Posts by: touchbann_adminuser

2014 Season Countdown: #45 A.J. Williams

A.J. Williams (#84) with Devin Funchess

Name: A.J. Williams

Height: 6’6″
Weight: 263 lbs.
High school: Cincinnati (OH) Sycamore
Position: Tight end
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #84
Last year: I ranked Williams #28 and said he would be the starting tight end with 2 catches for 20 yards. He started six games and caught 1 pass for 2 yards and 1 touchdown.

Williams couldn’t block a soul as a true freshman in 2012, and he improved exponentially by blocking a couple guys in 2013. The good news is that Doug Nussmeier is the new sheriff in town, and in my mind, that means he will fix every problem that Michigan ever had. The bad news is that, in my mind, that one hot chick from my senior year house party totally wanted to hook up with me.

More good news, though: A.J. Williams caught a touchdown pass!

More bad news: That was the only pass he caught since his junior year of high school.

The only other good news I have is that Chick-Fil-A is pretty tasty, especially when you remove the pickle from the sandwich.

Speaking of sandwiches, Williams has been eating less of them and is down to 263 lbs. after being 280+ as a freshman and 265 as a sophomore. Michigan will be without their main tight end in Jake Butt, so Williams will have to fill some kind of void until he returns. Even when Butt comes back, Williams will still find some playing time. This year there seems to be a challenge coming from redshirt junior Keith Heitzman, a position-switcher from defensive end. I’m dropping Williams quite a long way in this year’s countdown, not because he won’t play but because losing him to injury would likely not affect the team much. The combination of Heitzman and Butt should be able to do most of what Nussmeier wants, and anything the coaches can get from freshman Ian Bunting, redshirt freshman Khalid Hill, and some H-backs would be gravy.

Prediction: Backup tight end; 1 catch for 7 yards

2014 Bronko Nagurski Award watch list

Frank Clark

The 2014 Bronko Nagurski Award watch list has been released, and there are a few Michigan players on the list, plus some other notable players from the Big Ten, other opponents, and Michigan’s recruiting. Charles Woodson (1997) is the only Michigan player to have won the award, which is given to the nation’s best defensive player.

Michael Bennett – DT – Ohio State*
Joey Bosa – DE – Ohio State*
Shilique Calhoun – DE – Michigan State
Frank Clark – DE – Michigan
Blake Countess – CB – Michigan
Su’a Cravens – S – USC*
Carl Davis – DT – Iowa
Kurtis Drummond – S – Michigan State*
Devonte Fields – DE – TCU*
Kendall Fuller – CB – Virginia Tech*
Randy Gregory – DE – Nebraska
Vernon Hargreaves III – CB – Florida*
Ryan Mueller – DE – Kansas State
KeiVarae Russell – CB – Notre Dame
Jake Ryan – LB – Michigan
Jaylon Smith – LB – Notre Dame*
Trae Waynes – CB – Michigan State

*Offered by Michigan

2014 Season Countdown: #46 Channing Stribling

Channing Stribling

Name: Channing Stribling
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 176 lbs.
High school: Matthews (NC) Butler
Position: Cornerback
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #8
Last year: I ranked Stribling #83 and said he would redshirt. He made 16 tackles and 1 forced fumbles.

I believed Stribling would redshirt in 2013 with the likes of Blake Countess, Raymon Taylor, and Courtney Avery returning, all of whom had starting experience going into the year. Avery hurt his knee in pre-season practice and split his time between corner and safety, which exacerbated the need for other corners. So freshmen Stribling and Jourdan Lewis stepped on the field. Stribling’s size seemed to lure defensive coordinator Greg Mattison into playing him, and he even said that Stribling made a lot of plays in practice. Unfortunately, that didn’t translate to the field a great deal, a problem that was made abundantly clear when he was beaten twice at critical moments against Penn State. That, of course, wasn’t his fault – the coaches made the decision to put a somewhat unheralded true freshman on the field in crunch time. Regardless, he mistimed a couple of passes, which were completed on the Nittany Lions’ way to a frustrating defeat for the Wolverines.

I thought Stribling looked overmatched as a freshman, but I am not without hope for his future. The problem for him is that Michigan has two established starters (Countess and Taylor), a classmate who has created quite a bit of buzz (Lewis), and an incoming freshman who is Michigan’s most hyped recruit in the Rivals/Scout era (Jabrill Peppers), which dates back to 2002. This does not mean that his path to playing time is blocked, but it may be a winding road; he may be a backup until both Countess and Taylor are gone, he may move to safety at some point, or he may remain the third corner after Lewis/Peppers. I hesitate to underestimate Stribling for a second year in a row, partly because the coaches seem to be high on him. But I can’t really see a situation where he’s called upon to contribute heavily this season unless injuries occur.

Prediction: Backup cornerback

2014 Rimington Trophy watch list

David Molk won the Rimington Trophy in 2011

The 2014 Rimington Trophy watch list was released on Wednesday morning. The award is given to college football’s best center each season. There are nine Big Ten centers and some other notable names on the list.

Jack Allen – C – Michigan State
Austin Blythe – C – Iowa
Evan Boehm – C – Missouri*
Betim Bujari – C – Rutgers
Ty Darlington – C – Oklahoma*
B.J. Finney – C – Kansas State
Ryan Kelly – C – Alabama*
Robert Kugler – C – Purdue#
Nick Martin – C – Notre Dame*
Alex Mateas – C – Connecticut
Tommy Olson – C – Minnesota
Mark Pelini – C – Nebraska
Collin Rahrig – C – Indiana
Brandon Vitabile – C – Northwestern
Dan Voltz – C – Wisconsin*

*Offered by Michigan
#Brother of Michigan lineman Patrick Kugler

2014 Season Countdown: #47 Joe Kerridge

Joe Kerridge and Sione Houma (image via MWolverine.com)

Name: Joe Kerridge
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 247 lbs.
High school: Traverse City (MI) St. Francis
Position: Fullback
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #36
Last year: I ranked Kerridge #42 and said he would be the starting fullback with 2 receptions for 18 yards. He had 1 carry for 3 yards, 5 catches for 25 yards, and 4 tackles.

Kerridge was Michigan’s first string fullback in 2013, and he did a fine job. As the year went along, offensive coordinator Al Borges reached into his bag of tricks, pulled out the ol’ Spider 2 Y Banana, and shuffled the ball to Kerridge a few times. You know the Bo Schembechler saying: 4.67 yards and a cloud of dust. Kerridge is a decent blocker, but despite visions of him trucking kids in high school, he is not generally someone who should be touching the ball very often.

I have an uncorroborated hunch that new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier will value junior Sione Houma’s athleticism over Kerridge’s skills, which may relegate Kerridge to backup or special teams duty. Houma – who is slightly smaller but has better hair – looked niftier and quicker on the 2 passes he caught (for 14 yards), and I would guess Nussmeier wants a little more speed on the field for his tendency to spread the field a little more. The fullback position itself may be downgraded, but the lack of a healthy Jake Butt might make an H-back type like Houma more valuable to run flat routes. Either way, I think Kerridge will take a back seat to schemes and other personnel this year, but he’s experienced and trustworthy, so he’ll see the field a fair amount.

Prediction: Backup fullback; 1 catch for 4.67 yards