Thursday, December 31, 2020

Goodbye, Cam McGrone

 

Cam McGrone (#44, image via 247 Sports)

HIGH SCHOOL
McGrone attended Indianapolis (IN) Lawrence Central, where he was a 4-star, the #7 outside linebacker, and #118 overall. He was chosen for the Army All-American Bowl that year in 2018, despite having torn his ACL as a junior. I gave him a TTB Rating of 80, and here are a couple paragraphs from my writeup on him (LINK):

McGrone’s blitzing is perhaps the best phase of his game, but it’s the way that he plays the ball carrier in the backfield that is most impressive. Some guys are mauling blitzers who just eat up everything coming their way, but McGrone plays with a low center of gravity that allows him to redirect and make plays all over in the backfield. Lawrence Central brings him from various angles, and he plays fast and reckless. He uses his hands well to shed blockers, and even when he gets caught up in the trash, he fights non-stop to shed. When he arrives at the ball carrier, he’s a violent hitter who runs through people. Unless he has hit a growth spurt, he has a solid frame but probably shouldn’t get too much larger than 235 lbs. or so in college, which is still a decent size.

On the negative side, McGrone has that injury history that can sometimes come back to repeat itself. It’s always concerning to have a guy who already tore an ACL. His play recognition skills need to improve, since he occasionally finds himself a half-step out of position on basic run reads. That may be partially the reason why his coaches choose to blitz him so often, to negate some read-and-react deficiencies.

Hit the jump for more.

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Anatomy of a Running Back Substitution, Part 3

 

Missouri football coaches meeting (image via Twitter)

Thanks to Ashley, Moser, Roy, and Stephen for the Paypal donations! If you would like to make a donation, please use the Paypal button the sidebar or here:

For previous posts in this series, click here (part 1) or here (part 2).

Having addressed the similarities between Tyrone Wheatley and Jay Harbaugh on distributing carries and then the reasons for rotating running backs, here's the final piece on how a coaching staff might handle the weekly rotation.

Hit the jump for more.

Monday, December 28, 2020

Anatomy of a Running Back Substitution, Part 2

 

Zach Charbonnet (image via Freep)

The other day I posted about Michigan's running back rotations (LINK). Today I will be addressing why running backs might get rotated.

Use the Amazon links here to support TTB (LINK):

There are a lot of reasons to rotate running backs from play to play. Ideally, you have a perfect, three-down running back who never gets hurt or makes mental mistakes . . . but those are rare.

Hit the jump for a discussion of eight reasons to sub in new running backs.

Sunday, December 27, 2020

2021 Recruiting Update: December 27, 2020

 

Ceyair Wright (image via Twitter)

2021

Judge Culpepper - DT - Penn State: Culpepper is listed at 6'4" and 291 lbs. He was a 3-star coming out of Florida in the class of 2018. Culpepper is the son of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Brad Culpepper. He made 5 tackles and 0.5 sacks in 2020.

Hit the jump for more.

Saturday, December 26, 2020

Connor Jones, Wolverine

 

Monument (CO) Palmer Ridge OT Connor Jones (image via Yahoo)

Monument (CO) Palmer Ridge offensive tackle Connor Jones committed to Michigan on Christmas Eve. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Colorado State, Indiana, Northwestern, Virginia, and West Virginia, among others.

Jones is listed at 6'7" and 285 lbs.

RANKINGS
ESPN: N/A
Rivals: 3-star OT, 5.5 grade
247 Sports: 3-star, 82 grade, #96 OT

Hit the jump for more on Jones's commitment.

Thursday, December 24, 2020

Anatomy of a Running Back Substitution, Part 1

 

Jay Harbaugh (image via Twitter)

I've seen a lot of criticism over the years - but especially in 2020 - about Michigan's running back rotation. There has been a lot of blame put on running backs coach Jay Harbaugh for using too many backs, not giving Hassan Haskins enough carries, not giving Zach Charbonnet enough carries, not giving Blake Corum enough carries, not giving Chris Evans enough carries, etc.

First, a brief history of the running back rotation under Jim Harbaugh for the top four running backs:

Hit the jump for the rest of the post.

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Goodbye, Don Brown

 

Don Brown (image via Freep)

Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown has been dismissed by the program.

