Recruit Tracker: 2024 RB Jordan Marshall

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29Aug 2023
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Recruit Tracker: 2024 RB Jordan Marshall

Jordan Marshall

September 8, 2023: Marshall ran 35 times for 167 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 35-34 loss to Greenwood (IN) Center Grove.
Season totals: 73 caries, 502 yards, and 7 touchdowns, plus 7 catches for 81 yards and 3 touchdown

September 1, 2023: Marshall ran 15 times for 113 yards and caught 1 pass for a 23-yard touchdown in a 38-28 loss to Cincinnati (OH) East Central.
Season totals: 38 carries for 335 yards and 4 touchdowns, plus 7 catches for 81 yards and 3 touchdowns

August 28, 2023: Marshall ran 4 times for 102 yards and 1 touchdown, a 75-yarder on the first play, in a 57-0 victory over Bishop Dwenger. He also caught 2 passes for 13 yards and 1 touchdown. Archbishop Moeller is 1-1.
Season totals: 23 carries for 222 yards and 4 touchdowns, plus 6 catches for 58 yards and 2 touchdowns

August 21, 2023: Marshall ran 19 times for 120 yards and 3 touchdowns, and he caught 4 passes for 45 yards and 1 score, in a 49-28 loss to Indianapolis (IN) Ben Davis. Moeller is 0-1.

29Aug 2023
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2023 Season Countdown: #6 Blake Corum

Blake Corum

Name: Blake Corum
Height: 
5’8″
Weight: 
213 lbs.
High school: 
Baltimore (MD) St. Frances
Position: 
Running back
Class: 
Senior
Jersey number: 
#2
Last year: 
I ranked Corum #3 and said he would be a starting running back with 200 carries for 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns (LINK). He ran 247 times for 1,463 yards and 18 touchdowns, adding 11 catches for 80 yards and 1 touchdown.
TTB Rating:
 83

Corum had an outstanding season in 2022 and was a legitimate Heisman contender going into the home stretch. After a light load in the first few games against cupcakes (12 carries, 71 yards, and 5 TDs vs. UConn alone), he rang up a string of eight 100+ yard games, culminating with 18 carries for 108 yards against Illinois through less than two quarters . . . plus a knee injury. Along the way, he racked up 30, 29, 25, 28, 33, 20, and 28 carries during that stretch, and he was on pace for 36+ carries against the Illini before he was hurt.

After looking lightning fast in 2021, Corum put on some weight and seemed to lose some of that burst, but the burst turned into strength and agility. He made some ridiculous cuts and was very reliable on short yardage. He ran for a career-high 243 yards against Maryland, torched Penn State for 166 yards, and destroyed Michigan State with 177 yards on the ground. It was one of the best stretches of running we have seen from a Michigan back.

This season I’m moving Corum down a little bit because of that roster makeup. First and foremost, we now know that Donovan Edwards is a suitable replacement for Corum and maybe even offers more in the passing game. Second, Michigan now has a larger array of backup running backs. Whereas in 2022 it was either Corum or Edwards or . . . yikes, now the team has Kalel Mullings looking like the #3 running back, along with a seemingly tight battle between C.J. Stokes and Benjamin Hall to be the next guy on the field. Last year’s Illinois game saw a freshman Stokes and walk-on Isaiah Gash (now medically retired) in the game at key points, and it was a nail-biter of a game. This doesn’t diminish Corum’s greatness, but it does soften the blow if he’s unavailable again. I also think Michigan will rely on him a little less in order to keep him fresh through the end of the year. The days of 30 carries just for fun are probably over, and perhaps that type of workload will only occur if Michigan really needs him in a tight game.

