"Ace, where the heck have ya been with all the Michigan football rumors?" This question has been posed to me a bunch in the last couple weeks. Well, sorry, but this is the toughest time of the year to get any solid info about Michigan football, especially when relying on folks inside the AD (traveling and vacations), recruiting info (dead period) and scheduling & team rumors.
But being a scrappy, take no prisoners, writer that I am, I reached out to some old contacts and even inquired with some future Wolverines that I have gotten to know in the past 12 months. My best info comes from a future Michigan Wolverine and is about Tennessee WR DeAnthony Arnett.
Lets start with the latest on Arnett:
For those of you who don;t know, Tennessee freshman WR DeAnthony Arnett asked out of his scholarship today and wants to transfer back to the state of Michigan to be closed to his father. His dad has had two heart attacks and a number of surgeries recently and Arnett has stated that he needs to transfer to be close enough to be there for his family in this time of need. But, as of now, Tennessee coach Derek Dooley will not grant him a release to transfer to any BCS level school, only to a MAC school in Michigan.
So, how does this relate to Michigan football?
Arnett has been in contact with at least 5 current and future Wolverines in the past 2 weeks expressing his desire to come to Michigan. In return, several players have let the coaching staff know his interest and how much he wants to be a part of the Michigan football team next year. I exchanged messages with a player close to the situation this afternoon and here is exactly what he wrote to me:
"DA is coming to Michigan for sure is he can get a scholarship. He aint feelin MSU at all"
"He might be able to play next year too. The ncaa might allow him to play without sitting a yr."
And let me just state, the source of the above quotes is a strong of a source possible other than Arnett himself.
So, does Michigan want him? Absolutely. I was told by a source from New Orleans that the Michigan coaches are very interested in Arnett and will find a roster spot for him no matter what. The good news is, he won't count against the scholarship limit for 2012, as transfers from other FBS schools are treated as members of a recruiting class. For now, the only thing holding him back from being in Ann Arbor, possibly as soon as next week, if the Tennessee coaches having their head up their asses and holding him back from transferring to Michigan.
Follow Arnett on Twitter: _ArnettDoWork
Arnett released this statement today via email:
"Coach Dooley, myself or anybody doesn't know what the future holds for my father," Arnett said in the email. "I feel that I represented the University of Tennessee the best way I can on and off the field and I feel I have earned the right to be released unconditional to all schools in Michigan."
Arnett had 24 catches for 242 yards and two touchdowns as a true freshman this season.
Now, on to future scheduling.
Starting in 2017, Michigan will be playing a PAC 12 school each season in the non-conference. While this is exciting in its own right, it does affect other areas of Michigan scheduling. I have learned recently, from a source close to Dave Brandon, that Michigan and Notre Dame may look to play a two-on, two-off format, possibly as soon as 2015.
Vote: Which PAC 12 team do you want Michigan to play in 2017?
The road map for Michigan right now is to come to terms with Notre Dame for a 4 year hiatus from 2015-18, allowing 
Michigan to schedule a big-name opponent in 2015-16 home and home with a SEC or ACC school before locking into a PAC 12 opponent on a yearly basis. Michigan and ND would then resume playing for 2019-20, alternating 2 on 2 off from there forward.
One thing that is certain, Michigan was adamant that they hosted the PAC 12 teams in even years, giving them a name out of conference in 2018,2020 etc. Also, look for Michigan to push hard to play at Stanford in 2017.
But wait . . . what about the Sugar Bowl? What does Hoke have up his sleeve?
Nothing. Michigan's coaching staff knew they would be judged by what they accomplished
in the final two games of the regular season and prepared in the weeks leading up to those games to 'put it all together' against Nebraska and OSU. On offense, it worked flawlessly as Denard and company executed just the way that they had been practicing. On D, not so much, at least against OSU. So, from the nuggets of info I am getting, I don't expect to see anything different on O or D than what we saw against OSU and NU.
We will see a steady mix of Denard throwing deep and running wild, with Fitz Toussaint providing much relief from the running back position. On D, looks for Michigan to bring pressure on the outside in passing situations while coaching the CB's to keep their man in front of them.
Early prediction: Michigan 35 VT 17.
Also . . . I hope you all follow me on Twitter for my gambling picks. Went 11-1 this season, about to be 12-1 after tonight's ND pick!
Latest Michigan football rumors
Back to the Michigan Wolverines Newsfeed