For the second year in a row, Michigan has looked to the transfer portal to help shore up its kicking position. Last year Michigan landed James Turner from Louisville. This year they have possibly found their answer with Arkansas State transfer Dominic Zvada, who committed to the Wolverines.
Zvada is a 6'3", 174 lb. junior who had started for the Red Wolves for the past two seasons. He was 17/18 on field goals (the lone miss was from 51 yards) as a freshman in 2022 and 30/31 on extra points (the lone miss was blocked). Then in 2023 he was 17/22 on field goals and 41/41 on extra points. His career long came as a freshman when he hit a 56-yarder.
Zvada was a Lou Groza Award finalist in 2022 (the year Michigan's Jake Moody won the award) and was on the Lou Groza Award Watch List in 2023.
Arkansas State was Zvada's only scholarship offer coming out of Chandler (AZ) Valley Christian in 2022.
The head coach of Arkansas State is former Central Michigan head coach Butch Jones.
Here are the results of the 2024 NFL Draft for Michigan players:
2024 1st round: J.J. McCarthy - QB - Minnesota Vikings (#10 overall) 2nd round: Kris Jenkins, Jr. - DT - Cincinnati Bengals (#49) 2nd round: Mike Sainristil - CB - Washington Commanders (#50) 3rd round: Junior Colson - LB - Los Angeles Chargers (#69) 3rd round: Blake Corum - RB - Los Angeles Rams (#83) 3rd round: Roman Wilson - WR - Pittsburgh Steelers (#84) 3rd round: Zak Zinter - OG - Cleveland Browns (#85) 4th round: A.J. Barner - TE - Seattle Seahawks (#121) 5th round: Trevor Keegan - OG - Philadelphia Eagles (#172) 7th round: Michael Barrett - LB - Carolina Panthers (#240) 7th round: La'Darius Henderson - OG - Houston Texans (#249) 7th round: Jaylen Harrell - DE - Tennessee Titans (#252) 7th round: Cornelius Johnson - WR - Los Angeles Chargers (#253)
Jenkins joins a Michigan-heavy defense with the Bengals, who spent a first round pick on S Daxton Hill a couple years ago and a second round pick on CB D.J. Turner II in 2023.
The Chargers are coached by former Michigan head man Jim Harbaugh, who drafted Colson and Johnson, both of whom play positions of need for the team. The Seahawks are led by Mike Macdonald, whose lone pick from Michigan (A.J. Barner at #121 overall) didn't overlap with Macdonald's one season at defensive coordinator in 2021. Barner transferred from Indiana for the 2023 season. However, former Michigan assistant coach Jay Harbaugh is on Seattle's staff.
The following players signed undrafted free agent contracts with NFL teams:
Karsen Barnhart - OG - Los Angeles Chargers Trente Jones - OT - Green Bay Packers Braiden McGregor - DE - New York Jets Drake Nugent - C - San Francisco 49ers James Turner - K - Detroit Lions Josh Wallace - CB - Los Angeles Rams
McGregor is the biggest draft snub of these players, in my opinion. At 6'5" and 257 pounds, I thought he showed adequate enough production and athleticism to get taken somewhere prior to the end of the draft. He was injured as a senior in high school and took a few years just to get back on track. I always thought he should have stayed in college one more year to continue ascending since 2023 was his first year as a starter; perhaps with that previous injury, he thought this might be the best time to try to make a jump for the NFL rather than risking another year in college.
Additionally, three former Wolverine signees were taken in the draft:
1st round: Xavier Worthy - WR - Kansas City Chiefs (#28) 4th round: Erick All - TE - Cincinnati Bengals (#115) 6th round: Joe Milton - QB - New England Patriots (#193)
Worthy signed with Michigan but was unable to enroll, so he transferred to Texas. All played at Michigan for three seasons (2020-2022) before transferring to Iowa in 2023. Milton spent three years in Ann Arbor (2018-2020) and then spent the next three seasons (2021-2023) at Tennessee.
The Minnesota Vikings traded up one spot in the 2024 NFL Draft to select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. He was taken #10 overall after the Vikings swapped picks with the New York Jets, who moved down to #11 and took Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu.
McCarthy is the highest drafted quarterback to ever come out of Michigan, topping his head coach in college, Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh was taken #26 overall in the 1987 draft by the Chicago Bears. McCarthy is also the first Michigan quarterback to be selected since Jake Rudock (6th round, #191 overall by the Detroit Lions) in 2016.