Prediction: Starting running back; 220 carries for 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns

28Aug 2023
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2023 Season Countdown: #7 Roman Wilson

Roman Wilson (image via MGoBlue)

Name: Roman Wilson
Height: 
6’0″
Weight: 
192 lbs.
High school: 
Honolulu (HI) St. Louis
Position: 
Wide receiver
Class: 
Senior
Jersey number: 
#1
Last year: 
I ranked Wilson #24 and said he would be a part-time starting wide receiver with 30 catches for 450 yards and 4 touchdowns (LINK). He started four games and caught 25 passes for 376 yards and 4 touchdowns, and he ran 2 times for 39 yards and 2 touchdowns.
TTB Rating:
 78

For the second consecutive year, Wilson made 25 catches in a season. Also for the second consecutive year, he struggled a little bit with nagging injuries that limited his availability and his effectiveness. But when he was available, he showed pretty consistently what his speed could do. With strong-armed quarterback J.J. McCarthy at the helm, Wilson found himself open deep time and time again. Unfortunately, McCarthy’s arm was a little erratic early in the year, so some of the wide-open deep shots ended in frustration. Still, Wilson took a screen 61 yards to the house against Colorado State, he went for 104 yards against TCU, and in between he was keeping defenses honest by occasionally popping open deep to scare people. He also grabbed two carries on the year, turning them into 21- and 18-yard touchdowns on end arounds.

Wilson’s speed is unmatched by the other receivers who have been getting on the field. (Word is that Eamonn Dennis is the fastest receiver, but he has only really played on special teams.) When a team can run the ball like Michigan can, an effective deep target can be a huge weapon. A lot depends on whether McCarthy can perform in 2023 like he did late in 2022. The play action game could be huge for getting Wilson to pop open deep, and on the flip side, if he makes some big plays early in the year, teams are going to have to start respecting that and possibly committing less to stopping the run. Even though I think Cornelius Johnson will lead the team in receptions, Wilson is the guy whose speed could make this offense take the next step in the passing game. Perhaps he and the coaches think so, too, which might be why Wilson will wear #1 this year instead of #14.

Prediction: Starting wide receiver; 38 receptions for 650 yards and 8 touchdowns

28Aug 2023
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2023 Season Countdown: #8 Kris Jenkins, Jr.

Kris Jenkins, Jr.

Name: Kris Jenkins, Jr.
Height: 
6’3″
Weight: 
305 lbs.
High school: 
Olney (MD) Our Lady of Good Counsel
Position: 
Defensive tackle
Class: 
Redshirt junior
Jersey number: 
#94
Last year: 
I ranked Jenkins #18 and said he would be a starting defensive tackle with 35 tackles and 2 sacks (LINK). He made 54 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 2 quarterback hurries.
TTB Rating:
 77

If there’s anyone who seems to follow right in his dad’s footsteps – after all the legacies Michigan has seen – it appears to be Jenkins. Jenkins, whose dad and Uncle Cullen played defensive tackle in the NFL for a long time, has grown immensely over the past two years, putting on 20 pounds in each of the past two off-seasons. Last year’s 20-pound jump put him at 285, which is feasible defensive tackle size. He proceeded to blow up a bunch of run plays, get after the passer a little bit, and put himself on the Honorable Mention All-Big Ten team. He was named Michigan’s Defensive Player of the Week five times (including sharing the honor against Illinois in week eleven).

You could make an argument to place Jenkins higher in the countdown, but I think Michigan’s defensive tackle depth is solid, especially in the two-deep with Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, and Rayshaun Benny. Throw in grad student Cam Goode and that’s a solid fivesome, which doesn’t include redshirt sophomore Ike Iwunnah or any of this year’s freshmen. Jenkins is Michigan’s top entry in Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List” for this year, and in some of the workout videos produced by the @umichfootball Twitter account, he looks jacked and supremely confident. I think it’s going to be a fun season of seeing him consistently in opposing backfields.

Prediction: Starting defensive tackle; 50 tackles, 4 sacks

28Aug 2023
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Ex-Wolverine Commit Updates: Pre-season 2023

Raylen Wilson (image via Dawg Watch)

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FORMER COMMITS

DE Collins Acheampong (Miami): Acheampong is listed as a 6’7″, 270 lb. freshman defensive end for the Hurricanes.

LB Aaron Alexander (Michigan State): Alexander is a 6’1″, 225 lb. linebacker for the Spartans after transferring from UMass.

WR Markus Allen (N/A): Allen entered the transfer portal from Wisconsin, went back to Wisconsin, and then entered the portal again this summer.

Hit the jump for more.

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