach wide receivers. Enos’ new contract is pretty low cost, but look past the initial numbers. His first year is for $150,000, with years two through four stepping up by $50,000 each year. BUT, and this is the big but, if the word ‘coordinator’ is added to Enos’ title—for instance, if he is named the passing game coordinator if Hamilton does indeed jump to the NFL—his salary will jump to $750,000 per year. He’s also owed $2.25 million by Arkansas, with offsets for what he’ll make at Michigan.

That’s all for today folks. Again, please do leave feedback down in the comments. Any thoughts are appreciated.