Rich Rodriguez eager to have NCAA meeting finished, plus Michigan football has a sleepy captain

To Rich Rodriguez, his appearance before the NCAA Committee On Infractions seems more like a blip on his schedule than a major undertaking.

On Friday morning, he’ll conduct the Michigan football team’s first full-padded practice of the summer. Then he’ll fly to Seattle with other university officials for Saturday’s meeting.

By Sunday morning, he’ll be back in Ann Arbor running the Wolverines’ first day of two-a-day scrimmages.

Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez addressed the media Thursday evening and said he's eager to get past the NCAA hearing and back to practice.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

“I think we’re all anxious,” Rodriguez said Thursday night. “I think everybody involved in the process, school administration, coaches, the players, we’re all looking forward to having this next process completed. …

“So it’s in the middle of camp, but that’s something we have to do.”

NCAA investigators found that Michigan violated five major rules. Michigan agreed with the findings in four of the five allegations. Final conclusions from the NCAA are expected 6 to 10 weeks following Saturday’s meeting.

JUSTIN TURNER … STILL GONE

Odds of cornerback Justin Turner reconciling with Michigan appeared remote Thursday night.

The highly touted recruit from Massillon, Ohio, sought and received a release from his scholarship Tuesday, according to Michigan officials. But on Wednesday evening, according to media reports, Turner had second thoughts.

Rodriguez declined comment on those reports Thursday, but said he wished Turner well, and “I hope he gets everything in order and has a successful career, but my focus is on Michigan.”

Asked specifically if there was a chance either party would reconsider, Rodriguez said, “he doesn’t play for Michigan.”

QUIET CELEBRATION FOR NEW CAPTAIN

The first thing senior Mark Moundros did upon learning teammates selected him as a captain for the 2010 season Tuesday night was text his parents with the news.

Then he went to sleep.

“We don’t get too much time here,” he said Thursday. “So I went right home, texted them and went straight to sleep.”

Moundros has good reason to feel exhausted. He’s playing two positions for the Wolverines - fullback and linebacker - and expects to toggle between both throughout the season.

“I’ve always had the mindset to compete as hard as I can to the best of my ability wherever they’ll put me,” said Moundros, who started his Michigan career as a walk-on.

He’s competing with Obi Ezeh and Kenny Demens for playing time at middle linebacker. Defensive coordinator Greg Robinson sees a lot of promise in Moundros, a 6-foot-1, 233-pounder from Farmington Hills.

“I looked at him in the winter program a year ago when I first got here, and not certain who our linebackers were, I thought he might be a linebacker,” Robinson said. “I found out he was the fullback, but he has linebacker skills.”

Michigan selected offensive lineman Stephen Schilling as its other year-long captain. Rodriguez said he intends to name one or two more players captains on a game-by-game basis.

FIRST LOSS OF SEASON

Offensive lineman Christian Pace will redshirt the 2010 season because of a lingering knee injury. He enrolled in school in the spring as a true freshman, hoping to get a jump on his first year with the Wolverines.

Instead, his first year has been cut short.

“His knee had bothered him a little bit in the spring, and it became more of an issue after the first (summer) practice, “Rodriguez said. “It looks like he’ll need some procedures done on his knee, and he’ll go ahead and take that redshirt year.”

EXTRA POINTS

The Wolverines will not practice Saturday. Players will meet with their position coaches at their homes for dinner. … Running back Mike Shaw has returned to practice.

Have questions about the Michigan football team? Email AnnArbor.com beat reporter Pete Bigelow at petebigelow@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeterCBigelow.