Tag: Jack Miller

2013 Season Countdown: #17 Jack Miller

Jack Miller

Name: Jack Miller
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 290 lbs.
High school: Perrysburg (OH) St. John’s
Position: Center
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #60
Last year: I ranked Miller #42 and said he would be the backup center. He played in six games as the backup center.

Ricky Barnum was supposed to be Michigan’s center going into the 2012 season, but the coaches made a last-minute switch in August practice and put Elliott Mealer there; the reason was reported to have been Mealer’s snapping ability. That snapping ability was significant, because I don’t remember a single bad snap all season. Unfortunately, the blocking was subpar. Miller played tackle in high school, but he’s been almost exclusively playing center since he got to campus in 2011. As the starting center in the spring game, Miller had some trouble identifying who to block, but he did a solid job when indecision didn’t get in his way.

The competition for the center position appears to be pretty close between Miller and redshirt sophomore Graham Glasgow. Brady Hoke and Al Borges consistently mention the battle, and a Media Day picture of the starting offensive line included two offensive tackles, two offensive guards, and . . . the two centers. It’s unclear how the position will play itself out. Glasgow is 6’6″, 303 lbs. and somewhat immobile. Snapping ability aside (because what outside observer really knows?), it looks like a battle between mobility and size. Usually, a guy with Glasgow’s size is too big to be a legitimate option at center, but we’ll see. I have expected Miller to win the job, but either way, I have a feeling the center position is going to be a little bit of an adventure this season.

Prediction: Starting center

Video: Frank Clark, Thomas Gordon, Jack Miller interviews

Spring Practice Preview: Offense

It’s time to see what the Inkster product can do leading Michigan’s football team.

QUARTERBACK
Redshirt junior Devin Gardner is the clear front-runner for the quarterback job.  After Denard Robinson got hurt against Nebraska, Gardner started the next five games, going 75/126 for 1,219 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions.  Michigan appears to have a “franchise” type quarterback, but what will Michigan’s offense look like with him fully entrenched at the position?  Gardner is better from under center than Robinson ever was, so the I-formation stuff should be more prevalent.  He can still run the shotgun passing stuff, but he’s not a downhill runner in the same way that allowed Robinson to run for 1,000+ yards the past few seasons.
Others to watch: The only other scholarship quarterback on the roster for the spring is redshirt sophomore Russell Bellomy.

RUNNING BACK
With Fitzgerald Toussaint injured, Vincent Smith off to his post-college career, and Derrick Green not arriving until summer, the pickings will be slim this spring.  This should be Michigan fans’ first chance to see redshirt freshman Drake Johnson, who earned some praise from Brady Hoke around bowl time.  He has good size and speed, but that doesn’t always translate to success.  Junior Thomas Rawls (57 carries, 242 yards, 4 touchdowns) and redshirt sophomore Justice Hayes (18 carries, 83 yards, 1 touchdown) earned some carries, but neither one did much with his opportunities.
Others to watch: Sophomore Dennis Norfleet has moved back to running back after a short stint at corner for the Outback Bowl.  Sophomore Sione Houma and redshirt sophomore Joey Kerridge will fight for the fullback spot.

WIDE RECEIVER
In the five games that Gardner started at quarterback, fifth year senior Jeremy Gallon had 31 receptions for 511 yards and 3 touchdowns.  He looks to be the top receiver in 2013, but there’s plenty of room for others to emerge.  Two other seniors return in Drew Dileo (22 catches, 331 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Jeremy Jackson (4 catches, 31 yards), the former of which is a jack-of-all-trades, the latter a lumbering possession receiver.  Then there’s sophomore Amara Darboh, who played but was never targeted, and redshirt freshman Jehu Chesson.  Since Dileo appears to be nothing more than a complementary receiver, it would be good for Gardner and the Michigan offense to find another reliable target between Darboh and Chesson.
Others to watch: Fifth year senior walk-on Joe Reynolds (3 catches, 22 yards) worked his way into the rotation last season and has decent quickness.

TIGHT END
Sophomore Devin Funchess (15 catches, 234 yards, 5 touchdowns) should have playing time locked up at the U-back position.  Fellow sophomore A.J. Williams is a mammoth tight end who’s more of a blocker.  The wild card in the mix is freshman Jake Butt, who enrolled early and is physically developed enough to play as a freshman.  Williams isn’t much of a target downfield, so if Gardner can work out some chemistry with Butt in the spring (and summer), Michigan should have a nice 1-2 punch of receiving tight ends between Funchess and Butt.
Others to watch: Redshirt junior Jordan Paskorz has played in just one game (on special teams against UMass) during his three seasons, and the rest of the guys on the roster are young-ish walk-ons with little experience; the best of those is redshirt junior Dylan Esterline.

OFFENSIVE LINE
The two sure starters are the bookend, fifth-year senior tackles Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield.  Between those two will be any combination of about a dozen other players, because the three interior starters graduated.  Redshirt freshman all-everything guard Kyle Kalis will probably step in at one guard spot.  That leaves the other two spots up for grabs between redshirt sophomore Jack Miller, redshirt junior walk-on Joey Burzynski, redshirt sophomore Chris Bryant, and redshirt freshman Ben Braden; the former two will probably vie for the center spot, while the latter two will fight for the right guard position.  None of them have played extensively, and if either Bryant or Braden starts the season, it will be his first ever game experience.  In the long term, Braden will probably end up at right tackle, so you could see Schofield and Braden flip if the coaches aren’t confident in Braden’s ability to pull.
Others to watch: Redshirt freshman Erik Magnuson will have every chance to succeed Lewan at left tackle, and classmate Blake Bars has practiced at both center and guard.  Both appear to be at least a year away from playing significant time.  True freshman Kyle Bosch has apparently impressed people with his size and work in the weight room as an early enrollee, but he’s very young; if the coaches wouldn’t play Kalis as a freshman, they probably won’t play Bosch, either, unless injuries occur.  But it will still be interesting to see how Bosch fares in the glorified practice.

