Spring Practice Bits and Pieces

Tag: Ty Isaac


5Mar 2015
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Spring Practice Bits and Pieces

Drake Harris

In the throes of spring practice, bits and pieces are leaking out. Here are some things to note that you may or may not have heard already.

The quarterbacks are a mixed bag. Various reports have suggested various things. Some people will tell you that Shane Morris looks the best. However, there’s more chatter about Wilton Speight and Alex Malzone. The buzz on Malzone is that he’s picking things up very quickly, which is impressive for a freshman early enrollee.

Jabrill Peppers is good and loud. Peppers is playing safety, and he has been raved about with regard to his athleticism and leadership. There will probably be growing pains, but Michigan hasn’t had a great athlete at safety in a while. Furthermore, senior linebacker Joe Bolden says that Peppers screams the defensive calls louder than necessary. The kid is high-energy and loves the game of football. Michigan has the potential for their best safety combination in a long time with senior Jarrod Wilson and Peppers back there.

Chase Winovich is working at fullback/tight end. The redshirt freshman, who is listed at 6’3″ and 230 lbs., has reportedly been playing some fullback and tight end this spring after being recruited as a linebacker. You may remember that he was a very effective running quarterback in high school, in addition to his defensive exploits. With the Wolverines failing to reel in Chris Clark (UCLA) in the 2015 class, the tight end position is a little thin. And with senior fullback Sione Houma missing spring practice due to injury, the team is limited there, too. Add in the fact that both of Michigan’s experienced fullbacks – Houma and Joe Kerridge – are seniors, and maybe Winovich’s move to offense will become permanent. He has supposedly been wearing #44, which is a change from his defensive number of #58. The catch here is that it thins the linebacking corps, which has four players with senior eligibility in 2015 (Desmond Morgan, James Ross III, Joe Bolden, Royce Jenkins-Stone) and needs bodies in the coming years. If Winovich sticks on offense, that might take away a key option for the 2016 season.

Brady Pallante is also a fullback. This was addressed last week. He’s a 6’0″, 276 lb. fullback wearing #45.

Everybody is a fullback. Except Terry Richardson.

The guys are bigger. Pretty much across the board, players have added weight. In particular, defensive tackle Willie Henry is up to 311 lbs. and Bryan Mone is up to 325 lbs. Those are not typically the numbers you look for in a penetrating, 3-tech defensive tackle. I would look for those two guys to be playing some nose tackle. Furthermore, there are some other size improvements with offensive tackle Logan Tuley-Tillman up to 309 lbs. and guard Graham Glasgow reaching 303 lbs. Tuley-Tillman was over 330 lbs. in high school, trimmed down to 285 at one point, and is now back up over the 300 lb. threshold. Linebackers Mike McCray II (242 lbs.), Ben Gedeon (241 lbs.), and Royce Jenkins-Stone (240 lbs.) are all larger than the typical Michigan linebacker over the last few years.

Practice tempo has increased. The practice tactic that’s en vogue these days is to maximize reps. Reports have said that Michigan has two lineups going in practice, and a play is being run every 25-35 seconds. Rather than making corrections on the field, corrections are made in film. This has been made easier in recent years with film able to be disseminated over the internet through Hudl and the like. It’s especially big for spread teams who like to run hurry-up, anyway. It’s not surprising that Harbaugh is adopting spread strategies even though he won’t run a typical spread offense; he seems to be the type of coach who is always looking for an edge.

Running back is still a question mark. While I believe the running game will improve this season, a number of factors go into that – coaching, experience on the offensive line, experience at running back, and the addition of Ty Isaac. However, Isaac has reportedly been limited due to a cast on his hand, and none of the running backs are sticking out right now. Of course, early practices are always dominated by the defense, so this doesn’t necessarily mean much. Personally, I believe Isaac will come out on top at some point.

Wide receivers have promise. Most of the buzz has been about redshirt freshman Maurice Ways, Jr., whose body is ready for playing at this level. One question mark about Ways has always been his hands, so that will be something to watch. Regardless, he might have the best combination of receiving qualities at this point – size, leaping ability, speed, etc. As I’ve mentioned before, he has some of those same traits that we saw in some of the greats of yesteryear (Marquis Walker, David Terrell, Braylon Edwards). That’s not to say Ways will add his name to that list, but he at least has a chance, in my opinion. Fellow redshirt freshman Drake Harris has also been impressive at times. Harris has missed most of the past two seasons due to injuries, and he’s listed at just 174 lbs. People express concern about his size, but I am not worried about that facet of his game. If he’s as good as his high school hype when it comes to speed and leaping ability, playing under weight won’t hamper him from having an effect on the team. Wide receiver size is overrated. It might be the one spot on the field where you find successful guys ranging from 5’8″ to 6’5″, and you have skinny guys (Roy Roundtree, Tavon Austin, DeSean Jackson) doing well just like big guys (Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Devin Funchess). If Harris is 6’4″, 174 lbs., and can ball, the most important part of that is the third part.

