55. TE Zack Marshall (RS So.): Marshall played in all thirteen games last season, mostly on special teams; he played in just four games on offense and didn't record any stats other than 1 special teams tackle. I expect Michigan's new offensive coordinator to incorporate a little bit more spread to the offense to give Bryce Underwood room to operate, so I think the tight end position will be de-emphasized some. Marshall will be backing up the likes of Marlin Klein and Max Bredeson, and it appears second-year player Hogan Hansen and former walk-on Jalen Hoffman have also passed him up. Last year's rank: #47a.
54. LB Jaydon Hood (RS Sr.): To be perfectly honest, I was surprised when Jaydon Hood made it through the transfer portal window without trying to go somewhere else. That's not an indictment of his talent, but a nod to the other talented linebackers Michigan has kept bringing in, including Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham as transfers, along with Cole Sullivan and Jimmy Rolder as recruits. Toss in Georgia transfer Troy Bowles and it seemed like Hood would have had good reason to play his final year elsewhere. But he played linebacker in eight games last year, making 9 tackles and 1 tackle for loss, so there's still potential for him to play a meaningful backup role and on special teams. Last year's rank: #41.
53. CB Jo'Ziah Edmond (So.): I had trouble finding where to rank Edmond, a 6'1", 180 lb. second-year player whom the coaches were very high on when he arrived in 2024. He played in eight total games, including four at cornerback, and made 2 tackles on the year. On the one hand, burning a redshirt for a backup role usually indicates a significant role the next year. On the other hand, Michigan brought in the Metcalf brothers from Arkansas, moved Zeke Berry to cornerback full-time, and also landed an elite player in 2025 recruit Shamari Earls. Edmond could be anywhere from the third corner behind Berry and Jyaire Hill to the sixth corner behind those two and Earls, Jeremiah Lowe, and Tevis Metcalf. Last year's rank: #78.
52. WR Kendrick Bell (RS So.): Bell was a high school quarterback who transitioned to wide receiver in 2023, and he did play more in 2024 than I expected, making 7 catches for 70 yards. The wide receiver spot is up in the air, but I didn't see much last year that makes me excited for his role in 2025. I may be reading too much into this, but there was also a recent interview of Sherrone Moore where he was mentioning receivers and forgot to mention the 6'2", 191 lb. Bell until asked specifically, so I think Bell's role will be minor this year. Last year's rank: #55.
51. WR C.J. Charleston (6th): Charleston played in ten games and started two last year for the Wolverines, making 1 catch for 22 yards. A leg injury late in the season ended his campaign, and he somewhat unexpectedly decided to return for 2025. I tend to think he returned with an eye on playing as much or more in 2025, but his role was largely as a blocker and a guy who could be put in motion. With transfers like Donaven McCulley and Anthony Simpson stepping in, I'm not sure there's much opportunity for Charleston to take on a big role, but he's experienced, the coaches seemed to like his toughness, and he can contribute on specials. Last year's rank: #46.
Agree on Hood, but "those who stay ... "
ReplyDeleteRegarding Bell, having the second year player, new to the position on the field as much as we did was an indictment on the room.
"I expect Michigan's new offensive coordinator to incorporate a little bit more spread to the offense to give Bryce Underwood room to operate, so I think the tight end position will be de-emphasized some."
ReplyDeleteOkay, so I'm not an expert X and O guy, so I might need a little help here.
Q1 - Doesn't 'spread' imply more stress on the OL, particularly the tackles, to protect the QB long enough to get the ball out? If so, do you think our OL is ready for that?
Q2 - By de-emphasizing TE, do you mean a de-emphasis on blocking TEs that are close-in to the OL? I would imagine incorporating big TE targets as receivers is still on the table.
Q3 - That leads me to a pure curiosity question: at what point does a TE spread wide cease to be a TE, and is really just a big ole receiver out there? Are there sets with wide TEs that motion back in for run blocking and pass protection? I'm guessing yes, but I don't know if that's common in a 'spread' offense.
Yep this is a cluster that I see very differently.
ReplyDeleteMarshall -- could be way higher if he wins TE3. I am not sure Hoffman has passed him at all nor am I sure TE will be deemphasized (in part because WR position is still a weakness).
Hood -- admire his commitment to the program and he'll help on special teams but the LB room is too deep for him to have top 60 relevance.
Edmond -- this ranking seems reasonable-ish given the uncertainty but he's on the fringe of the rotation in the secondary. If he is outside CB4 he'll probably see a lot of snaps. I think Tevis Metcalf is staying inside at Nickel. I think Edmond is a great bet to see meaningful snaps at CB along with Anderson behind the 2 starters. I wouldn't assume the freshman are going to take away the role he seemed lined up for after playing as much as he did as a freshman.
Bell -- I have him probably 20 spots over Charleston who seems like a walk-on type. Since Bell played QB in high school there's a learning curve for sure but he should be coming around in year 3 and Michigan needs WRs to emerge. Perhaps their roles were similar last year (although with QB being incompetent it was hard to tell) -- but the upside on Bell is so much higher to me.
Yep. Definitely need playmakers at WR
DeleteYep losing Loveland is a big deal and swap of Morris for McCulley is hopefully a better fit for the system at each program. But proven playmaking is really limited on this roster.
DeleteKlein doesn't have much juice, Hansen flashed but limited doses, and Fred Moore, Kendrick Bell, O'Leary we are mostly hoping are serviceable more so than playmakers. Perhaps Morgan gets back on track with a functioning pass game/new OC. Otherwise it's the freshman and McCulley we hope....