Offensive Line Preview: Michigan vs. South Carolina

Taylor Lewan will be the best lineman in the Outback Bowl

MICHIGAN
Starters: From left to right, the Wolverines start redshirt junior Taylor Lewan (6’8″, 309 lbs.), fifth year senior Ricky Barnum (6’3″, 296 lbs.), fifth year senior Elliott Mealer (6’5″, 308 lbs.), fifth year senior Patrick Omameh (6’4″, 305 lbs.), and redshirt junior Michael Schofield (6’7″, 300 lbs.).  Omameh has started 41 games, Lewan has 27 starts, Schofield has 22, Barnum has 15, and Mealer has 12.  Altogether, they have 117 starts among them and average a shade over 6’5″ and 303.6 lbs.  The Wolverines are #25 in the country in sacks allowed (1.25 per game) and have the #40 rushing offense (187 yards/game).
Backups: The Wolverines are very thin on the offensive line, but they’ve tried to preserve the redshirts of some highly touted freshmen.  Other than redshirt freshman center Jack Miller (6’4″, 288 lbs.), the rest of the subs have been walk-ons.  Redshirt sophomore guard Joey Burzynski (6’1″, 295 lbs.) has made the biggest push for playing time of the entire backup crew; redshirt sophomore Erik Gunderson (6’8″, 303 lbs.) and redshirt junior Kristian Mateus (6’7″, 309 lbs.) have both played in blowouts, but both would be severely overmatched against the Gamecocks.

SOUTH CAROLINA
Starters: Michigan recruited redshirt freshman right tackle Brandon Shell (6’6″, 331 lbs.) and redshirt sophomore left guard A.J. Cann (6’4″, 309 lbs.) coming out of high school.  The line is completed with redshirt sophomore left tackle Corey Robinson (6’8″, 337 lbs.), fifth year senior center T.J. Johnson (6’6″, 319 lbs.), and junior right guard Ronald Patrick (6’2″, 305 lbs.).  Johnson has started 52 games in his career, Cann has 25, Patrick has 12, Shell has 9, and Robinson has 8.  Altogether, the squad has 106 starts under their belts, but the tackles have less than a season of experience, and Robinson was a defensive tackle prior to this year.  They average a bit over 6’5″ and 320.2 pounds.  The Gamecocks are #105 in the country in sacks allowed (2.92 per game) and have the #84 rushing offense (143 yards/game).
Backups: Redshirt sophomore offensive tackle Cody Gibson (6’7″, 278 lbs.) started a couple games early in the season.  The other backups haven’t been used much, including senior offensive guard Kaleb Broome (6’6″, 332 lbs.), redshirt junior center Travis Ford (6’3″, 278 lbs.), and redshirt freshman offensive guard Will Sport (6’5″, 291 lbs.).

THE TAKEAWAY
Having watched Michigan’s offensive line struggle to create a push all year long, it’s a little tough to believe, but the Wolverines have the edge here.  Despite being outweighed by an average of almost 17 pounds, Michigan gains more yards on the ground and allows fewer sacks.  They also average a couple more starts each.  Individually, the only South Carolina offensive lineman to garner consideration for All-SEC is Johnson (Second Team), whereas Michigan’s Lewan is an All-American and Omameh was selected by the coaches as First Team All-Big Ten.  Except for heft, Michigan is ahead everywhere.
Advantage: Michigan

2012 Season Countdown: #42 Jack Miller

Jack Miller (image via GBMWolverine)

Name: Jack Miller
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 263 lbs.
High school: Toledo (OH) St. John’s
Position: Center
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #60
Last year: I ranked Miller #89 and said he would redshirt.  He redshirted.

Last season it was pretty obvious that Miller was going to redshirt.  Part of the reason Rich Rodriguez offered him a scholarship was because he was a small-ish, fairly quick center.  And at 263 lbs. it’s practically impossible to play in the Big Ten.  Luckily, starter David Molk was able to avoid the injury bug for most of the year, except for one series at the beginning of the Sugar Bowl when Rocko Khoury stepped in.  Miller wasn’t needed, supposedly bulked up throughout the year, and will hopefully arrive in the fall at 280 lbs. or more.

Since backup center Khoury departed with one year of eligibility remaining and Molk graduated, experience at the center position is non-existent.  Nobody on the current roster has snapped the ball in a college game.  But instead of plugging in Miller, the coaches have moved left guard Ricky Barnum over to the center spot.  Barnum played center in high school and has snapped the ball in practices throughout his college career, so he has a fair amount of experience for a guy who’s never played the position in college . . . but Barnum has also been prone to injury throughout his career, making it quite possible that a backup center will be needed during the season.  Michigan has several options to back up Barnum, including Miller, walk-on Joey Burzynski (who played some center last season before working in at left guard this spring), and fifth year senior Elliott Mealler (who has snapped the ball sporadically in practices the past few seasons and will also be competing at left guard).  Miller may or may not be the first guy in, but Michigan fans should all be hoping that Barnum stays healthy for the first time in his career.

Prediction: Backup center