A product of Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha, Oluwatimi was a 6'4", 275 lb. prospect in high school who signed with Air Force in 2017. At the time he was a 2-star, the #160 offensive guard, and #3300 overall. After spending a year in Colorado, he transferred to Virginia and sat out the 2018 season due to transfer rules. He missed his first possible game in 2019 due to a hand injury, and then he would go on to start the next 32 games for the Cavaliers. In the 2021 season, he was named a Rimington finalist as one of the top three centers in the country.
The game airs at 7:30 p.m. EST on December 31, 2021. You can watch it on ESPN, listen to it on one of those old radio thingies, or go see the game in Coral Gables, FL.
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MICHIGAN Michigan is #22 in pass defense (194.7 yards allowed/game) and #11 in passer rating defense. They have allowed just 6.0 yards per attempt, which ties them for #6 nationally. Only four teams have topped even 200 yards passing against them.
The primary reason for Michigan's good pass defense is the edge rushers. Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson set a school record with 14 sacks, and outside linebacker David Ojabo wasn't far behind with 11. They often line up wide and come tearing off the edge with reckless abandon, but they're athletic and disruptive enough to make quarterbacks do things they don't want to do, such as step up in the pocket and make quick decisions.
On the back end, cornerback Vincent Gray has had a bounce-back season after an abysmal 2020, and counterpart Christian Turner has turned into Michigan's best cover guy with 2 interceptions and 7 pass breakups. Safety/nickel corner Daxton Hill (2 INT, 8 PBUs) has been taken advantage of by some slot fades against quick slot guys, but overall, he has also been very good.
Andrew Paul - RB - Dallas (TX) Parish Episcopal: Paul is a 5'11", 220 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Colorado, Michigan State, and TCU, among others. He's a 3-star, the #89 running back, and #1210 overall. As a senior in 2021, he exploded for 2,612 rushing yards on 271 attempts for 41 touchdowns on the ground. He also caught 14 passes for 208 yards and 3 touchdowns. This production included over 1,000 yards rushing in three playoff games.
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MICHIGAN Michigan is #20 overall for giving up 121.5 yards per game this season. They're tied with Ohio State (and CMU and PSU) at #23 for giving up 3.52 yards per carry, and they're tied at #15 for giving up 11 rushing touchdowns this season. They are a good rushing defense bordering on elite; the only team that had sustained success was Michigan State with Kenneth Walker III almost exclusively doing the damage.
Michigan's leading tackler is middle linebacker Josh Ross with 95. Safety Daxton Hill (65) and defensive end Aidan Hutchinson are the closest, and they're not close. Michigan does a good job of containing the edge and funneling things back inside by playing Hutchinson and outside linebacker David Ojabo wide, letting Ross, Hill, and safety Brad Hawkins (54 tackles) clean things up inside.
The Wolverines have not produced a ton of tackles for loss this season with 69, which is tied for #74 in the nation. That's despite getting a ton of sacks from Hutchinson (14) and Ojabo (11); in other words, sacks from those two have accounted for 36% of the team's tackles for loss. I mentioned above that they're tied at #74; what I didn't mention is that they're tied with Arizona State, Ball State, and Illinois, which is not exactly a murderer's row of defenses.
MICHIGAN The Wolverines are smack dab in the middle of the pack at #67 in passing offense (226 yards/game) and they're #40 in passing efficiency. Meanwhile, they're #86 in passing attempts with just 359 on the season. Starting quarterback Cade McNamara has completed 199/308 (64.6%) of his throws for 2,470 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. McNamara does not have a particularly strong arm, but he has done a good job of deciphering defenses and keeping the ball out of harm's way.
The offensive line has allowed just 0.77 sacks per game. Just like in the run game, they don't have a ton of great players up front, but they play well together. Some stunts and games inside confused the group early in the year, but they seem to have righted the ship as the season went along.
On the receiving end, ten different players have caught touchdowns . . . and no one has caught more than 3. It's hard to predict from week to week who might step up and make a big play, but the two primary targets have been wide receiver Cornelius Johnson (37 catches, 620 yards, 3 TD) and tight end Erick All (34 catches, 374 yards, 2 TD). However, the two biggest yardage games have come from true freshman running back Donovan Edwards (10 catches, 170 yards, 1 TD vs. Maryland) and freshman wide receiver Andrel Anthony (3 catches, 155 yards, 2 TD vs. Michigan State).
