FORMER PLAYERS
Devon Baxter, DE (Virginia): No stats to report.
Jeremiah Beasley, LB (Missouri): No stats to report.
Tristan Bounds, OT (Arizona): Bounds is the starting right tackle for Arizona.
Hit the jump for more.
Evan Boutorwick, LS (Northwestern): Boutorwick is a 6'3", 250 lb. fifth year senior.
Semaj Bridgeman, LB (Kent State): Bridgeman made 2 tackles and 1 tackle for loss in a 26-13 win over Ball State.
Cole Cabana, RB (Western Michigan): Cabana had 2 carries for 7 yards and 1 touchdown in a 32-7 loss to Boise State.
Cam Calhoun, CB (Ohio State): Calhoun made 1 tackle in a 42-19 win over Illinois.
Darrius Clemons, WR (Washington State): Clemons made 4 catches for 57 yards in a 34-24 loss to Arizona.
Jadyn Davis, QB (East Tennessee State): Davis was 3/3 for 69 yards in a 58-31 win over Western Carolina.
Micah Davis, S (Western Michigan): No stats to report.
Jayden Denegal, QB (San Diego State): Denegal completed 19/31 passes for 206 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception in a 41-16 loss to Toledo.
Elijah Dotson, CB (Missouri): Dotson made 5 tackles in a 31-24 loss to Mississippi State.
Karmello English, WR (Coastal Carolina): English made 2 catches for 15 yards in a 34-17 loss to Liberty.
Jake Garcia, QB (Furman): No stats to report.
Andrew Gentry, OT (BYU): Gentry is BYU's starting right tackle.
Dom Giudice, OG (Missouri): Giudice is a starting offensive guard.
Ben Hall (RB, North Carolina): North Carolina (2-1) had a bye. Hall has 33 carries for 215 yards this season, along with 4 catches for 42 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Justice Haynes, RB (Georgia Tech): Haynes had 18 carries for 107 yards and 2 catches for -19 yards in a 34-27 loss to Stanford.
Ty Haywood, OT (Alabama): Haywood is a backup right tackle for Alabama in his first season in Tuscaloosa.
Amir Herring, OG (Kansas): Herring is a 6'3", 305 lb. redshirt junior starting guard for the Jayhawks.
Jason Hewlett, LB (Boston College): Hewlett made 9 tackles while playing in seven games in 2025. He entered the transfer portal in the off-season, and I have not seen a destination for 2026.
Brandyn Hillman, S (Virginia): Hillman made 4 tackles in a 42-3 win over Delaware.
Jaydon Hood, LB (Georgia State): Hood made 6 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 0.5 sacks in a 35-14 win over Northern Illinois.
Breeon Ishmail, DE (Purdue): Ishmail made 1 tackle in a 49-10 loss to Notre Dame.
Connor Jones, OT (Georgia State): Jones is listed at 6'5", 310 lbs. and is pegged to be the starting right tackle for Georgia State in 2026.
Mikey Keene, QB (Arizona State): Arizona State (2-1) had a bye. Keene completed 4/7 passes for 32 yards in his lone game this season.
Aymeric Koumba, DE (UCF): Koumba made 2 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss in a 21-13 win over TCU.
Alessandro Lorenzetti, OG (Baylor): Lorenzetti did not see any game action in 2025 and is listed at 6'5", 298 lbs. for the Golden Bears.
Jack MacKinnon, LB (Nevada): No stats to report.
Jaden Mangham, S (Purdue): Mangham made 4 tackles in a 49-10 loss to Notre Dame.
Ja'Den McBurrows, CB (Appalachian State): McBurrows made 2 tackles in a 41-31 loss to North Carolina State.
Tevis Metcalf, CB (Tennessee): No stats to report.
T.J. Metcalf, S (Tennessee): Metcalf made 5 tackles in a 20-17 loss to Texas.
Fredrick Moore, WR (Michigan State): Moore made 4 catches for 43 yards in a 31-13 loss to Nebraska.
Hayden Moore, EDGE (Washington): No stats to report.
Semaj Morgan, WR (UCLA): Morgan made 2 catches for 16 yards in a 54-3 win over Maryland, along with 4 punt returns for 32 yards.
Tyler Morris, WR (Indiana): Morris made 1 catch for 5 yards in a 29-23 win over Northwestern.
Alex Orji, QB (UNLV): Orji had 2 carries for 29 yards in a 38-10 win over Akron.
Jasper Parker, RB (Arkansas): Parker had 3 carries for 18 yards in a 34-6 win over Tulsa.
Micah Pollard, LB (Liberty): Pollard made 3 tackles in a 34-17 win over Coastal Carolina.
Myles Pollard, CB (East Carolina): Pollard made 1 tackle and 1 interception in a 42-9 win over North Carolina Central.
Brady Prieskorn, TE (Ole Miss): No stats to report.
Ben Roebuck, OG (Western Michigan): Roebuck is a 6'7", 312 lb. redshirt sophomore starter at right guard for Western Michigan.
Keon Sabb, S (Alabama): No stats to report.
Adam Samaha, K (Eastern Michigan): No stats to report.
Jayden Sanders, CB (Notre Dame): No stats to report.
