Ann Arbor (MI) Huron kicker Adam Samaha committed to Michigan on Thursday, a couple days before visiting Michigan State for their epic win over Ohio State.

Samaha is listed at 6'0" and 170 lbs. He's the #1 kicker in the country, according to Kornblue Kicking, and is the only 5-star in the 2023 class.

I am not good at judging kickers, so in general, I just make sure everyone's aware that a kicker committed and then we find out in a few years whether he's any good or not. In general, good kickers tend to be good, so this is good.

Also, Samaha is a left-footed kicker.

There's your scouting.

Samaha is the first commitment for Michigan in the 2023 class. He would be the first Huron player to sign with Michigan since wide receiver Jeremy Jackson in 2010.

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Holy Mary, Mother of God. I don't think I have been that anxious about a Michigan victory since the Wolverines beat Washington State following the 1997 season. I predicted an Ohio State win (shame on me), but I thought Michigan had a chance. What I did not expect is, well, an ass-whooping. When I say an ass-whooping, I don't mean on the scoreboard or really physically (although there was some of that). I just mean it was like Michigan did whatever they wanted to do the whole game. Run the ball? Yes. Trick plays? Yes. Get after the QB? Yes. Stop the run? Yes. Prevent big plays? Yes. This wasn't a fluke victory whatsoever. Michigan looked like the better team from start to finish.

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RUSH OFFENSE vs. OHIO STATE RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is the #15 rushing team (218 yards/game) and averages 5.08 yards per carry, which is #30 in the country. That's good, not great, but it's impressive considering Michigan's starting quarterback isn't much of a threat to run at all. Hassan Haskins topped 1,000 yards last week and now has 216 carries for 1,063 yards and 13 touchdowns. Fellow star running back Blake Corum (778 yards, 10 TD on the ground) has missed the majority of the last three games with a lower leg injury, but he dressed for last week's game at Maryland and I would expect him back in action against the Buckeyes. Offensive line wise, Michigan is securely #1 in the country in tackles for loss allowed with just 2.18 per game; Georgia is next best with 3.18 per contest. Ohio State is #20 in tackles for loss (7.27 per game) and #11 in rushing defense (102 yards allowed/game). They allow just 3.1 yards per carry (#12) but have faced just 363 rushing attempts, which is the 15th fewest; I guess that's what happens when you score a bunch of points and teams have to pass to try to catch up. Safety Ronnie Hickman (6'1", 205 lbs.) leads the team with 83 tackles, followed by linebacker Cody Simon (6'2", 233) with 47, safety Bryson Shaw (6'0", 195) with 44, and linebacker Teradja Mitchell (6'2", 239) with 44. Linebacker Tommy Eichenberg (6'2", 235) is the biggest TFL guy with 5.5 in the run game this year. Michigan can't get in a track meet with OSU, so they will have to try to run the ball and sustain drives to keep the defense fresh.
Advantage: Michigan

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FORMER PLAYERS

LB Jordan Anthony (Troy): Anthony made 3 tackles in a 45-7 loss to Appalachian State.and 0.5 tackles for loss in a 35-21 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette.

RB Zach Charbonnet (UCLA): Charbonnet had 28 carries for a career-high 167 yards and 1 touchdown in a 62-33 win over USC. He also caught 1 pass for 6 yards.

WR Kekoa Crawford (Cal): Crawford made 3 catches for 41 yards in a 41-11 win over Stanford.

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Here is an early list of players who are planning to head to Ann Arbor for The Game.

2022

Zeke Berry - S - Concord (CA) De La Salle: Berry is a 6'0", 185-pounder with offers from Michigan, Oregon, and UCLA; he decommitted from Arizona. He's a 4-star, the #19 safety, and #227 overall. This is an official visit.

Ethan Burke - DE - Austin (TX) Westlake: Burke is a 6'7", 225 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, Kansas State, Michigan, and Texas Tech, among others. He's a 247 Sports 3-star and the #40 edge player. This is an official visit.

Joshua Conerly - OT - Seattle (WA) Rainier Beach: Conerly is a 6'5", 275-pounder with offers from Michigan, Oregon, and USC, among others. He's a 5-star, the #3 offensive tackle, and #19 overall. He already took an official visit to Michigan - and an unofficial - so this will be his third trip to Ann Arbor. UPDATE: Conerly is no longer planning to visit.

Kiyaunta Goodwin - OT - Charlestown (IN) Charlestown: Goodwin is a 6'8", 340 lb. prospect who's committed to Kentucky. He also has offers from Alabama and Michigan, among others. He's a 5-star, the #5 offensive tackle, and #30 overall.

Kenneth Grant - DT - Merrillville (IN) Merrillville: Grant is committed to Michigan.

Kevonte Henry - LB - Lawndale (CA) Leuzinger: Henry is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Domani Jackson - CB - Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei: Jackson is a 6'1", 185 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama and Michigan, along with a bunch of others. He also just decommitted from USC last week. He's a 5-star, the #2 cornerback, and #6 overall. He has developed a good relationship with Michigan commit Will Johnson (see below), who has been a big positive in Jackson's recruitment. Jackson took an official visit back in September, so this is an unofficial.

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That was quietly ugly for Maryland. With my high school season having ended last week, I made the trip to Maryland because I had never been there for a game. Watching the game in person, Michigan was certainly in control for the whole game but in the first half, it seemed like the Terrapins were holding their own. Michigan should have been able to run all over them, but they couldn't. Michigan should have been able to beat up and bruise Taulia Tagovailoa, but they couldn't. It was a comfortable 24-3 lead at halftime, but it never seemed like Michigan was beating the pants off them. And then . . . well . . . the third quarter happened, when Michigan exploded for 28 points. Even though Maryland scored 15 in that stanza, the rout was on. I looked up at the scoreboard and thought, "Is Michigan about to score 60 on a Big Ten opponent not named Rutgers?" In truth, no, they weren't. But they got as close as possible.

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RUSH OFFENSE vs. MARYLAND RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is the #14 rushing offense in the country (225 yards/game). The bell cow right now is 6'1", 225 lb. Hassan Haskins, who has 58 carries over the past two weeks since Blake Corum hurt his lower leg. Haskins has responded with 168 and 156 yards, many of them coming after contact while pushing piles, twisting, and diving for extra yardage. Michigan will pound-pound-pound the ball inside and then get big chunks on the edges. Maryland is #77 in rushing defense (157 yards allowed/game) and #70 in yards allowed per carry (4.11). They did a respectable job against Michigan State's Kenneth Walker last week (30 carries, 143 yards, 2 touchdowns), but that allowed quarterback Payton Thorne to average 9.6 yards per passing attempt and throw 4 touchdowns. The top two tacklers for the Terrapins are safeties Jordan Mosley (6'1", 205) and Nick Cross (6'1", 215) with 67 and 57, respectively. It's not usually a great thing when safeties are leading the team in tackling. Nose tackle Ami Finau (6'2", 320) is a decent run stuffer with 5 tackles for loss. Michigan might not be able to gash Maryland over and over again, but they should be able to move the ball consistently.
Advantage: Michigan

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