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| Jeremy Jackson |
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 198 lbs.
High school: Ann Arbor (MI) Huron
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #17
Last year: I ranked Jackson #49 and said he would be a backup WR with 10 catches, 120 yards, and 1 touchdown. He had 3 receptions for 36 yards (hooray for getting his yards per catch right!).
Looking back on what I said about Jackson (and classmates Ricardo Miller and Jerald Robinson) a couple years ago, it's somewhat alarmingly accurate so far. Robinson hasn't played a down, Miller seems to be lost in the shuffle between tight end and receiver, and Jackson is catching a couple passes here and there. Brady Hoke used more tight ends and rotated wide receivers less often than Rich Rodriguez, so Jackson's field time seemed to diminish a little bit from his freshman to sophomore seasons. He appears to be a big body who can block a little bit and catch some passes over the middle, but not much of a big-play threat.
Opportunities are there for someone to step up now that Junior Hemingway, Martavious Odoms, and Kelvin Grady have graduated. While I expect that offensive coordinator Al Borges will rely more on the receiving corps and less on tight ends this season, I doubt we'll see a huge jump in production from Jackson. Jeremy Gallon and Roy Roundtree seem poised to start, and Jerald Robinson seems poised to grab a chunk of playing time, too. Michigan will likely rely heavily on the run game and throw the ball mainly to keep defenses honest, so Jackson's blocking ability might be his biggest asset in hopes of staying on the field. We'll probably see Jackson play some slot receiver so he can get open over the middle.
Prediction: Backup wide receiver; 8 catches, 100 yards, 1 touchdown
Jackson's the only returning big body with experience at receiver, so his production might spike solely because of that. Alternatively, Darboh or Chesson could pass him up immediately.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...a good blocker in a run-oriented offense, the 3rd most proven returning WR in an offense likely to expand its use of the position, the tallest WR in an offense everyone insists badly needs one... Sounds to me like he's in for a significant bump in playing time and production. Just by virtue of all the players ahead of him departing, paired with Roundtree's disappointing 2011, Jackson will get a shot.
ReplyDeleteHe hasn't done much yet, but it can be argued he hasn't been given too many opportunities either, with all the vets ahead of him. Your '10 class recruiting post is pretty spot on so far. But these guys still have 2 or 3 more seasons. Jackson, so far, has beaten Robinson and Miller out for playing time - I wouldn't expect that to change this year.
His playing time might increase, but that doesn't mean the coaches will want to put the ball in his hands.
DeleteI'm assuming Denard isn't hitting his first read on every play. So far, Jackson's been a reliable target and seems like he'd be a good relief valve on short/medium rotues.
DeleteIn the Wolverine Pre-Season Magazine, Hecklinski commented that they rotated Grady and Dileo in the slot last year, and are considering a rotation of Dileo and Jackson in the slot this year. The coaches don't see Jackson as factor at outside WR, apparently.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I see Funchess gobbling up snaps that could have gone to Jackson. Funchess is a much better athlete and the coaches will have the flexibility for him to move from a tight H-Back out to slot. You can tell from Ferrigno's comments that he is dying to get his hands on Funchess and Williams.
@PS, what makes you say Funchess is a much better athlete? If he has a WR's athleticism (even an average athleticism that Jackson has) he would have been an elite TE recruit. He was a decent recruit, but not the kind that screams WR athleticism in a TE's body. Funchess was well-scouted. I'm not arguing he's an excellent athlete...for a TE...but typically WR's athleticism exceeds TE's easily. (depending on your definition of athleticism perhaps)
DeleteIf Grady and Dileo were the slot WRs last year - does that mean Gallon was already an outside WR. Most people argue he's limited to a slot role. I argue the difference in receiver 'positions' is negligible.
If you're going to argue that the difference in receiver positions is negligible, then you'll be flat-out wrong. Both Borges and Hecklinski affirm that there are different responsibilities.
DeleteI watched Funchess' junior film and snippets from the all-star game he participated in (don't remember which one). I came away impressed. He is a smooth athlete for his height (legit 6'4") and he has very good hands and "jump ball" skills. He reminds me of a taller/bigger version of Marquise Walker. Jackson looks relatively stiff to me and I am skeptical that he can develop into a real receiving threat, inside or out. He is not a Hoke-level recruit and he is not big enough to slide into an H-back when needed.