Anthony Simpson, WR (Toledo): No stats to report.
Deuce Spurlock, LB (Liberty): Spurlock made 2 tackles in a 34-17 win over Coastal Carolina.
C.J. Stokes, RB (Furman): Stokes ran 7 times for 5 yards in a 13-9 loss to Richmond.
Kaden Strayhorn, C (Alabama): Strayhorn is a backup interior lineman for Alabama in his first year in Tuscaloosa.
Cole Sullivan, LB (Oklahoma): No stats to report.
Beckham Sunderland, K (Minnesota): Sunderland had touchbacks on 5/6 kickoffs in a 27-24 win over Washington.
Owen Wafle, DT (Duke): Wafle made 1 tackle in a 62-7 win over William and Mary.
Amorion Walker, WR (UNLV): No stats to report.
D.J. Waller, CB (Louisville): Waller made 1 tackle and 1 pass breakup in a 30-27 loss to Wake Forest.
Davis Warren, QB (Stanford): Warren completed 22/36 passes for 396 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 34-27 win over Georgia Tech.
FORMER COMMITS
Collins Acheampong (DE, UTSA): No stats to report.
Aaron Alexander, LB (North Texas): Alexander made 2 tackles in a 63-14 win over Houston Christian.
Markus Allen, WR (Middle Tennessee): Allen made 1 catch for a 32-yard touchdown in a 23-13 loss to Jacksonville State.
Dorian Barney, CB (Ole Miss): No stats to report.
Andre Clarke, Jr., S (Kentucky): No stats to report.
Colton Dermer, LS (Georgia): Dermer is a 6'2", 230 lb. freshman long snapper for Georgia.
Chris Ewald, S (Miami): Ewald made 1 tackle in a 52-3 win over Central Michigan.
Brady Hart, QB (Texas A&M): Hart was 0/1 passing in a 35-6 loss to LSU.
Fatutoa (a.k.a. Kevonte) Henry, DE (Alabama): Henry made 1 tackle in a 49-18 win over South Carolina.
Brody Jennings, CB (Miami): Jennings made 3 tackles and 1 interception (returned for 24 yards) in a 52-3 win over Central Michigan.
Brody Jennings INT pic.twitter.com/MDSckdWddF
— Grant Reacts (@GrantReacts1) September 27, 2026
Matt Ludwig, TE (Texas Tech): No stats to report.
Brady Marchese, WR (Auburn): No stats to report.
Tyler Martin, LB (UMass): Martin made 8 tackles in a 35-6 win over Sacramento State.
Bear McWhorter, OG (Auburn): McWhorter is a 6'4", 315 lb. freshman lineman for Auburn.
Davonte Miles, DT (South Carolina): Miles was dismissed from South Carolina's football program after a felony drug charge.
Andrew Rappleyea, TE (Penn State): No stats to report.
Zion Robinson, WR (Stanford): Robinson made 2 catches for 65 yards in a 34-27 win over Georgia Tech.
Elias Rudolph (DE, UNLV): Rudolph made 1 tackle, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, 1 quarterback hurry, and 1 pass breakup in a 38-10 win over Akron.
Carter Smith, QB (Wisconsin): No stats to report.
Jacob Smith (DE, Louisville): No stats to report.
Jaden Smith (S, Kentucky): Smith made 2 tackles in a 45-21 win over South Alabama.
Jerod Smith (DT, Louisville): Smith made 3 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 1 sack in a 30-27 loss to Wake Forest.
Joel Starlings, DT (Maryland): No stats to report.
Ivan Taylor, S (Alabama): Taylor made 2 tackles in a 49-18 win over South Carolina.
Alex VanSumeren, DT (USC): VanSumeren made 1 tackle in a 41-27 loss to Oregon.
Mantrez Walker, LB (UAB): No stats to report.
Jaylen Williams, OLB (Wisconsin): No stats to report.
Raylen Wilson, LB (Georgia): Wilson made 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble in a 41-13 win over Oklahoma.
RAYLEN WILSON FORCE FUMBLE AND CHRIS COLE RECOVERS pic.twitter.com/sZqFwPIb6r
— KB 🎰 (@p1cass00) September 26, 2026
Phillip Wright III, WR (LSU): No stats to report.
COACHES
Joe Bolden, Special Teams Coordinator (Southern Mississippi): Bolden is in his second season at Southern Miss after spending 2023-2024 at Tulsa.
Adam Braithwaite, Outside Linebackers Coach (Cincinnati): Braithwaite is in his second season with the Cincinnati Bearcats and is now coaching outside linebackers after being the safeties coach in 2025.
Anthony Campanile, Defensive Coordinator (Jacksonville Jaguars): Campanile is in his second season as an NFL defensive coordinator after spending time as a linebackers coach for the Packers last year.
Kirk Campbell, Offensive Analyst (Los Angeles Chargers): Campbell is in his second season with the Chargers.
Steve Clinkscale, Defensive Backs Coach (Los Angeles Chargers): Clink is in his third season with the Chargers.
Ross Douglas, Wide Receivers Coach (Oregon): Douglas is in his second season as Oregon's wide receivers coach after spending 2024 at Syracuse.
