Posts under: Blog

2019 Season Countdown: #29 Andrew Stueber

Thanks to Michael for the generous Paypal donation this morning!

Name: Andrew Stueber
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 334 lbs.
High school: Darien (CT) Darien
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #71
Last year: I ranked Stueber #52 and said he would be a backup offensive tackle (LINK). He played in all thirteen games and started two at right tackle.
TTB Rating: 82

Stueber had a solid redshirt freshman season for a guy who didn’t get a ton of recruiting attention coming out of high school. He was mostly a special teams guy and backup. It’s easy to play special teams on the field goal unit when you weight 330 pounds or so. But he ascended to the starting right tackle job late in the year after Juwann Bushell-Beatty’s injury, and Michigan didn’t really seem to miss a beat. (Bushell-Beatty skipped the bowl game to prepare for the NFL, which didn’t help him much, but that’s a complaint for another time.)

Michigan is in a pretty good situation, in my opinion, if Stueber is the backup offensive tackle. Or even if he’s the starter. I liked what I saw out of him last year in the run game, and while his pass protection is a little shaky from a technique standpoint, he has the size and strength that will prevent him from getting bull rushed back into the quarterback. He might get beat by speed rushers, but those guys are usually on the offense’s left side. Right now I think Stueber will be the Wolverines’ starting right tackle, but overall, this is Michigan’s deepest and most talented offensive line since at least the early 2000s.

Prediction: Starting right tackle

Morning Roundup: August 3, 2019

Stewart Mandel badmouths Michigan some more (LINK).

Dan Brugler named Sean McKeon his #19 senior tight end and Nick Eubanks his #9 underclassman tight end, FWIW (LINK).

Denard Robinson is now an offensive analyst and special teams assistant at Jacksonville University (LINK).

Nicole Auerbach takes a look at declining NCAA football game attendance (LINK).

It shouldn't be a surprise that these teams are at the top of national polls and recruiting rankings… ? pic.twitter.com/LoBNtAOJpH

— 247Sports (@247Sports) August 2, 2019

2019 Season Countdown: #30 Jalen Mayfield

Thank you to Ken and Eric for the Paypal donations yesterday!

Name: Jalen Mayfield
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 296 lbs.
High school: Grand Rapids (MI) Catholic Central
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #73
Last year: I ranked Mayfield #78 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in three games.
TTB Rating: 87

Mayfield had an outside shot to win an offensive tackle position in 2018. Michigan made a somewhat surprising personnel decision when they moved offensive guard Jon Runyan, Jr. to left tackle, and that move stuck. Mayfield played in three games as a backup, but he was not needed in a major role and preserved his redshirt.

This off-season there has been additional hype about Mayfield. Jim Harbaugh himself has discussed how much he likes Mayfield’s athleticism. Will that translate to winning the tackle position vacated by Juwann Bushell-Beatty? That has yet to be seen. Andrew Stueber was the guy who stepped in for Bushell-Beatty at the end of 2018, so I give Stueber a slight edge. This might end up like the 2017 season when Nolan Ulizio started a few games before giving way to Bushell-Beatty, but on the plus side for Michigan’s future, I think both Stueber and Mayfield are better than both Ulizio (who is now at Pitt) and Bushell-Beatty (who is not in the NFL). I think Mayfield will be the guy who steps in at either tackle position if either Runyan or Stueber gets injured, but he could very well win the right tackle job.

Prediction: Backup offensive tackle

Braylon Edwards: Doing It My Way

Everyone’s favorite Michigan wide receiver to hate is releasing an autobiography. You can pre-order it on Amazon (LINK):

??Excited to announce my autobiography, Braylon Edwards: Doing It My Way, is out for pre-order and will officially be released in September. This book was my opportunity to tell my story; uncut, unfiltered and no holding back. The highs and lows, Michigan and Pros, take a look pic.twitter.com/9OQv9gtVXw

— Braylon Edwards (@OfficialBraylon) July 31, 2019

2019 Season Countdown: #31 Nick Eubanks

Thank you to Jesse and Thomas for the generous Paypal donations!

Name: Nick Eubanks
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 252 lbs.
High school: Plantation (FL) American Heritage
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #82
Last year: I ranked Eubanks #54 and said he would be a backup tight end (LINK). He started four games and made 8 catches for 157 yards and 1 touchdown.
TTB Rating: 44

Going into his redshirt sophomore year, Eubanks looked destined to be the third tight end in an offense that might be de-emphasizing the tight end position altogether. With a new, more spread-oriented quarterback, along with the return of a third talented receiver (Tarik Black), it made sense to put more receivers on the field and lessen the reliance on multiple tight end sets.

A funny thing happened with the #3 tight end, though: He became the big-play guy.

Hit the jump for more.