Michigan's defensive finishes during Brown's tenure:

  • 2016: #1 (tied with Alabama) in total defense, #2 in yards/play, #2 in scoring
  • 2017: #3 in total defense, #6 in yards/play, #13 in scoring
  • 2018: #2 in total defense, #8 in yards/play, #16 (tied with Utah) in scoring
  • 2019: #11 in total defense, #10 in yards/play, #25 in scoring
  • 2020: #84 in total defense, #56 (tied with Troy) in yards/play, #96 in scoring

Hit the jump for more.

Friday, December 18, 2020

Davonte Miles, Wolverine

 

River Rouge (MI) River Rouge DT Davonte Miles (image via 247 Sports)

River Rouge (MI) River Rouge defensive tackle Davonte Miles committed to Michigan on Friday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan State, and Pitt, among others.

Miles is listed at 6'5" and 275 lbs.

RANKINGS
ESPN: N/A
Rivals: 3-star SDE, 5.5 grade,
247 Sports: 3-star, 86 grade, #45 DT

Hit the jump for more.

Thursday, December 17, 2020

Addressing Michigan's Coaching Situation

 

Sherrone Moore (image via 247 Sports)

Following a 2-4 season and five straight losses to Ohio State - plus an embarrassing loss to Michigan State in 2020 - questions about Jim Harbaugh's status as head coach have been non-stop. I have a hard time calling for coaches' jobs, because as a (lower level) coach myself, I know some of the struggles with coaching.

Of course, college coaches have a different situation than high school coaches, because they have more power and more control over which coaches and players enter their program. But there are similarities in that your team's success is subject to injuries, off-the-field behavior of young people, administrative limits, etc.

So here I would like to address which coaches I would prioritize bringing back, from highest priority to lowest:

Sherrone Moore (Tight Ends): Moore is Michigan's top recruiter, especially in-state. According to 247 Sports, he's the #6 recruiter in the country and #2 in the Big Ten (behind Ohio State's Brian Hartline). I have not been extremely impressed with the performance of Michigan's tight ends over the past couple seasons, but I think that's more of an issue with the structure of the offense than the individual players. Regardless, tight end is a position where you can hide a mediocre X's and O's/technique coach if the guy coaching them can recruit his butt off. And Moore can. He's listed as the primary recruiter for QB J.J. McCarthy, OT Giovanni El-Hadi, C Raheem Anderson II, TE Louis Hansen, LB Tyler McLaurin, and WR Andrel Anthony, and he's the secondary recruiter for RB Donovan Edwards.

Hit the jump for more.

2021 Recruiting: Early Signing Day Grades, Defense

 

Junior Colson (image via Freep)

Check out last night's post for the offensive side of the ball (LINK).

DEFENSIVE TACKLE: D-
Need: 2
Signed: 1
Michigan only signed one player at a position of need. That player is Dominick Giudice (3-star, #102 WDE, #2007 overall). No offense to the young man, but he was so far off 247's radar that they left him ranked as a weakside end despite the fact that he's already 6'4" and 260 lbs. Michigan should be able to land higher-profile recruits at the position. There were several defensive tackles that Michigan just seemed to stop recruiting (Victory Vaka, Anthony Hundley, Tywone Malone, etc.). Of course, insiders will often say that some players aren't a fit for the Wolverines, but you know what else doesn't suit the culture in Ann Arbor? Losing. Michigan still has a shot to sign Rayshaun Benny (verbally committed to MSU but not signed) or George Rooks (reportedly leaning toward PSU), but the staff may need to look to the transfer portal to shore up the interior.

Hit the jump for more.

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

2021 Recruiting: Early Signing Period Grades, Offense

 

J.J. McCarthy (image via ClickOnDetroit)

Keep in mind with the grades below that this is just based on the early signing period. Players can still sign in February (or beyond), transfer in, etc. So the ink isn't dry on the class just yet.

QUARTERBACK: A+
Needed: 1
Signed: 1
Michigan landed an elite player, J.J. McCarthy (5-star, #2 pro-style QB, #22 overall). Not only is he elite on the field, but I think his attitude helped keep the class together when things got a little bit rocky. Naturally, the hope for Michigan fans is that he maintains that kind of leadership throughout his career in Ann Arbor. He's also the first quarterback recruited out of high school by Jim Harbaugh who actually fits the mold of an RPO signal-caller.

Hit the jump for more.

Donovan Edwards, Wolverine

 

West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield RB Donovan Edwards (image via Freep)

West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield running back Donovan Edwards committed to Michigan on Wednesday afternoon. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Georgia, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma, among others.

