Category: Football

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Wolverines in the NFL Draft

Round 1 

Jabrill Peppers 25th pick to Cleveland

Taco Charlton, 28th pick Dallas 

Round 3

Chris Wormley, Baltimore

Jourdan Louis, Dallas

Delano Hill, Seattle

Amara Darboh, Seattle

4th Round

Ben Gedeon, Minnesota

Ryan Glasgow, Cincinnati

Jehu Chesson, Kansas City

5th Round

Jake Butt, Denver

Round 6

Jeremy Clark, NY Jets

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M FOOTBALL 2017- SPRING GAME: A WORK IN PROGRESS PROGRESSING

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MAIZE v BLUE FINAL: Maize 31, Blue 29. test

With only four offensive starters returning this spring, and only one returnee on defense, there is obviously much work to be done before facing off with Florida’s talented Gators next fall.

QBs: I think we can all step back from the ledge a bit in knowing that the quarterback positon is in fine shape, in spite of the fact that Wilton Speight had a surprisingly tough outing in the spring game Saturday.

Facing stern pressure in the first quarter (from the first defense), and throughout the game, Wilton never had the benefit of the first offensive line as it was split. Brandon Peters had the advantage of a better OL line. Like last year early, Wilton did not seem in touch with his receivers. Wilton’s QB stock wilted some in the game, but he will fight back, and is still the best bet to be the season starter.

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His two interceptions hurt. One was on a magnificent play by Viper Jordan Glasgow, who cut in front of the receiver and hustled the football 101-yards for an outstanding pick six. Beautiful nab and run as Glasgow twice evaded closing pursuit. I interviewed him at length at last year’s media day, when he was totally unknown as an M football player, and was masked by the towering shadows of his bigger lineman brothers, Graham and Ryan. He may be smaller, but Ryan is missing a front tooth courtesy of Jordan. The Glasgow family football toughness and smarts are his too, even if in a smaller package. He will compete for time at the Viper position (hybrid LB, safety, and nickel position). Jordan now sports an enormous mane that his helmet can’t hide. It was fun watching that flow behind him as he ran warp speed for six.

The other Wilton pick six, was a nifty nab by Brandon Watson.

There is no question that Brandon Peters had the better day at QB Saturday. He was 9 of 17 for 160-yards. He tossed a 55-yarder to Zach Gentry for the game’s first TD. He also scooted diagonally into the end zone on a remarkable 12-yard TD run. His strong arm was evident whenever he was at the helm.

I don’t think he can unseat Wilton yet, but the battle is going to be fierce, and it might get close. Newcomer CB Benjamin St. Juste made an outstanding interception to give Peters his worst moment of an otherwise sterling performance.

All this competition is good for the most important position group on the team. Two good QBs are a must for success and the Wolverines will have them no matter which one starts. The offense amassed 6 TDs.

The other QBs will be pushed by John O’Korn. John tossed a pretty TD pass to Tarik Black late in the game. The offense amassed 6 TDs. They constantly tested the edge.

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OL: Of course it is tough to quantify the OL at this time. The number one line is no surprise. Cole, Bredeson, Kugler, Onwenu, and John Runyan, Jr. constituted the best line, the Maize line. The second will have some pieces of note to develop, like big Cesar Ruiz, and others. This position group will have many interchangeable parts, and will probably need them. But it is impossible to judge them as a unit at this time, though they seemed improved.

There were some individual key performances. A nice Bredeson block on Peters TD illustrates one of them. Cole played LT and Kugler manned the center position to start the game.

RECEIVERS: Fifteen different receivers played. The standout was Tarik Black who was active all afternoon and culminated his performance with a great TD catch near the end of the game. He is tall and a leaper. They kept going back to him. Freshman WR Nate Schoenle had two receptions totaling 58-yards.

RBs: Ty Isaac led the backs with 5 carries for 47-yards, and had a nifty 28-yard visit to the end zone. Karan Higdon had 2 TDs and a nice performance on the day. Kareem Walker looked good as he made a hard inside run breaking tackles. Walker was later dinged, left the field, but returned.

