Posts by: Thunder

2021 Season Countdown: #69 Tavierre Dunlap

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Name: Tavierre Dunlap
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 196 lbs.
High school: Del Valle (TX) Del Valle
Position: Running back
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Dunlap was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 59

Dunlap was a welcome addition to Michigan’s class in 2021. The Wolverines were pursuing Donovan Edwards hard, but Edwards waited until late in the cycle to put his name on the dotted line. But the program also needed to ensure they were going to land a back or two in the class. The writing was on the wall for Christian Turner to depart the program, Chris Evans was running out of eligibility, and the transfer of Zach Charbonnet probably took many by surprise.

Despite a healthy respect for Dunlap’s skill, I have bumped him down from a 78 to a 59 in my TTB Ratings. Dunlap ran for 100+ yards in every game but one as a senior, and his season included two 90+ yard runs. I think Dunlap is a little Chris Perry-like, and I think Mike Hart was not like Chris Perry, nor has he seemed to favor Perry-like runners in his previous stops. Edwards and Blake Corum, along with the established Hassan Haskins, are likely to keep Dunlap mired in fourth place.

Fourth place is still relevant in the running back world, though. Over Harbaugh’s five full seasons in Ann Arbor, here’s how much the fourth running back has been involved:

• 2019: Christian Turner, 44 carries
• 2018: Christian Turner, 20 carries
• 2017: Kareem Walker, 20 carries
• 2016: Karan Higdon, 72 carries
• 2015: Ty Isaac, 30 carries

That’s an average of 37.2 carries per season, and Dunlap is the fourth and last scholarship running back on the roster. I think Dunlap will get closer to 20 carries than the 72 Higdon did in 2016, but that’s still a fairly significant role for the second-best freshman running back.

Prediction: Backup running back

2021 Season Countdown: #70 Carter Selzer

Name: Carter Selzer
Height: 6’8″
Weight: 240 lbs.
High school: Kansas City (MO) Rockhurst
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #89
Last year: I did not rank Selzer. He played in six games.
TTB Rating: N/A

Selzer has played in ten career games so far, mostly on special teams.

You problem never noticed him until one fateful day on Halloween 2020.

On that particular day, Michigan was coming off a blowout win over Minnesota and went into the game against Michigan State full of unfounded confidence. So, too, did offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. So much confidence that he thought he could do anything and beat the Spartans.

So he put in a Wildcat pass for Hassan Haskins to throw the ball to the 6’8″ Selzer on the goal line. It went poorly, MSU linebacker Antjuan Simmons batted the ball away, Michigan wasted a scoring opportunity, and they lost by 3 points.

Part of the reason they threw the ball to Selzer was because nobody expected them to throw the ball to Selzer, and going into 2021, I once again do not expect them to throw the ball to Selzer. But he is worth noting because of his role on special teams, and obviously, the coaches feel he’s talented enough to be involved in a tight rivalry game.

Prediction: Backup tight end, special teamer

2021 Season Countdown: #71 Tommy Doman

Name: Tommy Doman
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 184 lbs.
High school: Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s
Position: Punter
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #19
Last year: Doman was a senior in high school (LINK). He completed 6/7 field goals and averaged 44.8 yards per punt.
TTB Rating: N/A

When it comes to special teams and projecting high school guys to the college level, I have never pretended to know exactly how that will shape up. There are too many unknowns – the prowess of the long snapper, holder, etc. – and I’m not well versed in the mechanics of kicking or punting.

Did ball go far? Good. Good ball go far.

In Doman’s case, good ball go far.

He hit a 53-yard field and bombed a couple 58-yard punts during the shortened 2020-2021 season. The kicking sites think he’s good, and that’s about all I have to go on.

As for how he fits into the plans for 2021, it’s entirely possible that he gets playing time. Senior kicker Jake Moody (1/4 on field goals in 2020) has been inconsistent, and Quinn Nordin (2/5) opted for a shot at the NFL. Meanwhile, punter Will Hart (37.8 yards/attempt) transferred, leaving the punting duties to Brad Robbins (45.3 yards/attempt), a guy who missed a big chunk of his early career with injury.

I would guess Doman will be the primary backup at both kicker and punter, and with Moody’s questionable mindset, I think Doman is more likely to take over the placekicking role, barring injury to Robbins. I expect to see him on the field this fall in some capacity.

Prediction: Backup kicker/punter

Myles Pollard, Wolverine

Brentwood (TN) Ravenwood cornerback Myles Pollard committed to Michigan on Wednesday afternoon. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Alabama, Auburn, Oklahoma, and Oregon, among others.

Pollard is listed at 6’2″, 185 lbs.

RATINGS
ESPN: 3-star, 78 grade, #51 CB
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #34 CB
247 Sports: 3-star, 87 grade, #59 CB

Hit the jump for more.

2021 Season Countdown: #72 Ja’Den McBurrows

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Name: Ja’Den McBurrows
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 165 lbs.
High school: Ft. Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas
Position: Cornerback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #1
Last year: McBurrows was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 73

Michigan offered McBurrows, who attended a powerhouse high school, in January of 2020. Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic began, he committed to Michigan without having seen campus. He did end up visiting unofficially for the Wisconsin game – which went poorly for Michigan – and there were rumors that Miami and others were still pushing hard to get him to flip. But the Wolverines hung on and got him to sign in December.

McBurrows is a playmaker, making 4 interceptions in 2020 and returning 2 of those for touchdowns. According to Sam Webb, he was St. Thomas Aquinas’s #1 corner even though it’s a team full of star players headed to Division I schools. McBurrows is feisty but fairly small, similar to Andre Seldon, Jr. He always seems to be around the ball, and he’s not afraid to mix it up with bigger players. That may not turn into immediate playing time, but after the first couple guys on the depth chart (Vincent Gray, Gemon Green), there’s a total lack of experience among Seldon, D.J. Turner II, Jalen Perry, German Green, Darion Green-Warren, etc. McBurrows is unlikely to leapfrog all those guys, but aside from Turner seeming to be in the top three, it’s anyone’s guess how that depth chart plays out. (Side note: Rumors say that Perry has moved to safety and German Green has moved to corner.)

Prediction: Redshirt