Recently, Ace Anbender announced on Twitter that he was resigning from MGoBlog. While he did not go into much detail about the reasons for his resignation, I have some assumptions. (I will keep those assumptions to myself.)
I feel compelled to post about Ace since he was such an integral part of MGoBlog, a place that has provided a platform for Touch the Banner and my Michigan fandom in general.
You can hit the jump for more.
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TRANSFER
Daylen Baldwin - WR - Jackson State: Baldwin is a 6'3", 210 lb. receiver who played high school ball in Michigan at Farmington and Waterford Mott. He made 27 catches for 540 yards (20.0 yards/catch) and 7 touchdowns this spring for Jackson State. He was offered on the visit.
2022
Beau Atkinson - DE - Raleigh (NC) Leesville Road: Atkinson is a 6'6", 240 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Penn Stat,e and Virginia Tech, among others. He's a 3-star, the #19 weakside end, and #386 overall. This is an official visit.
Tyler Banks - LB - Crewe (VA) Nottoway: Banks is a 6'1", 215-pounder with offers from Kentucky, Michigan, Virginia, and Virginia Tech, among others. He's a 3-star, the #88 athlete, and #1033 overall. This is an official visit.
Jacob Bostick - WR - Palatine (IL) Palatine: Bostick is a 6'3", 170 lb. prospect with offers from Illinois, Iowa, and Pitt, among others. He's a 3-star, the #81 wide receiver, and #602 overall.
Jayden Denegal - QB - Apple Valley (CA) Apple Valley: Denegal is a 6'4", 215 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Michigan State, and Utah, among others. He's a 4-star, the #19 quarterback, and #264 overall. He is taking an unofficial visit on June 9 and will out for the coaching staff in hopes of earning an offer.
Hit the jump for more.
Name: Giovanni El-Hadi
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 305 lbs.
High school: Sterling Heights (MI) Stevenson
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #58
Last year: El-Hadi was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 84
El-Hadi committed to Michigan over two years ago now, and he's finally wearing a Michigan uniform. He was selected for the Under Armour All-American Game (even though it was never played due to COVID) and finished as a top-100 player (#87 overall) in the 247 Composite rankings. I did not give him a TTB Rating because he committed so early, but after watching him as a senior, I gave him an 84.
El-Hadi has a good frame, is powerful, and finishes blocks. I think he is most likely to play offensive guard at the next level because he lacks a little bit of length and can get his feet crossed up while trying to move laterally. He also needs to work on his hand placement. All of these things can be improved, but they show that he's probably not ready to play immediately. I like him as a prospect but he needs to clean some things up with more reps and some college-level coaching.
Prediction: Redshirt
Name: Karl Kerska
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 198 lbs.
High school: Dexter (MI) Dexter
Position: K/P
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #92
Last year: I did not rank Kerska. He did not play.
TTB Rating: N/A
Kerska enters the 2021 season likely battling for a backup job at any of three positions: punter, kicker, or holder. He held for one snap in 2019 against Rutgers, which is his only college appearance so far. The graduation of kicker Quinn Nordin puts him one step closer to the kicking job, while the transfer of Will Hart moves him perhaps one step closer to punter. Those jobs are still presumably held by Jake Moody and Brad Robbins, respectively, and that's not to mention true freshman specialist Tommy Doman. It's pretty common for walk-on specialists to earn starting jobs, so it wouldn't be unheard of for Kerska to take over a job at some point, but he's likely a backup.
Prediction: Backup specialist
Name: Peyton Smith
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Traverse City (MI) Central
Position: Quarterback
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #7
Last year: I ranked Smith #104 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: N/A
Smith is another pretty solid walk-on quarterback. Michigan has a few guys with potential, including Max Witter (profiled yesterday). He was pretty skinny coming out of high school, and he hasn't filled out to an ideal size yet. He also doesn't have the number of snaps you really want to see in a quarterback, as he played wide receiver until midway through his junior year. But given a few years in college, I think Smith could be a pretty decent player. This year isn't that time, though, and he has a few more talented players ahead of him.
Prediction: Backup quarterback
Name: Max Wittwer
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 205 lbs.
High school: Utica (MI) Eisenhower
Position: Quarterback
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #18
Last year: I ranked Wittwer #102 and said he would be a backup quarterback (LINK). He did not play.
TTB Rating: N/A
Wittwer enters his fourth season as a walk-on quarterback at Michigan, and he has yet to see time on the field. Despite the revolving door during a shortened season in 2020, he was not in the conversation to play and found himself behind the likes of Dan Villari and fellow walk-on Ren Hefley. I think Wittwer could have been a starter at a lower level - and had an offer from Air Force coming out of high school - but it's a major uphill battle for playing time at Michigan.
Prediction: Backup quarterback
Redshirt freshman linebacker Cornell Wheeler put his name into the transfer portal. Wheeler was a 3-star, the #22 inside linebacker, and #471 overall in the class of 2020.
Wheeler played for Ron Bellamy at West Bloomfield High School, so it surprises me a little bit that he would transfer before even spending one full season with Bellamy on the coaching staff. However, Bellamy coaches safeties, so their contact might be a bit limited. Regardless, this seems like a slightly odd development.
On the other hand, I always thought Wheeler was a bit of a project and would have his best chance to succeed only if he stuck around for a few years. Athletically, he did not jump off the screen on his highlights. I do think he has a chance to be a hard-hitting, solid inside linebacker at the college level, but I would not expect that from him until he's been in school for three to five years.
Michigan signed five linebackers in the 2020 class, and the only two remaining on the roster are Nikhai Hill-Green and Kalel Mullings. Wheeler, William Mohan (Tennessee), and Osman Savage (Alabama A&M) have all decided to find greener pastures elsewhere.
