2022 Season Countdown: #32 Cam Goode

 

Cam Goode (image via On3)

Name: Cam Goode
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 323 lbs.
High school: Washington (DC) St. John's
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #99
Last year: Goode played for UCF. He made 24 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 interception, 4 forced fumbles, and 3 pass breakups.
TTB Rating: N/A

I didn't know who Cam Goode was up until the 2021-2022 off-season, and most Michigan fans are probably in the same boat. After a few years in college, Goode finally made his first starts in 2021 and did pretty well with them, albeit playing in a weaker conference than the Big Ten. He was a part-time starter and managed to make several disruptive plays, including tying for 12th in the country in forced fumbles with four. But when it came to the season's end, he was ready for a bigger stage.

That led him to Michigan as a graduate transfer. The Wolverines needed some help on the defensive line with Donovan Jeter and Chris Hinton off to do other things, along with one-year experiment Jordan Whittley, who did not do much in a Michigan uniform. Goode is known for his quickness, but the improved competition will probably make the transition a little bit difficult. Originally when I placed him in the top third of the roster, I figured he would be a key backup to Mazi Smith at nose tackle, but freshman Kenneth Grant is getting all kinds of hype as an athletic freak and potential contributor. So maybe Goode will see a diminished role, or perhaps we're all being distracted by the presence of the enormous Grant. Either way, Goode should be a rotational player on the defensive interior.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle

2022 Season Countdown: #33 Julius Welschof

 

Julius Welschof

Name: Julius Welschof
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 266 lbs.
High school: Miesbach (Germany) FOS Altoetting
Position: Edge
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #96
Last year: I ranked Welschof #35 and said he would be a backup defensive tackle (LINK). He made 13 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, and 1 pass breakup.
TTB Rating: 78

Have you ever seen a 286-pound man sprinting downfield on the kickoff unit? If you watched Michigan in 2021, you did. Welschof may have been the heaviest kickoff squad member in the country last year, and he was getting downfield as quickly as many of his teammates. That has been the tantalizing aspect of Welschof as a player: freak athleticism for a 6'6" non-beanpole.

Now Welschof is a svelte 266 pounds as he has made the transition from defensive tackle to edge. Gone are Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo, and in steps . . . well, we're not quite sure yet. Physically, Welschof is almost Hutchinson's doppelganger: Hutchinson was 6'6" and 265 lbs. Technique, effort, instincts . . . well, those tell a different story. Welschof sat out of the spring game, so the public didn't see him in action at his new weight or get a good glimpse at where he falls in the pecking order. I expect him to be in the two-deep, if not earn a starting role, in 2022.

Prediction: Backup edge

2022 Season Countdown: #34 Will Johnson

 

Will Johnson (image via The Athletic)

Name: Will Johnson
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 194 lbs.
High school: Grosse Pointe (MI) South
Position: Cornerback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #2
Last year: Johnson was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 45 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception, and 11 pass breakups; he also had 1,302 all-purpose yards with 6 receiving touchdowns and 1 punt return touchdown.
TTB Rating: 91

Johnson is the son of former Michigan defensive back Deon Johnson, who made 108 tackles, 12 pass breakups, and 1 interception while playing for the Wolverines from 1991-1994. He committed in February of 2021 after a tough recruiting battle that saw him considering Ohio State, among other schools. He became an Under Armour All-American and finished ranked as a 5-star, the #3 cornerback, and #15 overall in the class.

I annoyed some people when I didn't predict all-time greatness for Johnson, and that was because he has a lot of really good skills but lacks great quickness and speed. However, he does have a college-ready body, and his speed is adequate to keep up with receivers in college. I think he will be a good college player, and it probably won't take him long to get to that point. Johnson says Michigan is training him at the outside corner spot - not nickel or safety - and I think he will be the third corner this season. D.J. Turner II, Gemon Green, and Johnson should be the top three, and perhaps Johnson will jump up into the top two later this season if someone isn't performing up to par.

Prediction: Backup cornerback

2022 Season Countdown: #35 Greg Crippen

 

Greg Crippen (image via USA Today)

Name: Greg Crippen
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 301 lbs.
High school: Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy
Position: Center
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #51
Last year: I ranked Crippen #81 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in six games.
TTB Rating: 65

Crippen was a big surprise to me last year and may already be approaching his TTB Rating as a sophomore. Andrew Vastardis started at center all year, but Crippen was his backup. While Michigan could have played Reece Atteberry, Raheem Anderson II, or guard Zak Zinter - all of whom have snapped the ball at times - Crippen was the guy.

