Crystal Balls coming in for OLB Micah Pollard
Micah (not Myles) is one of the top prospects on our board for OLB. His highlights are exciting.
It looked like he was trending toward Auburn, but today Webb, Lorenz and Marich all put in Balls for the good guys.
Highlights: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12997939/5f5e558c3448c408e06b6c49
I’d like to add that Team America is one of the best comedies ever. That’s just my humble and correct opinion.
Fuck Yeah!
Is he an EDGE or LB in this scheme?
If he's an EDGE, is Joshua Josephs still a take if we take Pollard?
Can you, or anyone else, please explain the new defensive positions? Seth if you’re reading can we get an early FFFF chart for the defense?
I'm sure HTTV will go in depth on this and the rest of McDonald's projected defensive philosophy when (or if at this point) it comes out
Then can you tell me what HTTV is ?
My understanding is that there is a nose tackle that lines up over the center, 2 DT that line up between guard and tackle, and 2 EDGE that line up outside the tackles. Then 2 LB that roam around and clean things up, 2 CB and 2 S that are probably more what we're used to. In general the scheme gets bigger up front and more athletic on the back end.
Correct. It's just a 3-4 with the OLB up on the LOS.
So like a 5-2? Nice!
Who comes off when a third CB comes in? I’m guessing the non-buck olb?
Depends on the situation, sometimes it would be Ojabo's position (although Ojabo probably moves to Hutch's spot and Aidan moves down to the DL). Or you pull one of the 3 DTs. I'd assume you pull Mazi Smith and you play with Hinton and Jeter in the middle with Hutchinson and Ojabo on the outsides.
Keep your 2 ILBs (Ross and Barrett) on the field and bring Seldon or Paige on as the 5th DB.
Basically a 4-2-5 even though some might see it as a 2-4-5...really doesn't matter, you could rush Hutch and drop Ojabo and now you're a 3-3-5.
That's what I love about this defense, it's flexible, but the personnel pretty much stays the same.
Here you go...25 total commits...
QB (1): Jayden Denegal
RB (1**): CJ Stokes
**Dillon Tatum (ATH, will get first crack as a S, plays RB as well)
**Dillon Bell (ATH, will get first crack as a WR, first ID'd by Mike Hart to play RB)
WR (1): Tyler Morris
WR (2): Tay'shawn Trent
-Dillon Bell
SLOT (1): empty
-Ja'Kobi Albert
-Che Nwabuko
TE (2): Marlin Klein, Colston Loveland
LT (1): Connor Jones
LG (1): empty
-Josh Conerly
-TBD
C (0): empty
RG (1): empty
-Mark Nabou
-TBD
RT (1): Alessandro Lorenzetti
---------------------------------------------------------------
DT (1): Devonte Miles
NT (1): empty
-Walter Nolen
-Kenneth Grant
DT (1): empty
-Deone Walker
EDGE (1): Mario Eugenio
ILB (1): empty
-Sabastian Cheeks
-Deuce Spurlock
ILB (1): Aaron Alexander
OLB (2): Kevonte Henry
-Micah Pollard
-Joshua Josephs
CB (1): Will Johnson
CB (1): Myles Pollard
-Jalil Florence
NB (1): Kody Jones
FS (1): empty
-D'Arco Perkins-McAllister
-Keon Sabb
-Jeremiah Caldwell
SS (1): empty
-Dillon Tatum
K (0): empty
P (0): empty
Sherrone Moore really needs to step up the OL recruiting, Conerly and Nabou would be HUGE (literally and figuratively)...but we probably don't lead for either and we don't have much on the board behind them.
Perkins-McAllister just had a run of crystal balls to TCU, even though he seemed like he was a Michigan lock after Myles Pollard committed.
Outside of that...we're sitting in pretty good shape.
Bell, Tatum, and Walker seem like they're ?'s.
That gets this class to 18. Micah Pollard would be 19.
...get one of the slots (20), a couple interior or OT/OG lineman (22), Nolen or Grant if we miss on Walter (23). Cheeks or Spurlock if we miss on Sebastian (24). And then one of the 3 FS's I've listed or Jalil Florence (who can be the NB while Kody Jones moves to FS spot)...that makes (25).
Agree on the OL
McAllister is going to re classify to this class, which is something Michigan can’t offer lol
I’ve got Tatum going to Sparty
Moore landed Lorenzetti, who spears a true tackle... A great start, instead of, you know, getting guard after guard. Am not concerned at all there. I hope he gets another tackle and call it a day. And can always move them inside. Like Bo would do.
