2022 Season Countdown: #39 Kalel Mullings

 

Kalel Mullings (#20, image via MGoBlue)

Name: Kalel Mullings
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 232 lbs.
High school: West Roxbury (MA) Milton Academy
Position: Running back/Linebacker
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #20
Last year: I ranked Mullings #40 and said he would be a backup linebacker (LINK). He made 11 tackles.
TTB Rating: 78

Mullings had a lot of potential coming out of high school as a multi-faceted player who could be a linebacker or running back. He was an All-American Game participant and immediately earned playing time in 2020, getting snaps in four out of six games at linebacker. That seemed promising, but then in 2021, a hand injury seemed to slow down his progression. He seemed to be a possible #3 inside linebacker who could rotate in, but he got passed up by Junior Colson and ended up as the #4 inside linebacker.

With Josh Ross out of the way in 2022, that gives Mullings a chance to move up to the #3 guy again. But he also could potentially be the #3 running back. Mullings pulled double duty in the spring as Michigan's staff looked for an answer to replace Hassan Haskins as a short yardage/power running back, and he looked decent in that role. Can he handle playing both sides of the ball? And is Tavierre Dunlap going to answer the bell to beat out Mullings for the #3 running back role? It will be interesting to see how much Mullings plays on both sides of the ball, and he could be Michigan's version of Owen Marecic, the Stanford fullback/linebacker who ran for 5 touchdowns and made 51 tackles with 2 sacks playing for Jim Harbaugh in 2010. Michigan has tried somewhat similar things with Ben Mason and Ben Van Sumeren during the Harbaugh era, but Mullings is the most talented dual-threat player of the three.

Prediction: Special teamer and backup running back/linebacker

2022 Season Countdown: #40 Rayshaun Benny

 

Rayshaun Benny (image via On3)

Name: Rayshaun Benny
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 292 lbs.
High school: Oak Park (MI) Oak Park
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #26
Last year: I ranked Benny #64 and said he would be a backup defensive tackle (LINK). He played in three games and made 3 tackles.
TTB Rating: 81

Benny spent the 2021 season changing his body a little bit and learning to be a full-time defensive lineman. He played in three games, which allowed him to keep his redshirt. Luckily, Michigan stayed pretty healthy on the defensive line, so the Wolverines didn't need to burn any unnecessary redshirts. There were some positive comments coming out from behind the scenes, and Benny was tough to handle for the offensive line in the spring game.

Michigan lost Chris Hinton, Jr. to the NFL in the off-season, and Benny should see some increased playing time because of it. The team also received a transfer in the form of UCF defensive tackle Cam Goode, but Goode is a little undersized and I don't think he will get all of Hinton's snaps. I think new defensive line coach Mike Elston will get Benny up to speed and he should be a pretty solid rotator at defensive tackle behind Kris Jenkins, Jr.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle

2022 Season Countdown: #41 Braiden McGregor

 

Braiden McGregor (image via Twitter)

Name: Braiden McGregor
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 265 lbs.
High school: Port Huron (MI) Northern
Position: Defensive end
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #17
Last year: I ranked McGregor #45 and said he would be a backup outside linebacker (LINK). He made 5 tackles and 1 tackle for loss.
TTB Rating: 87

This is McGregor's third straight year ranked in the 40s, and so far I don't think I've been right. While I gave him a TTB Rating of 87 coming out of high school, I took some heat from a family member last fall when I said on Twitter that McGregor just didn't look right and that I wasn't sure he would ever get up to speed. McGregor had a nasty knee injury as a senior in high school, and his explosiveness just hasn't been there. Last year he looked pretty average as a backup for Aidan Hutchinson while making just 5 tackles and a lone TFL against Northwestern.

The hope, of course, is that he ends up returning to form. After having to redshirt in 2020 and then being a third-stringer in 2021, this could be a time for a breakout now that Hutchinson is off to the NFL. I don't think it will be full breakout time because Mike Morris is expected to be the starter, so we'll see how many snaps McGregor can get while also contending with the likes of Julius Welschof, Taylor Upshaw, and others for snaps.

