Everybody had a good time. [Patrick Barron]

27 Tickets to Team 143: Post-Spring Edition Comment Count

Seth April 4th, 2022 at 2:45 PM

Folks who cover the USMNT drop lists like this projecting the 23 guys who end up on the next World Cup team. Brian appropriated it, dropped it for a few years, and then I stole it from him.

Regarding the number of tickets: typically its’ 22 starters on offense and defense + 2 kickers + a Flex TE/Slot + nickel + extra DL. I’m adding a 2nd RB, a 2nd QB, and a couple of receivers for a total of 30.

The last 27 tickets was put out in February and had a summary of each player. This update will track what we saw from each this spring.

PACK YOUR BAGS

You will see them on the field a lot, whether or not they’re technically getting the start.

1. WR Ronnie Bell (Jr/5th) [Last time: 1]image

Sat out while recovering from last year's injury. Still on target to participate in fall, and offense is still clearly geared to his strengths. Abruptly abandoned Devin Gardner interview because Darrius Clemons made a diving TD catch.

image2. RB Blake Corum (So/Jr) [Last time: 2]

We did not fault the linebackers who lost Corum on a bounce in the spring game, because the only guys that didn't happen to last year were Wisconsin's and Georgia's super-elites. All-Big Ten, perhaps All-American season could be in the cards.

image3. TE Erick All (Jr/Sr) [Last time: 4]

Barely played in the spring game, except for throwing a pass to Colson Loveland. Didn't need to, either. Engine of the offense is expected to have an All-Big Ten-caliber season.

image4. DL Michael Morris (So/Sr) [Last time: 28]

Star of the spring, mentioned by every coach, player, and former player as the dude standing out. Put some proof to that in the spring game by dominating backup tackles. Wormley-style DE now looks Wormley-level dangerous.

image5. CB DJ Turner II (So/Sr) [Last time: 9]

Noticeably different than the other cornerbacks when defending the one-per-drive fly routes, stuck with Cornelius Johnson stride for stride and blanketed Darrius Clemons so tightly it felt wrong to even be trying that matchup. Also spoken of differently than the other cornerbacks. Probably not fair to compare him yet to the Jourdan Lewis clones, but Turner is closer to them than he is to losing the #1 CB spot this year.

image6. RG Zak Zinter (So/Jr) [Last time: 6]

Played center in the spring game, a sign they still hope to have their favorite mauler available to slide over if there's an injury to the starter. Michigan also thinks he's going to be a All Big Ten this year; he's clearly their favorite lineman, even if the newcomer next to him got more talk.

image7. NT Mazi Smith (So/Sr) [Last time: 8]

Other star of the spring chatter, though that came with being the lone returning starter. Got moved off the line of scrimmage by Zinter and Oluwatimi, and we thought that was a promising thing for the interior maulers, not a knock on Smith. Should be one of the better DTs in the Big Ten.

image8. QB Cade McNamara (So/Sr) [Last time: 12(tie)]

Injury to McCarthy cleared the path for the reigning Big Ten Champion to exit spring where he exited the 2021 season. Not great spring game left the door open like it was at the end of the 2021 season, but before that the chatter was McNamara came back improved, and ended spring the more likely to win the QB 1-A job out of fall camp.

image9. RB Donovan Edwards (So/So) [Last time: 14]

Assumes last year's Corum role of the star they plan to get on the field as much as the guy technically starting. Fly route to beat Nikhai Hill-Green wasn't even a knock on NHG because we know Edwards is going to do that to mortal LBs. Rocked up, will be a major part of the offense; how much will depend on matchups and bangups.

image10. K Jake Moody (Sr/5th) [Last time: 3]

Didn't play in the spring game, which is the only excuse I need to push the reigning Groza winner down here out of disrespect for special teams. No news out of spring is the other excuse. These are absolutely excuses; Moody remains the best at his position in college football.

image11. P Brad Robbins (Sr/6th) [Last time: 5]

Also didn't play in the spring game because he didn't have to. Also returns among the best at his position. Also drops down the list because I need an excuse to do so after getting hollered at in the comments for putting special teamers so high.

image12. QB JJ McCarthy (So/So) [Last time: 12(tie)]

Spent the spring game limited for his throwing shoulder. Also raked in the NIL and announced he intends to play at Michigan, and nowhere else, until his eligibility expires. Spring game offense had even more run read-type plays in it than last year's offense, which might be a clue to the already obvious inference that Michigan would like McCarthy's maturity as a quarterback to catch up to his maturity as a person as soon as possible.