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MICHIGAN Michigan has been one of the top rushing teams in the country for the entire season. They currently rank #9 (223.9 yards/game) and are tied for 11th in yards per carry (5.31). They're also #3 in rushing touchdowns with 39 total, topped only by Army, who have 210 more attempts, and Air Force, who have 233 more. Michigan has also allowed the fewest tackles for loss in the country with 2.08 per game; the two closest teams are Air Force and Wisconsin, who are allowed 3.42 per game. It has truly been a remarkable season for the rushing attack.
Redshirt junior running back Hassan Haskins is #7 in the country in rushing attempts (261), #13 with 1,288 rushing yards, and tied for #3 in rushing touchdowns (20). At 6'1" and 225 lbs. with the ability to twist, contort, get skinny, and hurdle defensive backs, he's difficult for one man to bring down. Sophomore Blake Corum is second on the team and still an impressive #54 in rushing yards this season with 939 and tied for #45 in rushing touchdowns with 11. His 6.66 yards per carry are #22 in the country. It's also important to note backup quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who has 23 carries for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns this year. He has factored more and more into the running game as the season has gone along; over the last three games, he has 8 carries for 54 yards and 1 touchdown. While he won't put up gaudy numbers, he's a nice changeup for starting quarterback Cade McNamara, who's not much of a run threat.
Michigan's offensive line won the Joe Moore Award after being voted the top offensive line in the country. There are no real individual standouts, but they play very well as a unit. Andrew Stueber has been the top player on the line at right tackle, and center Andrew Vastardis has done a very good job this year as a sixth year walk-on.
Georgia tight end Brock Bowers (image via UGA Wire)
As two nationally prominent schools, Michigan and Georgia unsurprisingly have quite a few battles on the recruiting front. Perhaps there aren't many true head-to-head battles, but plenty of players get offered by both schools. Michigan tries to dip into Georgia way more than Georgia tries to dip into the state of Michigan, so Michigan loses plenty of those battles, too.
Here is a list of Georgia players that Michigan pursued out of high school:
OLB Robert Beal, Jr.
WR Dominick Blaylock
TE Brock Bowers
RB Lovasea Carroll
S Lewis Cine
QB J.T. Daniels
DT Jordan Davis
TE Arik Gilbert
TE Ryland Goede
DT Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins
WR Kearis Jackson
WR Jaylen Johnson
CB Kamari Lassiter
OL Warren McClendon
RB Kenny McIntosh
RB Kendall Milton
OL Micah Morris
WR George Pickens
CB William Poole
OL Tate Ratledge
CB Kelee Ringo
WR Justin Robinson
WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint
OL Jamaree Salyer
OL Justin Shaffer
CB Christopher Smith
LB Nolan Smith
S Ameer Speed
OL Xavier Truss
QB Brock Vandagriff
LB Quay Walker
TE Darnell Washington
The Bulldogs have zero players on their roster from the state of Michigan, but freshman safety Matthew Helow is the younger brother of Michigan linebackers coach George Helow.
On the flip side, Michigan has several players from the state of Georgia, including . . .
Michael Barrett - LB - Valdosta (GA) Lowndes
Chris Hinton, Jr. - DT - Johns Creek (GA) Greater Atlanta Christian
Trente Jones - OT - Loganville (GA) Grayson
Alexander Lidback - LB - Alpharetta (GA) Alpharetta
Jalen Perry - CB - Dacula (GA) Dacula
D.J. Turner II - CB - Suwanee (GA) and transferred to IMG Academy
Sachse (TX) Sachse quarterback Alex Orji flipped from Virginia Tech to Michigan on National Signing Day. He also had offers from Baylor, Houston, Oklahoma, TCU, and Texas Tech, among others.
Orji is 6'2" and 233 lbs. He claims a 39" vertical, a 275 lb. bench, and a 550 lb. squat.
Belleville (MI) Belleville linebacker Aaron Alexander (image via MLive)
Belleville (MI) Belleville linebacker Aaron Alexander will no longer be a part of Michigan's 2022 recruiting class. He did not sign on National Signing Day on Wednesday, and then on Thursday, he made it public that he was re-opening his recruitment.
Alexander was offered by and committed to Michigan in June 2021. Eastern Illinois and Marshall are the other teams listed as having offered him. He's currently a 247 Composite 3-star, the #101 linebacker, and #1013 overall. I gave him a TTB Rating of 57 at the time of his commitment (LINK).
Baltimore (MD) St. Frances defensive end Derrick Moore (#8, image via 247 Sports)
Baltimore (MD) St. Frances defensive end Derrick Moore committed to Michigan on National Signing Day. A former Oklahoma commit, he also had offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, and a bunch of others.
Moore is listed at 6'4" and 250 lbs. He's an Under Armour All-American and was named the Maryland Player of the Year by Maxpreps in 2021.
