Tough transition in Michigan

After losing key players Chad Henne, Jake Long and Mike Hart to the NFL, projected starters -- quarterback Ryan Mallett and offensive lineman Justin Boren -- both transferred. Mallett's family accused Rodriguez of pushing the highly touted Mallett aside, while Boren said Rodriguez's coaching staff had abandoned the "family atmosphere" that Carr maintained.

Rodriguez has a certain brashness about him. He's straightforward and, at times, comes across as arrogant.

When asked about Mallett's departure, Rodriguez refused to acknowledge him, saying, "I don't spend time talking about people who don't play for Michigan."

Senior cornerback Morgan Trent backs Rodriguez and said Boren's claims don't describe the Wolverines. He said the team's new strength and conditioning coach, Mike Barwis, often conducts workouts while the coach's wife watches and their 1-year-old son plays nearby in a portable crib.

"It's honestly a joke from our eyes," Trent said about Boren's comments. "It's so farfetched that it's not even worth talking about. We're extremely close; extremely close as a team."

Peer criticism

Rodriguez became defensive when fellow Big Ten coaches criticized their new conference colleague for signing two players -- running back Michael Shaw (Penn State) and receiver Roy Roundtree (Purdue) -- who already had verbally committed to other schools.

Purdue head coach Joe Tiller called Rodriguez "a guy in a wizard hat selling snake oil" and Ohio State's Jim Tressel said there was an agreement "only between gentlemen" to avoid recruiting players who had already to committed to another conference school.

In his defense, Rodriguez said that he didn't criticize anyone when he lost a recruit, quarterback John Wienke, to Iowa, after he had already committed to Michigan last summer.

Rodriguez also said that he doesn't have a beef with Tressel before adding that "we're not texting each other."

But spats among coaches and departed players were the least of Rodriguez's worries in his first few months at his new school. West Virginia sued him in December for breach of contract, citing a buyout clause that required Rodriguez to pay $4 million if he left early.

In July, Rodriguez agreed to pay the school $1.5 million and his new employer promised to pay the other $2.5 million as part of a settlement. West Virginia fans could care less about the money and instead voiced their dismay with Rodriguez's decision to leave his alma mater by destroying his mailbox and even threatening to kill members of his family.

Through it all, Rodriguez has not seemed to convey -- publicly, at least -- any sense of remorse for actions on his part that contributed to his rocky start. "I mean, what have I done wrong, image-wise?" he said.

The New Michigan

Wolverines players say they haven't spent much time reading about Rodriguez's bad press. They have been too busy making their bodies sleeker and faster so they can handle the spread offense, which demands constant movement, plenty of speed and multiple formations. Rodriguez gave Barwis the power to add $1 million worth of upgrades to the team's weight room.

They will need to be in top shape to replace the talented trio of running back Hart, quarterback Henne and offensive lineman Long.

Although the team's quarterback competition continues to play out through fall camp, freshman Stephen Threet appears to have the starting job. Rodriguez's spread offense requires a mobile quarterback, which is why he did everything he could to lure highly touted recruit Terrelle Pryor, who landed at Ohio State. With so many fresh players on offense, however, the Wolverines will likely have to rely on a veteran defense that features senior Tim Jamison and junior Brandon Graham at defensive end. The duo recorded 14 sacks last year.

Jamison said Rodriguez has bonded with players in ways that Carr never did. Rodriguez meets with his "apostles" at his home periodically to discuss issues within the team. The "apostles" are a group of leaders from every class that serve as the voice for the team.

"He's not a coach that's going to pat you on your back too much," Jamison said. "He's going to get in your face because he demands greatness from us. That's what we need."

An easier schedule would help, too. But a year after losing its home opener against Appalachian State, Michigan this Saturday will take on a Utah team that went 9-4 last season.

Rodriguez said recently that he would like some more time to prepare for the upcoming season, in part because he's still sorting out his depth chart.

That said, he didn't leave West Virginia for Michigan without anticipating some challenges. He admits, however, that he never expected the criticism and controversy.

Rodriguez said: "[My] reputation, if it's damaged, that is upsetting because I've just changed jobs, and I've done things like I've done them anywhere else. I guess it takes time for people to see what's really going on."