[After THE JUMP: Everybody gets a spring update]

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image13. LT Ryan Hayes (Jr/5th) [Last time: 7]

Unfortunately on the same team (blue) as Morris in the spring game so we didn't get to see how Hayes fares now against the best pass rush Michigan has. Did give Braiden McGregor a bad day, which we've been taking as a negative for the young WDE but could also signal the coaches' high praise for their starting LT isn't misplaced.

image14. C Victor Oluwatimi (Sr/6th) [Last time: 25]

Might not be done climbing after the Rimington finalist had a spring that defied the old adage about transfer OL having a hard time adjusting. Played next to Zinter and moved people violently in a way that Vastardis never could. Clearly won the position he was brought in to play, seems more likely to be All Big Ten than a bust.

image15. WR Cornelius Johnson (Jr/Sr) [Last time: 16]

Quiet spring game in which he routinely got a step then watched balls go just over his head. CJ has quietly led an absolutely stacked receiver corps in Ronnie Bell's absence, and clearly nothing about that changed in the meantime. Had a fade in  the end zone that German Green broke up.

16. LG Trevor Keegan (So/Sr) [Last time: 10]

Quiet spring for a returning starter, had a few hiccups in the spring game that we credited to Rayshaun Benny's emergence. Biggest thing to happen this spring was putting on eye-black, forcing us to update his 27 tickets photo.

image17. WR Roman Wilson (So/Jr) [Last time: 17]

Another returning starter with a quiet spring as reporting focused on the incoming freshmen. Unlike Cornelius Johnson, Wilson wasn't seen much in the spring game, possibly because it would have been cruel and unfair to make Michigan fans watch their cornerbacks burned crispy by a speedster who does that to everyone.  

image18. WR Andrel Anthony (So/So) [Last time: 18]

Like Wilson, Anthony didn't get enough mentions in spring outside of people listing the embarrassment of riches at receiver that Josh Gattis left behind, and wasn't targeted much in the spring game before leaving with the starters so walk-ons could pick up targets. Would have liked to hear more about Anthony's progression but no news here is a sign that everything we thought we saw is what they're still seeing, as well as a sign that #1 is probably another year away from ascending to Biletnikoff talk.

image19. CB/Nk Mike Sainristil (Jr/Sr) [Last time: 19 as a Slot]

Certainly the player with the most interesting spring, capped by a nice PBU at cornerback to prove all the talk that his transition to defense is going to stick. Also changed numbers (he led the team out of the locker room wearing #0, which is the same as WR Darrius Clemons). Sainristil was the starting CB for his team and moved in to nickel versus spread personnel, a sign that's how he'll be used this season. I suspect much of the reason for the constant talk is the novelty; I also wonder why this move wasn't made last year when they went into the season without any good cornerback options.

image20. S RJ Moten (So/Jr) [Last time: 24]

This is a move up the list as Moten had an excellently boring spring filled with talk of his leadership. Communication at free safety confirmed he's inherited Brad Hawkins's role as QB of the D. Also looked more comfortable in the Hawkins free safety role than the sometimes nickel SS job Moten took last year. Should be a solid starter for a long time with fewer (redshirt) freshman jitters.

image21. S Rod Moore (So/So) [Last time: 11]