McCarthy went 27-1 as a starter at Michigan over 2022 and 2023, with the lone loss coming to TCU in the 2023 College Football Playoff. He threw for 6,226 yards, 49 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions from 2021-2023. He set Michigan records for completion percentage in a season (72.3% in 2023) and in a career (67.6%) and won a national championship in 2023.
Of the quarterback-needy teams in the 2024 draft, I felt like Minnesota was the best fit for McCarthy. McCarthy's main competition to start will be journeyman Sam Darnold, but they have a good cast of weapons that includes standout wide receivers (Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison), an upper-echelon tight end (T.J. Hockenson), and a productive running back (Aaron Jones). I would like to see the Vikings beef up their running game with a complementary running back and/or some offensive line help, but they may address those issues in the draft or in subsequent years.
Two of these guys will be involved in the first round, and hopefully a third will get drafted on day two.
It's that time of the year for another mock NFL Draft. Here are my guesses for how the draft shakes out. If I guess wrong, oh well. And if I guess right? I'm a genius. That's just how it works.
1. Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams - QB - USC Why? He seems to be the consensus choice here. This one seems obvious.
2. Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels - QB - LSU Why? A few months ago, I never would have believed that Daniels would hop ahead of Maye to be QB#2, but again, it seems to be the case.
3. New England Patriots: Drake Maye - QB - North Carolina Why? Some people are running the angle of taking J.J. McCarthy as "another Michigan Man" to fill the shoes of Tom Brady, but when I've tried to make those connections in the past, it just rarely seems to work out that way. Maye is a bigger prospect, too, and I think some are concerned about McCarthy's sturdiness.
Oak Park (MI) Fenwick defensive tackle Nate Marshall
Oak Park (MI) Fenwick defensive lineman Nathaniel Marshall committed to Michigan on Monday morning. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Alabama, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio State, and USC, among others.
Name: Anthony Arnou Height: 6'2" Weight: 226 lbs. High school: Santa Monica (CA) Santa Monica Position: Quarterback Class: Redshirt junior Jersey number: #15 Last year: Arnou was at Pasadena City College and completed 58/98 passes for 620 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. He also ran 20 times for 101 yards and 2 touchdown. TTB Rating: N/A
Arnou is in his first year at Michigan after transferring in as a walk-on. The fall of 2024 will be his third season of college football after walking on at Fresno State in 2021, where he redshirted behind Jake Haener . . . and played for Kalen DeBoer, who went on to be Washington's head coach in 2022-2023 and whom Michigan beat for the national championship back in January.
Arnou then went on to play for Pasadena City College in 2022, where he played a fair amount. Watching his highlights from that season, he looks like a fine lower level college prospect. He looks like a Division II potential starter to me. But he's a little heavy-footed even at that level, and his arm strength and throwing mechanics leave something to be desired.
It's nice to have a player like Arnou on the roster for the scout team, but Michigan already has depth - not proven depth, but depth - at the quarterback position. There are about three guys vying for the starting quarterback job, and another couple with higher upside, including freshman Jadyn Davis. Other than the outstanding education, the awesome city that is Ann Arbor, and a chance to have some team success, I'm not really sure why a player like Arnou would transfer to Michigan if he's looking for playing time.
Here are five things I'll be watching in the 2024 spring game:
1. How does Alex Orji throw the ball? Third-year quarterback Alex Orji seems to be the most likely [currently rostered and healthy] guy to start behind center this fall. At 6'3" and 236 lbs., we know he can run. We saw him do it at various times during the championship run in 2023. What we didn't see at all in 2023 is Orji passing the ball. Footwork, accuracy, and touch are all in question. I don't expect to see him run the ball a whole lot, because running a QB when they can't be tackled is kind of unfair and boring. If/when he has time to throw, how does he look? Can he feather the ball or does he just throw it on a line? Does he get his feet lined up properly to throw, or are they all over the place? What we see might indicate whether Michigan needs to dip into the portal for a potential starter in the fall.
2. Who's the "other" corner? We know Will Johnson has one cornerback spot locked down for this fall. If a currently rostered player wins the job across from him, it will likely be either Jyaire Hill or D.J. Waller. Waller got more playing time in the fall, but when Hill enrolled early last spring and was flying around, I thought he looked like a potential future star. Michigan still might look to the transfer portal to help out at a fairly thin position, but it would still be nice to see progress from Hill and Waller.