Prediction: Backup defensive end

2022 Season Countdown: #42 Andrel Anthony

 

Andrel Anthony

Name: Andrel Anthony
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 185 lbs.
High school: East Lansing (MI) East Lansing
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #1
Last year: I ranked Anthony #61 and said he would be a backup wide receiver (LINK). He caught 12 passes for 248 yards and 3 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 73

I don't know what Andrel Anthony ate for breakfast on October 30, 2021, but he should eat it more often. Anthony played in three games and had three DNPs before he woke up on Halloween Eve, and then all hell broke loose. In his hometown of East Lansing, he caught 6 passes for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 93-yard score on his first career catch. He had just 6 catches for 93 yards and 1 score over his final six games.

While Anthony showed more ability as a freshman than I expected, he's part of a very deep receiver squad. With Cornelius Johnson, Ronnie Bell, Roman Wilson, and others, it's hard to tell how things will shake out. I'm guessing Anthony will continue to take a back seat to a couple of those other guys until they're gone, but receiver is in good hands at least for 2022 if Anthony is maybe just the fourth or fifth best guy.

Prediction: Backup wide receiver

2022 Season Countdown: #43 Jeffrey Persi

 

Jeffrey Persi (image via 247 Sports)

Name: Jeffrey Persi
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 305 lbs.
High school: Mission Viejo (CA) Junipero Serra
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #79
Last year: I ranked Persi #82 and said he would be a backup offensive tackle (LINK). He played in two games.
TTB Rating: 82

When Matt Dudek was Michigan's recruiting coordinator up through 2020, Persi was the poster boy for staff evaluation. Maybe the recruiting sites didn't love Persi - he was a low 4-star at #322 overall - but the staff did. But if it's not plainly obvious that a guy is going to be good right this minute, that guy is probably not going to make an impact as a true freshman. But Persi also didn't make much of an impact in 2021, playing in just a couple blowouts.

This post predicts quite a leap in 2022, as Persi goes from #82 to #43. Michigan likes to use a sixth lineman as a tight end, like they did in 2021 with Trente Jones. It's not a coincidence that Jones is penciled as the starting right tackle now that Andrew Stueber is gone. So if Jones is Stueber in 2022, who is Jones in 2022? It probably comes down to Persi or Karsen Barnhart. Barnhart seems to be the #1 backup at a few positions - he started four games at left tackle in 2020 and two games at left guard in 2021 - and the staff will either make him the sixth lineman as the "tight end" or keep him ready at tackle/guard. Either way, I expect Persi to start to see an increased role as the seventh or eighth lineman, whether he enters in certain packages or is just in the two-deep as a backup.

Prediction: Backup offensive tackle

Evan Link, Wolverine

 

Evan Link

Washington (DC) Gonzaga offensive tackle Evan Link committed to Michigan on Monday afternoon. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Maryland, Miami, Penn State, and Stanford, among others.

Link is listed at 6'6" and 290 pounds.

RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 80 grade, #33 OT
On3: 4-star, 93 grade, #11 OT, #125 overall
Rivals: 3-star, 5.7 grade, #50 OT
247 Sports: 3-star, 88 grade, #43 OT

Hit the jump for more on Link's commitment.

2022 Season Countdown: #44 Tommy Doman

 

Tommy Doman (image via On3)

Name: Tommy Doman
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary's
Position: Kicker/Punter
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #19
Last year: I ranked Doman #71 and said he would be a backup kicker/punter (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: N/A

Doman was a backup kicker/punter combo guy in 2021, and he went the entire way through the season without being needed. Kicker Jake Moody stayed healthy and focused, and so did punter Brad Robbins. It seemed like an oddity to be able to get through the season using only those two guys, because before that, Quinn Nordin had been in the mix and both Moody/Nordin played kicker quite a bit the previous couple years. Not only that, but Robbins suffered from back issues earlier in his career.

The Michigan program is probably better for this, but Doman had to be a little disappointed this off-season when both Moody and Robbins chose to exercise their COVID exemption and return for an extra year of eligibility.

I hope the health and consistency remain in place, but Doman should be the primary backup at both spots and going two years in a row without needing a backup to play would be a bit surprising. So here Doman is at #44 because I think he'll be needed at some point this year.

Prediction: Backup kicker/punter