Edwards is listed at 5'11" and 190 lbs. As a junior in 2019, he ran for 1,326 yards and 16 touchdowns, while also catching 33 passes for 419 yards and 5 touchdowns.

RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 86 grade, #4 RB, #66 overall
Rivals: 4-star, 5.9 grade, #3 RB, #74 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 95 grade, #2 RB, #29 overall

Hit the jump for more on Edwards's commitment.

2021 Recruiting: National Signing Day Tracker

 


This is where I will be posting who has signed his National Letter of Intent, who has committed elsewhere, etc.

RUMORS/NEWS

  • West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield RB Donovan Edwards signed with Michigan
  • Lehigh Acres (FL) Lehigh CB Omarion Cooper, who had been considering Michigan, officially signed with Florida State
  • Jacksonville (FL) Sandalwood LB/DE Branden Jennings flipped from Michigan to Maryland
  • Scottsdale (AZ) Saguaro DE Quintin Somerville flipped from Michigan to UCLA

NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT SIGNED

  • Ft. Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas CB Ja'Den McBurrows
  • Ft. Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas LB Jaydon Hood
  • Fresno (CA) Central East WR Xavier Worthy (LINK)
  • West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield RB Donovan Edwards (LINK)
  • Del Valle (TX) Del Valle RB Tavierre Dunlap (LINK)
  • Suffield (CT) Suffield Academy DE Kechaun Bennett (LINK)
  • Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei WR Cristian Dixon (LINK)
  • East Lansing (MI) East Lansing WR Andrel Anthony
  • Brentwood (TN) Ravenwood LB Junior Colson (LINK)
  • Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary's P Tommy Doman (LINK)
  • Clayton (OH) Northmont S Rod Moore (LINK)
  • Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy QB J.J. McCarthy (LINK)
  • Mansfield (MA) Mansfield DE T.J. Guy (LINK)
  • Louisiana Tech OT Willie Allen (grad transfer) (LINK)
  • Detroit (MI) Cass Tech C Raheem Anderson II (LINK)
  • Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy C Greg Crippen (LINK)
  • Sterling Heights (MI) Stevenson OT Giovanni El-Hadi (LINK)
  • Wallingford (CT) Choate Rosemary Hall OT Tristan Bounds (LINK)
  • Needham (MA) St. Sebastian's TE Louis Hansen (LINK)
  • Freehold (NJ) Mater Dei DE/DT Dominick Giudice (LINK)

COMMITMENTS ELSEWHERE

  • Indiana LB Yanni Karlaftis committed to Purdue
  • Louisiana DT Ma'ason Smith committed to LSU
  • Florida WR Xavian Sorey committed to Georgia
  • Florida CB Markevious Brown committed to Ole Miss
  • Florida DT Anthony Hundley committed to UCF
  • Arizona DE Quintin Somerville flipped from Michigan to UCLA
  • Florida LB/DE Branden Jennings flipped from Michigan to Maryland

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

2021 Recruiting: Early Signing Day Primer

 

West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield RB Donovan Edwards (image via Freep)

Remember to support TTB by making your Amazon purchases through the links here (LINK):

SOLID COMMITS

Michigan has 21 commits in the class of 2021, and the following players are expected to sign with Michigan during the early signing period, which starts tomorrow (December 16):

  • QB J.J. McCarthy
  • RB Tavierre Dunlap (early enrollee)
  • WR Andrel Anthony
  • WR Cristian Dixon (early enrollee)
  • TE Louis Hansen
  • OL Raheem Anderson II
  • OL Tristan Bounds
  • OL Greg Crippen
  • OL Giovanni El-Hadi
  • DE Kechaun Bennett
  • DE Dominick Giudice
  • DE T.J. Guy
  • DE Quintin Somerville
  • LB Junior Colson (early enrollee)
  • LB Tyler McLaurin
  • S Rod Moore
  • P Tommy Doman

Hit the jump for more.

Monday, December 14, 2020

Ex-Wolverine Updates: Week 14

 

Miami cornerback Te'Cory Couch (#23 in black, image via The Daily News)

Head on over to touchthebanner.blogspot.com to discuss this post if you want, since the comments here aren't working.

FORMER PLAYERS

WR Tarik Black (Texas): Texas's regular season is over. Black had 10 catches for 240 yards and 1 touchdown.