TE’s: Sean McKeon got some work, Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. made a catch. Ian Bunting was not afforded a catch. The position seemed to me to block well. As mentioned previously, TE Zach Gentry collared a 55-yard TD.  The position seemed to block well.

 LINEBACKER DEVIN BUSH STARS: Defensive coordinator Brown indicated postgame that Devin Bush was outstanding. Dr. Blitz indicated: “He’s a mature guy. And football’s important to him. He’s from a football family. It’s so nice when you have a nice guy and he can play in two different spots. You can ask some guys to do that, and they look at you like, Are you kidding me? But he handled that really, really well.”

Khaleke Hudson can play with the best of them at safety or LB.

Lone returnee McCray is solid. Brown also said they are still looking for a 4th LB and that it may be Michael Wroblewski.

DL: The starters are solid. Gary, Hurst , and Mone can be great players this season and I think the DL will be a solid base. I interviewed Rashan Gary (was among the post-game scrum listening to him post game) and I asked him his take on the looming visit to Rome. He is totally enthusiastic, all in, and thinks it will be a great experience. It is an experience not available to most football players.

This line could approach the effectiveness of last year’s. At least Rashan Gary thinks so, and he may be right.

DBs: Benjamin St. Juste, Ambry Thomas, Brandon Watson (Int) had their moments, and gained some experience. Safety Tyree Kinnel played a good game. He led the Maize with 7 tackles, and left some bruises. He hits. Khaleke Hudson was outstanding.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A couple of drops marred the special team’s performance. Nate Johnson dropped a fair catch, probably due to the glare of the sun. KO’s looked adequate, Tice kicked the extra points, and there was a ray of sunshine as Quinn Nordin hit a 48-yarder and made it look oh so easy. A 21-yard FG won the game for the Maize. Hitting of returners was not allowed.

NOTES: The Wolverines will complete their practices in Rome. This constitutes another innovative Harbaugh first. Coach Brown indicated post game that the purpose of the Spring football game is to identify personnel. It is not necessarily a valid evaluator of the worth of a team. Coach Harbaugh was not available at the post game presser, leaving the chore to Brown and Drevno. The quarters of the game were 12 minutes long. The crowd was estimated at 50,000 plus. It was a perfect April football day. At the half, the 2017 recruits were introduced. Jake Butt received the 2016 Mackey Trophy which recognizes the best tight end in the country.

TAKEAWAY: The Wolverines seem to have more athletic players at more positions than before. That advantage is tempered by lack of experience. Can they be coached up enough to win away from home, to battle Florida successfully in their tough season opener? As the work progresses we will get a better idea.

Go Blue!

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M FOOTBALL 2017-A PEEK AHEAD AT M FOOTBALL SHOWS A PEAK AHEAD. Part 2-Defense

DEFENSIVE LINE: I doubt there is a dedicated Wolverine fan on the planet that was not aware of the fact that the Wolverines enjoyed and employed one of the best defenses in the world of college football last season.  After all, as a defense, they stood Numero Uno in the nation at the close of the 2016 season.

They had great DL depth with the likes of Chris Wormley, Taco Charlton, and Ryan Glasgow. They had Matt Godin who developed later, but was extraordinary last year.  They had a football “phenom” in Jabril Peppers.

They will be missed as those listed above and others have moved on to prospective NFL careers, where many of them will prosper.

Walk on Nose Tackle Glasgow showed his worth when he was injured for a good part of a recent season.   The defense struggled at the nose without his talented play, and prospered at the position again last season with Ryan returned healthy at the nose.

Barring injuries, the heirs apparent that seem to lead in the competition for starting positions at this early point of the 2017 campaign, are Fifth year Senior DT Maurice Hurst, Redshirt Junior Bryan Mone, and DE Sophomore Rashan Gary.  These three will anchor a DL that could approach last year’s starting DL in effectiveness.

All three are versatile, talented athletes, and there are talented additions to the line on deck.  Don Brown is confident he can weld them into a cohesive and effective group.  He has publically stated that he is not afraid of the process with this group, that it is worse to have an experienced group that is less talented than the opposite.

