14 early enrollees (including Oluwatimi)
According to the Detroit News 14 new Wolverines are enrolled at Michigan
Grad Transfer Olu Oluwatimi is both the biggest at 310 pounds and probably the top candidate for having the biggest first year impact with Vastardis moving on. Getting spring practice to work with our qbs and the rest of the offensive line will be a huge plus. Connor Jones is the other offensive lineman enrolling esrly.
5 star Will Johnson probably also makes the list of those with potential for early impact. While (barring transfer) all the corners who played meaningful minutes are returning, none have the physical tools of Johnson. He is joined in the db room by newcomers: Kody Jones, Myles Pollard and Keon Sabb
Could Derrick Moore see early time as a situational pass rusher? He us joined on the defensive line by Mason Graham
Both qbs (Alex Orji and Jayden Denegal) enrolled early. If the loser of the McNamara/McCarthy battle transfers, we have no clear #2 QB
While it is going to be hard to break into the wide receiver room, Tyler Morris has a connection with McCarthy playing with him at Nazareth Academy and has the athleticism with a 6’6” high jump. He is joined in the wide receiver room by 6’3” Darius Clemons and 6’4” Amarion Walker.
Rounding out the early entrants is tight end Colston Loveland
January 3rd, 2022 at 7:46 PM ^
Checked the board and not the diaries. Realize that I am an hour late.
January 3rd, 2022 at 8:57 PM ^
Solid post! Thanks! I never check or read the Diaries, either.
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:43 PM ^
oh yeah.........there are diaries on the blog too.
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:35 PM ^
I don't look in there either.
January 4th, 2022 at 12:09 AM ^
You are good. Diaries don’t count
January 4th, 2022 at 6:04 AM ^
Dear Diary: I found out something about you on the Blog that was very discouraging ...
January 3rd, 2022 at 7:56 PM ^
Wow - seems like a big number! But good news for the team. I like we have the pass catchers enrolling early. Won’t make an impact next season, but after next year, we will have to replace some production in the passing game. Getting a head start on their freshman seasons is big.
January 3rd, 2022 at 8:08 PM ^
This is unbelievable. Really wish Kenneth Grant was enrolling early. Would be awesome to get him in the program to increase odd that he can offer some depth in ‘22
January 3rd, 2022 at 11:36 PM ^
Just on size, he might’ve been used a little to plug run plays but frosh have such a high hurdle at DT to really contribute,
But I expect the DTs to be very strong next year if Hinton and Smith return. Jenkins played well even while undersized at 275 - he could be a force at 290 beside Hinton and Smith. Welschof already played substantial minutes and really improved over 2020. Benny has the size and ability to contribute serious minutes after some plays this year, and Rooks & Iwunnah should challenge for minutes after a year in S&C.
The biggest question for the DTs is whether Macdonald can create pressure with the DEs and blitzes so the DTs are not constantly double-teamed on running or stalemated on passing downs - that will wear them down.
January 3rd, 2022 at 8:23 PM ^
As much as it’ll be a position of need, true freshmen typically don’t seem to make a big impact as edge rushers. So as much as I want him to, I’m not expecting Moore to be a big factor. Likewise for Mason Graham on the interior, who I’m really excited about long term.
I think the WRs would have a much better chance at playing time if our room wasn’t already so packed. If Clemons quickly shows that he’s a matchup problem though I wouldn’t be surprised if he found a role. While our WR room is packed, we don’t have a dominant #1 as of yet. So there’s always a chance someone could surprisingly leap frog some assumed starters.
If Will Johnson is as good as we expect then he’s going to see the field in some capacity. Maybe not as a starter, but they’ll find a role for him if he’s one of our best athletes.
It’ll be interesting to see how the rest plays out. Nobody would have guessed Rod Moore would be a starter by November.
January 3rd, 2022 at 8:41 PM ^
Yeah, it's unlikely more than 1 or 2 of these guys will be significant contributors in their first year. Great to see Will Johnson on the list though. Gray is much improved, but he's still not great, and I think the great pass rush helped out the secondary some. Seems like more EEs than usual.
January 3rd, 2022 at 11:06 PM ^
We had 3-4 freshmen make some nice contributions this year: JJ, Edwards, Anthony, Colson, Moore. It's possible the same could happen next year.
January 4th, 2022 at 4:42 AM ^
Good point. I think Michigan had more holes to fill than they will next year, or at least holes that seem unlikely to be filled by freshmen. I definitely didn't expect Rod Moore to play nearly as much as he did though. In some cases, like JJ and Edwards, it was more a matter of being extremely talented. It's possible we'll see a few unexpected contributors due to injury or departures.
January 3rd, 2022 at 8:49 PM ^
I don’t think Moore is likely to have a huge role, but if no one truly steps up on the edge, there could be a roll for a third down pash rusher. Focusing on one limited skill set seems like a way a defensive end could see the field. Also, much more than Brown, Macdonald seems to be willing to have freshman play key roles.