WR Kekoa Crawford (Cal): Cal (1-3) had a bye.

DT Michael Dwumfour (Rutgers): Dwumfour made 1 pass breakup in a 27-24 win over Maryland.

Hit the jump for more.

Friday, December 11, 2020

Zach Carpenter, Ex-Wolverine

 

Zach Carpenter (#58, image via Twitter)

Redshirt freshman center Zach Carpenter announced on Twitter that he is entering the transfer portal.

Carpenter redshirted in 2019 and was expected by some (including me) to be the starter in 2020, but an injury led to him being a backup to Andrew Vastardis for the first several games of the year. After Vastardis got hurt, Carpenter started the final two games of the regular season against Rutgers and Penn State. I thought he performed fairly well and was more stout and athletic than Vastardis, though he did miss some stunts in pass protection that looked like standard mistakes for a young center.

Michigan is in a bit of a precarious position going into 2021. Vastardis is a fifth year senior who could presumably return in 2021, since the 2020 season is essentially null and void. Otherwise, Michigan might be reliant on Nolan Rumler (who has mostly practiced at guard), freshman Reece Atteberry, and class of 2021 commits Raheem Anderson II and Greg Crippen.

This is one of the stranger transfers over the years, right up there with tight end Devin Asiasi. Carpenter waited until the end of his second year, while Asiasi only spent one year in Ann Arbor, but both played quite a bit and were on the verge of starting the next season.

Then poof, they were gone.

Carpenter is the second class of 2019 signee to depart, joining linebacker Charles Thomas. Here's a link to the scholarship count (LINK).

Monday, December 7, 2020

Way Too Early 2021 Depth Chart: December 2020

 

Aidan Hutchinson: Will he stay or will he go?

The following depth chart assumes that the following seniors depart from Ann Arbor after 2020 and that Jalen Mayfield continues on to the NFL:

  • WR Nico Collins
  • TE Nick Eubanks
  • RB Chris Evans
  • S Brad Hawkins
  • DT Carlo Kemp
  • FB Ben Mason
  • K Quinn Nordin
  • DE Kwity Paye
  • C Andrew Vastardis

It also assumes that every currently rostered player and every currently committed prospect will be here in 2021, which is obviously not true.

Hit the jump for the depth chart.

2022 Recruiting Update: December 7, 2020

 

Charlie Mirer (image via Twitter)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2022

Jordan Crook - LB - Duncanville (TX) Duncanville: Crook is a 6'0", 220 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Oklahoma State, USC, and Washington, among others. He's a 3-star, the #12 inside linebacker, and #377 overall. Duncanville is a large, powerhouse Texas program that had the guts to schedule IMG Academy earlier this season (though they lost to J.J. McCarthy and his squad, 41-14).

Kiyaunta Goodwin - OT - Charlestown (IN) Charlestown: Goodwin is a 6'7", 300-pounder with offers from Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, and Ohio State, among others. He's a 4-star, the #24 offensive tackle, and #195 overall. He's a mammoth human being, and his junior film even identifies him as being 6'8" and 315 pounds.

Hit the jump for more.

Michigan's 10 Longest Plays vs. Maryland

 

Giles Jackson (image via Toledo Blade)

Michigan is 8-1 against the Terrapins after they started playing each other in 1985. The Terps eventually joined the Big Ten in 2014, winning that first game against the Brady Hoke-led Wolverines before losing five in a row.

  1. Giles Jackson 97-yard kickoff return TD (2019)
  2. David Long 80-yard interception return (2017)
  3. Jehu Chesson 66-yard TD run (2015)
  4. Tony Boles 64-yard TD run (1989)
  5. Wilton Speight 56-yard pass to Chris Evans (2016)
  6. Ty Isaac 53-yard TD run (2016)
  7. Joe Kerridge 52-yard run (2014)
  8. Shea Patterson 51-yard pass to Nico Collins (2018)
  9. Shea Patterson 51-yard pass to Nico Collins (2019)
  10. Elvis Grbac 49-yard pass to (1989)

Hit the jump for some video of the top three.