D.J. Durkin, Defensive Coordinator (Auburn): Durkin is in his third season as defensive coordinator at Auburn. He briefly served as interim coach after Hugh Freeze was let go last season.
Mike Elston, Defensive Line Coach (Los Angeles Chargers): Elston is in his third season with the Chargers.
Dan Enos, Quarterbacks Coach (Wake Forest): Enos is in his second season as Wake Forest's quarterbacks coach.
Jedd Fisch, Head Coach (Washington): Fisch is 3-1 following a 27-24 loss to Minnesota.
Larry Foote, Defensive Run Game Coordinator/Outside Linebackers Coach (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): Foote has been coaching in some capacity with the Bucs since 2019.
Darrell Funk, Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach (Indiana State): Funk is back at Indiana State, where he previously coached in 2017, to help out his old buddy Curt Mallory. This will be his second year during his second stint at ISU.
Allen Gant, Defensive Ends Coach (Kent State): Gant is in his first season as defensive ends coach at Kent State.
Josh Gattis, Wide Receivers Coach (Syracuse): Gattis is in his second season at Syracuse.
Tony Gibson, Head Coach (Marshall): Marshall is 2-1 after a 30-24 win over Missouri State.
Harold Goodwin, Assistant Head Coach/Run Game Coordinator (Carolina Panthers): Goodwin is in his third season with the Panthers.
Jay Harbaugh, Special Teams Coordinator (Seattle Seahawks): Harbaugh is in his third season with the Seahawks.
Jim Harbaugh, Head Coach (Los Angeles Chargers): Harbaugh is 0-2 this season.
Ben Herbert, Executive Director of Player Performance (Los Angeles Chargers): Herbert is in his third season with the Chargers.
Cato June, Assistant Linebackers Coach (Indianapolis Colts): June is in his second season with the Colts after spending time at Bowling Green State.
Kevin Koger, Tight Ends Coach (Atlanta Falcons): Koger is in his third season with the Falcons.
Jordan Kovacs, Safeties Coach (Cincinnati Bengals): Kovacs is in his third season as the Bengals safeties coach.
Mo Linguist, Co-Defensive Coordinator (Alabama): Linguist is in his third season at Alabama.
Scot Loeffler, Quarterbacks Coach (Philadelphia Eagles): Loeffler was let go after one season as the Eagles quarterbacks coach.
Mike Macdonald, Head Coach (Seattle Seahawks): Macdonald is 2-0 following a 31-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Curt Mallory, Head Coach (Indiana State): Indiana State is 2-3 after a 42-35 loss to North Dakota.
Roy Manning, Edges Coach (Nebraska): Manning is in his first season coaching at Nebraska.
Mike McCray, Linebackers Coach (Central State): McCray is in his second season with Central State after being with UMass from 2022-2024.
Jesse Minter, Head Coach (Baltimore Ravens): Minter and the Ravens are 1-1 after two weeks.
Jerry Montgomery, Defensive Line Coach (Cincinnati Bengals): Montgomery is in his second season with the Bengals.
Desmond Morgan, Safeties Coach (Memphis): Morgan is in his second season as the safeties coach at Memphis.
Steve Morrison, Defensive Coordinator (Indiana State): Morrison is in his first year at Indiana State after previously being defensive coordinator at Bowling Green.
Shaun Nua, Defensive Line Coach (USC): Nua is in his fifth season with USC.
Ryan Osborn, Defensive Coordinator (Columbia): Osborn is in his first season as defensive coordinator for Columbia.
Chris Partridge, Linebackers Coach (Seattle Seahawks): Partridge is in his third season coaching for the Seahawks.
Denard Robinson, Quarterbacks/Running Backs Coach (Lead Prep Academy): Robinson is coaching at Lead Prep in Brighton, MI, for the third year.
Rich Rodriguez, Head Coach (West Virginia): Rodriguez is 3-1 after a 41-24 loss to Oklahoma State.
Dylan Roney, Outside Linebackers Coach (Los Angeles Chargers): The former Michigan walk-on, recruiting assistant, and grad assistant is now coaching NFL outside linebackers under Jim Harbaugh.
James Ross III, Defensive Run Game Coordinator/Outside Linebackers/Defensive Ends Coach (Houston): Ross is in his third season with Houston.
Roy Roundtree, Wide Receivers Coach (Temple): Roundtree is in his second season as Temple's wide receivers coach after spending 2024 at Miami-OH.
Adam Stenavich, Offensive Coordinator (Green Bay Packers): Stenavich is in his fifth season as the Packers offensive coordinator and has been coaching in some capacity with the team since 2019.
Ed Warinner, Head Coach (Avila University): Warinner is 2-3 with a 47-21 win over Sterling.
Edward Warinner, Safeties Coach (Indiana State): Warinner, who spent one year at Michigan when his dad Ed Warinner was the offensive line coach, is now in his second year as safeties coach at ISU.
Al Washington, Linebackers Coach (Notre Dame): Washington remains as the linebackers coach for the Fighting Irish.
Tyrone Wheatley, Running Backs Coach (Illinois): After a mostly unsuccessful head coaching gig at Wayne State, Wheatley is now in his first year as running backs coach for Illinois.
How does GA Tech feel about investing all that NIL into a RB?