January 3rd, 2022 at 11:16 PM ^
Eh, he definitely could make an impact. It's not uncommon for top 100 guys to come in right away and play at least on passing downs. He won't be a big factor or an every down guy but if they need a specialist on 3rd downs, he could get a look
January 4th, 2022 at 6:49 AM ^
$1 says Johnson has a similar 2022 to Turner's 2021--rotational player to begin the year, but displaces Gray as a starter by mid-season.
January 4th, 2022 at 2:16 PM ^
Agreed that edge guys don't normally make a big impact as Fr, but players who are going to be big impact guys down the road often flash as freshman and carve out a role (even if its in a fairly limited package) by the end of the season. After watching Moore's Under Amour practice clips and his performance in the game, I think he fits squarely in that category. Esp given our depth chart. Don't think I'm stepping too far out on a limb to predict he'll see 10+ meaningful snaps per game as a pass rushing specialist by midseason.
January 3rd, 2022 at 8:29 PM ^
Why don’t they have Alan Bowman?
“Bowman announced his decision to enter the portal in late January, stating that he is a graduate transfer with three years of eligibility remaining.”
January 3rd, 2022 at 8:41 PM ^
Is this referring to the no clear backup? I (maybe erroneously) assumed that Bowman was likely to look for an opportunity to start.
January 3rd, 2022 at 8:46 PM ^
Yeah, sorry.
Your post is by no means the first in which I’ve seen speculation he was gone, seemingly the presumption that he only had 1 year of eligibility remaining.
That quote I posted was from the Freep write up of his transfer. Looking at his 24/7 profile, he was in the class of 2018. So if he redshirted one year at Texas Tech, plus last year “not counting” he should still have two more years if he wanted to stick around.
If he stays, there’s the proven and experienced backup. He’s not as good as McNamara, but it’s a much better position to be in should McCarthy start and McNamara transfer than Denegal or Orji as the scholarship backups.
Though nothing preventing another transfer portal acquisition.
January 3rd, 2022 at 8:52 PM ^
It seems challenging to entice a transfer to what is likely two years at backup, since most seem to transfer for the opportunity to start.
January 3rd, 2022 at 11:22 PM ^
But if he's going to be a backup anyway (these are the guys looking to transfer), why not be a back up at Michigan? You'll get a lot of time in blowouts. And with a dual threat starter, decent chance of seeing the field in the event of an injury. Only 130 or whatever QBs can be starters.
The guys looking to transfer are often former starters that lost their job (Rudock, O'Korn, Bowman, etc). Only Rudock out of those three had a likely path to starting. The rest were content to transfer to Michigan to likely be a backup.
January 4th, 2022 at 8:30 AM ^
You don’t think that O’Korn and Bowman both came to Michigan thought they had a real chance to start? In 2016, o’Korn had more startling experience than anyone in the room. Similarly in 2021, Bowman had more experience than anyone in the room.
January 3rd, 2022 at 8:59 PM ^
Another thing I loved about this new staff was how many Freshman saw the field this season. I'm still not sure why Andrel Anthony didn't produce much after the MSU game, but really expect to see many of these '22 Freshman contribute one way or another.
January 4th, 2022 at 4:47 AM ^
I don't think that's a new staff mentality. How much does Andrel see the field if Bell never gets hurt? Edwards was basically only playing in garbage time before Corum got hurt.
January 4th, 2022 at 2:21 PM ^
Same here. I guess you have to trust what the coaches were seeing in practice, but on game days, I thjought that Baldwin's hands, separation, and blocking were all pretty iffy. Not sure why Anthony didn't take all of his minutes.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:13 PM ^
If the loser of the McNamara/McCarthy battle transfers, we have no clear #2 QB.
They will and we'll need to develop one...Villari? Maybe need to use the portal again to find a backup with some experience.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:29 PM ^
If Cade wins, and jj leaves, that's a big stain on us. Inability to develop elite talent is a bad stigma. I don't think it happens, but since you have the scenario, ugh
*ducks*
January 4th, 2022 at 10:15 AM ^
If McNamara wins the starting job next year it means McCarthy still isn't ready. That makes me more worried McCarthy will never pan out than worried about him transferring.
I hope the coaches can juggle the competition between the two enough to keep both here next year.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:42 PM ^
Is Bowman returning? I’m unsure of his eligibility. Just trying to figure out QB depth.
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:48 PM ^
I agree with the earlier comment that, despite his immense talent, Mr. LA football Mason Graham will have a hard time as a freshman getting into the two-deep at a position like defensive interior lineman.
For that reason, I think the surprise freshman in the two deep will be Colston Loveland. Yes, we really don't know what to expect from a kid that played in an inferior league and often was quarterbacking/bootlegging but his highlights suggest he has the combination of speed and size that Michigan loves to get on the field early at the Tight End position.
[Edit: Guess Loveland is not that big of a surprise...after finally reading the article....I see Coach says he basically will play early.]
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:02 PM ^
If Cade transfers, we do have a clear #2, it’s Dan Villari. Not to be negative but neither Denegal nor Orji will ever see a meaningful snap at Michigan, sounds harsh, but it’s the absolute truth. We will need to have a significant QB piece in 23 and likely 24 or as well because the WB depth isn’t looking great given an injury.