I thought Tatum was headed MSU.
If true on Tatum, move in Jalil Florence to take the NB spot, Kody Jones to S and pray we get Sabb or Perkins-McAllister.
You also have to account for transfer portal players. They are not free, they also count against the 25 man limit.
I think Nabou is samoan. Wonder if Nua is involved here.
Nwabuko committed to Pitt a couple weeks ago but I'm not sure how much we care lol.
The guys on the Michigan 247 podcast have said consistently before any of the edges committed that Josephs was #1 edge on their board with Henry #2. So Josephs is still an add. A few days ago they said the staff was still feeling good about landing him. I did find it curious that Henry was #2 over Eugenio. Maybe they're separating DE from OLB. But in any case Josephs was their top OLB at the very least.
Yes Josephs is still a take. He's tip top. I believe Pollard and Adedire were interchangeable down the list from Josephs, but Adedire appears to be trending away
Adedire committed to TCU. I saw him as more in the Finkley mold of tweener between DT and EDGE though, whereas Pollard seems more LB/EDGE
He's an OLB...and I'd think no on Josephs unless we're going over 25 in this class.
Can he be the sheriff?
+1 for your "The Rifleman" reference.
Saw Perkins-McAllister is trending TCU now. Thought we were trending with him, so maybe this is a good sign for Keon Sabb? Sabb deleted all Instagram pics except one from his Michigan visit.
Sabb is waiting it out. Wants to see how our season goes.
Perkins is trying to, or hoping to reclassify to 2021, and all talk is if he is successful in doing so, he will go to TCU. if not, it's probably M.
If you like both schools, don't want to go to HS anymore, and want to be able to start a potential pro-career a year sooner....and one school will let you in after reclassifying and the other wont, that'd do it
Crazy that it's not too late in the game to do this...but if that's what he wants, have at it. I hope he's successful.
If not, hopefully he'll flip back to Michigan.
I am more of a 247 guy than Rivals but I did notice that EJ Holland put in a futurecast for M with Pollard on Monday 7/5 - not long after all the Auburn balls and flips had dropped.
Like others in this thread I am looking for clarity on this new “base” defense. I refuse to consider the “EDGE” players LBs and it doesn’t make sense to me to take 4 of them (including Pollard and Josephs) — so in my mind either they think Pollard can play one of the true LB slots OR there is a role/package where the EDGE / OLB distinction is important. (Still can’t see selling a HS kid on coming in to play just in certain packages so my gut is on the former.)
You have 2 OLB spots.
Call them DEs or Hutch's spot a DE, if you want...but you have Hutch and Upshaw on one side and Ojabo and the old SAMs on the other (Harrell, Bennett, McLaurin).
A few years ago that would be Winovich on one side and Furbush or Uche on the other.
It's basically the old WDEs and the old SAMs. Where it gets weird is the old Anchors (Aidan Hutchinson, Rashaun Gary)...basically got split into two...some went to this EDGE position, others (Newberg, Rooks) slide down and moved to DT. I assume guys like Wormley and Van Bergen would've also went to DT.
MY PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
QB: Cade McNamara
2. J.J. McCarthy
3. Alan Bowman
4. Dan Villari
RB: Hassan Haskins
2. Blake Corum
3. Donovan Edwards
4. Tavierre Dunlap
5. Lucas Andrighetto
WR: Ronnie Bell
2. Roman Wilson / Andrel Anthony
WR: Cornelius Johnson
2. Daylen Baldwin
3. Cristian Dixon
SLOT: Mike Sainristil
2. A.J. Henning
TE: Erick All
2. Luke Schoonmaker
3. Louis Hansen
4. Joel Honigford / Matthew Hibner
6. Carter Selzer
LT: Ryan Hayes
*2. Karsen Barnhart
2. Jeffrey Persi
*3. Trevor Keegan
3. Tristan Bounds
LG: Trevor Keegan
2. Chuck Filiaga
3. Nolan Rumler
4. Raheem Anderson
C: Zak Zinter
2. Andrew Vastardis
3. Reece Atteberry
4. Greg Crippen
5. Raheem Anderson
RG: Andrew Stueber
*2. Zak Zinter
2. Nolan Rumler
3. Greg Crippen
4. Griffin Korican
RT: Karsen Barnhart
*2. Andrew Stueber
2. Trente Jones
3. Giovanni El-Hadi
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
DT: Donovan Jeter