All three named above have the experience, motor, physique, and football smarts, to lead the Wolverines to defensive line success.  While I take the reported timing of a super-fast big man run by Rashan with the proverbial grain of salt, there is no question he has extraordinary football gifts, including speed and motor skills. This year he will get sufficient snaps to showcase them.

The late recruitment of big DT Aubrey Solomon in the 2017 class will play an important part in prospective defensive line depth.  Newcomer Lulji Villian has the body and skills to be felt at the rush end position.  Freshman Deron Irving-Bey (6’5”, 271 lbs.) will also play an important part in the defensive line depth.  The depth of the DL, and defensive depth in general, are important aspects of any defense, but especially in a Don Brown defense. Also known as Dr. Blitz, Brown calls a hell for leather game, all out every play. He needs fresh players for a game as fast and rough as college football. He needs skilled back up heavies to spell the hardworking first line.

Perhaps as many as a thousand snaps for the defense per season can provide an ugly opportunity for key injuries every season.  It really is a next man up game.  There are already reports of some injuries, and missed snaps (none of them season ending that I know of).

While the first line will approach the class of last season’s quality, the needed depth must still be engineered.  At this point it appears they have the pieces to solve the quality puzzle, but developing youngsters takes time as they build experience.  The DL newcomers are prime time athletes, and they will have to learn and ripen quickly.  Chances are that under the tutelage of Brown, Mattison and Harbaugh they will succeed as a prime group overall, with some outstanding players, and play.

LINEBACKERS:  The linebackers need to be rebuilt again, but this time there will be more speed if less experience than last season.  An improving Fifth Year Senior Mike McCray is back.  He will be the man in the middle (Mike).  He returned an interception for a TD in the Orange Bowl, caused and recovered fumbles, as he improved over the season.

Some of the additional speed will belong to Devin Bush, Jr. (5’11”, 232 lbs.) His name keeps popping up favorably.  A large load will be layered on his young shoulders.  He could excel this season.  He did that on special teams this past season, making 12 tackles.  An experienced Redshirt Junior, Noah Furbush will compete. They need all the experience they can get to temper the loss of Jabrill Peppers, and Ben Gedeon.

Peppers talent can’t be duplicated but they can fill the “Viper” position (SAM) with talent sufficient to minimize the impact of the loss Peppers.  There may be interchangeable players at the position, perhaps situational. The Viper is a hybrid LB- Safety position.  Midway through the second week of practice Bush’s name was prominently connected with the Viper position. There will be others.

Sophomore Safety Khaleke Hudson has also been favorably been mentioned at Viper.

Sophomore Josh Metellus replaced Peppers in the Orange Bowl, and another one of the Glasgows, this time Jordan, walked on last season, and into consideration for playing time, by using good special teams play for initial notice.

In the wings are three Frosh of noted talent.  Drew Singleton, is super talented, and will compete.  Jordan Anthony is a five star recruit out of IMG.  Maybe he will press others for a slot.  Named last but not least is Josh Ross, brother of the graduated James.  All have sterling defensive credentials, and may compete early.

All in all, this group seems to have extraordinary talent and the desire for success.  As a position group they lack in depth and experience. With experience they will be faster to the edge etc., more athletic.  The future looks good, but good how soon will it look good is a realistic question?

DEFENSIVE BACKS:  Once you note that Jourdan Lewis, Channing Stribling, Delano Hill, and Dymonte Thomas are graduated and gone, the future seems shakier, and less predictable, for this position group.  Someone has to step up fast.

It seems likely that Junior Tyree Kinnel will step up. He played in 13 games last year at safety, and excelled defensively on special teams.

Much is expected from Sophomore Lavert Hill.  He will compete for one of the two starting CB positions. He played strongly in nine games last year. Can he grab a starting CB spot now?   It seems likely he has a strong chance for a hot  at a CB slot.

Sophomore David Long has healed from last season.  He played well in four games at CB, and needs to build his fortunes this spring.