Portland (OR) Westview wide receiver Darrius Clemons committed to Michigan on Wednesday afternoon. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Auburn, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oregon, and Penn State, among others.
Clemons is listed at 6'3" and 205 lbs. and supposedly runs a 4.37 forty.
Austin (TX) Westlake defensive end Ethan Burke flipped from Michigan to Texas on National Signing Day. Burke was offered by Michigan in November and committed on December 1 (LINK), leaving behind a chance to play lacrosse at Maryland.
Fast forward a couple weeks, and the home state Texas Longhorns offered him. Rumors started to come out just before National Signing Day that he would stay home instead of moving to Ann Arbor.
It's hard to blame a kid for that type of change of heart. When the big-time hometown school finally comes knocking, we expect that to have some sway for kids in Michigan, like it has done with guys like Vincent Gray, who decommitted from Missouri to pick Michigan.
The reason this hurts Michigan, in my opinion, is that I think Burke can be pretty good in college. I gave him a TTB Rating of 83; though he needs some physical and technical development, he's a really good athlete for a 6'7", 225 lb. kid. Furthermore, Michigan needs some edge rushers in this class. Despite the fact that Aidan Hutchinson was a Heisman finalist and David Ojabo has 11 sacks, Michigan has suffered decommitments from Burke and Mario Eugenio (Cincinnati), while outside linebacker commit Kevonte Henry is not signing in December and is flirting with Washington.
Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy safety Keon Sabb committed to Michigan. Sabb recently decommitted from Clemson and also had offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, and Ohio State, among others.
Sabb is listed at 6'2" and 200 lbs. He claims a 4.47 forty and a 10.8 in the 100 meters.
Ponchatoula (LA) Ponchatoula wide receiver Amorion Walker flipped from Notre Dame to Michigan on National Signing Day. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Alabama, Florida State, LSU, and the aforementioned Fighting Irish, among others.
Walker is listed at 6'4" and 175 lbs., and he runs the 100 meters in a reported 10.8 seconds. He claims a 4.5 forty, a 38" vertical, and 4.2 short shuttle.
With the early signing day approaching tomorrow, December 15, it certainly seems like things have gone wacky. Gone are the days when teams lost and hired new coaches around the New Year, giving those staffs five or six weeks to come together and sign players in early February. Welcome to the days of coaches being fired or jumping ship so the school can have someone in place to try to salvage recruiting classes for mid-December. I won't say it's an unforeseen problem - plenty of us talked about it - but it has put fans, players, coaches, and schools in positions we've never seen.
I thought about putting together a post for each of the national awards that Michigan players have won, but that would be a bunch of different posts and a lot to keep udpated. Instead, I've decided to compile a bunch of national awards into one post while listing the Michigan winners and their season.
NOTE: If there are any awards you think I should add, please let me know.
I always love football season, but one thing I look forward to when it's over is getting back to a little more reading. So here are a couple books I've finished recently (and one I'm reading now). Let me know in the comments what you've been reading.
The Poet by Michael Connelly. I just finished The Poet after skipping it a little bit earlier. I was trying to read the Harry Bosch books in order, but just before I read The Narrows, I saw that it was a follow-up to The Poet. Since Bosch wasn't a character in it, I didn't think it was necessary. Anyway, The Poet is about a reporter named Jack McEvoy whose brother was murdered by a serial killer. McEvoy goes on a nationwide search for the story, which ends up with him teaming up with the FBI in an attempt to find the killer. There's no mention of Bosch anywhere, but he does end up in Hollywood at one point and a couple characters from the Bosch universe are mentioned. Now I'm looking forward to seeing how The Narrows ties in to the separate character arcs.
Dune by Frank Herbert. Some of you are going to be upset with me, but I was not a big fan of Dune. It took a long time to get into it. One of my issues with a lot of fantasy books is that authors often try to dump you into the middle of a universe about which you have no idea what the terms mean. What is Arrakis? Where is it situated in the universe? When is it supposed to have taken place? How did these people get there? How do they all speak the same language? What do all these individual words mean that Herbert seems to have created? I wanted to finish reading the book before the movie came out, but unfortunately, I just didn't have time and missed being able to go see the movie in the theater.
I'm currently reading 'Cane Mutinyby Bruce Feldman, which tells about the rise of Miami football. Feldman is a Miami alum who obviously has some ties to the school, and he talks mainly about the time from coach Howard Schnellenberger onward. I really like Feldman as a writer, but it's kind of funny to me how awkward some of his writing is in this, which was his first book. He's definitely improved as a writer since this book was written in 2004. (The title is a play on the movie The Caine Mutiny which came out in 1954.)
