Tag: Chase Winovich

Michigan vs. Notre Dame Awards

Chase Winovich (image via Yahoo)

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Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Chris Evans. Something must have been going on with Evans (discipline, injury, etc.), because he’s a potential playmaker and only touched the ball 4 times in the season opener against Notre Dame. I heard in the off-season he was working in the slot, and Michigan is short on receivers. But all Evans got was 2 carries for 1 yard and 2 catches for 37 yards. The coaching staff needs to find a way to get him the ball.

Hit the jump for more awards from Saturday night.

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Notre Dame 24, Michigan 17

Shea Patterson (image via Maize ‘n’ Brew)

Same old, same old. From the very first offensive series, I started thinking, “Nothing has changed.” Michigan’s offense didn’t evolve over the off-season with a new offensive line coach, a new wide receivers coach, and a new quarterback. The formations are the same. The alignments are the same. The personnel is mostly the same. The lack of tempo is the same. The confusion and lack of urgency late in games is the same.

Hit the jump for a bunch of other depressing takeaways.

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2018 Season Predictions

Nico Collins (image via Twitter)

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LEADING RUSHER
Karan Higdon emerged from last season as the de facto starting running back, and there’s no reason to think he’ll lose that job now, especially after adding about 15 lbs. of muscle in the off-season. Chris Evans projects to be the #2 guy.
Prediction: Karan Higdon, 1100 yards

LEADING RECEIVER
The wide receiver position is a huge mess right now after the transfers of Eddie McDoom, Drake Harris, Maurice Ways, and Kekoa Crawford . . . and, oh yeah, the injury to Tarik Black’s foot. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see a tight end lead the team in receiving yards, but I’ll go with Donovan Peoples-Jones. He’s one of four healthy scholarship receivers on the roster, along with Grant Perry, Oliver Martin, Ronnie Bell, and Nico Collins.
Prediction: Donovan Peoples-Jones, 750 yards

Hit the jump for the rest of the season predictions.

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2018 Season Countdown: #3 Chase Winovich

Chase Winovich (image via MGoBlue)

Name: Chase Winovich
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 255 lbs.
High school: Jefferson Hills (PA) Jefferson
Position: Defensive end
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #15
Last year: I ranked Winovich #6 and said he would be the starting weakside end with 40 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 9 sacks (LINK). He made 79 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and 8 sacks.
TTB Rating: 79

Winovich started to show what he can do back in 2016, but last year was his true breakout. He went from being a high-energy Taco Charlton backup to a high-energy Chase Winovich starter in the span of a year. After bouncing around from linebacker to tight end early in his career, he settled in at defensive end and became an All-Big Ten player (First Team for media, Second Team for coaches). His sack production dropped off after the first four games (he had 5.5 sacks in the first four games and only 2.5 in the final nine), but he still flew all over the field, managing 10 tackles against Ohio State and 18 against Wisconsin. Keep in mind that’s a weakside end making 18 tackles against the two best teams in the conference when it really counts at the end of the season.

This year should be another huge year for Winovich, though it’s hard for me to see him taking another giant step in production. He’s listed 10 pounds heavier than he was in 2017, and that might help his strength a little bit, but he already had a high motor and was a pretty disciplined football player. Winovich flirted with going to the NFL during the off-season, but he decided to come back for whatever reason. I don’t know that he’s going to prove much more in college, but I’m glad he came back for another year wearing the winged helmet. Winovich may not be as ultra-talented as Rashan Gary, but he’s more irreplaceable because of his attitude and the fact that all the guys behind him are young and unproven. The backup weakside ends include redshirt freshman Luiji Vilain, who has been banged up once again, and true freshman Aidan Hutchinson. I look forward to watching Winovich use his hustle and leverage to frustrate offensive tackles and quarterbacks once again in 2018.

Prediction: Starting weakside end; 70 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 8 sacks

Who might not return on defense in 2018?

Bryan Mone and Chase Winovich (image via iSportsWeb)

I addressed potential offensive attrition last week (LINK), and here’s the defensive edition. As I mentioned in that previous post, this is about the depth chart and opportunity for playing time; these posts are not about rumors or talent judgments.

DEFENSIVE LINE: First of all, it’s important to note that there are few places in the country where defensive linemen get better coaching than Michigan. If you want to be good and have the ability, Michigan gives you as good of a chance as anyone. It’s not like Alabama or Clemson, where elite recruits simply continue to be elite. It’s a place where walk-ons (Ryan Glasgow) and lowly 3-stars (Frank Clark, Maurice Hurst) can be turned into high draft picks. But if you’re not on their level, you won’t get on the field. In that regard, there are a few guys who are buried on the depth chart. One is defensive end Reuben Jones (RS Jr.), who has been passed by younger guys, and another is Ron Johnson (RS So.), who has bounced between defensive end and defensive tackle. Both are finding it difficult to find the field. Meanwhile, interior players Lawrence Marshall (RS Sr.) and Bryan Mone (RS Sr.) have both been passed by younger guys, most notably Aubrey Solomon, a 2017 signee. Michigan rotates defensive linemen quite a bit, so there’s playing time available for both, but becoming a starter would be a tall order. Most importantly of all, there’s a chance that Chase Winovich (RS Sr.) might enter the NFL Draft.

Hit the jump for a discussion of the linebackers and defensive backs.

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