John O’Korn (#5) with roommate and teammate Jake Rudock
I realize it’s very early for a 2016 depth chart, because Michigan hasn’t even played its bowl game yet. But it’s impossible not to look toward the future, and why not now, during the lull before the bowl? Here’s a look at how the roster might shake out for next year. I decided not to go more than three-deep, because once you get past third string, nothing really matters anymore. If things get that bad, people start changing positions (see: Strobel, Tom) or get their redshirts burned. Also, I did not go three-deep at kicker and punter, because nobody has any clue how those positions will shake out past the top guy or two.
Everyone currently on the roster is presumed to come back except a) seniors who have exhausted their eligibility and b) redshirt junior walk-ons, who usually go ahead and graduate unless a great deal of playing time is imminent. Clearly, not all roster players will return, including several you see on this chart. But such is life. Also, I included players who are currently committed to Michigan in the 2016 class, even though some will decommit and some potential contributors have yet to commit.
Hit the jump for the depth chart.
QB: John O’Korn (RS Jr.), Wilton Speight (RS So.), Shane Morris (RS Jr.)
RB: De’Veon Smith (Sr.), Drake Johnson (RS Sr.), Ty Isaac (RS Jr.)
FB: Wyatt Shallman (RS Jr.), Henry Poggi (RS Jr.), Bobby Henderson (RS Sr.)
WR: Jehu Chesson (RS Sr.), Grant Perry (So.), Da’Mario Jones (RS Jr.)
WR: Amara Darboh (RS Sr.), Maurice Ways (RS So.), Drake Harris (RS So.)
TE: Jake Butt (Sr.), Khalid Hill (RS Jr.), Tyrone Wheatley Jr. (RS Fr.)
LT: Grant Newsome (So.), Ben Bredeson (Fr.), Erik Swenson (Fr.)
LG: Ben Braden (RS Sr.), Blake Bars (RS Sr.), Michael Onwenu (Fr.)
C: Mason Cole (Jr.), Patrick Kugler (RS Jr.), Jon Runyan Jr. (RS Fr.)
RG: Kyle Kalis (RS Sr.), David Dawson (RS Jr.), Nolan Ulizio (RS Fr.)
RT: Erik Magnuson (RS Sr.), Juwann Bushell-Beatty (RS So.), Devery Hamilton (Fr.)
DE: Willie Henry (RS Sr.), Shelton Johnson (RS Fr.), Reuben Jones (RS Fr.)
DT: Chris Wormley (RS Sr.), Maurice Hurst Jr. (RS Jr.), Matt Godin (RS Sr.)
NT: Ryan Glasgow (RS Sr.), Bryan Mone (RS So.), Tom Strobel (RS Sr.)
DE: Taco Charlton (Sr.), Lawrence Marshall (RS So.), Carlo Kemp (Fr.)
SLB: Mike McCray II (RS Jr.), Noah Furbush (RS So.), Dytarious Johnson (Fr.)
MLB: Ben Gedeon (Sr.), Chase Winovich (RS So.), David Reese (Fr.)
WLB: Allen Gant (RS Sr.), Jared Wangler (RS So.), Chris Terech (RS Fr.)
CB: Jourdan Lewis (Sr.), Brandon Watson (RS So.), Keith Washington (RS Fr.)
CB: Jeremy Clark (RS Sr.), Channing Stribling (Sr.), Sir Patrick Scott (Fr.)
FS: Dymonte Thomas (Sr.), Tyree Kinnel (So.), Terry Richardson (RS Sr.)
SS: Delano Hill (RS Jr.), Jordan Glasgow (RS Fr.), Kiante Enis (Fr.)
*NB: Jabrill Peppers (RS So.)
P: Ryan Tice (RS Fr.)
K: Kenny Allen (RS Sr.)
Tell me why I’m wrong in the comments.
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So are Ian Bunting and Brian Cole out of the picture already? And do you not see Canteen fitting in anywhere? Same with Malzone and Gentry…I know he didn’t play that much, but Speight didn’t look good enough this year to project past the guys redshirting.
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They’re not “out of the picture.” They’re just not one of the top three guys. Keep in mind that Michigan has a bunch of tight ends that they play in different roles. Bunting wasn’t the #3 tight end this year, either, but he still played a fair amount.
