Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Visitors: March 29-31, 2024

 

Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei RB Jordon Davison (image via John Bowers)

2025

Spencer Beckeman - OT - Rochester (MI) Stoney Creek: Beckeman is a 6'6", 280 lb. prospect with offers from a handful of MAC and Ivy League teams.

Michael Carroll - OT - Doylestown (PA) Central Bucks East: Carroll is a 6'5", 290-pounder with offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Penn State, Texas, and USC, among others. He's a 4-star, the #15 offensive tackle, and #243 overall.

Jordon Davison - RB - Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei: Davison is a 5'11", 203 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Texas, USC, and lots of others. He's a 4-star, the #7 running back, and #83 overall. New running backs coach Tony Alford was recruiting him to Ohio State and now is trying to pull him in for the Wolverines.

Hit the jump for more.

Monday, March 25, 2024

Karmello English, Ex-Wolverine

 

Karmello English

Rising sophomore wide receiver Karmello English is no longer a part of Michigan's football program and is headed to the transfer portal. English played in six games last season. He caught 1 pass for a 4-yard touchdown and returned 1 punt for 8 yards.

English was a 4-star, the #26 wide receiver, and #189 overall in the class of 2023. I gave him a TTB Rating of 82 (LINK).

English was the highest rated of Michigan's three wide receivers in 2023 (four if you include QB-turned-WR Kendrick Bell), but he was very clearly the lowest on the depth chart (except for Bell). Fellow freshman Semaj Morgan became a key component of the offense down the stretch, and classmate Frederick Moore played quite a bit as well. Meanwhile, English played in just six games, none of them after October. Perhaps the depth chart was an issue, and perhaps English just wants to play closer to home.

Michigan lost two receivers to the NFL this off-season (Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson) and isn't bringing in any game-ready prospects in 2024, so I assume the Wolverines will be in the market for a receiver or two via the transfer portal. Channing Goodwin and I'Marion Stewart are both solid prospects, but neither one is expected to be an immediate star. While Tyler Morris and Morgan have both shown promise, the receiving corps is made up of mostly small wideouts who are short and intermediate targets, but the downfield speed and size are somewhat lacking with this roster.

English is the second member of the 2023 class to depart, following cornerback Cam Calhoun, who transferred to Utah.

2025 Recruiting Update: March 24, 2024

 

Quitman (MS) Quitman RB Akylin Dear (image via 247 Sports)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2025

Vero Beach (FL) Vero Beach linebacker Tarvos "T.J." Alford (4-star, #8 LB, #63 overall) was offered by Michigan. Florida State, Miami, and Ohio State are all in line to get official visits, and his lone crystal ball pick is in favor of the home state Florida Gators. But Brian Jean-Mary extended an offer for Michigan shortly after being hired, and with the new rule that players can take as many officials as they want, there's still plenty of room for Michigan to make a move. Alford is planning to announce his decision on March 30, but all three of his scheduled officials are for after that date.

Quitman (MS) Quitman running back Akylin Dear (4-star, #2 RB, #32 overall) was offered by brand new running backs coach Tony Alford, who had been recruiting Dear to Ohio State. He's a 6'1", 200 lb. back with offers from virtually every big-time program across the country, including Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, and Texas. He also holds offers from the two in-state schools in Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

Loxahatchee (FL) Seminole Ridge linebacker Ty Jackson (4-star, #15 LB, #105 overall) was offered by Michigan. Another Jean-Mary attempt, Jackson also has offers from Florida State, Georgia, Penn State, and Tennessee, among others; FSU, PSU, and UT are all supposed to get officials. Jackson has totaled 378 tackles in his three-year varsity career, along with 15 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and 4 interceptions.

Hit the jump for more.

