Michigan football coaches begin 'hideaway' meetings today

For Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez and his staff, summer is over.

Rodriguez, his assistants and Michigan’s administrative football staff begin their annual “hideaway” meetings today. The retreat-like gathering takes place both on and off campus, and is something Rodriguez has held since he was head coach at West Virginia.

Rich Rodriguez

File photo

Mentioned prominently in his response to NCAA allegations released in May, Rodriguez said in the filing he uses the meetings to hand out fall practice schedules, explain the roles and responsibilities of all staff members, and discuss compliance issues, among other things.

Michigan’s compliance staff and other departments are invited to attend the meetings, according to Rodriguez’s response.

The Wolverines’ offensive and defensive staffs hold separate breakout sessions during the retreat to discuss personnel, coaching techniques and other football-related issues, but Michigan actually began preparing for its 2010 opponents earlier this spring.

“We’ve already spent a great deal of post spring, usually on your first three, four opponents, and then all your conference games,” Rodriguez said last month at the Sound Mind, Sound Body football camp. “We do that on offense and defense, they break it down where each coach takes a team. Then we meet as an entire offensive, entire defensive staff and then the kicking game, so I get to go to all three of them.”

Players have one more week of summer conditioning, then take next week off before reporting for camp.

Michigan opens its season Sept. 4 against UConn.

Dave Birkett covers University of Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at 734-623-2552 or by e-mail at davidbirkett@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.