Despite the presence of Crippen, Michigan still went out and tried to find a starting center, and they did in Olu Oluwatimi. Oluwatimi was a Rimington Award finalist, so maybe it was a no-brainer to take him, but if they truly felt Crippen was ready to roll in 2022 as the starter, they probably wouldn't have dipped into the transfer portal. Crippen also appears to be a center only, and I think it's a good idea to train a young player at just one position, especially one as critical as center. So I'll rank him here at #35, since he doesn't appear to be ready to back up other positions but Michigan has other guys who could step in and play center in a pinch.

Prediction: Backup center

2022 Season Countdown: #36 Taylor Upshaw

 

Taylor Upshaw (image via MLive)

Name: Taylor Upshaw
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 255 lbs.
High school: Bradenton (FL) Braden River
Position: Edge*
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #91
Last year: I ranked Upshaw #22 and said he would be the starting outside linebacker with 35 tackles and 5 sacks (LINK). He made 8 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 3 quarterback hurries.
TTB Rating: 73

I pegged Upshaw as a starter last year, but that was before one of the biggest breakout seasons in Michigan history, when David Ojabo went from having 1 total tackle in his career to making 35 tackles, 11 sacks, and 5 forced fumbles. Upshaw played a limited backup role as one of several edge rushers to get a bunch of playing time, including Mike Morris, Jaylen Harrell, Braiden McGregor, and others. He put up good numbers, too, for how much he had to rotate with other players. In fact, he finished third on the team in sacks (2.5) after Aidan Hutchinson's program 14 and Ojabo's 11.

The odd part this off-season is that a bunch of other players have earned more practice hype, so I'm not sure how to feel about Upshaw. Going into what could be his final season, the son of former NFL defensive end Regan Upshaw has just two starts under his belt but has better TFL and sack numbers than Morris, Harrell, and Julius Welschof, all of whom have more people talking about them. I can't sort out whether an increased role for Upshaw is implied or if he's somehow getting outperformed. So while he's here at #36, he could very easily outplay this ranking.

Prediction: Backup edge

*The updated roster calls defensive ends/outside linebackers "edge" now, so that's the term I'll use for those positions since they're pretty interchangeable

2022 Season Countdown: #37 Joel Honigford

 

Joel Honigford (image via Wolverines Wire)

Name: Joel Honigford
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 260 lbs.
High school: Sugarcreek (OH) Garaway
Position: Tight end
Class: Sixth year senior
Jersey number: #84
Last year: I ranked Honigford #37 and said he would be a backup tight end (LINK). He started five games and made 1 catch for 10 yards.
TTB Rating: 84

I didn't realize this until I started typing this post, but Honigford was #37 in the countdown last year and remains at #37 this season. Honigford played as an extra offensive tackle in 2020 and then lost 40+ pounds to play full-time tight end in 2021. Truthfully, it's perhaps the most impressive physical transformations in the past few decades, going from a 300+ pound offensive lineman to a svelte tight end. Sometimes a big ol' lineman lines up in the backfield and looks clearly out of place as an oversized lead blocker, but Honigford looked the part of a tight end. He mostly lined up as an H-back or even a fullback in a pistol offset "I" formation while Michigan ran the ball down opponents' throats.

Surprisingly, Honigford decided to return for a sixth year. That must mean that Michigan has a plan for him to continue to play a good number of snaps, but I don't foresee him catching many passes behind Erick All and Luke Schoonmaker. I expect much of the same from 2021, when Honigford started five games but rarely was targeted in the passing game. Michigan should be trying to groom Louis Hansen and/or Matt Hibner for more playing time in 2023 since Honigford, All, and Schoonmaker could all be gone, so it will be interesting to see how much time the various tight ends get to be on the field.

Prediction: Backup tight end

2022 Season Countdown: #38 Makari Paige

 

Makari Paige (image via MGoBlue)

Name: Makari Paige
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 200 lbs.
High school: West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield
Position: Safety
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #7
Last year: I ranked Paige #30 and said he would be a backup safety and special teamer (LINK). He made 2 tackles.
TTB Rating: 79

Paige went from a quasi-starter in 2020 to only playing in nine games in 2021 without having an impact role. It was an odd detour for Paige's career, especially playing for a position coach who used to be Paige's high school head coach in Ron Bellamy. I figured the connection and relationship would build into a good amount of playing time, but the young guy who played a lot turned out to be true freshman Rod Moore instead.

Now that Brad Hawkins and Daxton Hill are gone to the NFL, that opens up a door for Paige. It seems as if Rod Moore and R.J. Moten will both start in some capacity, leaving room for Paige to be the #3 guy instead of #4 or lower. It remains to be seen who will play Hill's nickel position, whether it will be Moore, Mike Sainristil, or someone else. If Moore plays nickel, Paige could start at safety. If Sainristil plays nickel, Paige would probably be a backup. At this point I haven't seen anything to make me think Paige is a true difference maker, but he is experienced and has good size (he's 1" taller and 8 pounds heavier than last year's listed measurements).

Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer