Name: T.J. Guy
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 251 lbs.
High school: Mansfield (TX) Mansfield
Position: Defensive end
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #42
Last year: I ranked Guy #86 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in two games and made 2 tackles and 1 sack.
TTB Rating: 65
When Guy came in as a recruit, his future position was up in the air. Don Brown probably would have turned him into a defensive tackle, but Mike Macdonald made him a stand-up defensive end. He was a way down the depth chart, but he still got some playing time since Michigan blew out a few teams. He managed to make a sack against Maryland while playing in two games and keeping his redshirt.
I heard positive things about Guy in the spring. He's not lighting the world on fire, but he's continuing his progression, hopefully into a useful contributor in the next year or two. Defensive end should be manned by Mike Morris, Braiden McGregor, Taylor Upshaw, and/or Julius Welschof this fall. There's not a star in that group, but there are lots of solid options, and the hope is that somebody steps up and stands out. It will be very, very interesting to see who steps up to replace all-time sacks leader Aidan Hutchinson and the speedy, athletic David Ojabo as pass rushers.
Prediction: Backup defensive end
Dunno if Guy's the guy, but we need some contributions on edge from younger players.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you heard positive things about him, because I haven't noticed much of that. The overall lack of buzz at DE is slightly concerning but with Morris, Upshaw, and Harrell it's a high-floor group for now.