Khaleke Hudson fortunes seem to be rising. He played at safety some last year, and keeps getting mentioned. He will likely be solid competition for a safety spot this spring.

The time is now for DB development.  If this safety position group reaches the season in crisis it will be a long one.  Outside of the OL, this position group constitutes the biggest area of concern on this team.

There is some prospective help in the wings. From Canada comes Frosh Benjamin St-Juste.  He is a tall cornerback at 6’3”. , and needs to add some weight. Talented yes, but how quick will he adjust the Wolverine’s game? He will have a chance to prove his case.

Freshman Ambry Thomas from MLK in Detroit enrolled in January.  He seems likely to compete for some playing time this year.  How much depends on what he can earn for a Wolverine position of need, but it seems he will be in the fray.

Another Safety prospect, Frosh J’Marick Woods, can lay the lumber at 6’3” and 205 lbs.  He may play a role this year at this position of great need.

DEFENSIVE PROSPECTUS:  It seems unlikely that the Wolverine’s team defense can reach the level of effectiveness that it reached last year, but I don’t think they will be a distant second to last year.  They should be good.  How good or bad only the season results can show.  After the opener at Florida, we will have real football facts to evaluate.  As usual, we certainly will not learn much from the spring results. What happens in the spring is not always what happens in the real world of actual football team competition, when the lights come on.

Only the season’s games reveal the depth of the team’s pluses and minuses, and enable answers to questions such as: Will the offense be robust enough to mask any early season short falls the defense might display this season?  To put this idea another way, will the offense consistently be able to run the ball better than last year against their better competition?

It is going to be a blast to tune in, and find out as time progresses, just how good this Wolverine work in progress can become.

Meanwhile a different kind of learning experience looms for the team as they blast off for Italy after April 15th for more football practices, and some genuine culture shock.  It should be a great college experience for the Wolverines.

Hope there is a large turnout for the spring “game”.  It’ll be fun!  After all it will be all Wolverines on the field.

Go Blue!

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M FOOT BALL 2017- A PEEK AHEAD AT THE WOLVERINES SHOWS A PEAK AHEAD FOR THE WOLVERINES-PART 1.

It is time to move ahead from last year’s disappointing season. With all its high points on and off the field, the season ended with a painful thud. Three critical losses late in the season again provided no run at the B1G playoff or title. This and no national final four or title, together with no bowl victory, put to rest optimistic M fan expectations as they evaporated at seasons end.

LAST SEASON’S WOES, FINAL CALL: No matter that the Wolverine three late season losses were close. The Ohio State University victory drought continued at the hands of the Wolverines yet again, in what appeared a very winnable chance. The fact that this one occurred in double overtime did not alter the fact that it produced another very big ouch. That there was a controversial spot favoring the OSU offense didn’t matter either. The Wolverines did not score or defend well enough to win with everything on the line in crunch time in their most important outing of the season.

Then there was the final game in the Orange Bowl that ended with a controversial FSU off-side non call, perhaps preventing one more M offensive stab at victory. The real bugaboo was the Wolverine gift of the winning TD with 40 seconds on the clock. At clock zero, it was 33-32 for the wrong side. Another big ouch.

The season’s early promise became a miasma as those earlier promising season expectations evaporated. The harmful loss to Iowa that started the skid was simply inexplicable.

It is now time to drop kick our attention forward and attempt to estimate and evaluate what might lie ahead in this, Coach Harbaugh’s critical third year at the Michigan helm. It is the most critical of his Michigan tenure.

GOALS: Any attempted probe into the state of the football program early pre-season is always of questionable value, because the basis for much of its prognosis is what happened the prior season. Any prediction of a team’s future football fortunes is even more “iffy” for those programs attempting a spring to the top of the heap.

It is still true the Wolverines have made many significant steps forward under Harbaugh, with very few compensating steps backward, as their trajectory has mainly been forward and upward and all signs point to a continuance and improvement of rising fortune through achievement of goals.

It is easy to state goals pro-season. The difficult part is for the team to achieve them. The fun for fans is in watching them being achieved.

