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Video: First padded practice

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

2014 Season Countdown: #20 Amara Darboh

Amara Darboh

Name: Amara Darboh
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 211 lbs.
High school: Des Moines (IA) Dowling Catholic
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #82
Last year: I ranked Darboh #25 and said he would start at split end. He broke his foot prior to the season and missed the entire year.

Darboh had a rough year in 2013. He developed a rapport with quarterback Devin Gardner during the spring of 2013 season and entered fall camp as a favorite target. Despite not making a single catch during the 2012 campaign, he was going to be a frequent target. Then he broke his foot in August, had surgery, and missed the remainder of the year. In his stead, Michigan’s receiving corps did well for themselves: Jeremy Gallon set records, Devin Funchess developed into a rising star, and Jehu Chesson grew up a little bit.

Here comes the 2014 season, and we still don’t know exactly what to expect out of Darboh. Gallon is gone, and Funchess isn’t messing around as a tight end anymore. There’s one starting wideout spot available right now, and the battle for it comes down to Darboh, Chesson, and freshman Freddy Canteen. My guess is that Darboh will start opposite Funchess, because the coaches value his size and experience, and Gardner seems to like him. Some people might rank a starting wide receiver higher on a list like this, but the presence of Chesson would soften the blow of losing Darboh for any length of time. Michigan also has several other players who can take occasional snaps, such as Da’Mario Jones, Jaron Dukes, Drake Harris, and Maurice Ways.

Prediction: Starting split end; 30 catches, 450 yards, 4 touchdowns

Not much else matters

Michael Weber, Wolverine

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech running back Michael Weber committed to Michigan.

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech running back Michael Weber committed to Michigan on Wednesday night. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Michigan State, Ohio State, USC, and Wisconsin, among others.

I wrote up a scouting report on Weber in March (LINK), and not much has changed since then; after all, it was based on his junior film. He is slated to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January.

RATINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 82 grade, #14 running back, #169 overall, #2 in-state
Rivals: 4-star, #10 running back, #105 overall, #1 in-state
Scout: 4-star, #13 running back, #104 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 94 grade, #13 running back, #144 overall, #2 in-state

Weber was one of Michigan’s earliest offers in the 2015 class, but Kentuckian Damien Harris committed first. The presence of perhaps the nation’s top-ranked running back seemed to bother Weber, who lost some interest in Michigan and started to build relationships with the likes of Michigan State, Ohio State, USC, and Wisconsin. Then Al Borges was fired, Harris decommitted, and new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier re-prioritized Weber this winter and spring. As you can tell by my comments on the March scouting report, I thought Michigan held a slight lead by that point. Despite touted teammate Joshua Alabi committing to Ohio State recently, Weber skipped a planned visit to Michigan State, drove to Ann Arbor with one of his coaches, and committed to Michigan on Wednesday evening.

Weber is a solid player who has been dominating the Detroit area (and the state) for the past three years. I mentioned in that scouting report that he reminds me of Emmitt Smith in the way he runs – not extremely fast, not extremely powerful, not extremely shifty, but he gets the job done efficiently. One other thing to note is that Weber reportedly caught the ball well at a recent camp, which strengthens the Smith comparison and adds another dimension to a well rounded game. I have noted in the past that if Michigan’s offensive line develops like it should with all these big-time recruits, any halfway decent running back should be very productive. I do not see Weber dominating the highlight reels in the future, but he should be a good running back for the Wolverines who has some potential for the NFL.

This gives Michigan ten commits in the 2015 class, which is currently scheduled to hit just 11 or so (LINK). He’s also the only running back (with Harris likely headed elsewhere), and Michigan will probably stand pat with just one back in this class unless something changes. The Wolverines have landed the top two in-state players (Weber, WR Brian Cole) and three of the top four (QB Alex Malzone is #4), according to the 247 Composite. Weber is another in a long line of Cass Tech players headed to Michigan, where he will join offensive lineman David Dawson, linebacker Royce Jenkins-Stone, cornerbacks Jourdan Lewis and Terry Richardson, and safety Delano Hill. Furthermore, his Wednesday night visit took place with Delano Hill’s younger brother, Lavert, a 2016 cornerback who also holds an offer from the Wolverines.

TTB Rating: 82 (ratings explanation)