 |
| Jarrod Wilson |
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 200 lbs.
High school: Akron (OH) Buchtel
Position: Safety
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #22
Last year: I ranked Wilson #56 and said he would be a backup free safety. He had 8 tackles and 1 fumble recovery.
Wilson's first season in a Michigan uniform was a little bit forgettable. He earned the role of the backup free safety, backing up Thomas Gordon for most of the year. He also played some in nickel situations when the coaches brought in a third safety instead of a third cornerback. However, there were some missed tackles, poor reads, etc. that allowed big plays. There was a bit of a flash against the South Carolina game when Wilson got caught too shallow but then showed great recovery speed. Rumors flowed during the spring that the coaches were working on helping Wilson regain some of the confidence he had lost during the season, but the physical skills are obviously there.
Wilson should be the starter at one of the safety spots this year, although the safeties were trading responsibilities at times during the spring game. His starting position is almost guaranteed at this point. I have always liked his speed, range, and ballhawking ability, and I think he can be a very good safety, but we'll see how quickly that becomes true. Playing safety as a true freshman is always difficult, and I prefer when freshmen get redshirted at the position, but that wasn't the case last year. Now that he has some experience, has watched himself on film, and knows how well he matches up athletically with other players around the Big Ten, he should be significantly improved this season.
Prediction: Starting free safety; 40 tackles, 2 interceptions
This write-up is dead on. There are high hopes for Wilson. UM has historically not had safeties who were big and fast with coverage instincts (at least based on his impressive HS film). Most guys have lacked in one of the three areas related to coverage.
ReplyDeleteWilson reminds me a bit of Mundy in that he has the goods to be a stud center-fielder, but he appears to be a tentative tackler. Carr's staff was not able to get Mundy over the hump while he was in Ann Arbor, so it will be interesting to see what Hoke's staff can do with Wilson. UM really needs Wilson to put it all together.
Hopefully the staff can help Wilson find his brunette girls calming thought. If they were able to turn 2010 Gibbons into 2011 Gibbons, I'm confident they can work that magic on Wilson.
Delete20 is a good spot as far as his impact goes. But if we are talking about the importance of a players success vs. the teams success, I would tend to lean more towards top 5.
ReplyDeleteHis progression as a safety will determine the outcome of a few games down the road.
-mgobaran
I wouldn't quite agree with top 5, but there were some people I still expected to see for Wilson. I expect to see Black and Dileo soon, Black because of the depth and expected rotation at DL... along with a somewhat lack of success on his part thus far. Dileo is the 3rd receiver and holder, and although he has been a steady contributor I think someone like Wilson who will play many more snaps is more important.
DeleteVery important player for us - one of the few ? on this defense as far as I'm concerned.
ReplyDeleteI think he would have red-shirted last year except that the coaches knew they wanted him to start this year and so they needed him to get his feet wet. I think that tells you something about Furman, Robinson, etc.
Safety is a spot where we don't have much depth just yet, but DB recruiting has been strong lately.
I think most people already knew Wilson was being groomed, or even that whomever was recruited in that spot would pass Robinson and Furman. Those two have/had some strengths, but they weren't suited for safety. Furman could probably be a decent SAM or blitz specialist if he could put on weight.
DeleteI think that before last season Robinson was presumed to inherit the safety position, and most Michigan fans were very high on Furman's potential given his athleticism. I heard very few people dismissing either player before last season. Hindsight is 20/20.
Delete