ReplyDeleteProbably should have saved some of it their secondary.
Davis Warren -- Putting up numbers!
Denegal -- still bad. Transfer down doesn’t cover it up.
Now on the other hand…Who had Jadyn Davis down for 100% completion percentage at Cade McNamara U? LOL. Just 5 attempts I know.
First career TD for Cabana – nice contribution.
Who would we take from this list? While not many, here’s a shortlist:
ReplyDeleteCOACHES (college only)
Chip Lindsey
Al Washington
Ross Douglass
PLAYERS
Justice Haynes
Cole Sullivan
Davis Warren (backup, under Lindsey)
Is that it?
I think there are several former coaches I would take, including Jedd Fisch, DJ Durkin, the guys you mentioned, etc.
DeletePlayer-wise, I would take the guys you mentioned and Beckham Sunderland.
1. Sunderland
Delete2. Sullivan
That's it.
Sunderland probably flips Iowa to a W without the kickoff return.
There are some good players out there so you can parse some upgrades here or there (e.g., Sabb, Giudice) compared to our starters. And of course you could upgrade depth too, but these starter-types all cost NIL and ultimately Michigan doesn't have that many holes in the starting units.
At least not that former players could dramatically upgrade. The biggest weak spots are at Kicker, TE (Biegel/Hoffman/Marshall) and OLB (Taylor/Moa) and there's not that many guys who left that would change things at either position. Even Sullivan isn't playing all that much for Oklahoma.
Obviously backup QB can be a high leverage position. Carr is young but I'm not sure he isn't already better than all the ex-QBs. Warren deserves to have a chance to start somewhere anyway, not sit behind Underwood. Carr is in the perfect place for him -- my only wish is that he was a couple years younger than Underwood rather than a few days. Hopefully the team can hold onto both for next season.
Sure, Warren should want to start. But I’m talking about guys I’d want back … best for the program, not considering much else at all. Carr is young and small/thin; I would rather have a more reliable backup
DeleteI hadn’t considered Guidice; shame on me for breezing through the list. But I’d take him over Norton and certainly over Efobi right now
Our LBs are still unproven, and Sullivan is sitting behind entrenched starters in Norman. I’d take him in a heartbeat
Haynes is tricky. We know he’s better than what we have, because he & Marshall played against the same defenses behind the same OL last year; it wasn’t close. Now this year he’s already got two 1ooyd games, while our entire RB room has none. He has five TDs, compared to two for our group combined. He’s also running behind a bad OL, without two future NFL WRs to back a defense up. Haynes is better
The tricky part is that Marshall had the exact same issues last year, and rounded out as his reps increased; he’s coachable. Hiter is a TrFR, and will get better. Would I trade both for one more year of Haynes? Nope. But I do wonder how many gaps Marshall/Hiter missed that Haynes would have housed like he did last year
Warren is balling right now but I still think I'd prefer Carr for this Beck offense where the QB run is a feature element. If this was a Lloyd Carr offense with a guy just handing off or sitting in the pocket I might prefer Warren even though Carr looks a lot more talented. 7 years difference in maturity and experience is a massive differential.
DeleteIf we are ignoring context and roles and costs, etc. ... just adding to talent and depth there's a bunch of guys who are good enough to play at least a depth role on this team and probably better than some of our fringe rotation guys we play: Sabb, Metcalf, Hillman, Giudice, Gentry, Calhoun, Waller, Haynes, Morris, Hood, maybe Herring(?). Like for example Mason Curtis and Jordan Young are playing backup rotation roles and Hillman and Metcalf started over them last year and are likely still better players.
-IYKYK
I'll add Tristan Bounds who is on the preseason Outland list and probably could at least be a solid backup or make one hell of a RHINO.
DeleteWhile I feel the need for better Guard play is desperate, Bounds PFF run grade is even lower than Efobi’s
DeleteHard pass
I would not put Bounds at OG.
DeleteWith Sprague, Babalola, Biegel on the shelf and Frazier banged up, Link is forced back to OT and Gach shoehorned in at Rhino. No one right now is even threatening to take Efobi's time.
Last week we had Walbridge and Gach playing meaningful snaps. Those are your weakest links. Those are two players where the bar is not very high to upgrade relative to the list noted above. That includes Giudice, Gentry -- hell, for all we know Haywood or Jones maybe more ready than Walbridge.
-IYKYK
Chip Lindsey has Missouri solidly in the middle of the pack for offense. They're 3-1, with their one loss to Mississippi State. Their schedule is now fairly tough, so we'll see how that pans out. Oh to be a fly on the wall in Schembechler Hall for the 2025 season, and see what actually happened between Moore and Lindsey, and Moore and Martindale, and just how fractured the program really was.
ReplyDeleteWarren Davis doing well -- relatively speaking -- at Stanford is nice to see. Some of the passes he was completing in that highlight video were nice. He's at 58% completion and over a thousand yards so far, with a QBR of 132. Did the Stanford OC tailor the game to Davis' skills, or did Davis blossom into what we're seeing?
Rodriguez drops one to Oklahoma State, but OSU may not be as bad as they have been recently. I'm still not convinced Rodriguez will ever get above being a 7-5 type coach. But as I've said before, for WVU, that may be "good enough."
