Michigan Football Chatter: Updates On McCaffrey, Schlissel & Mayfield

Jalen Mayfield's path back to Michigan is not impossible, but does Mayfield want to return?

Big Ten football is back, and there are a lot of reasons for that, most prominently the reversal by 11 conference presidents/chancellors from their original decision to cancel the season Aug. 11. 

• One of those to vote no and change his mind was, obviously, Michigan President Mark Schlissel. It has been a brutal few weeks for Schlissel, who has lost the confidence of much of his faculty, but while Schlissel is not the staunch supporter (and fan) of football that predecessor Mary Sue Coleman was, we also don't believe he is the great villain he has been made out to be. 

True, Schlissel is not a strong advocate for football. A source in the Michigan ticket office shared that he rarely uses all of his allocated tickets (or sometimes even any of them) for U-M games, looking at attending as a bit of a burden and not a privilege. We also know he doesn't like that athletics often overshadows academics on the Michigan campus, in the media and among distinguished alumni, but he has granted considerable autonomy to Athletics Director Warde Manuel, giving him the type of freedom most ADs crave. 

We also know he alone was not responsible for influencing the 11 presidents/chancellors to vote no Aug. 11 and he wasn't blackmailing anyone into going along with his opinion. He was, however, a very prominent voice in discussions, and his background as an immunologist and his leverage as the President of the University of Michigan carried significant weight with his league brethren. 

• There are reports that redshirt sophomore right tackle Jalen Mayfield still might be able to return to Michigan and play this season. Mayfield had announced his decision to opt out of the 2020 campaign and prepare for the NFL Draft Aug. 18. Some of those close to him would like to see him play one more season, getting a bit more experience and an opportunity to showcase himself to NFL scouts. 

The family loves Michigan and has always dreamed of Mayfield winning a Big Ten title in the winged helmet. Though he has signed with an agent, Mayfield may not have accepted any money yet, and the NCAA, which has amended much of its laws and regulations to accommodate for the coronavirus' impact, could forgive players such as Mayfield, Purdue's Rondale Moore and Penn State's Micah Parsons from signing with agents. 

However, there is another major hurdle to clear - Mayfield, and Wolverines Ambry Thomas and Nico Collins have not been enrolled at Michigan for the fall term, going on Day 13 of classes. One long-time U-M academic advisor, however, believes it is feasible to come all the way back. 

"Nothing is black and white, everything exists in the gray, and I've seen students miss up to three weeks of classes before, for a variety of reasons, and still get admitted to school. The thing I appreciate is Michigan really handles it on a case-by-case basis. It's not one rule that applies to every student regardless of extenuating circumstances."

Still, it would require the OK from the university provost, Mayfield would then have to be re-admitted to a school/program and would need three accommodating professors/instructors willing to let him into their classes. It's all very doable, but challenges still remain.

"I think the hardest part is where is Jalen mentally? He wasn't sitting out for COVID reasons, he declared for the NFL Draft, and so he might be completely checked out from a team standpoint, from an academic standpoint - don't underestimate his mindset in all of this. Even if he is re-enrolled, will he mentally be where he needs to be a good teammate and a good student again?"  

• Yesterday's announcement, first reported by Wolverine Digest, that Dylan McCaffrey was seeking options to leave Michigan after losing the starting QB job to Joe Milton stunned many fans. While some have speculated that he also lost the No. 2 job to redshirt freshman Cade McNamara, we have had a source confirm such talk. 

McCaffrey is a great kid from a great family and will be easy to cheer for wherever he ends up. We wouldn't be surprised if that's his home state of Colorado as the family is extremely tight-knit and there is a sense that McCaffrey could benefit from being close to the family's trusted medical team. We won't go into anything more than that, only to say there should be no reason he cannot have a successful football career somewhere else. 

As for the blame game - how did the once-promising 2018 backup to Shea Patterson end up as the odd-man out? It really depends who you ask. 

Certainly, McCaffrey displayed a level of moxie and toughness in his brief stints as the backup in 2018, showing no fear when he took over for Patterson late in the Notre Dame game down in South Bend, but he also didn't develop his overall game the last two seasons, some close to the situation share ... multiple sources citing his decision-making in the pocket as a weakness. 

He doesn't have the arm of Milton (though no one does) but after last season's struggles in the vertical passing game, coaches - specifically offensive coordinator Josh Gattis - feels it is imperative to be able to stretch the field consistently throughout a contest, and in preseason practices, Milton showed a better ability to do so with accuracy and consistency. 

McCaffrey has all the intangibles and in the right offense, and with opportunity, he should thrive. It just wasn't going to happen at Michigan.

• As for McNamara, teammates and coaches are extremely high on his development and believe he's (at the moment) the perfect No. 2 quarterback in that he can provide strong mental feedback during games, confidence and leadership, and if called upon, would have the support of the huddle. 

"This isn't a Russell Bellomy situation," a source said. "Cade, to me, looks like a Todd Collins type, a Brian Griese of 1995-96. Someone you can definitely rely on to get the job done if you need him and someone that down the road could really be a contender to start. It would be a mistake to sleep on this kid."