Posts under: Blog

2023 Season Countdown: #41 Ja’Den McBurrows

Please consider supporting TTB with a donation via Paypal (LINK):

Name: Ja’Den McBurrows
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 200 lbs.
High school: Fort Lauderdale (FL) Saint Thomas Aquinas
Position: Cornerback
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #1
Last year: I ranked McBurrows #51 and said he would be a backup cornerback (LINK). He did not play.
TTB Rating: 73

The year 2022 was probably one Ja’Den McBurrows wouldn’t mind forgetting, at least from a personal standpoint. He spent a good chunk of the year recovering from an injury, and then when he wasn’t injured, he was getting attacked by a bunch of idiot Michigan State players in the tunnel, along with Gemon Green. After playing four games in 2021, he didn’t see any action last year.

So this may be my biggest reach in the 2023 season countdown. It’s a player who has 2 tackles and 1 pass breakup in four career games, and now I have him at #41. What gives?

Well, the buzz for McBurrows has been steady for the past couple years. The coaching staff seems to like him, but health has been an issue. He was a turnover machine in high school, and hopefully he can continue some of that in college. Last year he was blocked by a pretty good trio of Gemon Green, Will Johnson, and D.J. Turner II, but Green and Turner are gone. Now he’s contending with Amorion Walker and UMass transfer Josh Wallace for a starting spot across from Johnson. McBurrows also has the skill set to play in the slot if something were to happen to Mike Sainristil. I don’t think McBurrows will win a starting spot, but he should be in the cornerback rotation.

Prediction: Backup cornerback

What I’ve Been Reading: Dopamine Nation

Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke. I’ve talked about this a little bit on Twitter – maybe not here so much – but the last year or so has been a gigantic struggle in my personal life. I won’t get into the details, but there have been some addiction issues and dramatic events with the people around me that have really taken a toll. (To be clear, I don’t have any addiction issues but have been caught up in the wash of others’.) I came across this book in a little bookstore on vacation, and the synopsis really hit home, so I bought it and took a lot of notes. Basically, Lembke is a therapist who talks about how to deal with various addictions – alcohol, drugs, food, adult media, sex, etc. – and what they do to our brains. There are some personal stories from her dealings with patients, but she also talks about ways she has dealt with problematic issues in her own life. Anyway, if you feel overwhelmed or know someone who feels overwhelmed by compulsive or addictive behavior, maybe give it a read.

I’m currently reading the following two books…

Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner. Zentner was recommended to me by an author friend. I’m only a few chapters in, but it’s about a couple girls who host a cheesy basic cable show about bad horror movies, but they’re coming of age and have to choose their next steps in life. The premise sounds lame, but Zentner is an excellent author. I previously read his In the Wild Light, which was awesome.

The Hot Seat: A Year of Outrage, Pride, and Occasional Games of College Football by Ben Mathis-Lilley. I always thought Mathis-Lilley was a Michigan grad, but it turns out he’s just a Michigan fan. Anyway, this book talks about college football coaches being on the proverbial “hot seat” where they’re at risk of losing their job. It has a large focus on Jim Harbaugh and his struggles to make Michigan fans happy because of not beating Ohio State in his first several years at the helm in Ann Arbor.

2023 Season Countdown: #42 Keon Sabb

Name: Keon Sabb
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 208 lbs.
High school: Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #3
Last year: I ranked Sabb #71 and said he would be a backup safety and special teamer (LINK). He played in four games.
TTB Rating: 84

Sabb maintained his redshirt last season after playing in just four games as a freshman. For better or worse, the one play that sticks out in my mind was when Hawaii running back Tylan Hines broke off a 54-yard touchdown late in the blowout and Sabb couldn’t catch him. Hines is pretty speedy and quick at 5’7″ and 175 lbs., so it’s not a total disappointment that the 6’1″, 200 lb. freshman Sabb couldn’t keep pace, but it was a reminder that one of Sabb’s limitations is his speed.

As for his strengths, Sabb is bigger and more physical than classmate Zeke Berry, which is why I rank Sabb slightly higher in the countdown. Both of them should get some seasoning in 2023, both on defense and on special teams. Sabb should back up Makari Paige at strong safety this year, and Paige may have a choice to make after the year about whether to stay for a fifth and final year or to make a run at the NFL. Either way, Sabb has a chance this upcoming season to make an impact and try to gain a foothold to potentially start in 2024.

Prediction: Backup safety and special teamer

2023 Season Countdown: #43 Zeke Berry

Name: Zeke Berry
Height: 5’11″
Weight: 192 lbs.
High school: Concord (CA) De La Salle
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #10
Last year: I ranked Berry #79 and said he would be a backup safety (LINK). He played in two games and made 1 tackle for loss.
TTB Rating: 82

Zeke Berry flipped from Arizona to Michigan in the 2022 class. An athletic safety prospect, he was a player who could have played corner or safety. It appears that Michigan settled on safety, at least for the time being, and he got a couple cracks at playing last season. Fortunately, Michigan had solid depth at the position, which allowed Berry to maintain his redshirt.

He will get a chance to contribute a little more in 2023. R.J. Moten transferred to Florida once it became apparent that he couldn’t put a stranglehold on a starting job, leaving Rod Moore and Makari Paige to start at safety. Other contenders to play this season include Quinton Johnson, Keon Sabb, and Berry. I think Berry is probably the most athletic of the three, but Johnson is more experienced and Sabb has the size advantage, while Berry is still pretty small at 5’11” and 192 lbs. (down from a listed 6’0″, 195 last year). Johnson should be gone after this season, and there’s some talk that Moore might leave for the NFL, so it will be important for the coaching staff to get some experience for Berry and Sabb, who should both have a great opportunity to play in 2024.

Prediction: Backup safety

2023 Season Countdown: #44 Jeffrey Persi

Name: Jeffrey Persi
Height: 6’8″
Weight: 320 lbs.
High school: Mission Viejo (CA) Junipero Serra
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #79
Last year: I ranked Persi #43 and said he would be a backup offensive tackle (LINK). He started one game at left tackle and played in all fourteen games.
TTB Rating: 82

Persi is a mammoth backup offensive tackle who would have already been starting on many past Michigan teams. The fact that he has only started one game through three seasons on campus is a testament to the depth that Michigan has built on the offensive line, not to mention the steady contributions of Ryan Hayes over the past few seasons. Persi was a backup and played on special teams, and he got a chance to start his first career game against Rutgers last season when Hayes was hurt.

I recently posted about Myles Hinton (LINK) and it was a toss-up between the two regarding whom to rank higher. I think Hinton has more upside, but there are some things to clean up from his time at Stanford. Meanwhile, Persi still looked in the spring like he has some filling out to do. And when you’re 6’8″, there’s just a lot of physical maturation that needs to take place. He seems like a guy who should probably be playing close to 330 lbs., and maybe that time is coming. Anyway, if La’Darius Henderson, Trente Jones, and Karsen Barnhart all depart after 2023, it seems likely that Persi and Hinton will be starting in 2024 at left tackle and right tackle, respectively.

Prediction: Backup offensive tackle