A LITTLE DEEPER INTO THE HARBAUGH ERA: It does not require too big a leap of one’s imagination to expect program progress to continue at an accelerating rate. High among those expectations are the things still unachieved, such as shots at a BIG Championship, and the pot of golden rewards that lie at the end of a successful National Championship Playoff rainbow. You know what they are. The team knows what they are. Harbaugh has established a culture and motivation that is superior. But first things come first. A critical first goal this year is participating in the Big Ten Championship Game. No Wolverine team heretofore has won the privilege.

Competing for these goals is boilerplate every year, but in Harbaugh’s third year expectations will rise.

These are his players, his coaches. They are not as experienced as last year’s edition, but it there are a number of sophomores with athletic talent, and college ready bodies, expected to contribute immediately. Foremost among that group is DE Rashan Gary who leads the group. He will be a prime time player this year. There are at least nine others in his class that played enough last season to be considered experienced this year. WR Eddie McDoom is an example. They will be bolstered by another fine recruiting class this year.

This year’s class had eleven early entries, with WR Donovan Peoples-Jones projected as perhaps the best athlete in the 2017 class, and perhaps even on the team. He will probably receive significant playing time this year if he can best the considerable competition in the position group. Cesar Ruiz is an able bodied, versatile OL that may be able to contribute, even fight for a starting spot. Many of this class will contribute to the two deep. We will get clues as to their identity as spring practice unfolds.

The perceived success of Wolverines this 2017 season to a large extent also depends on success in chasing the rainbows listed above, but this year it is overwhelmingly important that they whip OSU. It has to be done. There will again be a vapor of Scarlet and Gray smugness in the air this fall that can’t be tolerated in M Stadium. That has to be overcome this year. Hmm….maybe that aroma is more pungent than a sniff of smugness!

They must beat all three “States”: MSU and PSU and especially OSU in addition to competing for championships this season.

This is an important season for both this team and its coach. It is important that they surpass last season, which trended so well but finally failed in achievement of their prime goals, and it will be a difficult one. The schedule is tough, but MSU and OSU are at home.

All the aura of success that Harbaugh is managing off field must be equaled on the field to maintain. They must win against the best, home or away to compete for championships. There is work still to be done, and it won’t be easy. But we should expect additional success in year three.

THE QUARTERBACK POSITION: The QB positon has to continue to evolve, especially pass accuracy, and a total mastery of the long ball. This will have to happen with a brand new set of receivers. The fact that Wilton Speight threw for 2,538-yards last season, with 18 TDs, and only 7 interceptions, can’t be ignored.

Still he has to win the job again, and depth must be developed. Obviously, Speight is the experienced frontrunner, but Wilton Speight, Redshirt Brandon Peters, Jon O’Korn, and others will battle for the starting slot, and give no quarter. The QBs that do not achieve starter status may be asked to step in at a critical time during the season, after any offensive snap. It is very important every year that they are well schooled and ready.

This is Harbaugh’s forte. No doubt they will be ready. More Pep has been added to the mix

COACHING CHANGES AND COACHING RESPONSIBILITY CHANGES: I like the coaching additions and responsibility alterations they have made. Pep Hamilton has been added to the staff as Jed Fisch left. The additions and alteration are:

Pep Hamilton: Pep brings a wealth of QB coaching experience from the pro level as well as college as he replaces Jedd Fisch. I expect he will be solid there. He is M’s new Assistant Head Coach /Passing Game Coordinator.

Greg Frey: He was last at Michigan as Rich Rodriguez’s OL coach. He has been named Tackles and Tight Ends Coach. Does his presence mean some change in the blocking style of the OL, and maybe a little more spread? I like the split in the coaching of the OL. It may give the overburdened Drevno a little respite.

Jay Harbaugh: is now the Run Game Coordinator and Co-Special Teams Co-ordinator. Former RB coach Tyrone Wheatley has returned to the pros. There are some slings and arrows directed at Jay because he has no playing experience as a running back. My physician does not share my illnesses, but I expect help to effectively address the situation effectively through training. Jay will do the job.

