Right or wrong, Jim Harbaugh has tried his best to run the Michigan football program under a cloak of secrecy since taking the job at the end of 2014.

Last season, Michigan was one of the few teams not to release a depth chart all year (Colorado even mocked the Wolverines with a fake depth chart starting Elmer Fudd at quarterback and Eric Cartman at left tackle), presumably to gain the slightest competitive advantage it could.

Harbaugh didn’t even announce his starting quarterback until Wilton Speight took the field on the first series of the 2016 opener vs. Hawaii.

Now, with the 2017 opener against Florida on Sept. 2 two weeks away, Michigan is the lone Big Ten team withholding its 2017 roster. The roster listed on the school’s website is from 2016.

NJ Advance Media believes Michigan has gone too far and submitted a Freedom of Information Act request Aug. 3 for the program’s updated roster.

The university responded Aug. 11 with a legal request seeking an additional 10 business days to respond, which could put the roster release date at Aug. 25, eight days before the 2017 opener.

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Last season, the Wolverines waited until one week before the opener to release their roster.

GEORGIA TECH: Dedrick Mills was kicked off the team Friday, having violated athletic department rules in what was essentially a third strike for the dynamic but troubled running back.

The stunning announcement came with the season opener less than three weeks away.

Coach Paul Johnson did not specify what rule was broken, but stressed that it was different from the two suspensions Mills served a year ago – totaling three games – for violating team rules.

“Last year he got suspended for a couple of football violations, football team rules,” Johnson said. “This was a (Georgia Tech Athletic Association) rule. So it’s set rules. When you break ’em, the punishment is pretty standard.”

The coach said it didn’t involve a legal matter or a violation of NCAA rules.

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Still, it was clear the Yellow Jackets had run out patience with a player who was highly productive in the triple-option offense but struggled away from the field.

“He’s a good kid,” Johnson said. “He loves to play football. He just made some poor choices.”

Mills was the Georgia Tech’s top returning offensive player after a stellar freshman season. He rushed for 771 yards and 12 touchdowns in just nine games.

PENN STATE: Coach James Franklin has signed a contract extension that guarantees him $34.7 million through 2022.

According to terms released by Penn State on Friday, the deal is worth an average of $5.78 million annually and contains up to $1 million in incentive bonuses each year. The extension modifies the initial six-year contract Franklin signed when he was hired in 2014. That contract was to pay him $4.6 million this year.

The Nittany Lions won the Big Ten last year, finishing finished 11-3 and No. 6 in the country.


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