jared mayden

Previously: Offense

Resources: My charting, Alabama game notes (Michigan's still not available—I bet not doing your homework is why you had to go to an SEC school, you amateur SID), Alabama roster, CFBstats

The film: Still Iron Bowl.

Personnel: My diagram:

PDF Version, full-size version (or click on the image)

So you guys I figured out where all the defensive tackles and cornerback-ish safeties have gone to. Every damn one of them is on the lying depth chart for Alabama:

DJ Dale hasn't played much since suffering a leg injury two months ago, and not at all in the last two games. They're lately starting superstar DE/DT Raekwan Davis (+13/-2) next to unexciting NG/DE Phidarian Mathis (+4/-4), and rotating in RS freshman NG Christian Barmore (+13/-8) liberally. As the scores suggest Barmore is a young Willie Henry: ludicrously strong and disruptive—especially as a pass rusher—but once he gets there it's 60/20 if he'll run past the play or fall on his face. True freshman SDEs Byron Young (+1/-3) and Justin Eboigbe (+3/-0) split the scant snaps available to them, but Bama played half their snaps with just two down linemen, and a handful of the three-down snaps with the group from the paragraph above. Young's –3 was all from one very freshman play when he chased after a zone-read running back like it's 1999.

The OLBs are quasi-defensive ends. They call the weakside one the JACK, where Anfernee Jennings (+12/-2) is closer to a traditional DE, but an extremely strong and athletic one who's expected to be drafted the first day this spring. More of an edge setter than edge rusher, Jennings is murder on any zone read run to his side. Normal SAM Terrell Lewis (+11/-2.5) has chosen to sit out the Citrus Bowl, and while that's totally understandable given his injury history, losing his 16 QB hurries is a big blow; nobody else on the team has more than half of that, and his backup, SAM Chris Allen, has barely played, though he generated some unwarranted practice buzz two springs ago.

The inside linebacker spots were already hit hard in preseason, forcing Bama to play with a pair of freshman in place of likely All-American MLB Dylan Moses and longtime backup WLB Josh McMillon. Instead they get two big true freshmen. MLB Shane Lee (+2/-4.5, +2/-3 in coverage), who played for Biff Poggi (and came up for the BBQ) last year, is the one with his head above water; WLB Christian Harris (+3/-6.5, +0/-4 coverage), a supposedly athletically gifted player who's not quite ready to be on the field, finally forced me to cyan him before going out with an injury in the 4th quarter. He was also caught jogging more than once when a sprint was necessary; I wonder if the later injury wasn't so later. Replacement WLB Ale Kaho (+2/-0, no coverage events) is a true sophomore and a good 30 pounds lighter. Everybody's swimming.

[After THE JUMP: Defensive backs Don Brown wanted]

Commit Updates: The Brandon Peters Show

While Dave was in Farmington filming David Reese on Friday night, I stayed home to watch Brandon Peters and Avon take on rival Brownsburg on ESPNU. His 90-second highlight reel from the game would stand as an impressive season highlight reel for many prospects:

The highlights are representative: Peters completed 20 of 28 passes for 335 yards, six touchdowns, and a lone pick that looked like another touchdown pass until his receiver dropped it into the defender's arms. He easily outperformed 2017 five-star Tennessee commit Hunter Johnson, Brownsburg's quarterback. After seeing him two weeks ago in person and taking in this game on TV, I'm convinced he's the best Michigan quarterback prospect since Devin Gardner, and those who take that as any sort of backhanded compliment need to remind themselves of how good Gardner was coming out of high school.

Garrett Fishaw, making his Maize n Brew debut, rounded up the other commit stat lines from last weekend. Other notables:

• LB David Reese had 12 tackles, three TFLs, a sack, a fumble return TD, and a rushing TD in a loss against Southfield. I'll have scouting and highlights from this game tomorrow.
• RB Kingston Davis had 165 yards and a TD while LB Dytarious Johnson chipped in nine tackles in a 28-7 Prattville win.
• ATH Chris Evans had 120 yards and two scores on 17 touches in a 31-19 loss to the state's top-ranked team, Center Grove.

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

Weekend Visitors: Mayden In For Official

Michigan is hosting a few notable visitors for Saturday's game. Allen Trieu has a free rundown in the Detroit News. The notables:

• Four-star TX CB Jared Mayden, an Oregon commit taking an official visit this weekend. He appears to be a longshot to flip; having him on campus at least indicates a certain level of interest.
• CA QB commit Victor Viramontes, a newly minted four-star on 247, is the other official visitor this weekend.
• Top-100 2017 GA QB Davis Mills, who seems to be one of M's top QB targets in the class along with Dylan McCaffrey.
• Three-star 2017 GA RB Kurt Taylor, who has an early M Crystal Ball pick from 247's Steve Wiltfong.
• Wiltfong reports it's possible top in-state recruits Lavert Hill, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and JaRaymond Hall also come in for visits, but nothing is set in stone yet ($). He said that at the moment he thinks Michigan will land all three.

The Wolverine's Tim Sullivan reports Michigan asked four-star NC OT Landon Dickerson to push back his official visit to after the season after he was originally slated to take it this weekend ($). Dickerson told Tim "I guess if I still have interest at the end of the season I'll make my way up," which doesn't sound promising.

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