I think I was always higher on Davis Warren than a lot of people, but Stanford is scheming up some wide open receivers. He's making some nice throws, but he's also throwing to some very open guys.
DeleteYep, and it’s what I liked about Lindsey. I’ve watched Mizzou twice now; their QB is wildly inconsistent, and the WRs are nothing special … but Lindsey schemes them open. This reminds of last year. Our drops were maddening, but Lindsey continued to get them open. Hansen & Marshall too
DeleteThen there’s his run game, which blends really well, as the two phases compliment each other. We need that
my prediction was 31-17
ReplyDeleteWe’re just a poorly coached team. Lank asked if Daley was up to B1G level competition, but it’s this coaching staff
Players aren’t ready. Too many bone headed mistakes, every week
Cannot run the ball. OL is worse than last year. Neither RB has vision like Haynes; neither has his homerun speed. RB matters
Pass game doesn’t mesh with the run plan; receivers are easy to blanket
Fire Beck. Worst OC in Ann Arbor since Nussmeir
Defense is good, but missed tackles, especially on 1st Downs kept them out there almost as much as our inept offense
Season over … maybe we get a bowl game
I miss Chip Lindsey
Delete"We’re just a poorly coached team."
DeleteIt's true, but I suspect also the players have already checked out mentally. The good ones are looking to the upcoming transfer portal, and are trying not to risk an injury prior to then. This team is simply drifting at this point, and it would take a miracle to stop the losses at just two.
I'm guessing Whittingham thought he could be an oversight coach, and leave a fair bit to his coordinators. That's not working on the offensive side of the ball, but I'm not sure Whittingham has the desire to step in and take control of that. Beck would likely resist, and we're back into the dysfunctional mess we were before: a head coach who has lost managerial control.
At this point the best-case scenario is a salvage job that moves us to winning against bad teams, losing to good teams, and going 50/50 against the average ones.
if players are checked out on the first Saturday in October, that’s piss poor coaching
DeletePortal. We have Buchanan, Marsh, three OL and some DEs that would demand bags next offseason. Hiter might because of eligibility & recruiting profile, but maybe not as much as he’s already getting
I’m not sure there’s a high Demand for Marshall, Bryce and others. Their paychecks right now are already inflated
Maize n Brew (not to be confused on Motte and Bailey) On JHD:
Delete"Daley’s performance was another notable concern. Despite playing 55 defensive snaps, he earned a 58.6 overall grade and a 52.6 run-defense grade. He finished the game with just one tackle and one QB hurry."
Worst PFF score of any regular/starter by far.
------------
Hill is doing quite well.
Beck is struggling, obviously. But this shouldn't be a total surprise -- he has 2 years of OC experience and both were with Dampier at QB running a system tailored to his skills. Bryce is very very different than Dampier.
Beck is the young up and comer who might not be so up-and-coming. I'm not giving up yet, but he needs to make some big steps forward these next 13 days. Personnel changes not likely to fix this -- the TE room is garbage.
In hindsight Marshall and Underwood being captains on O should have been a red flag for us all. This offense is exceptionally young. Zero 5th years and the only seniors starting are Efobi, Norton, and Link. If those are your vets...
And Underwood, for as he good as he looked against Iowa, he is still exceptionally young (8 days older than Carr) and is going to be inconsistent even if he's "on schedule" in developing eventually into an NFL player.
This was not a good offense last year either. The hope was that a lot of returning pieces would elevate under Beck. Obviously that isn't happening.
Youth (especially at QB) + coaching transition + inexperienced coach. Struggles to be expected.
The defense is fine so Whitt needs to invest in working with Beck to do whatever he needs to do to turn things around offensively. No identity -- nothing to hang your hat on -- that needs to be fixed.
LOL Now Marshall "lacks vision"? Was he blinded by the sun over the summer?
DeleteI remember 22 when Corum went down, Edwards stepped in no problem to star and then suddenly in 23 Edwards lost his vision (until the national championship game when he must have seen the optometrist).
Then 24 Mullings and Edwards both went out after running well during the year but Marshall (who had hardly played all year and was a freshman) stepped right in to carry the load and beat Bama. 25 Haynes went down Marshall replaced him. to be a star. but now after 2 impressive seasons in 26....he suddenly lacks vision. LOL
And Hiter -- consensus 5-star physical freak everyone drooling over -- lacks speed? All those high school games and camps and somehow every scout and coach missed that? Maybe the Freshman 15 struck extra hard already. LOL
-------------------
Man it's a wonder some people think some of these RB narratives are hooey. Perhaps its more irrational/emotional reaction to losses than real analysis?
---------------------------------------------------------------------
As always -- RBs are going to do as well as the OL, scheme, and QB allow. And when I say OL I mean the TE as well, especially if you're going to use multiple FB/H-back/TE types or bonus OT. If guys aren't blocking well -- RBs aren't going to have good vision cuz they're too busy getting tackled at the LOS. If RBs aren't comfortable and familiar with the scheme and can't trust the blockers to execute - they're not going to demonstrate "vision".