2021 Recruiting Update: December 4, 2020

 

Miami (FL) Palmetto DT Savion Collins (image via Canes Insight)

With no Maryland game preview necessary for this week, here's a bit of an update on recruiting:

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2021

Cameron Bergeron - CB - Albany (GA) Westover: Bergeron is a 5'11", 180 lb. prospect who is committed to Duke. He's a 3-star, the #58 cornerback, and #697 overall. It does not appear that Michigan is going to push for Bergeron to flip, but since Bergeron is not an early enrollee, he could potentially be a target to heat up before the late signing period if he holds off on signing in December.

Hit the jump for more.

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

How cursed is Michigan's roster in 2020?

 

Joe Milton (image via Wolverines Wire)

Thanks to David, Stephen, Ashley, Moser, Keith, and Patrick for their recent Paypal donations! If you, too, would like to donate, please hit the Paypal button on the sidebar at any time.

This may be beating a dead horse if you read this blog regularly, but I wanted to put a spotlight on the wild situation at hand regarding Michigan's roster and starting lineup.

Hit the jump for more.

Michigan vs. Penn State Awards

 

Hassan Haskins

Let's see more of this guy on offense . . . Hassan Haskins. Haskins averaged 5.9 yards per carry on 17 attempts (stat line: 17 rushes, 106 yards, 2 TD). The quarterbacks combined to average 4.0 yards per passing attempt. Of course, you're probably not going to be able to break off big runs if you're handing off the ball 60 times and throwing it 20 times, but Haskins was not used enough. He's the most consistent runner behind a mediocre (or bad) offensive line.

Hit the jump for more.

Ex-Wolverine Updates: Week 12

 

Tim Baldwin (image via The Herald Bulletin)

FORMER PLAYERS

WR Tarik Black (Texas): Black had 1 catch for 31 yards . . . and promptly fumbled in a 23-20 loss to Iowa State.

WR Kekoa Crawford (Cal): Crawford had 5 catches for 52 yards and 1 touchdown in a 24-23 loss to Stanford.

DT Michael Dwumfour (Rutgers): Dwumfour made 2 tackles in a 37-30 win over Purdue.

Hit the jump for more.

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Penn State 27, Michigan 17

 

Hassan Haskins (image via Freep)

Michigan's lineup compared to where it should be:

  • QB: Joe Milton Dylan McCaffrey Cade McNamara Joe Milton
  • RB: Hassan Haskins
  • WR: Nico Collins Cornelius Johnson
  • WR: Ronnie Bell
  • WR: Giles Jackson A.J. Henning
  • TE: Nick Eubanks
  • LT: Ryan Hayes Karsen Barnhart
  • LG: Chuck Filiaga Trevor Keegan
  • C: Andrew Vastardis Zach Carpenter
  • RG: Andrew Stueber Zak Zinter Chuck Filiaga
  • RT: Jalen Mayfield Andrew Stueber
  • DE: Aidan Hutchinson Carlo Kemp
  • DT: Carlo Kemp Chris Hinton, Jr.
  • NT: Donovan Jeter
  • DE: Kwity Paye
  • Viper: Michael Barrett
  • MIKE: Cam McGrone Adam Shibley
  • WILL: Josh Ross
  • CB: Gemon Green
  • CB: Ambry Thomas Vincent Gray
  • S: Brad Hawkins Hunter Reynolds
  • S: Dax Hill

Going back six weeks to opening day, Michigan has 8 backups playing. And if you count the opt-outs, there are 12 positions affected. This is a MASH unit unlike anything I can remember at Michigan.

Hit the jump for more.

Friday, November 27, 2020

Preview: Michigan vs. Penn State

 

Jahan Dotson (image via The Morning Call)

RUSH OFFENSE vs. PENN STATE RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan trimmed its running back rotation a little last week, finding its most efficient running back: Hassan Haskins. Haskins notched 25 carries for 109 yards (in three overtimes), the most carries for any single back since Zach Charbonnet's 33 attempts against Army in 2019. Even so, Michigan is #102 in rushing (122.8 yards/game) and #69 in yards per attempt (4.21). Rumor has it that Michigan's starting offensive tackles may return from injury this week, which might fortify a running game that was supposed to be solid, though maybe not great. Blake Corum has the second most carries despite averaging 3.0, -1.5, 0.7, and 2.3 yards per carry over the past four weeks. Penn State is #39 in rush defense (138.6 yards allowed/game) and #34 in yards per carry allowed (3.63). Last week Iowa ran for 4 touchdowns, but at just 3.8 yards per rush. Sophomore defensive end Jayson Oweh (6'5", 252) leads the team with 33 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss, matched in tackles by junior linebacker Ellis Brooks (6'1", 233) and in tackles for loss by senior defensive end Shaka Toney (6'3", 252). The Nittany Lions are down star linebacker Micah Parsons, but they still have a fair amount of talent in the front seven. Also, keep an eye on #97 P.J. Mustipher, a 6'4", 300 lb. defensive tackle who doesn't rack up a lot of stats, but messes things up in the middle. Especially if it's the revamped Michigan line and not the group that began the year, he could cause some real problems up front.
Advantage: Penn State

Hit the jump for more.