Falls back because he missed spring with an injury, which means we didn't get to see him try to compete for the Dax Hill role (remember Dax played true safety in 4-3 or 3-4 situations, and nickel otherwise). True freshman starter remains a lock to start at safety, will probably stay there since you always need two safeties and Sainristil at nickel seems a better option than dipping into the backup safeties.

image22. DT Kris Jenkins (So/Jr) [Last time: 26]

Spring game showed off the increased size and more of that burst that puts him on track to follow dad to the NFL in a couple of years. Projected to be a ready to roll after flashes in a backup role, and spring seemed to pay that off with talk of Jenkins earning a starting job next to Mazi Smith, with the 3rd tackle position up in the air. Should be a solid Big Ten starter, could be a really good one.

image23. ILB Nikhai Hill-Green (So/Jr) [Last time: 23]

Seems to have solidified a starting ILB role, getting beat by Donovan Edwards when forced to flare out as a cornerback is okay because D.E. plays for us. Was more involved in getting guys set up, wasn't at fault when RBs bounced, got talked up over the spring for his speed.

image24. RT Trente Jones (So/Sr) [Last time: 30]

Won the starting RT job in spring with minimal drama when it was supposed to be one of the bigger battles of the offseason. Moved guys in a couple of short yardage opportunities in the spring game. Pencil him in as the starter for the next three years, and thank the recruiting gods that Michigan's OL is finally back to having 4th year players ready to replace NFL departures.

image25. ILB Junior Colson (So/So) [Last time: 22]

Talented, super freshmany returning starter just had to look competent in the spring game and did so. Not earning a lot of talk is a red flag, because he absolutely would be if he'd really turned a corner from last year's struggles. Locked in as a starter, insider takes suggest getting him to turn that corner is the defense's No. 1 priority. Experiments with Barrett at an ILB position and keeping Mullings in the LB rotation despite the RB performance both suggest coaches also would like a backup plan here.

PLATOONS

Established rotationers, for common sub packages, will probably start half the games.

image26. Slot-H/Returner AJ Henning (So/Jr) [Last time: 20]

Got a ton of targets in the spring game for an established starter, didn't actually get to do much with them. Late in spring practice there was talk of Henning playing RB as Michigan cast about for a 3rd option behind Corum/Edwards, but that talk shifted to more moose-back-like guys. Expect them to go to Henning if there's an injury to one of the top two.

image27. TE Luke Schoonmaker (Jr/5th) [Last time: 15]

Super quiet spring for a guy who chose to return to school. Drop here is only because I went to a different organizational structure--Schoonmaker is going to be a major part of the offense, as the spring game's 2TE formations amply demonstrated.

image28. SAM/WLB Michael Barrett (Jr/5th) [Last time: 21]

Disappointing spring game in that he showed he's still an excellent Viper when called upon in a 4-3, and probably one of their best pass-rushers, but also probably is never going to be able to make that transition to WLB they would like him to. Responsible for a couple of the big runs, responsible for the first sack, should remain a very nice weapon on special teams and in the SAM role.

IN A BATTLE

A few starting positions exited spring ball without a clear winner. Those in this category seemed to have the edge; if they don't seize a starting job they are likely to figure heavily in the rotation. Michigan may also look for help in the portal.

image29. CB Will Johnson (Fr/Fr) [Last time: 29]

We wanted player quotes saying "Whoa, this guy is ready to play, and everything they said he'd be" and we got that. Suspect they asked Davis Warren to throw that Johnson-on-Johnson fade in the spring game just to show off what happens when you throw at the super-tall super athlete. Seems on pace to be in the CB rotation early, start by mid-season.

30. EDGE Taylor Upshaw (Jr/5th) [Last Time: Contributing].

Ascends to the tickets section by spending all spring the unquestioned starter at weakside end, which isn't exactly what we wanted to hear. Had some push-style pass rush against the backup OL that should translate to a passable Big Ten starter, already a more than passable run defender. Tapped to speak to the media, which is a sign the program at least believes he can be a starter...remember he was one last year until Ojabo was ready for full-time, so the nag here is us bloggers' demand for more pizazz.