24Feb 2015
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Michigan releases spring 2015 roster

Brady Pallante is a fullback now. Brady Pallante is not #23.

Michigan released its spring roster on Monday as the Wolverines begin spring practice on Tuesday (LINK). Here are some notable updates to the roster.

Ian Bunting: Bunting is up to 6’7″ and 243 lbs. Michigan needs help at tight end this fall, so 243 lbs. is a good sign of him developing physically. He should be up over 250 lbs. by the fall.

Brian Cole: Cole, a true freshman early enrollee, is wearing #81. He’s listed at 6’2″, 200 lbs.

Ross Douglas: Douglas was recruited as a cornerback, moved to slot receiver, moved to running back, and now is back at corner. Still wearing #29, he is now listed as Ross Taylor-Douglas.

Derrick Green: Green is listed at 5’11” and 234 lbs.

Ty Isaac: Isaac is listed at 6’3″ and 240 lbs.

Alex Malzone: Malzone, a true freshman early enrollee, is wearing #12. He’s listed at 6’2″, 218 lbs.

Brady Pallante: Pallante came to Michigan as a nose tackle prospect and is now listed as a redshirt freshman, 6’0″, 276 lb. fullback wearing #45.

Terry Richardson: Richardson is listed as a redshirt junior cornerback and is finally nearing close-to-acceptable weight at 174 lbs. at 5’9″.

Matt Thompson: Thompson is a new addition as a walk-on quarterback from Cincinnati (OH) Indian Hills. He’s listed at 6’5″, 214 lbs. as a redshirt freshman. Here are Thompson’s Hudl highlights from his senior year (LINK). His delivery is a little bit wonky, but he doesn’t look too bad for a walk-on. He’s not a bad guy to have available for running a scout team and such. It also looks like he’s hit a growth spurt since high school.

Ryan Tice: Tice is a 6’1″, 177 lb. walk-on who enrolled early out of Saline (MI) Saline. I mainly note this because Michigan graduated both their punter and kicker, so Tice might be competing for one of those jobs, along with walk-on Kenny Allen (punter) and 2015 signee Andrew David (kicker).

9Aug 2014
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2014 Season Countdown: #19 Ty Isaac

Ty Isaac

Name: Ty Isaac
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: Joliet (IL) Catholic
Position: Running back
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #32
Last year: I did not rank Isaac, who was on the USC football team. He ran 40 times for 236 yards and 2 touchdowns, and he caught 4 passes for 57 yards.

I was a pretty big fan of Isaac coming out of high school, but he went to the dastardly USC Trojans instead of the local-ish favorites like Notre Dame and Michigan. Lane Kiffin (and his replacement, Leatherhead from TMNT) gave him the fifth-most carries on the team, so he was not particularly irreplaceable. However, he did average 5.9 yards/carry and had some nice looking runs on the chances he did have. In the offseason, his mother had ear surgery that would have prevented her from flying to see his games in southern California, so that was the reason (or at least the excuse) for him to seek a transfer. His options came down to Illinois, Northwestern, Notre Dame, and Michigan, and the Wolverines won that battle.

It’s unclear whether Isaac will be available for the 2014 season; he will have to get a waiver from the NCAA, which they are not likely to grant since Michigan is outside the 100-mile radius from Joliet, IL. I went ahead and ranked Isaac on the list, and you may notice that he’s the top back in the stable. In my opinion, he’s better than anyone Michigan had on the roster prior to last year, and he was better than either Derrick Green or De’Veon Smith in the 2013 class. Isaac is a big body with some nifty feet, decent speed, and an ability to catch the ball. He probably won’t play a down in 2014, so Michigan will be without its 19th-most valuable player this year.

Prediction: Redshirt

21Jun 2014
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Jersey Number News

1 + 8 = 2

Some news came out yesterday about freshman jersey numbers, plus a couple number changes for the fall. There will surely be others (who will get Legends jerseys #11 and #21?), but these are the stories for now.

#2 Blake Countess: Redshirt junior Countess will switch from #18. This is Charles Woodson’s old jersey number, so some people will be upset because Countess doesn’t “deserve it.” The kid was All-Big Ten and had 6 interceptions last year, including 1 returned for a touchdown. He’s now #3 on the single-season interception list behind Tom Curtis and Woodson himself. You can’t be much better without being Charles Woodson himself.

#5 Jabrill Peppers: Last worn by CB Courtney Avery. Will share the number with RB Justice Hayes. Peppers also wore #5 in high school.