Name: Jack MacKinnon Height: 6'4" Weight: 244 lbs. High school: Sarasota (FL) Cardinal Moooney Position: Linebacker Class: Redshirt freshman Jersey number: #39 Last year: I did not rank MacKinnon. He redshirted. TTB Rating: N/A
MacKinnon was a preferred walk-on in the class of 2023. A high school defensive end (he had 58 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, and 13 sacks as a senior in 2022), he was originally committed to play baseball at USF. But according to this article (LINK), Jack Harbaugh saw him play football and recommended him to the Michigan coaching staff as a PWO.
I like MacKinnon's high school film, but he's now listed as a linebacker. Can he be a true linebacker at 6'4" and 244 pounds? Or would he potentially be better off trying to grow into a stand-up edge player like Jaylen Harrell? Either way, he's unlikely to play this early in his career at Michigan. I could potentially see him playing in Ann Arbor down the road, but he also seems like a prime candidate to transfer at some point for a clearer path to playing time. Regardless, he's on Michigan's roster for now and should be a solid scout team player for the time being.
Rabun Gap (GA) Nacoochee offensive guard Justin Hasenhuetl (4-star, #10 IOL, #196 overall) committed to Georgia Tech. He's a teammate of 2025 tight end Marshall Pritchett, who recently picked North Carolina over Michigan, and both attend the alma mater of Michigan tight end Marlin Klein.
Washington (OK) Washington tight end Nate Roberts (4-star, #5 TE, #118 overall) committed to Ohio State.
Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy wide receiver Raiden Vines-Bright (4-star, #43 WR, #318 overall) committed to Washington.
MISCELLANEY
Here's a list of visitors from this past weekend (LINK).
Howell (MI) Howell defensive tackle Bobby Kanka (4-star, #41 DL, #361 overall), a Michigan commit, has set two other official visits to Michigan State and Tennessee. He remains committed to Michigan but is exploring his options.
The transfer portal opens up on Tuesday, April 16, and lots of schools are going to be shopping. With spring games out of the way for many programs - and Michigan's coming up this Saturday - we're enough of the way through spring ball to be aware of some roster deficiencies going into the fall.
Here are the top three positions Michigan should be looking for in the transfer portal prior to August camp:
1. QUARTERBACK I know there are some big Alex Orji fans out there, but . . . I'm not one of them. At least not yet. Orji was a project coming out of high school, and in his second season in a Michigan uniform, he did not attempt a single pass. Yes, he can run at 6'3" and 236 pounds (15 carries, 86 yards, 1 touchdown in 2023), but I'm on the record as a Passing QB Enthusiast. While I'm not a proponent of statuesque quarterbacks, championship teams have good passers and decision-makers, not run-first quarterbacks. I don't think Michigan has the roster to win an FBS championship in 2024, anyway, but I don't think they're going to hit their ceiling without finding a quarterback who can pass the ball efficiently. Some of the big names have already found a new home, but perhaps the Wolverines can find the 2024 version of Jake Rudock, a solid passing quarterback who led Michigan to ten wins back in 2015. Others in the running are seventh-year senior Jack Tuttle and redshirt sophomore Jayden Denegal, but Tuttle had shoulder surgery and Denegal needs some polish since he's not quite as dangerous as a runner as Orji.
Name: Shomari Stone II Height: 5'8" Weight: 198 lbs. High school: Washington (DC) St. John's Position: Safety Class: Redshirt sophomore Jersey number: #37 Last year: I ranked Stone #140 and said he would be a backup defensive back (LINK). He was not on the roster during the season. TTB Rating: N/A
One of the problems with counting down such a deep dive into the roster for any season is we have no idea what the roster will look like in the fall. Sometimes there are roster casualties of some sort, and Stone was one of those. A member of the team in 2022, he left the program for the 2023 season and missed the national championship run. Now he's back for a team that probably won't win the natty.
Stone was a solid high school player who's probably more known for being the son of D.C.-area media personality Shomari Stone. At 5'8" and at a position where it's tough to get on the field to play defense, he's unlikely to play much of a role this fall. Perhaps some special teams might be in order, but it will be an uphill battle for Stone to see the field much this fall.