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NOT STARTERS BUT CONTRIBUTING

Either they’re trapped in a rotation by a solid depth chart, they have a hard ceiling in some facet of their game, or they’re some kind of specialist or situational hybrid. You will see them on the field, but probably not in the starting lineup.

EDGE Jaylen Harrell (So/Jr). Ruined a split zone by crushing the crosser in the spring game, something we saw plenty of last year. Didn't show any more pass rush, which was also something we saw last year. Will be an important part of their 3-4 sub package, probably coming in for Upshaw.

DT Donovan Jeter (Sr/6th). Paid off my insistence on leaving him in the last 27 tickets by choosing to return after he was already out the door, but wasn't able to participate in the spring game as Michigan works to undo the departure.

DT Rayshaun Benny (Fr/So). Moved way up the list with an eye-opening spring game in which he played nose tackle, and looked like former MSU NT/current Philadelphia Eagle Raequan Williams, IE a trunk with long arms who's too athletic to run zone against. Did give up a big gain by getting out of his lane on a stretch, so there's some freshman in there, but also made a ton of plays in the backfield and seems to have played his way into the #2 nose tackle position, which is a heavy rotation player. Seeing some stardom in his future.

CB Gemon Green (Jr/5th). Seemed to be the odd man out from moving Sainristil to cornerback, with Will Johnson stepping in to siphon off some of Vincent Gray's time. Green still has a solid role as the first rotation CB, which is where he ended last season. Quiet spring game suggests there's little drama here, which is a good sign.

OL Karsen Barnhart (So/Sr). Went quickly from a dead heat with Jones to be the new RT to the "backup LT" in spring ball. Still a guy the program seems to adore, and if the two were at all equal it makes sense that Barnhart, the swingman, would get the 6th man role. Zinter practicing at center is further evidence that Barnhart is the first guy off the bench if any OL goes down.

RB/ILB Kalel Mullings (So/Jr) [Last time: Pushing from Behind]. We all saw it. After a few hints from spring practice that Mullings might try running back, the guy Wisconsin was recruiting for offense showed he's almost certainly Michigan's best option for a #3 bruiser to complement the scatty stars. Isn't just a bruiser either--that bounce outside was pressed, and Mullings then proceeded to outrun freshman CB Myles Pollard. Did not look at all ready to play at linebacker, and was often caught standing still as the play was bouncing outside of him. The fact that he hasn't made the move to offense permanently is probably a bad sign for the linebacker depth, and not a commentary on his "strategic" fumble to Cornelius Johnson.

TE Joel Honigford (Sr/6th). Looks heavier, which is a nice fit for the heavy TE role he returned to fulfill. Nice to have him back, but also might get pushed more by the up-and-coming freshmen.

RB Tavierre Dunlap (Fr/So). Stock is down from the unknown freshman after a spring spent battling Leon Franklin and the Mullings stuff. Looked more like a Jerome Jackson-esque "just a guy"--his TD was more the work of the TE he ran behind. Might have been enough to edge the walk-on who had the next spot on the depth chart after the top trio last year.

RB Leon Franklin (So/Sr). Looked about the same in spring as he did last year, which is Just a Guy. It should be noted that Just a Guy is levels above "a walk-on" in our parlance, and as a transfer walk-on Franklin is probably more like an adequate 3-star than a problem.

EDGE Braiden McGregor (So/Jr) [Last time: 27]. Stock way down after a spring with not enough talk about the best shot at an impact pass rusher on the current roster (there was some), and a spring game when McGregor was a non-factor on the pass rush and got pushed around by Hibner and Hansen on the ground. Hope for a fall turnaround--we're still miles away from giving up on him, but for now we're going to stop putting our money on McGregor as the young 'un making the biggest move (that's clearly Benny).

DT Julius Welschof (Jr/5th). Quietly effective, though very weird, DT last year generated some early talk of playing at DE this spring, then all went quiet until it was announced he would not suit up for the spring game. Don't know what any of it means, quite honestly.