Canteen switched to corner. Gentry and Malzone are raw. But keep in mind that there will be attrition between now and then, so this depth chart will change once some players officially move on.
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I’m not sure what you mean by “raw” with regard to Malzone and Gentry. They’ll both be redshirt freshmen. There have been two recent Heisman winners who were redshirt freshmen (Manziel and Winston), and another (Mariota) who was a big star as a rFr, but didn’t win. OSU won the national championship last year with a redshirt freshman playing most of the season at QB. ND is the NC mix this year with a redshirt freshman at QB. Lots of teams get big production out of redshirt and even true freshmen every year.
If Malzone and Gentry aren’t good enough to be regarded as even potential contributors next year, let alone stars, that’s a matter of lack of talent (and they were both highly rated recruits) or poor coaching, not inexperience.
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Not all players develop at the same rate. Some need mental maturation, and some need physical maturation. Just because Player X was a star as a redshirt freshman doesn’t mean Player Y is bad just because he’s not ready to play as a redshirt freshman.
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It would be more accurate to say that not all coaching staffs develop players at the same rate. The ones who do it faster win more games and have more top ten seasons, and the ones who don’t have seasons more like we do. As I stated clearly, if our QBs aren’t developing as quickly as those on other teams (and this is alleged to be an elite staff with regard to quarterback development), it’s not so much a question of talent as it is poor coaching. There is really no excuse if we are struggling at all to get production at QB next year.
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I disagree about the accuracy of that statement. Players tend to develop when they get a lot of attention and reps. If you are the #3 or #4 quarterback, you are not getting a lot of reps. Malzone doesn’t need to be a stud in 2016, because he will presumably be behind O’Korn, Morris, and Speight (and perhaps others). O’Korn, on the other hand, has been a two-year starter at the college level and got a lot of reps as the scout team QB this year.
If Victor Viramontes is the starter in 2016, he will probably develop fairly quickly. But as things stand right now, he won’t need to be a primary QB for four or five years, if ever.
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Always looks good on paper…LOL! I’m actually excited for Jehu and Darboh to come back. Lots of Sr leadership on that DLine too…
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Mason Cole to center? I was always under the impression that next year would be the year for Kuglar to finally take over the C spot. Is it safe to say that he’s not going to meet expectations at UM?
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I think the fact that Michigan played Grant Newsome and Tom Strobel ahead of Patrick Kugler this year (when they brought in a sixth offensive lineman) suggests that they don’t have a ton of confidence in Kugler yet. So yeah, I think with Glasgow gone, they’ll try to find a way to get the best five on the field. Plus, why burn Newsome’s redshirt if you still don’t think he’s going to play as a sophomore?
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That’s makes sense. Too bad, originally had high hopes for the 2013 OL class.
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Some, no most, OLmen aren’t really good options until their 4th or 5th year. The guys that are actually good (not playing out of necessity) as sophomores and juniors are typically future NFL players. There’s a lot more Mark Huyge types (buried on the bench of bad OLs until emerging as a quality senior that held off Mike Schofield for a while) than there are Steve Schillings, David Molks, and Mason Coles.
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Well, exactly. We need more NFL caliber guys on our Oline if we’re going to compete for championships. It should not take 4 or 5 years to develop high quality guys at those positions. When that happens, it’s more than likely a matter of just playing the oldest guys and us telling ourselves that they’re good, when they’re really just the best we can put out there. Highly rated recruits like Kugler and Dawson who don’t look like they’re going to get much of a look at the field until their 5th year (if then) have to be considered serious busts.
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I agree with all of the above except the part about “serious busts”. It’s just flat out unrealistic to expect every 4-star OL recruit to be an NFL player. That’s just not how it works, even when Michigan had elite OLs it’s success rate with 4-star recruits was 50/50 at best.
You’re a bust if you can’t contribute, not if you don’t make the NFL.
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Maybe if the coaching up until this year was better. Look at Thomas Rawls. Didn’t do much hear. Now look at him in Seattle. Just goes to show how bad the coaching really was.
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Is it a possibility that they view Kugler as a pure center so he wasn’t a possibility as a sixth offensive lineman due to the preference for qb-center exchange consistency?
