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| Erik Magnuson |
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 275 lbs.
High school: Carlsbad (CA) La Costa Canyon
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #78
Last year: Magnuson was in high school. He played well enough to participate in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Final TTB Rating: 87
Magnuson is a highly touted offensive tackle out of California, and some people even made a comparison to Jake Long. Maybe it's the fact that Magnuson wore #77, but regardless, he is a much hyped recruit. At the beginning of January, he played left guard in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, and while he wasn't as stellar as classmate Kyle Kalis, he did look adequate with the change of position.
Coming into college, Magnuson needs a fair amount of polish and he needs to get stronger. In a regular year, he would probably be a lock to redshirt. However, needs on the offensive line might mandate some playing time. He looks like a future left tackle, although that's a position with a lot of responsibility for a freshman. We might see him at right tackle or guard if the situation arises, but hopefully he can spend a year refining technique and adding mass.
Prediction: Redshirt if possible
So you think Magnuson is less likely to play than Braden eh? Bit of surprise, but I know Braden's a little bigger.
ReplyDeleteI'm optimistic that both of them, as most-likely guys in the class to stick at tackle, will get to red-shirt. Unlike Bars and Kalis, who may be called upon to start next year, Magnuson and Braden should hopefully still be able to use 2013 as a learning year behind Lewan and Schofield...but yeah, one of them might be needed sooner.
If Kalis is the only freshman OL to play this year, that'll be good news, IMO.
Braden's size and strength are the biggest factors. I just think Magnuson would get pushed around as a freshman.
DeleteI hear ya, but I don't know how much we really know about size and strength and who will have good/bad weight come Fall. Not to mention technique issues that could override physical attributes. Magnuson, perhaps more than any of the other OL recruits, looks like he has a lot of room to grow.
DeleteI think he plays if he is remotely ready. Lewan leaving after the season is probably 50/50. Regardless, there are only two legit OT's coming back this season. These incoming OL need to develop into insurance policies in a hurry. And with a big, highly regarded OL crop on their heels (2013), shelving them for a year is not a priority. If I were Hoke, I would simply play the best 8-9 OL and not concern myself with red-shirting. I expect at least two but maybe three of the incoming OL to be in that group.
ReplyDeleteProbably right about Lewan, but Kalis is supposed to start off at tackle and from the sounds of it, he's far more ready. I'm probably overstating the need for interior OL as compared to OT, but the bigger issue is just that there might not be all that much playing time available to develop more than 1 or 2 guys. So if backups like Miller, Bryant, Kalis, Mealer, plus a couple walk-ons are going to eat up a bulk of the available back-up playing time, there isn't much to gain from other freshman skipping the red-shirt. Especially considering the playing time is more likely to be available in the early season non-conference games. But who knows...
DeleteI think they'll look to red-shirt Braden and Magnuson if they can, but injuries could factor into things, and they may see one of those guys moving to OG after all.
The coaches may play the best 8-9 but that doesn't necessarily include a lot of freshmen. Bryant and Miller are on the bench along with the loser of the LG battle. There won't be a ton of chances to play unless there are a lot of injuries.
DeleteYou pretty much have five guys who are guaranteed to be in the two deep (four solid starters + Miller). I am assuming that a FR starts at LG. I think this has to be Kalis. I did not know the coaches were considering him at OT. I guess under that scenario, Magnusson may be a 4th OT and can practice with the 2nd team, while Schofield is the true back-up at LT in games. If these FR are not able to play at a reasonable level, the coaches need Bryant to step up big time. Pretty sure that Mealer and Burzynski are not legit options.
DeleteI think Mealer is a legitimate oprion. I've said before that I think the main reason Burzynski started in the spring game is that Mealer could get reps as the second team tackle. It seemed to be a depth issue more than anything. Mealer was the top backup last year. I don't think he's going to be passed up by freshmen immediately.