#14 Drake Harris: Known since the spring. Last worn by S Josh Furman. Harris wore #1 in high school.

#17 Freddy Canteen: Known since the spring. Last worn by WR Jeremy Jackson. Canteen wore #19 in high school.

#19 Wilton Speight: Known since the spring. Last worn by TE Devin Funchess. Speight also wore #19 in high school.

#19 Jared Wangler: Will share the number with Speight. Father, John, wore #5 in college. Brother, Jack, is #16. Jared wore #5 in high school.

#28 Brandon Watson: Was #20 in the spring. Last worn by RB Fitzgerald Toussaint. Watson wore #20 in high school.

#32 Ty Isaac: Last worn at Michigan by S Jordan Kovacs. The incoming transfer, Isaac wore #29 at USC last year. Isaac wore #32 in high school.

#51 Michael Ferns: Known since the spring. The last scholarship guy to wear it was LB Eric Brackins in the early 2000’s. Ferns wore #10 in high school.

#52 Mason Cole: Known since the spring. LB Royce Jenkins-Stone also wears this number. Last worn on offense by OL Stephen Schilling. Cole also wore #52 in high school.

#54 Brady Pallante: Last worn by DT Richard Ash. Pallante wore #52 in high school.

#58 Chase Winovich: Last worn by OG Chris Bryant. Winovich wore #15 in high school.

#59 Noah Furbush: Worn by a bunch of walk-on types recently (Jack Doyle, Mark Lawson), but also by long snapper Sean Griffin and linebacker Joey Sarantos. Furbush wore #5 in high school.

#76 Juwann Bushell-Beatty: Last worn by DT Quinton Washington. Bushell-Beatty wore #73 in high school.

#85 Maurice Ways: Last worn by WR Joe Reynolds. Ways wore #9 in high school.

#90 Bryan Mone: Known since the spring. Last worn by LB Jake Ryan when he was a redshirt freshman. Mone wore #52 in high school.

#93 Lawrence Marshall: Not a popular number at Michigan. Worn by a couple defensive linemen, walk-on placekickers, etc. Last notable person to wear it was LB Sam Sword in late 1990’s. Marshall wore #12 in high school.

#94 Ian Bunting: Yes, this is still an eligibile number for a tight end. Last worn by tight end Jordan Paskorz. Bunting wore #1 in high school.

8Jun 2014
Uncategorized 4 comments

Visitors: June 6-8, 2014

Ty Isaac

TRANSFER
Ty Isaac – RB – Joliet (IL) Catholic:
 Isaac, who is visiting on Tuesday, is a transfer prospect from USC. He was offered as part of the 2013 class and was a 247 Composite 4-star, the #8 all-purpose back, and #54 overall. As a true freshman, he carried the ball 40 times for 236 yards (5.9 yards/carry) and 2 touchdowns, but there are three Trojan running backs returning who were ahead of him on the depth chart last season. Furthermore, Isaac has an ill mother, so he wants to play closer to home. Northwestern and Northern Illinois are both within the 100-mile radius the NCAA has established for players hoping to get a waiver to play immediately; otherwise, he would have to sit out the 2014 season. Illinois, Michigan, and Notre Dame are the other three schools supposedly in competition, but he would have to sit out the 2014 season and wait until 2015 to be eligible. Michigan nabbed Derrick Green and De’Veon Smith in the 2013 class, but more competition would be welcome for a team that is still looking for someone to step up and grab the starting running back job by the horns. Here is my scouting report on Isaac from when he was in high school (LINK). He’s now up to 6’3″, 225 lbs. UPDATE: Isaac committed to Michigan (LINK).

2015

Grant Newsome – OT – Lawrenceville (NJ) Lawrenceville School: I wrote up a scouting report on Newsome back in March (LINK). He has since picked up an offer from Tennessee, but the general line of thinking is that he is currently trying to decide between Michigan and Penn State. This will be Newsome’s second visit to Michigan.

Michael Weber – RB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Weber has been on Michigan’s radar for a long time. The 247 Composite 4-star, #9 running back, and #90 overall player recently named a top five that included Michigan, but he also listed a top three inside the top five that did not include the Wolverines.

2016

Justin Layne – WR – Cleveland (OH) Benedictine: Layne is a 6’3″, 173 lb. prospect with offers from Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Pitt, and West Virginia. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #18 wide receiver, and #88 overall. He claims a 4.44 forty time. Layne will be visiting Ann Arbor for a basketball camp, but he will also be visiting Michigan’s football facilities with the coaches. The Wolverines are pursuing Layne’s teammate, 2015 linebacker Jerome Baker, but Baker is thought to be leaning toward Ohio State.