Arkansas safety T.J. Metcalf, a cousin of NFL wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, committed to Michigan on Monday night after visiting over the weekend. He and his younger brother Tevis are both now Wolverines. (I'll address Tevis in a separate post.)
T.J. is a 6'1", 200 lb. safety who made 57 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 3 interceptions, and 7 pass breakups playing a deep safety role for the Razorbacks. He made 2 interceptions against Auburn, which made Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze tear his hair out and publicly call out (former Michigan State) quarterback Peyton Thorne. One interception was a tipped ball that bounced up into the air, and the other was a diving catch. Metcalf's other interception was against UAB.
Metcalf has a strong build and should be an asset both as a tackler and a coverage guy down the road. While his performances have been up and down, he should get better coaching at Michigan than he got at Arkansas. With Michigan losing both Quinten Johnson and Makari Paige to graduation, along with key backup Wesley Walker, there's room for immediate help. I would probably pencil in Metcalf as a starter at free safety, though there is potential for Rod Moore to return in 2025, which could shake up the lineup or the depth chart.
Metcalf was a 3-star, the #51 safety, and #541 overall in the class of 2023. Michigan had offered him out of Pinson (AL) Valley, along with Florida State, Miami, Penn State, and Tennessee, among others.
Best guess at safety rotation could be some combination of
ReplyDeleteMetcalf
Hillman
Curtis
Mangham
No single guy is a sure thing (or even particularly likely) to be an all conference player but that's 4 very good pieces with high potential, talent and at least some meaningful experience. Could take Metcalf a bit of time to settle into Wink's defense, as we saw with Walker, so I would expect the rotation of guys (multiple starters, in-game rotation, movement between positions) to continue as we've come to expect, including overlap with nickel.
The above assumes that, if Rod Moore comes back, he would move back to nickel and be a full time starter there. That does seem like the spot where he can be most impactful.
If Moore is back and safety remains so well stocked, the secondary is probably one starting caliber CB away from looking very very strong. Even without another addition, if they keep Hill and get growth from him, move Berry to CB full time, and let Edmonds and/or any standout freshman rotate behind them (plus portal depth guys like Ricky Johnson and Tevon Metcalf) I would say the secondary would be in great shape.
As these portal additions trickle in, my confidence in the 2025 roster grows.
Hard to project though since there are new faces moving in and out of the portal everyday. Last december we assumed Sabb and Waller would be on the team this year. The portal additions (or even rumors of them) seem to push some guys out the door.
With Moore back, he's a rotation guy
ReplyDeleteStill need QB, more OL & WR, CB & maybe a LB/inline TE ... do we take a RB?
Is Moore confirmed coming back? I think the biggest need is at Tackle (Offense and Defense), maybe even more than QB.
DeleteThere hasn't been any confirmation that Moore is coming back.
DeleteQuarterback is the most important position on the field. I agree that tackle is a big need, but Michigan isn't going to the CFP with who they have at QB in 2025. I like Underwood, but he's a freshman. To make the CFP from a big conference, Michigan's going to need good QB play.