Phil Steele's 2014 All-Big Ten team released

Devin Funchess

Phil Steele released his 2014 All-Big Ten team, and there are several Michigan players on the list.

FIRST TEAM
WR Devin Funchess
LB Jake Ryan
CB Blake Countess

SECOND TEAM
DE Frank Clark
LB Desmond Morgan

THIRD TEAM
P Will Hagerup

FOURTH TEAM
QB Devin Gardner
LB James Ross III

Many of these are interesting picks for various reasons. First of all, Devin Funchess is going into his first year as a full-time wideout, and he will also be without a proven commodity taking attention away from him in the form of Jeremy Gallon. Ryan is switching positions from strongside outside linebacker to middle linebacker in a new base defense. Countess has been rumored to be relegated to a backup role behind sophomore Jourdan Lewis, though Countess will start at slot corner. Morgan is another guy who changes positions, albeit slightly (middle linebacker to weakside linebacker). Gardner might be the most physically talented quarterback in the conference, but he's behind Braxton Miller (understandable due to winning and good talent), Connor Cook (who came out of nowhere last year), and Christian Hackenberg (who will be without his stud receiver, Allen Robinson). I think there's a decent chance that Gardner is a First Team or Second Team all-conference quarterback by year's end. Meanwhile, Ross is in a battle for his position with up-and-comer Royce Jenkins-Stone.

Michigan certainly has a lot of question marks going into 2014, but that's what happens when you go 8-5 and 7-6 in consecutive years.

Pro Football Focus: Cumulative effect of hitting the QB

Nathan Jahnke explored the effects of hitting the quarterback, and the results are not good if you have a porous offensive line. Hopefully Michigan's line improves from 2013 to 2014 because Michigan needs Devin Gardner in tip-top shape to win games.

Hit the jump for some pretty girls.

Ty Isaac, Wolverine

Ty Isaac

USC transfer running back Ty Isaac has announced his intentions to take his talents to Washtenaw County. His mother has an illness that does not allow her to fly from their home in Joliet, Illinois, so the roughly four-hour drive to Ann Arbor is easier on her. He was also considering Illinois and Notre Dame with other teams like Northwestern, Northern Illinois, and Ohio State also showing interest.

Isaac is a 6'3", 225 lb. player who was a 247 Composite 4-star, the #8 all-purpose back, and #54 overall in the 2013 class. As a freshman at USC, he carried the ball 40 times for 236 yards (5.9 yards/carry) and 2 touchdowns.

I wrote a scouting report on Isaac when he was in high school and considering Michigan (LINK).

Isaac was a backup for the Trojans last year, but they had a stacked backfield. He would have been a bit player once again this season, but he enters a Michigan backfield that is waiting for one of many players to emerge at the position. The two front-runners for the position had been sophomores De'Veon Smith and Derrick Green, both of whom were also in the 2013 class with Isaac. Isaac automatically enters that conversation as long as the NCAA waiver comes through that will allow him to play immediately, based upon his mother's illness.

The depth chart will sort itself out. The best player(s) will play, but I have a hard time imagining all three players finishing out their careers at Michigan. Assuming that Isaac's waiver is granted and he is eligible to play in 2014, I would not think that redshirting him would be a great idea. If he's not immediately the best runner, he offers some value as a pass receiver out of the backfield and perhaps in an H-back type of role.

I won't assign a TTB Rating to Isaac because it's a little unfair, given that we've already seen him playing against FBS-level competition. However, I did say during the recruiting process that I would have ranked him above Green (and Smith), so I probably would have rated him somewhere in the 90's.

Michigan will probably continue recruiting running backs for the 2015 class because they did not address the position in the 2014 class. It's less dire of a need, but going two consecutive years without a running back (even if you got three in 2013) is not a good long-term strategy. By seniority, here's the running back stable as it stands right now:

1. Justice Hayes, RS Jr.
2. Drake Johnson, RS So.
3. Derrick Green, So.
4. Ty Isaac, So.
5. De'Veon Smith, So.
6. Ross Douglas, RS Fr.

The last player to come from Joliet (IL) Catholic to Michigan was Mike Kolodziej, an injury-addled offensive lineman in the 2002 class.

2014 Season Countdown: #73 Brandon Watson

Brandon Watson

Name: Brandon Watson
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 185 lbs.
High school: Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian Academy
Position: Safety
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #20
Last year: Watson was a senior in high school.
Final TTB Rating: N/A

Watson is a largely unknown quantity coming into college. He earned an offer when he camped at Michigan last summer (along with high school teammate Freddy Canteen), but he played just a few games as a junior. And despite the fact that Eastern Christian Academy was essentially created to get exposure for football players, highlights have been tough to find. What we do know is that a few schools like UConn and Rutgers also pursued Watson, which means he may not be a Brady Pallante-sized gamble.

Watson enrolled in January and went through spring drills as a safety, despite playing corner in high school. There was a time (when I originally drafted the list) that I thought Watson might be able to nab some playing time, but the more I think about it and sift through information, the more it looks like Watson will redshirt this season. Special teams duty is a possibility, but I think there are enough other players with similar skills to fill those roles. I was unable to nail down a TTB Rating for Watson based on a lack of film, but it's going to be tough for him to break through into playing time considering the youth of some other players and the talent in Michigan's secondary.

Prediction: Redshirt

MLive: Re-ranking Michigan's 2010 recruiting class

The 2010 recruiting class shattered into a billion pieces, but a couple of those pieces have turned out to be pretty handy.

Jump for the ladies.

2014 Season Countdown: #74 Chase Winovich

Chase Winovich

Name: Chase Winovich
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: Clairton (PA) Thomas Jefferson
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Winovich was a senior in high school. He was a 247 Composite 4-star, the #24 outside linebacker, and #287 overall.
Final TTB Rating: 79

Winovich committed in June of 2013 over the likes of Florida State and Ohio State. A somewhat rare combination of quarterback and linebacker, he made 85 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 907 yards on the ground, and 11 touchdowns. Winovich is a long kid with good straight-line speed that seemed molded to play SAM linebacker until the coaches switched from the 4-3 Under to the 4-3 Over defense.

I don't think Winovich will be needed on defense this year with all but Cameron Gordon returning at linebacker. Michigan did well enough at the position that a freshman probably isn't going to work his way past the experienced guys. Furthermore, Winovich looks more like an underweight MIKE linebacker in the 4-3 Over, and Michigan is pretty set at that spot with fifth year senior Jake Ryan and sophomore Ben Gedeon. A place Winovich might be able to help is on special teams, where it seems like at least one linebacker or safety burns a redshirt every year. He has the speed to help out on kickoff coverage, so it wouldn't surprise me to see him out there this year, but it makes more sense to redshirt him.

Prediction: Redshirt

Video: College Football Pump-Up 2014

If you're a college football fan, I strongly encourage you to watch the following video. There are some amazing plays on the reel. There are two good Michigan plays and one bad Michigan play, so you won't feel too terrible at any point.