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Snapshots: Pin and pull, but why no reads?

 As with many of these snapshot plays, I'm limited with my time - and these take a while - so I apologize for not going into more depth.

In the second quarter with the Wolverines down 7-0 to Rutgers, Michigan had a 2nd-and-1 play with Blake Corum in the backfield in 11 personnel (1 running back, 1 tight end).

Pre-snap, the setup looks like this:

Power read, a play Michigan would not could not run.

That's Corum to the right of the QB, and it sets up perfectly (at least in my mind) for power read. One unblocked playside defender is the field safety at 10 yards, and if the receivers block, Corum has to make a guy miss in the open field. The other unblocked playside defender is the end, because the call would put him in conflict, forcing him to either chase Corum or keep an eye on the 6'5", 243 lb. QB with the 4.62 forty.

Hit the jump for more.

Sunday, November 22, 2020

Michigan 48, Rutgers 42 (3 OT)

 

Cade McNamara gets harassed by former Michigan DT Michael Dwumfour (image via Michigan Daily)

Winning feels good. I don't really care that it was Rutgers. I don't really care that it took three overtimes. I don't really care that I had to stay up until midnight to watch the finish. I went to bed feeling . . . maybe not happy, but relieved.

Remember, remember, the 23rd of September . . . On September 23, 2017, quarterback Wilton Speight's back got broken on a dirty hit by Purdue. In stepped backup John O'Korn, who completed 69.2% of his passes for 270 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception for an offense that had been disappointing up to that point. He was the savior! The following week he threw 3 interceptions against Michigan State and would finish with 2 touchdowns and 6 interceptions on the year. The Purdue game was Fool's Gold. So I have that in the back of my mind going into the next section.

Hit the jump for more.

Friday, November 20, 2020

Preview: Michigan at Rutgers

 

Isaih Pacheco

RUSH OFFENSE vs. RUTGERS RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is now #106 in rush offense (117 yards/game) and #55 in yards per carry (4.59). As bad/mediocre as that sounds, it's worse than that, because Michigan ran all over Minnesota in the opener and has done nothing since. No word has trickled out about whether Michigan's starting offensive tackles will return this weekend from injury, but I expect very little unless at least right tackle Jalen Mayfield returns. Last week Michigan gave leading rusher Hassan Haskins (7.8 yards/carry) just one touch, so I have no idea what's going on with the running back rotation. Rutgers is #70 in rushing defense (175 yards allowed/game) but #46 in yards allowed per carry (4.0). They're led in tackles by senior linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi (6'1", 234 lbs.) with 50, while senior Tyshon Fogg (6'1", 232) is second with 39. Fatukasi (6.5) and defensive tackle Julius Turner (6'0", 265) lead the team with 6.5 and 4.5 tackles for loss, respectively. Turner is undersized, but I like his quickness. Former Michigan defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour (6'1", 296) has notched 14 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss so far this year.
Advantage: Rutgers

Hit the jump for more.

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Inside Zone BASH Concept

 I'm putting this piece together very quickly, so I apologize that it's not super in depth. I just don't have a whole lot of time.

I was inspired by a tweet from Stephen Osentoski, who does a good job of making football videos for YouTube/Twitter on Michigan football. I'm not trying to call him out here, but I wanted to clarify something based on a recent tweet from him:

Hit the jump for more.

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Ex-Wolverine Updates: Week 10

 

Brady Hoke (image via SDSU)

FORMER PLAYERS

WR Tarik Black (Texas): Texas (5-2) had a bye.

WR Kekoa Crawford (Cal): Crawford had 1 catch for 10 yards in a 34-10 loss to UCLA.

DT Michael Dwumfour (Rutgers): Dwumfour made 1 tackle in a 23-20 loss to Illinois.

