Everyone has his own ideas about what Michigan will look like on the field in 2013, but here's a best-guess scenario for the fall. My projections probably won't remain the same throughout the offseason, and they certainly won't jive with many fans' expectations . . . but here you go, anyway.
QB: Denard Robinson (Sr.), Devin Gardner (Jr.), Russell Bellomy (RS Fr.)
RB: Fitzgerald Toussaint (RS Jr.), Vincent Smith (Sr.), Thomas Rawls (So.)
FB: Stephen Hopkins (Jr.), Joe Kerridge (RS Fr.)
WR: Roy Roundtree (5th), Jerald Robinson (RS So.), Amara Darboh (Fr.)
WR: Jeremy Gallon (RS Jr.), Jeremy Jackson (Jr.), Drew Dileo (Jr.)
TE: Brandon Moore (5th), A.J. Williams (Fr.), Mike Kwiatkowski (5th)
LT: Taylor Lewan (RS Jr.), Schofield
LG: Ricky Barnum (5th), Chris Bryant (RS Fr.)
C: Rocko Khoury (5th), Jack Miller (RS Fr.)
RG: Patrick Omameh (5th), Kyle Kalis (Fr.)
RT: Michael Schofield (RS Jr.), Elliott Mealer (5th)
SDE: Jibreel Black (Jr.), Nathan Brink (RS So.)
NT: William Campbell (Sr.), Ondre Pipkins (Fr.), Richard Ash (RS So.)
DT: Quinton Washington (RS Jr.), Matt Godin (Fr.)
WDE: Craig Roh (Sr.), Frank Clark (So.), Brennen Beyer (So.)
SAM: Jake Ryan (RS So.), Cam Gordon (RS Jr.)
MIKE: Kenny Demens (5th), Mike Jones (Sr.), Joe Bolden (Fr.)
WILL: Desmond Morgan (So.), James Ross (Fr.), Brandin Hawthorne (Sr.)
CB: J.T. Floyd (5th), Courtney Avery (Jr.), Delonte Hollowell (So.)
CB: Blake Countess (So.), Raymon Taylor (So.)
FS: Thomas Gordon (RS Jr.), Marvin Robinson (Jr.)
SS: Jordan Kovacs (5th), Josh Furman (RS So.)
*Players left off the depth chart are either buried too deep to irrelevant or will likely redshirt.
I have pipkins starting next 2 big will rather than washington.
ReplyDeleteI think Pipkins might end the season as the starter, but he'll probably begin the year as a backup.
DeleteI agree with this as the opening day lineup, but by mid-season I think 4 freshmen will have made the lineup (just as Morgan and Countess did this past season): Williams at TE, Kalis at G (with Barnum moving to C), Pipkins at NT/DT, one of the freshman LBs at WLB.
ReplyDeleteI have my doubts about Barnum at center. If Khoury can't hold it down, I think you'll see Jack Miller or perhaps Elliott Mealer.
DeleteI can see having doubts about Barnum at C, but you should have more doubts about Khoury. If he were remotely starter material, he would have seen some time at OG in the last few years (especially in '09). He couldn't even fill in for Molk, who could barely walk in the Sugar Bowl. If he starts for UM next year at C, that is a bad sign for the OL.
DeleteAgreed. A healthy group of freshmen will make an impact this year, as happened last year. Ojemudia plays for sure. Mattison is in love with him and he will be a better pass rusher than Beyer from day 1. I think Ryan, Clark and Ojemudia all play a good amount and take snaps away from Roh and Black, especially on passing downs. A big freshman DL will play at 3-tech too. I assume it is Wormley, but Godin is a possibility. Strobel may also play at SDE - not a lot of stout depth there. This freshman class has a ton of opportunity to play early.
DeleteKhoury was a redshirt freshman in 2009. I'm not sure why he should have seen time that year. I understand that the offensive line was a bit battered that year and not very good, but he was a 283 lb. redshirt freshman. The fact that he did not play that year doesn't concern me at all.
DeleteWe've been solid at guard for the past two years.
Also, Khoury was on the biggest stage of his life and thrown into the starting C job at the very last minute. It's reasonable to expect some jitters like he showed in the Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech. Those types of things happen when centers go out. I've seen it happen lots of times. You can go all the way back to...2009 and David Moosman if you want another example.
You know what means more to me than 3 shaky snaps in the Sugar Bowl? The entire game he played against Iowa in 2010, when Khoury played pretty well and didn't really have any noticeable issues with snaps (Molk got hurt on the first play of the game, IIRC).
Strobel was recruited as a WDE, and there are lots of guys vying for the SDE spot. I doubt Strobel ends up on the strong side, at least not anytime soon.
DeleteOjemudia is small and kind of raw. I think people are jumping on the bandwagon a little too early. He might play this year, but minimally.
Is Poole a WILL or a SAM?
ReplyDeleteIt would be real nice if Poole were to show up at WILL as a player, and keep some freshmen LBs on the bench for a year.
God forbid a Tackle goes down.
Poole is a WILL. I just think it's going to be hard to keep Ross off the field.
DeleteAs much as I'm worried about our OL play this year, I'm more worried about 2013. I am praying for another OL class next year like the one this year, and Lewan to stay for his 5th year senior season. We need at least one more Kalis to commit too, because we're going to NEED freshmen for depth in 2013.
ReplyDeleteI have been freaking out about the 2013 O-Line for a year-plus now too... Losing Pace didn't help, and Posada (one less possibility). But Bryant and Miller have been getting good insider buzz, and this year's class helps. It is easy to imagine one or two of Magnuson/Kalis/etc starting as a rFr or true soph. If Lewan leaves, and let's assume that Kalis plays this year but no one else does, it would look like this:
DeleteLT: Magnuson rFr
LG: Bryant, rSo
C: Miller, rSo
RG: Kalis, So
RT: Schofield, rSr
Depending on how many starts Miller and Kalis might get in 2012, that is only 1-3 starters... and only two non-true-freshmen for depth: Bars (G-rFr) and Braden (T-rFr). IF, however, Lewan comes back then I think the situation is above-average, and IF a couple of Kalis or Magnuson quality recruits come in (guys who could spot-start in a pinch as true frosh and not be disastrous), I think it will be okay. We could have been in a situation where Bryant was on a Posada, out of shape, road and Miller wasn't panning out.
Redshirting Funchess is probably a good idea development-wise, but we might not have the depth to do so.
ReplyDeleteHe is ready to play. Not as an all around TE, but as an offensive weapon. UM does not have a lot of receiving weapons on offense or size at the "skill" positions. So I think Borges needs to make use of skills right off the bat.
DeleteShakes fist at (likely) no redshirt for Devin Gardner.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Ricardo Miller at TE?
ReplyDelete