Posts by: Thunder

2023 Season Countdown: #83 Dominick Giudice

Name: Dominick Giudice
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 290 lbs.
High school: Freehold (NJ) Mater Dei
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #56
Last year: I ranked Giudice #85 and said he would be a backup defensive tackle (LINK). He played in three games.
TTB Rating: 58

Giudice is one of the biggest wild cards on Michigan’s roster. Recruited as a defensive lineman, he spent 2021 there and then moved to the offensive line a couple games into the 2022 season. Oddly, he played defensive line in the season opener on September 3 against Hawaii . . . and then by September 17, he was playing offensive guard against UConn. It’s not often that a player plays on the other side of the ball a week or two after switching.

Now Giudice is playing offensive guard, and I just don’t see where he fits in any kind of rotation. Michigan basically has two units with starting capabilities, and there’s a battle behind that group to be third-stringers. Giudice is part of that battle. He did play on the line on the PAT unit, so he will probably see the field in some capacity. But how valuable is he to the 2023 team? Perhaps 2024 will be a more meaningful year for him after several starters or starting-caliber players depart.

Prediction: Backup offensive guard

2024 Defensive Recruiting Update: July 10, 2023

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COMMITMENTS

Belleville (MI) Belleville linebacker Jeremiah Beasley committed to Michigan (LINK).

Deerfield Beach (FL) Deerfield Beach defensive end Elias Rudolph committed to Michigan (LINK).

OFF THE BOARD

Hit the jump for more.

2023 Season Countdown: #84 Leon Franklin

Name: Leon Franklin
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 200 lbs.
High school: Southfield (MI) A&T
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #40
Last year: I ranked Franklin #70 and said he would be a backup running back (LINK). He ran 4 times for 9 yards and caught 1 pass for a 20-yard touchdown.
TTB Rating: N/A

Franklin, a walk-on back, got a few opportunities again in 2022 during blowout situations to touch the ball, along with playing special teams in several games. His season was highlighted by the UConn game, where he caught a dump-off from a scrambling Alan Bowman and toted it in for a 20-yard touchdown. But his touches came behind other backups, like C.J. Stokes and Tavierre Dunlap.

I expect Franklin to move down the depth chart in 2023 with the arrival of Benjamin Hall and Cole Cabana. Michigan did not lose any running backs in the off-season to the NFL, graduation, or transfer, and both Hall and Cabana arrive fresh out of high school. Hall had an impressive spring game, and Cabana is a speedster who enrolled early but missed time in the spring due to injury. The coaching staff needs to develop one or two guys for 2024 after Blake Corum and possibly Donovan Edwards have left for the NFL, and the fifth-year senior Franklin won’t be in the mix. So while Franklin should still play on special teams and maybe get a couple touches, I think Hall and/or Cabana will make more meaningful contributions.

Prediction: Backup running back and special teamer

2024 Offensive Recruiting Update: July 9, 2023

The month of July is apparently a terrible time to miss a week of recruiting updates for the current class, because over 40 Michigan targets pledged to schools over the past two weeks. To break it up a little bit, I parceled the news into two separate posts: today’s offensive recruiting update and a defensive update coming tomorrow morning.

OFF THE BOARD

Hit the jump for more.

2023 Season Countdown: #85 Semaj Bridgeman

Name: Semaj Bridgeman
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Bridgeman was a senior in high school. He made 27 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 3 recovered fumbles (1 returned for a TD).
TTB Rating: N/A

Bridgeman is a thumping middle linebacker prospect who committed to Michigan just over a year ago, on July 1, 2022. He ended up ranked as a 4-star, the #26 linebacker, and #301 overall in the 247 Composite rankings. In many years we might be talking about him as an early contributor, but with the way things have played out at linebacker, he might be in line for a redshirt.

Bridgeman was not entirely happy when linebackers coach George Helow was replaced by Chris Partridge, and perhaps for good reason. Not only was Helow the guy who recruited Bridgeman, but Partridge has seemed to show in the 2024 class that he likes guys who can run, and Bridgeman doesn’t really fit that profile. Though he’s not slow, speed and quickness are not his strong suits. Elsewhere on the team, Michigan returns Junior Colson and Michael Barrett – both of whom have a lot of starting experience – and have added Nebraska’s Ernest Hausmann, not to mention the up-and-coming Jimmy Rolder, who played quite a bit as a freshman last season. That’s a pretty solid group of four linebackers to take most of the snaps this season, so breaking into any kind of meaningful rotation would require a couple of injuries. Bridgeman is probably headed for a redshirt, but 2024 could be a big year with Barrett gone and possibly Colson off to the NFL after his junior year.

Prediction: Redshirt