OT James Hudson III (Cincinnati): Hudson started at left tackle in a 55-17 win over East Carolina.

Hit the jump for more.

Monday, November 16, 2020

Michigan vs. Wisconsin Awards

 

Cade McNamara (image via Freep)

Let's see more of this guy on offense . . . Hassan Haskins. The team's leading rusher had 1 carry for 6 yards. The end.

Hit the jump for more.

Sunday, November 15, 2020

Wisconsin 49, Michigan 11

 

This is a shell of a team. Life sucks, at least in a football sense. In addition to starting WR Nico Collins and CB Ambry Thomas, who opted out, Michigan was without DE Kwity Paye, DE Aidan Hutchinson, LT Ryan Hayes, and RT Jalen Mayfield. Basically, every guy who looks like a surefire draft pick (at some point) sat out of this game except S Dax Hill. And if you're counting on a safety to lead your squad to victory, you're going to be disappointed most of the time.

Hit the jump.

Saturday, November 14, 2020

Preview: Michigan vs. Wisconsin

 

Graham Mertz (image via The Spun)

As I write this on Wednesday/Thursday, there's not much known about which Wisconsin players will be available to play on Saturday, including starting QB Graham Mertz, which is kind of a big deal. This preview assumes they're at full strength.

RUSH OFFENSE vs. WISCONSIN RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is #84 in rush offense (140.3 yards/game) and #31 in rushing average (5.1 yards/carry). That second number is a bit of a lie, because the Wolverines ran all over Minnesota in week one and have struggled mightily in the past two games. The "bell cow" so far this season is Hassan Haskins, who is averaging a whopping 6.67 carries per game. I have confidence that the offensive line will improve as the season goes along, because offensive line coach Ed Warinner has pulled off that feat before. But Michigan was missing its starting offensive tackles last week, and it's unclear whether they'll be back for Wisconsin or not. Meanwhile, Wisconsin allowed 131 yards in its lone game against Illinois this season on 5.24 yards/attempt. Those numbers aren't good for the Badgers, but they were hurt by a couple quarterback keepers (by former Wolverine Brandon Peters) that Michigan has seemingly been unwilling to run. Wisconsin runs a 3-4 look that generally does a good job of swarming to the football. Junior linebacker Jack Sanborn (6'2", 232 lbs.) is probably the biggest name on defense, and he made 3 tackles and 2 quarterback hurries in the opener. I was also impressed by senior defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk (6'7", 293) in that game against the Illini.
Advantage: Wisconsin

Hit the jump for more.

Saturday, April 4, 2020

Tommy Doman, Wolverine


Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary's K/P Tommy Doman wearing the Michigan Jordan brand cleats (image via Kohl's Kicking)
Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary's punter Tommy Doman committed to Michigan on Thursday night. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Boston College, Colorado State, Washington State, some MAC schools, some military academies, and some Ivy League schools.
Doman is listed at 6'3" and 170 lbs. He has the school record for longest field goal (50 yards). On his Hudl page, he claims a 125 lb. bench, a 220 lb. squat, a 185 lb. deadlift, and 12.8 in the 100 meters.

RANKINGS
ESPN: N/A
Rivals: N/A
247 Sports: N/A
Chris Sailer Kicking: 5-star, #1 K
Kohl's Kicking: 5-star, #3 K; 5-star, #4 P
Kornblue Kicking: 4.5-star, #2 P

Hit the jump for more.

Casey Phinney, Wolverine


Casey Phinney (image via 247 Sports)
Dedham (MA) Noble & Greenough linebacker Casey Phinney committed to Michigan on Friday morning. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Army and UMass, plus some Ivy League schools.

Phinney is listed at 6'1" and 225 lbs.

RANKINGS
ESPN: N/A
Rivals: 3-star ILB, 5.5 grade
247 Sports: 3-star, 84 grade, #37 ILB

Hit the jump for more on Phinney's commitment.

New Offer: 2022 RB Terrance Gibbs


Oviedo (FL) Master's Academy RB Terrance Gibbs (image via Orlando Sentinel)
Michigan offered Oviedo (FL) Master's Academy running back Terrance Gibbs today. He's a 6'0", 190 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Florida State, Georgia, and Miami, among others. He's a 247 Sports 4-star, the #20 running back, and #172 overall.

So far in his career, he has carried the ball 242 times for 2,595 yards (10.7 yards/carry) and 38 touchdowns.