Merrillville (IN) Merrillville defensive tackle Kenneth Grant
Merrillville (IN) Merrillville defensive tackle Kenneth Grant committed to Michigan on September 28, 2021. Being in the midst of football season myself, I simply didn't have time to post about him then and let it slide for a couple months. I apologize for the delay.
Grant picked Michigan over offers from Ohio State and Wisconsin, where he took official visits, and a several other schools.
Olu Oluwatimi - C - Virginia: Virginia center Olu Oluwatimi is visiting Michigan this weekend as a grad transfer. He's a 6'3", 310 lb. player who is a three-year starter for the Cavaliers. After redshirting at Air Force in 2017 and sitting out 2018 to transfer, Oluwatimi turned into one of the top three centers in the country, according to Rimington Award voters and Pro Football Focus. Michigan loses sixth year senior Andrew Vastardis at the position, so there's an opening with only unproven players (Greg Crippen, Raheem Anderson, Reece Atteberry) in the pipeline at the position.
DeaMonte Trayanum - RB - Arizona State: Trayanum is a 5'11", 235 lb. back who played his high school ball at Akron (OH) Hoban, where he was offered by Michigan and was a teammate of former Michigan offensive lineman Nolan Rumler (who is in the transfer portal). Trayanum had 78 carries for 401 yards (5.1 yards/carry) and 6 touchdowns this season. He's a power back without much top-end speed.
2022
Darrius Clemons - WR - Portland (OR) Westview: Clemons is a 6'3", 205 lb. prospect who took an official visit to Michigan in June. He has been all over the place and seemed to be headed to Michigan, Penn State, Auburn, and Oregon at various times. He's a 4-star, the #30 wide receiver, and #171 overall. This is going to be an unofficial visit, so that seems to be noteworthy if the visit actually happens.
Derrick Moore - DE - Baltimore (MD) St. Frances: Moore is a 6'4", 250-pounder with offers from Alabama, Florida, Michigan, and Oklahoma, among others. He was committed to Oklahoma until Lincoln Riley took the head coaching job at USC. He's a 4-star, the #16 defensive lineman, and #106 overall. I was under the impression that Michigan would not be able to recruit Moore because his former head coach at St. Frances, Biff Poggi, now has an off-the-field position at Michigan; I guess I must be mistaken, but I will try to get more information on that situation.
Alex Orji - QB - Sachse (TX) Sachse: Orji is a 6'2", 226 lb. prospect who is committed to Virginia Tech; he also has offers from Baylor, Houston, and Michigan, among others. He's a 3-star, the #28 quarterback, and #417 overall. Orji accounted for 3,200 yards (2,000 passing and 1,200 rushing) and 52 touchdowns (28 passing, 24 rushing) as a senior. Orji is more strong and tough to bring down than quick, but he has a nice, strong arm and throws a pretty good deep ball. Virginia Tech just fired Justin Fuente and hired Brent Pry
Deone Walker - DT - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Walker is a 6'6", 350-pounder with offers from Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Michigan, among others. He's a 4-star, the #30 defensive lineman, and #243 overall. A guy who seemed like an early Michigan lean, Walker lately seems to have more buzz surrounding Kentucky. Almost 92% of his crystal ball picks are in favor of the Wolverines, but I don't think those pickers are very confident. This is a mid-week official visit, as he will be officially visiting Kentucky this coming weekend.
Littleton (CO) Columbine product Andrew Gentry has committed to Michigan as a part of the 2022 class. Gentry signed with Virginia as a part of the 2020 class, but that was more ceremonial than anything, since he was expected to go on his church mission for two years. Gentry did just that, and since he did not enroll, he was essentially back on the open market. Now Gentry will join the Wolverines next spring.
Gordo (AL) Gordo quarterback Tanner Bailey decommitted from Oregon. He's a 4-star, the #16 quarterback, and #234 overall.
Montgomery (AL) Catholic linebacker T.J. Dudley decommitted from Oregon. He's a 4-star, the #21 linebacker, and #198 overall. His decommitment came after Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal left to take the Miami job. There's a decent chance that Dudley follows Cristobal and becomes a Hurricane.
Winter Park (FL) Winter Park running back Terrance Gibbs decommitted from Florida. He's a 4-star, the #28 running back, and #314 overall.
LB Jordan Anthony (Troy): Troy went 5-7 this season. He finishes the season with 35 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss.
RB Zach Charbonnet (UCLA): Charbonnet has 203 carries for 1,137 yards (5.6 yards/carry) and 13 touchdowns this season. He also caught 24 passes for 197 yards.