For all the offseason fretting over Kuzdal (who does not lack speed but still doesn't break tackles very often) it seems he's not the problem. I would submit the run game problems this year are chiefly on:
1. TE blocking
2. Young inconsistent QB
3. Scheme that seems to emphasize rather than mitigate issue 1 and 2
4. OL injuries - OL matters
5. A freshman RB who seems to struggle with mesh point decisions
I don't think any of this has anything to do with Marshall who at this point is a proven established player who hasn't forgotten how to be a good RB.
-IYKYK
You either cannot read or you are purposefully misquoting me … ah, the return of LyinLank!
DeleteI never said “lacks vision,” I said “neither has vision like Haynes” (elite)
I never said Hiter “lacks speed,” I said “neither has Haynes home run speed” (again, elite)
We had both Haynes and Marshall on the same team last year, running behind the same OL against the same defenses. Until the Nebraska game, Marshall kept missing his cuts; Haynes was in the Heisman race
This year it’s the same: Marshall (and Hiter) missed holes in the OOC and missed opportunities. Don’t trust je93? Check the UFR. Check the PFF scores. Check the stats. Our longest run is 17yds. Haynes - behind a worse OL, on a less talented team and with one less game has five runs longer than that. His PFF is 8o, more than ten points higher than either of our RBs. He was better last year and has been better this year. RB matters
I’ve picked apart Edwards 2o22 stats too many times to thump you again. But lol, the NC game started with him running halfway into an OL butthole before realizing he wasn’t in the hole … even super homer Sam Webb made fun of that. I criticized Don for vision & balance, and that showed on his draft profile; and he got benched in favor of our converted LB. I was right
JHD is not our lowest graded PFF. His PFF on the season is 75. His 58.6 against the gophers was low, but higher than Dom Nichols - both played hurt, and it showed
Against the Joe Moore Iowa OL, he scored a 7o. While making excuses for Beck and our run game, you’re lying about one of our best players, both statistically or by PFF/UFR grade
Exposed. Again. Outsmarted!
Thank you. Happy Monday.
DeleteI appreciate the respectful correction/clarification, similar to mine above WRT to Bounds. It is always good to have polite thought-provoking discourse on the internet.
Justice Haynes plays on a very bad team with a bad offense. He was on a bad offense last year too. He's a good RB who will likely get drafted to the NFL. He is likely better than Marshall (even though he doesn't break tackles quite as well, he started over Marshall and had more explosive long runs than Marshall) and certainly better than Kuzdal. No one is saying Haynes isn't the best of that trio and perhaps better than Hiter as well. It's great to find agreement on the internet.
However, what was evident was that in the 2025 season Haynes and Marshall had very similar production (including the number of rushes for 10+ yards, 20+yards, etc) in similar opportunities. Haynes was a little more explosive, Marshall was a little better between the tackles. Very similar overall though -- which makes sense since they played in the same scheme behind the same OL etc -- though Marshall generally got more of snaps against the tougher opponents.
What's more surprising was that even when Marshall and Haynes both went out the run game seemed to be largely unaffected. Interesting to note.
So, although we can all agree Haynes is a very good RB, this doesn't seem to affect offensive outcomes very much because he keeps ending up on bad offenses that don't appear to miss him when he is gone. RB seems not to matter as much as some people seem to think and it's not likely RB is a primary culprit in Michigan's current offensive woes. (In other words missing Haynes is missing the point).
---------------------------
Other polite clarifications.
JHD was the lowest rated starter/regular against Minnesota. The quote was explicitly about the game about Minnesota. No one made any claims about JHD's season PFF or UFR and anyone arguing that is lying. If they are doing it while accusing someone else of lying they are being hypocritical.
This maybe construed as Motte-and-Baily fallacy but it's more directly and relatably described as a "fantasy" wherein the counter-argument deliberately misconstrues the arguments made to debate a more defensible argument. So yeah -- JHD isn't the worst defensive player on the season, he's just a pretty good DE who appears to be struggling with a higher level of competition at the big 10 level. and Justice Haynes is a very good RB. HIGH FIVE
your lies were exposed Lank, so badly you couldn’t bother to defend them. Changing your name does nothing to recover from your lack of integrity
DeleteBut let’s play:
“What's more surprising was that even when Marshall and Haynes both went out the run game seemed to be largely unaffected”
Kuz had ONE 1ooyd game (against an atrocious Terp D). He scored TDs in only two games. His longest run was 22yds. Oh, and we went 1-2 with Kuz as our main Back. Running Back matters Lank
“RB seems not to matter as much as some people seem to think”
We’ve gone from “RB doesn’t matter” to ‘RB matters, but not as much as you think’ and “Haynes was better”
Thank you Lank. White flag accepted
“JHD was the lowest rated starter/regular against Minnesota”
This is still a lie. Daley had a 58.6, while Nichols had a 41.8
You make this too easy Lank. It’s the lies. It’s not knowing the game. It’s being outsmarted
Not unlike our MICHIGAN offense, you’re a mess
#jeDub
Another way to think about it is this. If Haynes has elite vision, elite speed, and also is good at breaking tackles (unlike Kuzdal) --- then why is the GA Tech offense so bad? Would it be fair to say his prodigious skills as a RB don't matter very much? That -- even at the college level -- investing too many resources/dollars/energy in the RB position is unwise.
