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| Bo Dever |
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 199 lbs.
High school: Lake Forest (IL) Lake Forest
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #3
Last year: I ranked Dever #84 and said he would be a backup wide receiver. He started one game and caught 1 pass for 26 yards.
Dever saw some action in 2014, probably more than what most expected when he came into college. Brady Hoke was fond of large slot receivers, and Dever managed to start one game against Maryland. He also caught 1 pass for 26 yards against Indiana. Otherwise, he was not used much or targeted often. Still, that's a pretty solid redshirt sophomore year for a walk-on.
Michigan has few established receivers going into the 2015 season. Amara Darboh is a possession guy, and Jehu Chesson seems to be a role player. Otherwise, the receiving corps is full of question marks. For the second year in a row, Dever got a fair amount of run in the spring game and looks like a guy who can catch an occasional ball. He is not going to beat anybody over the top or break any long runs after a catch, but Michigan is going to have to dink and dunk its way down the field unless a deep threat appears out of nowhere. It seems like Michigan is full of possession guys and not much else.
Prediction: Backup wide receiver
I remember last year, Mrs. Dever must've visited the blog because she said you severely underrated him and that he was going to surprise everyone.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for her post this year.
It wasn't in his post last year, but I remember what you're talking about. It was his redshirt freshman season IIRC, and it was at around the 30th post or so, some funboy commented, "I can't wait to see Bo Dever's post", and such.
DeleteI think Dever is better than some of the guys who will soon (presumably) be listed ahead of him. But I can't really argue with the ranking. To me, the backup WRs (after the top group that I define as Darboh, Chesson, Canteen, and Cole) is a bit of a jumbled mess. Dever might be the best of them or he might fade into deeper obscurity.
ReplyDeleteAll of these guys can be ranked below 60 IMO. FWIW I'd put Jones and Ways a bit ahead of Dever I guess, based on the vague hopes of improvement under the new staff. But Douglass, Perry, and Dukes should all be below Dever. None appear to have the kind of talent that would tell you they are going to leap over Dever (who played over them last year.) Harris too, as he doesn't seem healthy enough to play.
Dever's a nice walk-on, and last year I said he could play a role. This year, not much has changed. Funchess and Norfleet are gone but Cole is here and everyone else is a year older. The big question is how the new coaches view him.
When you have an unexceptional group of scholarship players, the door is open for a hard-working walk-on to step in. Dever might be a top 4 receiver on this team, but it's not like the team is going to fall apart if he tweaks an ankle or something.
Maybe.
DeleteHowever, he's now a redshirt junior. If he doesn't produce this year, he's looking at a firm handshake next spring, and no 5th year next fall, at least not in Ann Arbor.
@ Anonymous
DeleteHe's a walk-on. There's no need to give walk-ons a firm handshake, not if they have the money and still have some classes to take. It doesn't hurt Michigan to keep him around.
He definitely should be higher on this list. Easily top 23. He'll be starting before the year's end.
DeleteHe wouldn't be in the top 23 even if he were going to start from week one. He's "just a guy."
Delete