WR Darrius Clemons (Fr/Fr). [Last time: Pushing] Big spring talk for a guy at a position where he's not needed is one of our best metrics for finding a future contributor, and the canonical example of that might be Clemons after a spring when people couldn't stop bringing up the physically ready freshman despite not much opportunity for targets behind Bell/CJ/Wilson/Anthony/Henning. Clemons was featured in the spring game, and offered multiple downfield targets before his lay-out TD catch. Hard to imagine a better spring debut for an early enrollee than this.

S Makari Paige (So/Jr) [Last time: Pushing] Moves up a category even though he didn't play very well in the spring game--the big Corum run was made so by Paige stepping up too far--because that came after weeks of Paige talk as he filled in for Rod Moore. Still clearly ahead of classmate Jordan Morant, and talked about like they trust him to rotate in behind Moten and Moore this year. The fact that Paige mentions outstripped the talk of 5-star early enrollee Keon Sabb tells me the 3rd year guy probably had a solid spring and remains solidly ahead of the kids, which is where Paige needed to be.

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The rest of these categories will switch to positional order.

PUSHING FROM BEHIND

Category for younger players expected to graduate from “Waiting their turn” or more established but lower-ceilinged players hoping to hold off the next wave a little bit longer. Not expected to start, but wouldn’t be that big of a shock to see them on the field. Most will graduate to regular contributor eventually, but probably not this season.

QB Davis Warren (Fr/So) [Last time: Not listed]. There's no question who on the roster made the biggest move this spring, as the walk-on we've never head of ascended to the hero of the spring game. That just means he's the #3 quarterback. He's also Not Just a Walk-On--Warren was the backup at his LA power high school, then battled Leukemia. He took a year off of school, fell off recruiting radars in the pandemic, and got in a senior season after transferring to a school called Peddie in New Jersey. In the spring game he showed enough arm and decision-making to be at least a good MAC or passable Big Ten starter. For a 3rd QB, that's a pretty good floor.

TE Louis Hansen (Fr/So). The biggest gap between the talk from the program/general coverage, and what I've been hearing from insiders and saw in the spring game is that concerning Big Lou Hansen. He supposedly made a ridiculous catch in practice last week. I saw him open several times, and noticed four big blocks, and I got mad when Michigan went to a 3-4 look against twins and Hansen was matched with a DE (the same look Georgia tortured us with in January) and whoever was at QB didn't bother to look to that side at all. I also heard he was out with mono last year, else he would have seen the field. But the public has heard nothing of him, and the one pass to him in the spring game was a quick out that was badly thrown. Anyways, here's where we can test whether I can spot something before anybody else in Michigan media: if Hansen turns out to be Erick All 2.0 down the road, you heard it here first.

TE Matthew Hibner (So/Jr). It sucks to see the two young TEs down here because Hibner had an excellent spring game--it was his block on McGregor that opened up the first TD run. Unfortunately he didn't get targeted in the passing game before it was "let's throw it to Max Bredeson" time, but I assert both he and Hansen would have been getting a lot more hype if the seniors didn't return.

TE Carter Selzer (Sr/6th). Don't remember seeing anything of him in the spring game, but he did come back.

G Reece Atteberry (So/Jr). Moved up one slot on the OL of the Future chart since last year's bits of playing time translated to spring talk of a guy they wouldn't be too worried about if they had to start.

C Greg Crippen (So/So). Stock is sorta down considering they hit the transfer portal to put off Crippen from starting, and are cross-training Zinter at center as well. I take that to mean they want to get a redshirt on Crippen this year since the plan remains for him to start. He played guard in the spring game, and looked good at it.

DT Mason Graham (Fr/Fr) [Previously: Waiting their turn]. Probably redshirts but strong spring game showed that Ryan Glasgow comp is tight. Going to see a lot of him down the road.