DeleteIn other words RB doesn't matter as much as some people think, as much as the attention they get, as much as other positions that might be more impactful?
AKA (shorthand/hyperbole for simplicity)....RB doesn't matter
thinking emoji
*hahaha, two posts because not even Lank believes Lank
DeleteAnd still, you don’t know the game. Watch GaTech and their OL, TE, even Receivers
GaTech leased an okay QB and a RB … nothing else to help. Still, Haynes is out producing our entire RB room on a per game basis. PFF agrees (see above). UFRs agree (see above). The stats confirm it
Denying the lie about Vision and Homerun speed is textbook digging in from the board liar, one of many reasons that got you banished and reduced to name changes
So RBs do matter. Years of essays. Years of lies. Exposed
Then it’s right back to “NO decline in outcomes WHATSOEVER” … while denying the examples provided. Classic Lank!
What was our rushing like after Corum left the Illinois game in 2o22 Lank? Riiight …
Daley again? Really? This you: “Worst PFF score of any REGULAR/STARTER by far”
Nichols is a starter Lank. Nothing in your first or even second essay about snap counts
Busted. Exposed. Outsmarted
Anyway, I’ll educate you: JHD scored a 69 against Iowa, the best OL we’ll face until Columbus (he scored 78 for tackling)
Against Minnesota, his snap count was 55, most among DL starters (Etta, 47; Pierce, 39)
His grade against Minnesota was dragged down by his 29(!) for tackling, which happened during the century our Offense kept sending the D back out there.
Hmmm … it wasn’t the B1G OL that provided the “competition,” but being forced on the field - injured - and a single missed tackle. One of many critiques against PFF/UFR grading is that - while useful - the formulas are easily skewed
*Daley’s pass rush was graded at 65, first among DL Starters
You don’t know the game Lank. You don’t even comprehend the data. You’re reeeaching. But you fail. Just not smart enough. AGAIN
AH, HAHAHAHAHAHA
Deleteje93: facts. data. grading
lank: don’t use production or grading … use fEeLiNgS
still won’t acknowledge the lie you were busted in. EXPOSED!
now your claim is that Corum and Gash played in 2o24??? LMAO, I’ve got you all messed up lank!
Justice Haynes has 5.4ypc lank, after losing a first round OL, and with no OL projected this year. You make this too easy!
McCulley was better at Indiana than Morris was at MICHIGAN. McCulley was better at MICHIGAN than Morris was at MICHIGAN. McCulley was better at Indiana than Morris is at Indiana. McCulley was better at MICHIGAN than Morris is at Indiana
That’s where the debate started. That’s where it ends
Stats. Grading. Fxck your feelings lank
“But he was hurt and hardly played against Minnesota”
you’re dodging; was that your argument in your first two essays?
NO. You were wrong. AGAIN
Daley earned high grading against the best OL we’ll face until ohio; you will not and cannot debate this
Daley’s grade against Minnesota was brought down by ONE missed tackle, late in a game that the defense reason remained on the field
You’re not smart enough for nuance. You don’t know the game lank!
Every single point you attempt, picked apart by a far superior man!
Did you actually graduate or even attend MICHIGAN? Or, are you lying about this too? EXPOSED AGAIN!!!
*or, maybe mommy and daddy wasted their money
#privileged
#outsmarted
#jeDub
AH, HAHAHAHAHAHA
HAPPY THURSDAY!
DeleteMan I gotta admit you really got me on this one. I wrote 2024 when I meant 2022. here are your flowers. #outsmarted #liar #jedub
Tell everyone at the rec center! They do really care even if they don't act like.
Otherwise -- same old same old. We can rehash how somebody talking about individual stats is missing the point yet again. Justice Haynes YPC is great for Justice Haynes and McCulley's yardage against Purdue is great for McCulley. But what matters is the offense scoring points and using those points to win games. Easy thing to lose sight of it seems.
When Corum went out at halftime Michigan could not score against a very tough Illinois D. Despite having the Michigan RB GOAT (* well the last few decades at least) -- it didn't matter. Michigan had 7 points on 5 drives with only the opening scripted drive yielding anything. In the second half Michigan had 13 points on 6 drives. RB was DRAMATICALLY weaker but offense was stronger. #PRODUCTION
That's a small sample size -- a half is only a half -- but the rest of the season wasn't. Michigan's offense AND it's rushing attack saw no let down with Edwards replacing Corum even though Corum was a whole lot better than Edwards. He was especially better in the ways that certain people tend to emphasize as priority characteristics at the RB position -- like tackle breaking and "vision". It didn't matter. #PRODUCTION
At one point people even tried to blame Mullings fumble against TCU (while playing FB LOL) on the Corum injury. That got pretty well blown up by Mullings proving himself as a beast of a back in his own right. #PRODUCTION
I call that PRODUCTION but you tell me about the individual player stats and PFF grade that are great except when they are "skewed" per...well...you.
Here is a challenge you will ignore. Haynes was on a bad offense last year and he's on a bad offense this year. It's notable that a lot of unquestionably very excellent RBs tend to end up playing on bad offenses. It's not his fault? No one said it was. We agree here! But if RB was a critical position that MATTERED as much as it's made out to MATTER you'd think you'd be seeing this -- and when guys like Corum disappear you'd think you'd see the impact somewhere other than....what was that?.... your FEELINGS.