Name: James Kavouklis Height: 6'1" Weight: 279 lbs. High school: Tampa (FL) Berkley Prep Position: Center/Long snapper Class: Redshirt sophomore Jersey number: #64 Last year: I ranked Kavouklis #139 and said he would be a backup center (LINK). He did not see game action. TTB Rating: N/A
NOTE: I skipped a couple spots in the countdown since running back Danny Hughes and tight end Josh Beetham are both in the transfer portal and were originally in the countdown.
Kavouklis played in one game as a true freshman back in 2022, but he did not see any action in 2023. If you want some positive fluff about new strength and conditioning coach Justin Tress, Kavouklis was a scrawny 272 pounds last season but is now up to a whopping 279 this spring.
On the plus side, Kavouklis doubles as a long snapper, so he could play center or long snap, so that might open some opportunities if there's an injury or two. He's not going to elevate to starter in either spot, but sometimes when there's a blowout, the coaches start emptying the bench. The path to long snapper is typically a little shorter, but Kavouklis is probably #4 there behind William Wagner, Greg Tarr, and Evan Boutorwick.
Name: Bryson Kuzdzal Height: 5'11" Weight: 185 lbs. High school: Ada (MI) Forest Hills Eastern Position: Running back Class: Redshirt freshman Jersey number: #41 Last year: I did not rank Kuzdzal. He redshirted. TTB Rating: N/A
Kuzdzal was a preferred walk-on for Michigan in the class of 2023, and he'll be getting a national championship ring for his good taste of choosing the Wolverines over MSU as his walk-on destination. As a high school senior in the fall of 2022, he ran for 1,379 yards and 22 touchdowns, caught 1 touchdown pass, and returned 3 kicks (2 kickoffs, 1 punt) for touchdowns while averaging 10.4 yards per carry. But with a loaded backfield, he was unlikely to play in 2023, and he didn't.
This fall the depth chart doesn't look much better for his chances. Despite the graduation of Blake Corum and the transfer of C.J. Stokes to Charlotte, Michigan returns Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings - the #2 and #3 backs from last season - and they added freshmen Jordan Marshall and Micah Ka'apana in the 2024 class. Throw in Tavierre Dunlap, Ben Hall, and Cole Cabana, and it's a pretty full running back room. Kuzdzal could potentially get some garbage time snaps, but Michigan has invested more scholarship spots at running back than a couple seasons ago when a guy like Leon Franklin was getting a fair number of snaps.
Kissimmee (FL) Osceola linebacker Elijah Melendez (image via 247 Sports)
2025
Mariyon Dye - DE - Elkhart (IN) Elkhart: Dye is a 6'5", 235 lb. prospect with offers from Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, and Tennessee, among others. He's a 4-star, the #16 EDGE, and #107 overall. This was a midweek visit.
Elijah Melendez - LB - Kissimmee (FL) Osceola: Melendez is a 6'2", 215-pounder with offers from Alabama, Florida, Michigan, and Ohio State, but he chose the least successful program of his top group - the Miami Hurricanes - to commit to back in December 2023. He's a 4-star, the #16 linebacker, and #138 overall in the class of 2025. On the plus side, he is going against Mario Cristobal's wishes in order to take a three-day visit to Ann Arbor, so there is some hope for Michigan here as linebacker coach Brian Jean-Mary tries to get him to flip.
D.J. Sanders - DT - Bellville (TX) Bellville: Sanders is a 6'4", 290 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Oregon, Texas, and Texas A&M, among others. He's a 4-star, the #11 defensive lineman, and #111 overall.
Kainoa Winston - S - Washington (DC) Gonzaga: Winston is a 5'11", 185-pounder with offers from Georgia, LSU, Michigan, North Carolina, Oregon, Penn State, and others. He's a 4-star, the #9 safety, and #88 overall. He has already set officials for UNC, Oregon, and PSU, and Michigan is trying to get on that list.
Wallingford (CT) Choate Rosemary Hall DT Manuel Beigel
Name: Manuel Beigel Height: 6'5" Weight: 280 lbs. High school: Wallingford (CT) Choate Rosemary Hall Position: Defensive tackle Class: Freshman Jersey number: N/A Last year: Beigel was a senior in high school. He made 10 tackles and 4 sacks. TTB Rating: 79
Beigel is a transplant from Germany who is a blank slate. Jim Harbaugh tried to go heavy on international prospects over the past several years, recruiting Beigel, fellow German Julius Welschof, Frenchman Aymeric Koumba, Canadian Luiji Vilain, Canadian Benjamin St-Juste, and several other foreign players who did not end up signing with the Wolverines.