I think an ideal situation would be a best 5 consisting of Kugler at center creates with Newsome pushing for a spot ahead of Magnuson or Kalis. The current starting 5, despite being quite experienced don’t give me a ton of confidence. If a returning starter gets beaten out by someone from behind, I think that will be a good sign.
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It’s possible that they think of him as a pure center. However, usually guys who are centers can play guard without much of an issue. FWIW, Magnuson was 3rd Team all-conference, as named by the coaches and media. It would seem strange to have a sophomore backup trying to push out one of two all-conference players on the offensive line (Kalis was 3rd team by the media).
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“Yet”? Kugler was a 5 star recruit whose father was an Oline coach. Next year will be his fourth year in the program, and he still shows no signs of cracking the starting lineup, let alone making an impact against good defenses. Exactly how long should we have to wait for him to play well enough to give us confidence?
This is just another example of how low our expectations regarding player development have sunk.
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I mean, I guess you have to wait until he’s good enough. You really have no other option. We’re fans.
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Kugler was a composite 4-star and weighed 270 coming out of high school. He’s on a very typical track so far, being a backup to a bunch of older players. If he develops into a decent starter for the 2016 season, which he very well could, he will have met any reasonable expectations.
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Fun!
Thunder has mostly chalk from the current depth chart on there other than a few spots:
FB: Projecting Shallman to move to FB and immediately pass Poggi.
TE: Projecting Wheatley to pass Bunting.
OL: Cole move to OC, where he practiced in spring ball.
DE: Projecting Buck gone and, apparently, Johnson and Jones moving to strongside behind Henry (???)
OLB: Flipping McCray outside (SAM) and Gant inside (WLB) (?)
ILB: Winovich back from his year at TE
CB: Clark was listed as Lewis’ backup on the real depthchart but the heirarchy shown reflects the late season playing time. Team didn’t seem to care much about boundary/field CB distinction, which I argued was always overstated, and instead played the matchups. May or may not be repeated next year, but Harbaugh seems to be a matchup guy more than a position guy.
NB: Listed as a position – no backup.
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Poggi isn’t really a “fullback.” He’s more of an H-back, which I didn’t bother to separate as a position. He doesn’t line up directly behind the QB, he doesn’t take handoffs, etc. Shallman isn’t ideal there, either, but he does have the ability to run the ball from the FB spot.
As for tight end, Wheatley is more likely to be a blocking TE than Bunting. If you want a duo like the Butt-Williams duo of this year, then Wheatley is more likely to be out there than Bunting. Again, it’s a depth chart with 11 positions on each side of the ball (except nickel back). I can’t exactly account for every personnel package that will be sent out onto the field.
If Michigan wants to get its best four defensive linemen on the field, then I think Charlton has to be out there. But he’s not an outside linebacker. So I think Michigan will go to more of a 4-3 or 4-2-5 look, even if they retain some of the same terminology.
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If they envisioned Shallman as the starter I think they would have played him at least a little. Agree about Poggi being an H-back in 2015, but it was his first year at the position and the fact that he played indicates to me that he may be in line to have a larger role next year.
I have doubts about a red-shirt freshman being an effective blocker as an in-line TE. That’s essentially an OL position, so I feel the same about a RS FR like Wheatley there as I would at OT. Have to see it work before I believe it. I think Hill is more likely and Butt may be asked to expand his blocking (since D’s will respect him anyway).
Agree about Charlton at WDE but I don’t think Jones and Johnson are viable backups at SDE when you have Henry, Wormley, Godin, etc.
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I think you are wrong not to list B. Cole at safety. I also think M. Cole should be the backup at LT. I see you are only listing each player at a single position, but that’s not how Michigan, or any other team I’ve seen, makes their depth charts. If you are going to make an extra NB spot for Peppers, maybe you should also make one for slot receivers. Perry and Jones have been playing alongside Chesson, not backing him up.
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There have been rumors about Cole being in the deep doghouse. If he was to play a significant role at Safety next year he probably should have been practicing there already. Not saying he couldn’t end up there but it’s doubtful he’d just step into the 2-deep from day 1, even though options are light there.
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Cole has been practicing at safety for over a month. I’d say he’s far more likely to be on the depth chart there than Enis or the way undersized Richardson.