-----------------------------
JHD is not playing at an all american level.
You can quibble all you like but he's not. He's a man amongst boys but he went (last season) in 11 games having 11.5 sacks, 17.5 TFL, and 48 tackles. In 5 games this year he has 3 sacks, 4.5 TFL, and 16 tackles. In (almost) half the same number of games he is putting up (roughly) a quarter of the production. Mr Production Is What Counts now wants to talk about "nuance"? LOL. Maybe keep that part out of the rec center summary.
#PRODUCTION
Again, JHD is a fine player. I like him, and I'm glad we got him. I'm not upset or disappointed in him because I didn't expect him to be Hutch or Gary or even Moore. The uptransfer concern appears to be very real and we haven't even gotten to the Oregon-Indiana-OSU stretch yet. Whereas for Jay Hill -- he seems to be handling it just fine, in contrast to Beck.
I think it's okay that you think manhood is relevant in this messageboard debate about young people playing a sport you haven't played in 30+ years. Everyone is very impressed!
#Every accusation
#jedub
When Corum went out, he had 1o8yds at 6ypc and a TD. After he left, the rest of the RB room gained … less than half that
Delete*the rest of the season, Harbaugh went from runfirstrunoften to passing a whole lot more.
We’ve done this before, including the per carry breakdown of Mr Boom or Bust Edwards, who was later benched in favor of a converted LB (who needed some time on task before holding onto the ball reliably)
We saw even LESS drop off or change in identity when Hutch and Ojabo left, when Zack Zinter went out, when Colston Loveland was injured, and when The Gifts opted out of the Reliaquest Bowl (our defense actually looked MORE dominant)
#RBmatters
*find me one GM, coach, player or fan that would rather have Isaiah Gasch over Blake Corum. Or even The Don over Corum. You can’t. Why not? Because everyone knows who was better, and they’d back up their choice with stats, accolades, grading and draft result … fxck your feelings lank
*waiting for lyinLank to create another account, and be that one “other fan” 🤥
Purdue? Who’s talking about Purdue?
When YOU brought up McCulley, I pointed out his ENTIRE career, and contrasted it to the inferior performance of Morris … I’ve got you dodging
#notsmartenough
speaking of ignoring challenges, you still have not acknowledged the lie you were caught in regarding Haynes vision and Homerun speed. You have not acknowledged your first (and second) lies about JHD PFF. Your white flag is NOT accepted lank
#dodge
#lyinLank
#jeDub
*I answered your “challenge” above
Who said Daley would be all American? Ol’ motte & bailey lank, fightin for his life against je93, who just knows more!
And you’re still ignoring that he was playing after an injury, and on the field almost that entire game. Still, his PFF that you’re using is based off ONE missed tackle. The more detailed UFR points out this same analysis
#iwasrightagain
Manhood? Who said anything about manhood? Seems like you are threatened by my superior knowledge and the ease with which I crush your lies and foolishness. Don’t be so insecure lank, just take your L
OWNED!
#rentfree
*you also dodged on whether you actually attended MICHIGAN. But if you did, it was a waste!
#outsmarted
This was a really bad loss. No sugarcoating that. They played bad on O and ST. Lots to fix.
ReplyDeleteThat all said -- the season is not a lost one. We have seen flashes from this team that if they can get their running game together and we get more Good Bryce than Bad Bryce -- I feel better about pulling an upset in Eugene or against Indiana than I did before the start of the season. And I also feel better about beating PSU (who got SMOKED by Northwestern and dominated in yardage by Wisconsin). PSU is worse off than us because their issues seem less fixable.
Besides OSU, every game feels potentially winnable. Of course, the way the offense is going -- every game feels potentially loseable too.
There is a lot to play for and Whittingham and Beck have their work cut out for them to get better and flip these narrow losses into Wins the rest of the way.
-IYKYK
THE question is: what, realistically, can be done to make what can be made of this season?
ReplyDeleteFile under "easier said than done" but I would simplify things and adjust to personnel.
DeleteEstablish identity. Pick a base running play /blocking scheme that you can execute consistently without relying on gimmicky motions. Rep it a lot and then figure out the constraints that work off the base.
Put the wildcat in the garage. Nothing inherently wrong with it but it's just not worth the effort. You gotta focus.
Stop running read plays with Hiter at the mesh point. Not working right now. Save those calls for Marshall and Kuz.
More speed option -- Bryce seems to have a decent feel for this and it could generate explosives. Don't run this to the short side of the field.
Get Sprague back and kick Link or Frazier out to Rhino. Don't ask your Rhino to shift around and be a TE -- he's a 6th OL on the outside -- this should probably be an OT. At some point -- throw to him.
Need diversity? Play some 4-wide spread stuff to simplify Bryce's reads and mitigate the stink-void of the TE room. When you do this, put Marsh and JJ on the same side of the field so Bryce can see who is open.
Take some shots deep down field. Max protect and throw the Jump ball. You have 2 great WR and a QB with a great arm. Arm punt it on up there and see if you can't generate a cheap explosive and/or PI.
-IYKYK