Tim Drevno: He remains Offensive Coordinator/OL coach. He will coach the center and the two guards.

To accomplish their goals any year, the Wolverines have obstacles to surmount, and rebuilding an effective offensive line is one of them. It appears this task is at the top of the heap this season. Improved pass protection and a consistent running game are both necessary to success.

THE OFFENSIVE LINE: This year the offensive and defensive lines are depleted. Experienced and versatile starters Sophomore Left Guard Ben Bredeson returns, as does Mason Cole. Right Guard may be manned by hefty and athletic Freshman Michael Onwenu (350 plus). It is possible that Freshman Cesar Ruiz vies for a spot on the in the two deep. Maybe can compete for a starting position. He has the physical tools. I doubt he will be at center because Mason Cole is experienced there. There is speculation Cole might vacate center. There will be a constant battle pre-season and maybe into the season as the search for the best five for the best five intensifies.

RUNNING BACKS: The style of the RBs will change with the graduation of the hammer that was DeVeon Smith at the position. It looks like the frontrunner at TB at this time is Sophomore Chris Evans. He gained 7-yards an attempt last season, and sometimes he is lightening in a bottle. Ty Isaac is back for his 5th year. He progressed last year and has size and talent. Junior Karan Higdon had six TDs last year and should be improved this year. Kingston Davis has transferred.

Kareem Walker will challenge for time. His light went on in the December Bowl practices. A healed Drake Johnson would be most interesting, but has not yet been cleared yet for a sixth year to the best of my knowledge.

Freshmen O’Maury Samuels is especially quick and Kurt Taylor. He had an outstanding junior year in HS (1,631-yards). At FB, Kahlid Hill will be back for his 5th year. He had 16 TDs last season. He can catch passes.

WIDE RECEIVERS: This is probably the most interesting position group on the team at this time. The oft injured and now recovered Drake Harris, and Maurice Ways have to find gold at the Last Chance Mine, or they will be passed by. They will be pressed by sophomore’s Eddie McDoom and Kekoa Crawford. McDoom is fast and Crawford is faster. They are both now fairly experienced. Eddy McDoom had considerable experience last season, producing effective end arounds etc. Truth to tell he was more effective on the ground than receiving as that was the way he was utilized. But he can shine as a receiver, too.

The 2017 recruits are an outstanding group, with Freshman Donovan Peoples-Jones considered by most to be hyper talented.

Tarik Black has star potential in this own right.

Brad Hawkins spent a year maturing in prep academy, where he put up outstanding receiving numbers. He is 6’2″ and 205 lbs. H

Martin and Collins also are gifted receivers.

If it turns out that the offensive line can effectively pass protect, I think that by the end of the season this wide receiver position group will be the strength of the offense.

Junior Grant Perry is missing a golden opportunity for football advancement by being in the doghouse for alleged transgressions after last season’s win in East Lansing. His football future remains in limbo. Hope he can work through it. The future looms exceedingly bright for this hyper talented group. Experience is coming their way to blend with their talent.

TIGHT ENDS: Redshirt Junior Ian Bunting will obviously get more opportunities for catches with the progression of Jake Butt to the pros. At 6’7″ and 250 lbs. Bunting is a talented load, along with stable mate Tyrone Wheatley. At 6’6″ and 276 lbs., Wheatley packs a punch, and owns good hands. I expect both these guys to explode this year.

And there is more. Sophomore Nick Eubanks, 6’5″ and 236, but will fight this spring for playing time.

The Wolverines did not land a TE recruit in 2017, but collared a talented 6′ 8″; 236 lb. walk on who has room to grow, Carter Selzer. After a pair of Glasgow walk on successes, and another one in progress, one not cannot help appreciating walk-ons. Besides Selzer, the Wolverines have a number of them this year. If one or more rises it will be noted.

Devin Asiasi, who saw extensive playing time last year as a freshman, has transferred to UCLA for personal reasons. He needs to be closer to home. There are no hard feelings on either side of this transfer.

Part 2 will present defensive comments later in the week.


Go Blue!