DT George Rooks (Fr/So) [Previously: Waiting]. Also moved up after a solid spring with a lot of buzz late paid off with a couple of pressures in the spring game. On track to be a rotational player next year, most liekly.

LB/EDGE TJ Guy (Fr/So). Not just a name, was a constant presence in the spring game, moving between DE and LB as Harrell would.

EDGE Derrick Moore (Fr/Fr). Hello there spring game in which he had everyone looking up who's #8, looked about even with older edge prospects.

ILB Joey Velazquez (So/Sr). The baseball guy generated nothing by way of spring chatter but appeared to be the most viable backup ILB in the spring game. A big fall and he could play his way into that rotation, allowing Michigan to use Barrett (at SAM/Viper) and Mullings (at RB) in roles they're evidently better suited for.

Nk/LB Keon Sabb (Fr/Fr). A distant third-most talked about early enrollee, which is fine, but not the kind of spring that presages an instant starter. Or maybe they're being quiet about him on purpose? I wanted to see at least one 5-star-caliber play from Sabb in the spring game.

S Caden Kolesar (So/Sr). Was the guy Mullings bounced around (before outrunning a CB). The talk of Paige probably means Kolesar isn't going to be the next Jordan Glasgow (who was a solid rotational safety before moving to LB). Come to think of it, I'd like to know what Kolesar at LB looks like.

CB/Nk Ja'Den McBurrows (Fr/So). Was still injured from last year, but we learned this spring that McBurrows was close to the field when that happened, and slated to be the starting nickel, so keep your eye out for him when he returns. 

WAITING THEIR TURN

Grow-a-bodies, raw recruits, etc. expected to contribute down the line.

QB/ATH Alex Orji (Fr/Fr). Evidently pronounced "orgy." Showed a very wild arm, but a lot of athleticism while closing out the spring game as a Villari-back.

QB Jayden Denegal (Fr/Fr). Sorry, for some reason I don't remember seeing him at all in the spring game, though he did get live reps. Warren was wearing the number Denegal was listed at on the roster and I had my kids with me so I could have missed him.

TE Colston Loveland (Fr/Fr). He's getting the focus because he ran a nice route and hauled in the pass from Erick All, but I also saw a guy from Idaho who still looks too small to play tight end. Future looks really nice.

WR Amorion Walker (Fr/Fr). Like Loveland, we got to see one great play that portends well, and a waist that portends a year or two of steaks before we see what portends.

WR Cristian Dixon (Fr/So). A RS freshman's first spring practice is too early to say late early, but given the rest of the WR depth chart and that the biggest thing to happen to Dixon in the spring game was getting mistaken for a true freshman quarterback...

WR Tyler Morris (Fr/Fr). Still injured from last year.

WR Eamonn Dennis (Fr/Jr). Moved from CB to slot receiver.

T Jeffrey Persi (Fr/Jr). Got manhandled by Morris, probably still another year of weight training away from the field.

G Giovanni El-Hadi (Fr/So). Had a couple of mistakes and a couple of really athletic pass pickups in the spring game. Think he's on track to be a starter when the current generation departs.

C/G Raheem Anderson (Fr/So). Was at guard, one good block, one pressure given up.

T Tristan Bounds (Fr/So). Looks huuuuuuge in pads.

G Connor Jones (Fr/Fr). Don't remember seeing him.

NT Ikechukwu Iwunnah (Fr/So). Super raw so not reading into the zero mentions of him this spring.

DE/DT Dominick Giudice (Fr/So). Ditto. I did notice he was at DT in warmups.

EDGE Kechaun Bennett (Fr/So). Didn't seem to generate any pressure, looked more SDE-sized than I imagined he would.

ILB Jaydon Hood (Fr/So) [Last time: Pushing]. Generated some talk in spring, looks really small, didn't do anything of note.

ILB Tyler McLaurin (Fr/So). Made a couple of nice tackles for yellow. 