Delete@PSmuf
Delete'Not able to play at a reasonable level' is an odd phrase, I think, that reflects some unreasonable expectations. Mealer's been in the program for 4 years already and has some playing time under his belt - that doesn't get shoved aside just because Kalis has 5 stars. The jump between high school and college competition is a big deal, especially for OL. I think you're reading too much into recruiting rankings. Kalis could pass him up, but it's not likely. All you have to do is look back a year to Chris Bryant, who was (like Kalis) considered to be physically ready to contribute, but ultimately needed to work on technique.
Reports on Miller have been mixed. He's the only real option to backup OC right now, but Bryant is much closer to earning a starting spot. I wouldn't totally discount Burzynski or another walk-on either.
It does happen that Freshman play right away, but it also happens that Seniors put it all together and make the most of their final season.
No comparison between Kalis and Bryant, in terms of college readiness. One is considered the most college-ready OL in the entire 2012 class. The other, a raw project with physical potential. In terms of polish coming out of high school, those guys are day and night. Kalis is better than Boren and Schilling as FR, and those two were serviceable in their debuts. My opinions are based on film snippets and other trusted opinions, not on star rankings which are particularly unreliable for OL.
DeleteMy rule with 5th year guys is if they have been riding the pine their entire careers, and much of that time behind some mediocre starters, don't expect a 5th year breakthrough. Maybe Burzysnski starting over him in the spring game was for a tactical reason, but that seems shaky. The coaches were clearly frustrated with the OL based on their spring PC's and when Borges was asked about Burzynski starting, he did not mention anything about rotating Mealer around. He basically said that Burzynski works hard and does the right things (something to that effect). I really would like to see Mealer step up, because he is such a strong team-guy. Just don't see it happening. I will be utterly shocked if Burzynski holds onto the spot.
Both are guys that were reportedly physically ready-to-play, and people thought they would. So yeah, there is a comparison there. I'll grant you that Kalis sounds far more ready in terms of the coaching he's received, but you know, those things don't always work out as hoped. But yeah, Kalis sounds like the OL equivalent of Tate Forcier in terms of being as-ready-as-can-be for a Freshman. He's still a freshman.
DeleteBoren and especially Schilling should have have red-shirted, but couldn't due to need. This year's Michigan team isn't in that situation unless injuries hit.
Kalis isn't better than Boren/Schilling. He hasn't played yet. You may think he will be, and you may be right, but lets not pretend it's already fact.
Mealer's been sitting behind some pretty good players along the OL and he's gotten occassional praise from coaches along the way. My sense is that he's sat pretty firmly on the fringe of playing time for a couple years. It seems like marginal players like Huyge, Dorrestein, etc have managed to step up in their 5th year senior seasons. Mealer could as well.
I don't know who will win the open OL spot, but my guess (between Mealer, Miller, Bryant, Burzynski and Kalis) is that it will be Bryant.
Schilling did redshirt. He entered in the same class as Boren but didn't play until the following year. They ended up graduating the same year because of Boren's transfer year.
DeleteFound an article calling out Brady Hoke, claiming he fears Urban Meyer. Strange coming from an oregon blog, but an interesting read nonetheless:
ReplyDeletehttp://fishduck.com/2012/06/lifeblood-a-brief-history-of-recruiting-sites/
Actually, that was an awful read. Mr. Reed, the author, did not supply any quotes from which he derived his conclusions, which were pure conjecture and speculation. He simply linked a bleacher report article which supplied a small blurb from Hoke. You have to click on the link in the bleecher report article to get to the main AnnArbor.com article (link: http://www.annarbor.com/sports/um-football/brady-hoke-offers-up-tom-bradys-star-ranking-says-medias-overhypes-recruiting-coverage/#.T9XkWtkE7Vs.twitter.) Read it.
DeleteThe idea that Hoke would feel pressure to answer for finishing behind Meyer in recruiting rankings is laughable. Guy has no idea Hoke is already approaching deification here.
DeleteTo Len Swanson: How did you find that obscure and (based on at least one post) ridiculous blog?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be surprised to hear that "FishDuck" is an MSU/OSU grad who moved to Oregon. Why else would he overanalyze a quote by the UMich football coach?