I'm not sure what to think of Beigel so far because his film is so limited, but athletically, he looks to be top-notch when it comes to movement for his size. A soccer player when he was younger, he maintains foot quickness and change-of-direction skills rarely seen in players his size. The real questions are about his technique and strength, both of which seem to have a way to go. Already at 6'5" and 280 pounds, he is likely to end up as a 3-tech defensive tackle, but he looks like a guy who might get pushed around and washed out of the play in the Big Ten. My guess is that he redshirts this season while learning some nuances of big-time college football.
Name: Zach Ludwig Height: 6'3" Weight: 202 lbs. High school: South Park (PA) South Park Position: Linebacker Class: Freshman Jersey number: N/A Last year: Ludwig was a senior in high school. TTB Rating: 55
Ludwig is one of the most interesting commitments during my time covering Michigan football. The nephew of (former) strength coach Ben Herbert, Ludwig got an offer from the Wolverines and committed, without seeming to have any other schools pursuing him. When scouring his film, it was hard to see where he might fit in - quarterback, tight end, linebacker, long snapper? Nobody really seems to know. Even the status of his "scholarship offer" seems to have been in question.
Now that Herbert is the strength coach for the Los Angeles Chargers, one has to wonder if Ludwig will stick around in Ann Arbor. Regardless, at a listed 6'3" and 202 pounds, Ludwig is unlikely to play as a freshman. Perhaps when he adds some strength down the road, he can be considered a threat to play some special teams.
Name: Liam Groulx Height: 6'0" Weight: 227 lbs. High school: Charlotte (NC) Providence Day Position: Linebacker Class: Redshirt freshman Jersey number: #53 Last year: I did not rank Groulx. He redshirted. TTB Rating: N/A
Groulx attended the same high school as freshman quarterback Jadyn Davis and freshman wide receiver Channing Goodwin. He played some outside linebacker in high school, but he lacks the quickness to play in space and currently lacks adequate size to play his current position of inside linebacker. If he wants to see the field in the future, he will likely have to continue bulking up for another year or two. On top of that, Michigan currently has ten scholarship inside linebackers on the roster, and that doesn't include special teams demon Christian Boivin, who has been earning a little bit of praise so far this spring. This will likely be another "redshirt" year for Groulx.
Name: Grayson Dee Height: 6'1" Weight: 228 lbs. High school: Pittsburgh (PA) Mt. Lebanon Position: Linebacker Class: Redshirt freshman Jersey number: #38 Last year: I did not rank Dee. He redshirted. TTB Rating: N/A
Dee was a high school defensive end and tight end who has the body of an old-school Michigan fullback. I get Kevin Dudley vibes when watching his high school Hudl film, and he's now listed at 6'1", 228 lbs. (Dudley was 6'0", 238).
There are too many talented inside linebackers on the roster for Dee to get much playing time consideration, but perhaps some special teams time or - if the coaches want to know what's good for them - a move to fullback could pay off down the line.
Every year since 2009, I have counted down from the least important player on that year’s roster to the most important player, including starters, scholarship players, preferred walk-ons, special teams players, student body walk-ons, and everyone in between.
In case you want a look back at last year’s list, here it is (LINK). Michigan was very lucky to keep its top players healthy, including #1 overall J.J. McCarthy, who is poised to be a top-10 draft pick here in a few weeks.
YEARLY DISCLAIMER: The countdown is by the player’s importance to the team, not his overall talent. A talented player at a deep position won’t necessarily be missed a lot if he gets injured, but an injury to a moderately talented player at a thin position could be devastating. For example, I had cornerback Ambry Thomas ranked at #2 in 2020 because he was the team's only proven cornerback. Naturally, he opted out of the season and the team as a whole was an unmitigated disaster. Meanwhile, first round pick Kwity Paye was #6 because more talent was returning on the defensive line.
Another thing to note is the transfer portal, which causes players to jump in and out with more frequency than in the past. So despite my having a list already put together, there are going to be guys who enter and leave the program in the interceding months between now and August.
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