2017 Season Countdown: #46 Kareem Walker

Tag: Kareem Walker


17Jul 2017
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2017 Season Countdown: #46 Kareem Walker

Kareem Walker (image via MLive)

Name: Kareem Walker
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 207 lbs.
High school: Wayne (NJ) De Paul Catholic
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #6
Last year: I ranked Walker #66 and said he would be a backup tailback. He redshirted.
TTB Rating: 86

Walker had an inauspicious beginning to his college career. After enrolling early in January of 2016, he had some off-the-field and academic issues that ensured his redshirt. In fact, there were even some rumors popping up that he might be on his way out of the program.

On the plus side, he supposedly got on track this year and took some steps forward. He played in the spring game, and while he looked a bit quicker and slimmer than he did in 2016, he didn’t do much in the game. Some people were impressed. I shrugged my shoulders. I have heard various reports since the spring that he was either #2 or #4 on the depth chart, and that was before freshmen O’Maury Samuels and Kurt Taylor arrived on campus. My take is that he will be the #4 guy on the roster, but he might look like #3 at times. With Chris Evans looking like the starter and Karan Higdon as #2 or #3, it’s a matter of whether Michigan wants a more proven back (Ty Isaac) or a guy they can groom for the future (Walker). Isaac is in his final season, and without an opportunity to start in 2018, Walker might be the better guy to play at times. I think Isaac is a superior back right now, but that doesn’t always strictly play out on the field.

Prediction: Backup running back

5Jul 2016
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2016 Season Countdown: #66 Kareem Walker

Kareem Walker 137x

Kareem Walker

Name: Kareem Walker
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 210 lbs.
High school: Wayne (NJ) DePaul Catholic
Position: Running back
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #6
Last year: Walker was a senior in high school (LINK). He rushed for 1,517 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Final TTB Rating: 86

Walker was high on Michigan early, and then he somewhat surprisingly committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes on the day they won the national championship in 2015. Michigan continued to recruit him, and things went sour between Walker and OSU, which caused him to decommit in the fall. With a plan to enroll early at the school of his choice, he didn’t have a lot of time to drag out his decision, so he chose in mid-December to become a Wolverine. In the meantime, Walker’s promising sophomore and junior seasons preceded a slightly disappointing performance as a senior, when some started to question his lofty ranking. What seemed like elite quickness and burst as an underclassman turned into, less majestically, just good qualities.

This spring Walker was running fourth at tailback, behind De’Veon Smith, Ty Isaac, and Drake Johnson. Karan Higdon was sidelined by an injury for part of the spring, so he may be a factor ahead of Walker, too. I don’t expect Walker to surpass any of the first three guys unless one of them has a Ty Isaac-like inability to hold onto the football, but I do think he will play. You don’t steal a running back from Ohio State with the intent of burying him on the bench. I’m not in love with Walker, and he didn’t wow anyone this spring, but I do think he can be a productive back down the road. With Smith and Johnson graduating after the 2016 season, this year will be a bit of an audition to see who becomes the lead back in 2017.

Prediction: Backup tailback

20Apr 2016
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Poll results: Which 2016 prospect will have the best career at running back for Michigan?

Kareem Walker 875x

Kareem Walker

Back in March I posted a poll about the 2016 class of running backs: Which 2016 prospect will have the best career at RB for Michigan?

Here are the results out of 1,105 total votes:

Kareem Walker: 48%
Naturally, this was bound to be the pick since Michigan stole Walker from Ohio State, he’s the highest rated of the bunch (4-star, #4 RB, #100 overall), and he was an Under Armour All-American. The 6’1″, 210 lb. prospect enrolled early and participated in Michigan’s spring practices, but he appears to be a ways down the depth chart for now. Walker was my pick because a couple of these guys won’t stay at tailback, and I think he has good potential to be a between-the-tackles runner with a bit of burst.

Kingston Davis: 28%
Another early enrollee, Davis is a bit of a tweener who could also play fullback. In fact, he was a 3-star, the #1 FB, and #735 overall in the 2016 class. Of course, the last time Michigan signed the #1 fullback in the class, Brandon Minor turned into a pretty good tailback. Davis’s size has been listed at anywhere from 225 lbs. to 242 lbs. at different times, and he is not the most explosive back, but he has resisted suggestions that he’ll be a blocking back in college.

Khaleke Hudson: 16%
A standout tailback in high school, Hudson was recruited to Michigan as a safety/outside linebacker. The 5’11”, 205 lb. Pennsylvania native was a 3-star, the #23 safety, and #382 overall, and he was a standout in the Semper Fi All-American Bowl. There’s always a chance that he could end up playing running back in college if the chips fall in a certain way, but I’m looking at him as a potential replacement for Jabrill Peppers down the road.

Chris Evans: 8%
Evans also appeared in the wide receiver poll results, which I posted the other day (LINK). The 5’11”, 186-pounder could be a runner, a wide receiver, or a cornerback in college. He should get his first shot at running back, but Jim Harbaugh tends to like bigger, stronger backs.

27Mar 2016
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Ford Field Open Practice: Offense, Injuries, Walk-ons

Wilton Speight 792x

Wilton Speight

Happy Easter Sunday, everybody! Along with a few thousand other fans, I made my way to Ford Field on Saturday. I sat in the stands, ate a hot dog, and watched Captain Khaki run practice. I chose not to live tweet it because, well, it was nice to sit back, relax, and watch a well run practice. Below are my thoughts on some roster news and the various positions:

ROSTER NEWS

  • WR/CB Freddy Canteen is not on the roster and his status is unclear.
  • WR Jehu Chesson was doing work on the sideline and on the bike, wearing a brace on his knee.
  • RB Kingston Davis was in shorts without a helmet and running steps. Lots and lots of steps.
  • OG David Dawson was wearing a sling on his left arm and did not participate.
  • CB Reon Dawson and WR Jaron Dukes have left the football program and are exploring medical scholarships.
  • DT Ryan Glasgow was in shorts and a helmet going through some non-contact drills, but then ran steps with Davis for a big chunk of practice.
  • RB Karan Higdon was in street clothes. No injury was apparent.
  • DE Shelton Johnson was not visible to me. I looked for him extensively and never saw him. Sam Webb tweeted that he was on the sideline in street clothes.

Hit the jump for a position-by-position breakdown of the offense.

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