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My guess is going to take expected attrition into account. Also includes people who are not currently enrolled, as noted by *
QB: O’Korn / Morris / Gentry
I think Morris has little to gain by transferring now vs waiting till his free agency (i.e., grad transfer). If he stays he can learn from Harbaugh, graduate, and prepare for his 5th year at a hand-picked situation elsewhere. Next year, his choice is a 100% chance of sitting out elsewhere or probably sitting out at Michigan. Those are the pros to consider against having a full season to learn a new system elsewhere. Given how quickly coaches can get fired, freshman hot shots arrive, etc. Morris would be wise to stick around through December 2016.
RB: Smith / Walker* / Johnson
Putting Kareem Walker on here due to all the strong rumors. I do expect some freshman (or grad transfer) to emerge in the top 3, regardless, but Smith will keep his job IMO and the line’s blocking will suit him better next year. Peppers should continue to get spot carries, but I hope more of them are direct snaps.
FB: Poggi / Grad-Transfer* / Shallman
Could see Winovich here too, but Michigan clearly lacks a prototypical low-built blocking fullback in the Kerridge/Houma mode. May see more 2-TE and H-back than FB next year. Poggi lacks skill with the ball. Shallman’s inexperienced. A walk-on or grad transfer could offer a more Kerridge-like alternative.
WR: Chesson / Darboh / Perry / Harris / Evans* / Ways
I expect one of the freshman to emerge into the playing rotation but I have no strong feeling about which one it is. Evans is the guess since he could fit nicely at slot.
TE: Butt / Hill / Bunting / Wheatley
If Nuatu (sp?) joins the class I would bet he gets some snaps a la Bunting this year.
LT: Newsome / Cole / Bars
LG: Braden / Dawson
OC: Cole / Kugler
RG: Kalis / Dawson / Onewenu*
RT: Magnuson / Bushell-Beatty / Bars
Seems like staff prefers Newsome to Kugler for now but that could change if Cole struggles at C. I think they’ll give Kalis a shot in the middle too, but he’s supposedly been dogged by mental errors. A move to OC may or may not help.
WDE: Charlton / Kemp* / Marshall
SDE: Wormley / Gary* / Godin
DT: Henry / Hurst / Godin
NT: Glasgow / Mone / Hurst
I think you’re going to see a battle royale among freshman (and Marshall) for a significant role as a pass-rushing end behind Charlton. The top 7 DLmen are all high quality veterans but there are snaps to be had on the edge.
ILB: Gedeon / McCray / Grad Transfer* / Jackson* / Furbush
Toughest position to forecast, IMO, since we’ve seen so little from the backups besides Gedeon. I expect a grad transfer and a freshman to contribute as backups at least.
OLB/Nickel: Peppers / Hill / Gant / Wangler
Another spot where I think a freshman could get snaps. We haven’t seen Gant or Wangler play, and I don’t really expect that to change next year. If Peppers is used elsewhere, I think Thomas and Hill are the guys with the most similar skillset – they can cover and tackle in the box. I chose Hill because I think Thomas is needed at deep safety.
CB: Lewis / Stribling / Clark / Watson / Washington
I know Lewis may go pro, but he said he would return and it’s looking like a loaded CB class. No idea if Stribling will actually pass Clark but the battle isn’t over, IMO.
S: Thomas / Hill / Kinnel
I think there’s a decent chance that Peppers swings over to full-time safety if the new DC institutes a more traditional scheme that has a ‘strong’/often in the box safety. Michigan is still trying to figure out where he is most valuable.
Punter: Allen
He was listed as starter all year even though O’Neill was the guy. This is what he was recruited to do as a preferred walk-on.
Kicker: Allen.
If it ain’t broke…
Kick-off specialist: Nordin* / David / Allen
I think they don’t want to entirely be dependant on Allen for all the kicking and having to tackle on kick returns would put him at risk.
Long snapper: ? / ? / ?
I’d be lying if I said I paid any attention to the snapper unless something bad happens.
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The snapper this year was Scott Sypniewski, and he was backed up by Andrew Robinson. I assume that arrangement will continue.
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A roster full of 4th and 5th year players. Given that we get Kareem Walker at RB and John O’Korn good as people say that he is, we have a real chance at making improvements across the board — 10+ wins and wins against Sfarty and Butteyes. Rashan Gary should also should make plays on the DL. I am already exicted for 2016.
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This is a minor point, but Shane Morris would be RS Junior, not Junior.
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