michael dwumfour

Rutgers points at things a lot. [Patrick Barron]

Previously: Offense, Last Year. Resources: My charting, RU game notes, RU roster, CFBstats

Rutgers has a system defense, so if you read this you'll learn what a Stunt 4-3 is. Then on Saturday you'll be able to point at the nose tackle lining up at a weird angle, and explain why he does that, and then say something smart about NFL history. It won't make you popular, but if you're really into knowing things for the sake of knowing things, you were never going to be popular.

The film: Indiana, whose offense is actually a decent comp for ours, sorta. Next year maybe.

Personnel: My diagram:

image

PDF Version, full-size version (or click on the image). Bell got his star, Milton did not, two OL cyaned.

Even more than the offense, Rutgers built their defense out of other peoples' players. You'll most lament starting 3-tech #99 Michael Dwumfour (+24/-8.5), whose Nelsonesque zeal for barging into the enemy's backfield works well for their system. #11 Drew Singleton (+2/-0, +0/-4 coverage) is the rotational backup LB after . We also got to see second-string DE #71 Aaron Lewis on the field quite a bit. He looks long and strong, and likely to justify Don Brown's recruitment of him for years after Brown's SDE scouting is no longer a Michigan asset. They're a bit more circumspect about their Buckeye contingent. DT-ish DE #55 Malik Barrow (+2/5/-1.5) stopped at UCF to cover his tracks. Cornerback #21 Tre Avery changed his name from Kareem Felder when he transferred in 2017. Starting boundary (free) safety #7 Brendon White (+2/-3, +0/-4 cov) stays off-screen unless absolutely necessary.

[After THE JUMP: Players Rutgers actually recruited]

your 2020 starters? [Bryan Fuller]

Previously: QuarterbackRunning BackWide Receiver & Tight End, Offensive Line

I'm bringing back this preview feature from before my time off; the exercise is to rank Michigan's opponents, as well as the Wolverines themselves, in each position group. This is particularly useful to do in a year when roster turnover and late-offseason changes (laaaaaaaaaaaaaate-offseason changes) are so prevalent; I'll do my best in these posts to highlight significant opt-outs, opt-ins, and the like.

Maybe we'll start the defensive line with something fun and different ah fu--

Tier I: Not Something Fun and Different

Jonathon Cooper is still here, somehow [Barron]

1. Ohio State. So the good news is the Buckeyes lost a lot, including #2 overall pick Chase Young and pretty much all their DT production, from last year's stellar defensive line:

Returning production

  1. Linebacker: 75 percent of tackles; 63 percent of TFLs; 68 percent of sacks
  2. Defensive end: 54 percent of tackles; 43 percent of TFLs; 40 percent of sacks
  3. Defensive tackle: 39 percent of tackles; 28 percent of TFLs; 0 percent of sacks

The bad news, which you saw coming a mile away, is that the replacements are talented even by OSU standards:

Average rank as recruits, according to the 247Sports Composite

  1. Defensive tackle (0.9389)
  2. Defensive end (0.9326)
  3. Linebacker (0.9298)
  4. Cornerback (0.9282)
  5. Safety (0.9194)

DE Zach Harrison, the #12 overall recruit in the 2019 class, is the next edge terror in the Young/Bosa/Bosa lineage; he posted 3.5 sacks in limited, impressive time last year. Taron Vincent was the #1 DT in the 2018 class and should be healthy after a shoulder injury forced a sophomore-year redshirt. Both could break out in a huge way this year.

DE Jonathon Cooper was a serviceable starter and team captain before injuries derailed his 2019 season; he's back for a fifth year. DE Tyreke Smith was the #34 overall prospect in 2018. Two seniors and a junior fill out the two-deep at tackle. The only potential concern is if a couple DTs go down—and there's still plenty of young talent around to fill gaps. Blergh.

2. Penn State. While PSU finished 25th nationally in sack rate instead of first like the Buckeyes (sigh), they posted essentially the same line yards allowed, with both teams finishing in the top ten.

Like OSU, the Nittany Lions lose a top-flight pass-rusher: Yetur Gross-Matos, a second-round pick after recording a combined 35 TFLs and 17.5 sacks over the last two seasons. They also have a replacement who may be up to replacing much of that production right away: Jayson Oweh, the #76 prospect in 2018 who was billed as a higher-ranked version of Josh Uche. At the other end, Shaka Toney returns after nearly leaving for the NFL himself; he's a solid pass-rusher who plays better against the run than you'd expect of a lineman listed at 236 pounds.