Saturday, March 23, 2024

2024 Spring Football Preview: Linebacker

 

Jaishawn Barham

2023 Starters: MLB Junior Colson, WLB Michael Barrett
Losses: Colson (NFL), Barrett (NFL)
Returning players: Jaydon Hood (RS Jr.), Ernest Hausmann (Jr.), Micah Pollard (Jr.), Jimmy Rolder (RS So.), Semaj Bridgeman (RS Fr.), Jason Hewlett (RS Fr.), Hayden Moore (RS Fr.)
Newcomers: Jaishawn Barham (Jr.), Jeremiah Beasley (Fr.), Cole Sullivan (Fr.)
Projected starters: MLB Barham, WLB Hausmann

With the prevalence of the nickel position, linebacker has been somewhat de-emphasized in recent years. A position group that used to play three guys is now primarily whittled down to two. Michigan had a very good two in 2023 in Junior Colson and Michael Barrett, but both are off to the NFL. Both have had very different paths, with Colson playing three years - two as a starter - and Barrett bouncing around between running back, slot receiver, Viper, and weakside linebacker.

Michigan will have two new starting faces at linebacker in 2024, and both of them are transfers who previously wore red. Barham is a two-year starter at Maryland whom the Wolverines poached this off-season. Hausmann started as a freshman at Nebraska in 2022 before joining the Wolverines in 2023, rotating heavily with Colson and Barrett as basically a third starter. So while both will be new starters at Michigan, they have three combined years of starting and another year of heavily involvement out of four college seasons. That's a ton of experience for two "new" starters and should help Michigan's defense succeed in 2024.

The backup situation is a little murkier, especially with a new defensive coordinator (Wink Martindale) and a new linebackers coach (Brian Jean-Mary). Jimmy Rolder got a lot of experience in 2022 before playing sparingly in 2023 in the hopes of preserving his redshirt, which was a successful endeavor. Rolder seems like the most likely guy to emerge as a rotational guy or primary backup in 2024. Meanwhile, Jaydon Hood is a fourth-year player who was recruited by Jean-Mary to Michigan out of high school; some suspected Hood would have left by now with no clear path to playing time, but he's still wearing a winged helmet.

Junior Micah Pollard has played a ton of special teams and some in a backup role, but the rest of the guys are total unknowns on the college level. Semaj Bridgeman, Jason Hewlett, and Hayden Moore all redshirted in 2023, and Michigan gets two early enrollees involved this spring with in-state product Jeremiah Beasley and Pennsylvanian Cole Sullivan. There are way too many players (10) in the linebacker room to support just two starting spots, so this is a position group that will certainly be thinned out by transfers within the next couple years. But for now, it will be interesting to see who could eventually step in, because both Barham and Hausmann could conceivably jump to the NFL with solid seasons in 2024.

Friday, March 22, 2024

Visitors: March 22-24, 2024

 

Indianapolis (IN) Warren Central DE Damien Shanklin (image via Hudl)

If you feel like supporting TTB, please use the Amazon links here (LINK):

2025

Andrew Babalola - OT - Overland Park (KS) Blue Valley Northwest: Babalola is a 6'6", 280 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, and Oregon, among others. He's a 5-star, the #5 offensive tackle, and #26 overall. The only official visit he has scheduled so far has been to Oklahoma.

JaDon Blair - S - Winston Salem (NC) Mount Tabor: Blair is a 6'4", 190-pounder with offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, South Carolina, and Virginia Tech, all of whom have scheduled official visits coming. Michigan's official is set for June 14. Blair is a 4-star, the #13 safety, and #143 overall.

Jamauri Brice - WR - Cartersville (GA) Cartersville: Brice is a 5'9", 180 lb. prospect with offers from Georgia, Michigan, and Oregon, among others. He's a 3-star, the #49 athlete, and #616 overall.

Hit the jump for more.

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Way Too Early 2024 Depth Chart: March 2024

 

Colston Loveland (image via MLive)

The following depth chart has removed these listed players from the depth chart:

  • RB C.J. Stokes (transfer to Charlotte)
  • WR Darrius Clemons (transfer to Oregon State)
  • WR Eamonn Dennis (transfer)
  • TE Matt Hibner (transfer)
  • DL Reece Atteberry (transfer)
  • LB Joey Velazquez (transfer to Ohio State)
  • CB Cam Calhoun (transfer to Utah)
  • CB Amorion Walker (transfer to Ole Miss)
  • S Keon Sabb (transfer to Alabama)

Also, I re-added QB Jack Tuttle and S Quinten Johnson, both of whom have come back to the program; Tuttle got a seventh year of eligibility, and Johnson pulled out of the NFL Draft.