CB Kody Jones (Fr/Fr) [Last time: Contributing] That's exactly what I thought he'd look like. Jones made one really nice PBU and an open field tackle, then gave up two 1st downs by dropping back too far underneath, then missed an open field tackle. Keep an eye out for this guy in a couple of years though.

CB Myles Pollard (Fr/Fr). Getting outrun by Mullings is the only spring note, and the last spring note I wanted to read about a guy whose question marks are all about his speed.

CB German Green (Jr/5th) [Last time: Getting late early]. Moves up a tier because they invited him back for a 5th year, and he made a great PBU and was able to stay on the guys he was covering at CB. Still wears a knee brace after all this time.

CB Keshaun Harris. The walk-on who was next on the depth chart last year was barely seen. He looks big, and he came from track because he's fast.

K/P Rhett Anderson [Last time: Not listed]. With the starters sitting out the D-III transfer had a handful of solid punts and kicks. Looks like Michigan will go to Anderson if either Robbins or Moody get hurt, rather than turning to the freshman.

K/P Tommy Doman (Fr/So). I don't remember seeing him.

GETTING LATE EARLY

Category for players who haven’t seen the field much and are dealing with younger/same eligibility guys who have, or hyped recruits getting more talk of early playing time at their positions.

QB Alan Bowman (Jr/5th). Brian thought he looked fine; I thought he looked like a pass-only option who locked onto his first target which was also the wrong target, and didn't have much deep accuracy though he loved to throw that. I also assert that a walk-on leukemia survivor rising to look like a passable starting quarterback in his 2nd year in the program is a great story unless you're the guy behind him on the depth chart.

EDGE Gabe Newburg (So/Sr). I don't remember seeing him do anything in the spring game. True freshman Derrick Moore passing him might be curtains.

S Jordan Morant [Previously: Waiting]. He made a nice play in the spring game, but I made a pact with myself to see if Morant was in the nickel running by now, and he wasn't. There's still a something on his leg, which makes me fear his injury took something from him permanently.

FS Quinten Johnson (So/Sr). Was back at safety after they tried him at CB last year.

CB Jalen Perry (So/Sr). His big PBU was clearly uncalled pass interference. Sorry to dog on him, but that's kind of been his M.O. And there are now a lot of other guys vying for his position.

FRESHMEN ENROLLING IN FALL

Nothing to report yet.

  • RB CJ Stokes
  • TE Marlin Klein
  • T Andrew Gentry
  • G Alessandro Lorenzetti
  • NT Kenneth Grant
  • EDGE/LB Micah Pollard
  • ILB Jimmy Rolder
  • ILB Deuce Spurlock
  • S/Nk Zeke Berry
  • S Damani Dent\

Comments

OldSchoolWolverine

April 4th, 2022 at 8:17 PM ^

I second that... Jenkins and Harrell seemed undervalued here..and Jenkins now is getting more here.  But Harrell yet... Maybe it was the scheme that my layman eyes are seeing more than there is.  

I watched the spring tape again and a few things I noticed.  Walker has star potential.  Clemons too, and he got the due. But Walker looks like a future star. 

TJ Guy flashed to me all game... Again maybe it's the scheme and his position.

Connor Jones had the roughest day.

Mullings is our third best RB. And he is quite good at it.  He's closer to Haskins than Dunlap. 

 

Blue Vet

April 4th, 2022 at 4:41 PM ^

We're in April, and May follows, abutted by June, and then July, with August right behind. 

So, as I understand these things, it's nearly ​​​​​​​football season!

CRISPed in the DIAG

April 4th, 2022 at 5:50 PM ^

I'm having trouble believing that Harbaugh will leave the fall camp without a piledriver at RB (eg a  Haskins, Higdon or Dev Smith) that gets the obligatory 15 carries into stacked boxes. Not having such an option would be most unMichigan-like. 