2. Jess Speight
3. Kris Jenkins / Joey George
5. George Rooks
NT: Mazi Smith
*2. Donovan Jeter / Jess Speight
2. Jordan Whittley
3. Jack Stewart
4. Ike Iwunnah
DT: Christopher Hinton
2. Julius Welschof
3. Rayshaun Benny
4. Dominick Guidice
EDGE: Aidan Hutchinson
2. Taylor Upshaw
3. Mike Morris / Braiden McGregor
5. Gabe Newburg
6. TJ Guy
ILB: Josh Ross
2. Nikhai Hill-Green / Junior Colson
4. Kalel Mullings
5. Anthony Solomon
6. Joey Velasquez / Jaydon Hood
ILB: Michael Barrett
2. Nikhai Hill-Green / Junior Colson
4. Kalel Mullings
5. Anthony Solomon
6. Joey Velasquez / Jaydon Hood
OLB: Taylor Upshaw
2. David Ojabo
3. Jaylen Harrell
4. Kechaun Bennett / Tyler McLaurin
CB: Gemon Green
2. DJ Turner
3. Jalen Perry
4. Andre Seldon
5. Darion Green-Warren / George Johnson / Keshaun Harris / Ja'Den McBurrows / German Green
CB: DJ Turner
2. Vincent Gray
3. Jalen Perry
4. Andre Seldon
5. Darion Green-Warren / George Johnson / Keshaun Harris / Ja'Den McBurrows / German Green
*NB: Andre Seldon / Daxton Hill
*3. Eamonn Dennis
*4. George Johnson
FS: Daxton Hill
2. Makari Paige
3. Rod Moore
SS: Brad Hawkins
2. R.J. Moten
3. Quinten Johnson
4. Jordan Morant
P: Jake Moody
2. Rhett Anderson
P: Brad Robbins
2. Tommy Doman
I look at this roster and refuse to believe that this group cannot compete at an elite level. If this coaching staff cannot win at least 8 games, hell-10 games, with these guys...it would be such an injustice to these young men.
Uh...what exactly are you looking at?
Like I said yesterday, this team is a QB, 2 honorable mention All-B1G or better DTs and Ambry Thomas away from 10 wins.
Put upperclassmen Chad Henne, Mike Martin, Gabe Watson and Ambry Thomas on this team and it would challenge for a NY6 Bowl.
...but this roster? It has no proven QB. No Nico Collins or Jake Butt to help a young QB. That DT and NG depth is AWFUL. And you have a #2 and a #4 CB as your two starters.
That's not good and it's the reason 7-8 wins is far more likely.
Well this is why things are real uncertain. I think Mccarthy could be very good, but he also may not be. DT isn't as bad as it looks because guys like Hutchinson are going to slide down in a lot of passing situations. We won't have great depth but the starting DTs need to step up. Find a CB among a lot of bodies who have been on campus a few years. They could fail at those, but none of those are pie in the sky optimism either.
We're not relying on freshmen. Basically everyone has a decent amount of playing time at least and has been here a couple years and had good recruiting rankings.
You can't say you think McCarthy is going to be very good (which I think we all agree...just probably not this year)...and then say we're not relying on freshmen.
If your QB is a freshman, you're relying on freshmen...the position is too important.
Things that jump out at me:
-QB is a huge question mark, which is really quite unbelievable in year 6? 7? what is it?
-Receiver depth is also thin, which, where did they all go?
-O Line depth looks great though!
-LOTS of DBs but can they find 6 that can play?
-If Smith, Hinton, and Jeter can't hold up we are going to be gang-raped by Wisconsin again.
All that said I could see us winning the Big Ten!
All your Pollardz belong to us.
Yes he can be the sheriff if he brings his scattergun. In The Rifleman Micah Torrance proved he had balls!
All the Pollards, please
I love all these recruiting battles with sec. keep this shit going. The new coaches are doing WORK
A tip of the cap to Harbaugh for the changes
Whoa. Great news if we land him.. This dude is an animal. Love his tape. I'll venture to say when the time is done he will be our best in this class. He never gets duped, very efficient in his play, and always on the ball. Kudos to this new staff. This news verified what I've long been seeing. BPONE clowns listen up.... our staff is crushing it on the trail, whether you realize it or not.
3 star mafia hasn’t been this strong since 2018.
"Webb, Lorenz and Marich all put in Balls for the good guys"
It just sounds like something that would happen on Cinemax after about 10 PM, that's all.
Pollard U
Micah announced he will be committing on Monday
All the M Pollards