It also assumes that every currently rostered player and every currently committed prospect will be here in the fall of 2024, which is obviously not true.

Hit the jump for the depth chart.

Monday, March 18, 2024

2024 Spring Football Preview: Defensive Line

 

Kenneth Grant (#78, image via Yahoo!)

2023 Starters: OLB Jaylen Harrell, DT Mason Graham, DT Kris Jenkins, DE Braiden McGregor
Losses: Reece Atteberry (transfer), Cam Goode (NFL), Harrell (NFL), McGregor (NFL)
Returning players: Josaiah Stewart (Sr.), Kechaun Bennett (RS Jr.), Rayshaun Benny (RS Jr.), T.J. Guy (RS Jr.), Ike Iwunnah (RS Jr.), Tyler McLaurin (RS Jr.), Graham (Jr.), Grant (Jr.), Derrick Moore (Jr.), Alessandro Lorenzetti (RS So.), Breeon Ishmail (So.), Cameron Brandt (So.), Roderick Pierce (So.), Brooks Bahr (RS Fr.), Enow Etta (RS Fr.), Aymeric Koumba (RS Fr.)
Newcomer: DE Dominic Nichols (Fr.)
Projected starters: OLB Stewart, DT Graham, DT Grant, DE Moore

Michigan had an excellent defensive line in 2023, and it might have been the best position group on the national championship squad. The biggest differential in the national championship game against Washington was Michigan's defensive line against the offensive line of the Huskies. Washington had a couple potential high draft picks in that group, and the Wolverines tossed them around like rag dolls.

Whereas Michigan had dynamic edge rushers in 2021 with David Ojabo and Aidan Hutchinson, the interior of the defensive line has been the strength the past two years. That should be the case once again in 2024, though I'm expecting a little more pass rush from the edge guys this season. Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant are entrenched as the starters at defensive tackle, and they should be the #1 defensive tackle combo in the nation. Grant is 6'3" and 340 pounds but is fast enough to chase down Penn State running backs from behind. Graham is 6'4", 310 and plays with both explosion and technique.

Michigan needs someone to emerge from the backup ranks, as starter Kris Jenkins, Jr. and frequently used backup Cam Goode have both moved on. Rayshaun Benny broke his foot late in the season, too, and will probably not be full strength until the fall. This spring look for Roderick Pierce to get some heavy rotation after playing a decent amount as the fourth nose tackle a year ago. Ike Iwunnah is a fourth-year player who has yet to see the field, so it's tough to see him breaking out at this point, and Alessandro Lorenzetti is another player with decent size (6'5", 301) who has yet to see the field. Michigan will either have to play one of those inexperienced older guys or give a shot to some young guys who really needed to bulk up from "strongside defensive end" vibes to playing tackle, such as Cameron Brandt or Brooks Bahr.

On the edges, Josaiah Stewart - who spent his first two seasons at Coastal Carolina - and Derrick Moore seem like very good bets to start. Stewart should step in capably for Harrell, and Moore should slide in smoothly for McGregor. They both rotated heavily last year and received a ton of playing time, and Stewart in particular showed a lot of growth throughout the year as he adjusted to playing in the Big Ten.

Once again, the big questions come from the backup ranks. Who will step up to rotate into the game frequently? And will anyone turn into an elite pass rusher? T.J. Guy is a fourth-year player with a good bit of experience, and he could be a solid backup option. He's probably not a game-changer at this point, so the guys fans really want to see are the likes of Breeon Ishmail and Enow Etta. Both had excellent potential coming out of high school, and Etta was a highly valued recruit who was absolutely dominant in high school (20+ sacks in each of his final two seasons) but played against inferior competition.

Aymeric Koumba is a second-year Frenchman, and Dominic Nichols is an early enrollee freshman. Both have potential but it seems a little early for them to make much of an impact.