WR Kekoa Crawford (Cal): Cal went 5-7 this season. Crawford finishes the season with 36 catches for 491 yards (13.6 yards/catch) and 0 touchdowns. He also returned 2 punts for 18 yards and completed 1/1 passes for 34 yards.
Donovan Edwards (#7) and Roman Wilson (#14) (image via USA Today)
BIG TEN CHAMPS!!! A lot of people doubted this Michigan team - including yours truly - but they're right where almost everyone wishes they could be. They beat the brakes off Ohio State and then the Big Ten West opponent, and now they're headed to the playoffs. I thought they would be 8-4, so I certainly didn't think they would be 12-1 and in this spot, but I also never lost faith in Jim Harbaugh's ability to coach. That 2-4 season in 2020 made a lot of people forget that this guy turned around two other college programs, returned the 49ers to the Super Bowl, and made a 5-7 team into a 10-3 team immediately upon arriving in Michigan. He now averages 9.8 wins per season at Michigan if you give him a full year.
Concord (CA) De La Salle safety Zeke Berry committed to Michigan on Friday afternoon. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Arizona, Oregon, UCLA, and USC, among others.
Berry is listed at 6'0" and 195 lbs. He claims a 4.55 forty.
West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield wide receiver Semaj Morgan (image via 247 Sports)
West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield wide receiver Semaj Morgan, a 2023 prospect, committed to Michigan. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Missouri, Ole Miss, and West Virginia, among others.
Morgan is listed at 5'10" and 175 lbs. As a junior in 2021, he caught 61 passes for 1,015 yards and 13 touchdowns. He claims a 4.5 forty.
RUSH OFFENSE vs. IOWA RUSH DEFENSE Michigan is #9 nationally in rushing with 225 yards/game and tied for #16 in yards per carry (5.25). Hassan Haskins leads the team with 244 carries for 1,232 yards (5.1 yards/carry) and 18 touchdowns. His rushing load has picked up significantly since Blake Corum suffered a high ankle sprain, resulting in Haskins averaging 26.5 carries per game over the final four weeks of the regular season. Haskins has 8 touchdowns over the stretch. Luckily, Corum returned last week to the tune of 6 carries for 87 yards, so a little bit of lightning is back to join Haskins's thunder. Michigan is #1 in the country in tackles for loss allowed with just 2.0 per game. Iowa averages 4.58 tackles for loss per game, which is tied for 111th in the nation. They're led by senior defensive end Zach VanValkenburg (6'4", 267 lbs.) with 11.5 TFLs. Nose tackle Logan Shannon (6'0", 289) and defensive tackle Logan Lee (6'5", 277) man the middle with technique and quickness more than brute strength. The defense is led by junior middle linebacker Jack Campbell (6'5", 243), who has 124 tackles. He's paired with 6'1", 229 lb. weakside linebacker Seth Benson, who has 89 tackles. Senior safety Jack Koerner (6'0", 204) is third on the team with 75 takedowns. It's a relatively stationary defense, but they're good and well coached. They're #14 in rush defense (106 yards allowed/game) and #8 in yards allowed per carry, at just 2.97. They won't stop you in the backfield, but they will gang tackle you shortly beyond the line of scrimmage. Advantage: Michigan
Austin (TX) Westlake defensive end Ethan Burke (image via 247 Sports)
Austin (TX) Westlake defensive end Ethan Burke committed to Michigan on Wednesday. Burke chose the Wolverines over offers from Baylor, Nebraska, Texas Tech, and Utah, among others.
LB Jordan Anthony (Troy): Troy went 5-7 this season. Anthony made 4 tackles in a 37-10 loss to Georgia State. He finishes the season with 35 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss.
RB Zach Charbonnet (UCLA): Charbonnet had 22 carries for 106 yards and 1 touchdown in a 42-14 win over Cal. He also caught 6 passes for 41 yards.
WR Kekoa Crawford (Cal): Cal went 5-7 this season. Crawford made 5 catches for 42 yards in a 42-14 loss to Cal. This was Crawford's final college game, as he was in his sixth year. He finishes the season with 36 catches for 491 yards (13.6 yards/catch) and 0 touchdowns. He also returned 2 punts for 18 yards and completed 1/1 passes for 34 yards.
Richmond (VA) Benedictine defensive tackle Joel Starlings, a class of 2023 prospect, committed to Michigan on Sunday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Florida State, Georgia, Oregon, Penn State, and Texas A&M, among others.
Starlings is listed at 6'5" and 310 lbs. He supposedly runs a 4.83 forty, benches 325 lbs., and squats 475 lbs.