Fan from TTDS

April 4th, 2022 at 5:51 PM ^

How many scholarship players are on MI today?  I'm assuming MI has more than 85 players right now and will need some guys to transfer over the next three or four months.  Who will enter the transfer portal based on where they are on the depth chart?  Usually after spring ball, guys will see if they have a shot of getting on the field this Fall.  If they don't see it, they will be looking to transfer.

willirwin1778

April 4th, 2022 at 6:01 PM ^

For the sake of conversation, I am writing to point out that Touch the Banner (TTB) had a pretty different take on McGregor's Spring showing.  Magnus, the writer over there at TTB, is more often right than wrong about player evaluations.  So I thought it was worth making a note of it. 
 

touch-the-banner.com

Seth

April 5th, 2022 at 11:40 AM ^

Fair enough. He was a 5-star the entire cycle and ended up just under that. I could say "4.5" star if you want me to be more accurate. He came out to a 4.53 on my composite, where anything over 4.5 is a 5-star. But you're right that we considered guys like Ryan Mundy, Demar Dorsey, Dymonte Thomas and Cato June, who were ranked similarly, to be 4-star safeties. The 5-stars were Dax Hill, Ernest Shazor, Tommy Hendricks, and Clarence Thompson. Different category.

blueblooded14

April 5th, 2022 at 3:56 PM ^

Seth, thanks for the response. Tbh I just thought there was something I was missing. I suspected there was an internal metric that denoted him as a 5-star (as you articulated above) but wasn't sure. This site/the writers have often used "4.5 star" as a term and I thought Keon Sabb fit that recruiting profile to a T. Meanwhile, I do not really care whether you call him a 5 star or 4.5 star; I'm just glad to know that I'm not taking crazy pills/missing something obvious. Thanks!

Go Blue in MN

April 4th, 2022 at 8:07 PM ^

It's very encouraging that Sainristil seems to be making the adjustment from offense to defense.

Without Hassan, 2 able QBs, and an assortment of talented WRs, I'm hoping that we will be an explosive offense.  I was not one of those last year who complained about games like the Washington game.  But for this team to meet its potential in 2022, a different approach is needed IMO.

Are the rankings for JJ reversed?  i.e. I think he is 12th and was 9th last time?

njvictor

April 4th, 2022 at 9:26 PM ^

I don't really get the Brian/Seth hate for Tavierre Dunlap. Kid ran for 71 yards on 18 carries and a TD in the spring game as a sophomore and y'all have done nothing but shit on him here and on the podcast

Double-D

April 4th, 2022 at 9:38 PM ^

Jenkins is going to be fun to watch paired with Mazi.  I like his quickness, energy, and motor compared to Hinton.  He is explosive.

He is going to be hard to block but still needs to add some weight especially for the double teams. 

MEZman

April 4th, 2022 at 11:17 PM ^

Dunno if you'll see this Seth but it looked like Crippen had a big gray cast thing on his right hand. You might be reading a bit too much into Zinter snapping in the Spring Game. Though I think it's good that he can do it at least semi-plausibly.

triguy616

April 5th, 2022 at 10:22 AM ^

Seth, no one's mentioned this yet: JJ is listed as number 9 but is the 12th ticket.

I always loved these posts, thanks for making one for the spring game!

Mgostats

April 5th, 2022 at 4:19 PM ^

Can't believe that you didn't remember seeing Tommy Doman in the Spring Game.  He was the punter and kicker for the Blue team.  He will clearly be expected to step in if Moody or Robbins gets hurt.  MUCH stronger leg than Anderson - his kickoffs reached the end zone, and his punts were much longer (and higher).  

The quality of skill players on this roster is staggering.  I know that there will be a desire for a balanced offense, but Cade/JJ should be lobbying to throw 35+ passes per game.  Very few defenses will be able to blanket Bell, Johnson, Henning, All/Schoonmaker, and Corum/Edwards every play...and that's without mentioning Anthony and Clemons.

I suspect that Edwards will be the short-yardage back, but I think that Dunlap is perfectly capable of filling that role.  [I'm not ready to anoint Mullings as the next Haskins until I see him hurdle a coupld of DBs!]