Name: Chuck Filiaga
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 337 lbs.
High school: Aledo (TX) Aledo
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #66
Last year: I ranked Filiaga #25 and said he would be the starting left guard (LINK). He started six games.
TTB Rating: 86
Filiaga was a highly regarded member of the monster 2017 recruiting class, and his recruiting ratings seemed on the verge of paying off going into 2020. Like with almost everyone else, his first game as a starter against Minnesota seemed to go pretty well. But everything went downhill from there. The fears with Filiaga seemed to rise to the fore when he struggled to identify defenders and move laterally. Despite starting all six games, he was the weakest member of the line, or at least of the initial starting group.
A little bit to my surprise, Filiaga stuck around for 2021. His teammates reportedly love him, so maybe he's just a team-oriented guy who fits in well with his guys, but most projections have Trevor Keegan replacing him at left guard. Of course it's a nice idea to have a huge, experienced guy coming off the bench to potentially sub in at a couple positions, but a lot of guys would have headed off for a guaranteed starting position. It's entirely within the realm of possibility that Filiaga will earn a starting job; however, I expect Filiaga to be a backup or else be a frustrating member of the starting crew.
Prediction: Backup offensive lineman
I was impressed with his hussle & sense of urgency shown against Minnesota. Dude chased our RBs, WRs, and Milton downfield, truly playing through the whistle. Then his shortcomings emerged. Sparty & everyteam after not only bullied him, but exposed all noted in the OP
ReplyDeleteSucks, because Hutch & Ross have talked about culture, and Filiaga's nonstop approach is something this team desparately needs ... but we need a guy who can be depended on to win his assignment even more
Hopefully Moore can channel that effort into improvement.
DeleteHopefully he can take a big step forward in '21.
ReplyDeleteWhile it's certainly true that some backups will transfer to hunt playing time elsewhere, either for a last shot at college glory or to chase fading NFL dreams, this is yet another example where this kind of speculation is irrelevant and erroneous. Setting aside that depth chart projections are often wrong (mostly wrong if looking out 2 years), it also doesn't take into consideration the varying perspectives kids can have when looking at issues on and off the field.
Maybe I'm biased because I grew up in Michigan and an alum at UofM but I'm never surprised by a guy choosing to stay in Ann Arbor.* I think a lot of these kids are much bigger fans of Michigan than some long time "fans" of Michigan. Anyway, I think Filiaga can still play somewhere else next year if he wants to go that route eventually. Wouldn't shock me but I wouldn't expect it either.
-LANK
*Okay I'll admit I thought Denard was going to transfer, and from a football perspective he probably should have. But free drinks in Ann Arbor for life isn't the worst outcome either. Denard made some great memories after he decided to stick around even if he never put up Heisman level stats or matured into an NFL QB.