January 3rd, 2022 at 11:03 PM ^
Orji is basically a Chris Relf clone. Dude could absolutely play some meaningful snaps at Michigan and I hope they design a read option package for him if we continue to turn the starting QB run run game off.
January 3rd, 2022 at 11:05 PM ^
Orji. If he doesn’t work out at QB he will move positions. He’ll eventually be on the field.
January 4th, 2022 at 3:58 AM ^
Villari is unplayable.
January 4th, 2022 at 8:42 AM ^
Villari is not a clear #2. He’s basically a wildcat QB that saw time in garbage time because of his ability to run the ball. He’s not a viable option to actually play QB.
Assuming Denegal and Orji won’t ever see a snap is pure speculation. You’re basing that on absolutely nothing and just throwing shit at the wall in hopes that is sticks.
January 4th, 2022 at 12:08 PM ^
Yeah, that must be it. A true freshman coming in isn’t playing over the #3 or #4 guys on last years roster unless they are very talented. Assuming we get a big QB in ‘23, that puts both of them further behind. Just throwing shit at the wall, I guess. Good one, bud.
January 4th, 2022 at 2:49 PM ^
The #3 guy last year was ranked #1225 in the composite, with his next best offer being Buffalo or UMass. The coaching staff let him attempt a whopping 3 passes (only one of which was completed) because he’s not a good arm. Both Denegal and Orji are more promising prospects than either Villari or Bowman, and Orji has the potential to play multiple positions.
so yes, throwing shit at the wall bud.
January 4th, 2022 at 10:09 AM ^
What a terrible take. Villari was 4th string and came in almost strictly to run (in his couple of garbage time snaps) for a reason. Orji and Denegal are both significantly higher rated than he was coming in, and to say neither will ever see a snap is just about as dumb as saying Villari would be the clear #2.
January 4th, 2022 at 2:33 AM ^
I know i've already said this twice, but there should not be a QB battle.
Harbaugh has to tell Cade, that it's JJ's team.
JJ needs the #1 reps and we need to develop a #2.
This year was the competition.
JJ is our guy.
Not even close.
January 4th, 2022 at 2:44 AM ^
So JJ shouldn’t earn the job? It should be handed to him? This is not how a meritocracy is supposed to work
January 4th, 2022 at 10:34 AM ^
JJ has already earned the job.
If you can't see that by now, hang up your clipboard.
What are another 15 practices going to prove?
Is Cade going to grow 4 inches, fix his delivery, get faster and more accurate?
The talent levels are not close.
January 4th, 2022 at 8:18 AM ^
well, we can only hope coach Harbaugh is reading this.... I'm sure he'll take your word for it, over his decades of experience as a player and coach.
January 4th, 2022 at 9:09 AM ^
Why don't you just let them settle it on the practice field, huh?
If a coach tells his current starter, nine months before the next season even starts, that the job is just going to another guy and he's not even going to get a chance to fight for the job, that says a lot of terrible, really bad things about Michigan's culture.
With Harbaugh being the competitor he is, I have no doubt he's going to give both McNamara and McCarthy equal opportunities to assert themselves. McCarthy does have a higher ceiling, but that does not mean he doesn't still have to earn the right to start. Just like McNamara has to earn the right to keep the job.
January 4th, 2022 at 11:04 AM ^
Because it's already been settled on the PLAYING field.
January 4th, 2022 at 8:57 AM ^
Ugh...again. Another poster saying it will be hard to break into the WR room implying that we have a wealth of talent at that position. We dont. We haven't been dominant in that position in a very long time. I hope the new talent comes in and changes that, and perhaps if JJ wins the QB battle, the offense will sling it around more because of his arm talent, but....that group has alot of work to do.
OL/RB has been excellent
QB play has been decent
WR play has been....Meh
BTW...Ronnie Bell alone doesn't fix that. He looked electric against WMU. Western went 4-4 in the MAC and got waxed by Ball State.
January 4th, 2022 at 10:57 AM ^
The receiver room is LOADED.
January 4th, 2022 at 12:29 PM ^
We don't have a single guy that has proven he can consistently get 100 yards or even 80 for that matter against any opponent we play. We have no idea what how Bell will come back after injury he could be great or he could really struggle. Everyone points out the ACL success stories but there's lots of ACL busts stories. Every injury is different. We are projecting that one of Anthony, CJ, or Wilson will bust out and be more consistent but we haven't seen it yet. So we have a lot of returning depth but we need 2+ players to really improve to have an elite passing attack. Fingers crossed for sure on that one.
January 4th, 2022 at 1:54 PM ^
All we have to do is open up the offense...
The talent is more than adequete.
January 4th, 2022 at 2:47 PM ^
We were successful this year BECAUSE Gattis worked with the talent that we had. Below average receiving corps, with their best one going down in the first game. Good run blocking OL with our backs.....Pound the rock. It will be the same next year if that group doesn't improve.