There's also fifth-year DE Shane Simmons, a top-50 recruit who's yet to live up to expectations but has been behind some very good players. There's a lot of experience on the interior, with Robert Windsor—mostly a pass-rush specialist—the only significant loss from last year's group, which was fantastic against the run. While there may be some pass-rush dropoff, this will at least be a difficult line to move off the ball, and Oweh provides them with a potential edge-rushing nightmare.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the rankings.]

[Patrick Barron]

Well this sucks for the team that's been fretting about defensive tackles and natural interior pass rush since Mo Hurst was unleashed on the NFL.

Dwumfour caused a medium panic when he was spotted at the Detroit Lions game instead of bowl practices a few weeks ago, until it was announced he didn't travel with the team for a medical issue. Those medical issues held back a breakout that was always just around the corner, never more so than the 2018 offseason when more "Mo Hurst but big" hype was emanating from Schembechler Hall than even we could disbelieve. A potential breakout that season and this one were derailed by a nagging plantar fascia issue that apparently bothered him all 2018. Tweaking that held him out of the Peach Bowl, the entire 2019 offseason, and the beginning portion of this year. When Dwumfour returned for Big Ten play, he was decent against Iowa and still mistake-prone against Illinois. Late in the season Michigan went to more three-man lines or, when that wasn't an option, freshman Chris Hinton.

At his commitment in 2016 Dwumfour was unfairly considered a carrot for luring best bud Rashan Gary. In truth the defensive tackle depth chart after Hurst's graduation was reason enough to flip Dwumfour from a Penn State verbal. Like Hurst, Dwumfour was a quick first step they hoped to grow into a penetrating nightmare. We got glimpses, but the injuries kept their DT a development project even through this, his redshirt junior season. The hope for next year, as it has been every year since 2018, was that Dwumfour could remain healthy long enough to pick up the finer points of run defense. The first step was as advertised, and there were moments here and there that certainly made you wonder what he might look like as a senior:

Michigan is out that opportunity, and running short on chances to rebuild a DT depth chart like the Glasgow/Hurst/Henry/Godin group that Don Brown enjoyed his first two seasons here. While the Wolverines bring back Kemp and Hinton, that's an undersized warrior and a true sophomore for a position where talent, experience, and depth all directly correlate to team production (see: LSU, Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, and the two times Harbaugh teams fared well against Urban Meyer). Well-regarded freshman Mazi Smith, who redshirted, is the only other guy on the roster next year expected to able to take on a larger role. Rising junior Donovan Jeter disappeared from the rotation after a miserable debut, Phil Paea never even cracked that rotation, and if the 2020 class produces any DTs they're all a good few years of training table away. With Kemp and Dwumfour injured, Michigan started walk-on/converted OL Jess Speight in the Citrus Bowl. Various developmental SDE types down the roster like Julius Welschof and Michael Morris might also have grown into DTs since last we checked in.

If doing so didn't already precipitate Dwumfour's decision, Michigan is almost certain to hit the grad transfer market. Grad transfer Michael Williams, a 6'2"/290 nose type who's fleeing Stanford after a season of six TFLs and a sack, had Rice, Vandy, and SMU appear to be the competition. Teammate Jovan Swann (7 TFLs) is also in the portal. Via 24/7's Brice Marich, Michigan is pursuing those two as well as Uche type Quincy Roche from Temple.

someone make more Glasgows 

i bet there are many fewer gifs about wanting to die posted in response to this 

Mike Dwumfour is the fulcrum. Mike Dwumfour is being and nothingness. 

On the benefits of facing the new-look offense and young players standing out so far

Last trip down the bits until fall, as the spring game will get its own coverage next week and then it's just cold, dark offseason punctuated by Hello posts and HTTV work.

in which Items are Gleaned from an unpadded practice 

So many guys discussed I maxed out the site's ability to tag a post

Possibly the most informative presser of Harbaugh's tenure

Michigan's DTs are a problem. Everything else is a problem in other, cool sense. 

Man is a rope over an abyss, and Michigan should cut the damn rope