DeleteI can't comment about Funchess' rankings or how heavily recruited he was. The UM coaches seemed to pounce on him while there were still other TE prospects out there, so that tells you something. Part of my excitement about him is based on UM having limited talent in the TE/H-Back/Slot department. Borges likes receiving threats out of those spots. So that's why I think he will be incorporated in the offense this year.
Ever seen Funchess play? If he doesn't have elite athleticism as a TE, they don't exist. His overall lack of weight and readiness to play immediately is why he wasn't a 5* top 150 guy. It will take him a good year or two to be at around 235-240.
DeleteLanka: coaches don't pull positions out of a hat. There was a reason they played Hemingway in the slot at times last year, just like there will be a reason for their personnel decisions this year.
DeleteAnonymous: I think you're stretching it to say that Funchess would have been a 5-star if not for his lack of size. There aren't many 5-star tight ends each year. You can just say he's good and leave it at that. No need to start exaggerating.
DeleteExaggeration for sure but what I'm getting at is at the position his athleticism is about as good as it gets. His one handed acrobatic catches on his tape are ridiculous. Kid can go get it.
DeleteI don't see how Hemingway being used out of the slot is an argument against my position on err...positions.
DeleteI don't think the coaches randomly put people wherever, I'm saying they'll play their best receivers, regardless of if they're all 5'7 'slots' or 6'4 'wides'. If that means lining up a 'slot' guy like Gallon outside they'll do that. If it means lining up a 'wide' guy like Hemingway inside they'll do that too. Their focus is on exploiting matchups, getting people open, and utilizing the skills their players possess.
Generally, a slot guy is asked has to do less than a wide. A slot can be a more limited player - that's why you have short guys (Dileo) or slow guys (Miller) being mentioned there - they don't have to be able to get open deep like wides do. But unless you're throwing a ton of screen passes to your slot, a wide will be capable of being effective in the slot. We've seen plenty of players move around between inside and outside receiver spots. Roundtree is a guy who struggled with that transition in what he was asked to do (though it might just be the scheme overall), but most guys handle it fine.
I like Funchess as a prospect, but the disconnect between his recruiting profile and fans saying he has 'ridiculous' athleticism or is a 'freak' are hard to buy. He's clearly a pretty good athlete - for a TE. If Funchess, being 6'5 and less than 210 pounds, had elite athleticism like that he would have been a very heavily recruited...WR. Like Marquise Walker was - Walker was the #1 or 2 WR recruit in the nation. I thought Pharoh Brown sounded like an athletic freak, but even he wasn't as fast as most Big 10 WRs.
DeleteFunchess is hopefully going to make a very good pass-catching TE in the long run, but right now he seems caught as a bit of a tweener - too small for TE, not athletic enough for WR. The coaches might find a way to use a guy like that, but he's going to have to be able to block effectively to see significant snaps. He's facing an uphill challenge, and for that reason I hope he red-shirts and we have an all-conference TE 4 years from now.
You don't need to have prototype size to be useful. Look at guys like Gallon, Odoms, and Roundtree. They are all smaller/skinnier than WR prototype, and slower in the case of Roundtree and Gallon. But the guys are effective players despite not having any "wow" measurables. Kellen Winslow Jr. was terrific at Miami and he was barely over 200 lbs when he made his splash. UM coaches will not be asking Funchess to do everything. There is no way on earth that Funchess redshirts assuming he is healthy and not a major mental case. UM's TE/U-back talent is the weakest I have ever seen at UM. You can tell that Borges is itching to get niftier TE/U-back's in the fold based on his recruiting targets. The guy is going to make use of Funchess right away.
DeleteHow do the bigger WRs like Dukes this year compare to Miller and Jackson? Are they faster overall or about the same combination of size/speed?
ReplyDeleteI like Dukes more than either Miller or Jackson, but I still think Dukes is a possession guy more than anything. I was not high on either of the former two when they were recruited.
DeleteWith the addition of Ross Douglas, I wonder if they'd consider using Jourdan Lewis at WR. He excelled at both CB & WR at camps this summer. I guess it would depend on the strength of each position's depth chart at the time, but could be a possibility.
ReplyDeleteWith the addition of Ross Douglas, I wonder if they'd consider using Jourdan Lewis at WR. He excelled at both CB & WR at camps this summer. I guess it would depend on the strength of each position's depth chart at the time, but could be a possibility.
ReplyDelete