Tyree Kinnel (image via Rivals)
Name: Tyree Kinnel
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 206 lbs.
High school: Huber Heights (OH) Wayne
Position: Safety
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #23
Last year: I ranked Kinnel #71 and said he would redshirt if possible (LINK). He played in eight games on special teams.
Kinnel came to Michigan last year as one of those fairly highly ranked but boring safeties. The Wolverines didn’t have a ton of depth at safety, but they made the position work by only playing their top three guys with any regularity. Jarrod Wilson, Delano Hill, and Dymonte Thomas took the bulk of the snaps. Kinnel forced his way onto the field one-third of the way through the season, but only on special teams. When he burned his redshirt, Jim Harbaugh talked him up, saying that he earned his spot on the kickoff team. Other than running downfield a few times a game, though, nothing much happened.
Now with Wilson graduated and playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Hill and Thomas return as the front-runners for the safety positions. Thomas took some major strides forward during the second half of 2015, and Hill has been playing decently for a couple seasons. By default Kinnel would probably be the next man in, anyway, but he looked solid in the spring. The biggest flash I saw was when he jumped a route at the Ford Field open practice and returned it for a touchdown. Otherwise, he was boring and that’s okay for a safety. He’s solidly built at 5’11”, 206 lbs. and seems to have a good head on his shoulders, so I wouldn’t worry too much if he were to enter a game on defense. Beyond him, though, options become limited to moving Jeremy Clark back from cornerback, playing a walk-on like A.J. Pearson, or inserting a freshman like Khaleke Hudson or Josh Metellus. It’s tough to put someone this high on the list who hasn’t done much on the field yet, but it’s a very shallow position group.
Prediction: Backup safety
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Yes, there is a good argument for the importance of Kinnel. The coaches seem to like him and he is darn near locked in as a starter in ’17. Also, having a competent third safety gives the staff total freedom to float Peppers all over the field. Thought Kinnel looked solid in the spring game. He is not afraid to tackle. Guessing they give him a good chunk of Hill’s snaps this season.
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This kid was a four year starter in HS. There is beau coup video on him. I sat there and watched it all ….. at least a couple times because he was fun to watch, can play and I have time on my hands. He covers, covers ground, makes good decisions and hits. Who could ask for more?
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Sounds like you think this is a guy who should have redshirted?
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Well, redshirts are a tricky thing because you never know how long the kid plans to stay in college, what was promised during his recruitment, etc. But from a football standpoint, I don’t think he did anything that a walk-on or another backup couldn’t have done. He would offer the team more in 2019 as a fifth-year senior than he did as a true freshman special teamer in 2015.
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I don’t usually bemoan ‘burning’ a red-shirt, but Safety is a spot where experience can make a big difference (like QB). At least with Newsome he played meaningful downs and they expect him to start – neither goes for Kinnel.
Could be one they regret.
Perhaps they were concerned about injuries though, and wanted Kinnell ready. Another plausible explanation is that they didn’t have much faith in Thomas early in the season. They may have seen Kinnel as a real option to start in ’16 before Thomas surprised them a bit with his late season surge. Had Thomas looked ready early in the year perhaps Kinnel stays off the field. …Just a thought.
Michigan also used 3 safeties extensively last year, so you may see Kinnel play a lot like Hill/Thomas did.
Regardless, Michigan needs to land a few more DBs in this recruiting class with Thomas and JKP looking most likely.
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Redshirts are for guys who aren’t ready to play. It’s that simple.
You can’t bemoan them for the reasons Thunder gave, and also because of this: How do you tell a guy who’s earned the right to play that he can’t? If he deserves to be out there, you have to reward him. He’s working like crazy for you.
Where burned redshirts are regrettable is when the coaching staff should’ve known the player wasn’t ready to play his real position. Dymonte Thomas fits into this category. Thomas (unlike Kinnel) was a HS linebacker who we moved not only to the secondary but to multiple spots there. He needed a year to figure out which end was up, and we didn’t give it to him.
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