Posts by: Thunder

Visitors: June 18-20, 2021

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2022

Joseph Adedire – DE – Arlington (MI) Mansfield Summit: Adedire is a 6’3″, 250 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Cal, Georgia Tech, Michigan, and Oregon, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #37 strongside end, and #533 overall. He had 53 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks as a junior in 2020. This is his official visit.

Brian Allen, Jr. – DE – Woodstock (IL) St. Thomas More: Allen is a 6’3″, 230-pounder with offers from Illinois, Iowa State, and Purdue, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #111 defensive lineman, and #756 overall.

Dillon Bell – WR – Houston (TX) Kinkaid: Bell is a 6’2″, 205-pounder with offers from Baylor, Michigan, Minnesota, and Mississippi State, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #69 wide receiver, and #543 overall. Both his crystal ball picks so far are for Baylor. This is his official visit.

Will Bettridge – K – Miami (FL) Gulliver Prep: Bettridge is a 5’11”, 165-pounder with offers from FIU, Michigan, Virginia, and some military academies. He’s a 247 Sports 2-star and the #2 kicker in the class. According to Kornblue Kicking, he’s the #1 kicker in his class.

Mumu Bin-Wahad – S – Loganville (GA) Grayson: Bin-Wahad is a 6’0″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Georgia Tech, Michigan, Nebraska, and West Virginia, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #53 safety, and #830 overall. UPDATE: Bin-Wahad is no longer visiting this weekend and committed to West Virginia.

Austin Brown – S – Johnston City (IL) Johnston City: Brown is a 6’1″, 195-pounder with offers from Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #43 safety, and #696 overall. This is an official visit.

Hit the jump for more.

Daylen Baldwin, Wolverine

Jackson State transfer Daylen Baldwin committed to Michigan on Monday afternoon. He picked the Wolverines over an offer from Ohio State (and others).

Baldwin is listed at 6’3″ and 210 lbs. During the shortened spring 2021 season, he caught 27 passes for 540 yards (20.0 yards/catch) and 7 touchdowns.

Baldwin bounced around a little bit in high school, going from Southfield to Waterford Mott. He signed with Morgan State in the 2017 class and spent two seasons there before transferring to Jackson State in 2019. After sitting out 2019 and playing in 2020, he decided once again to switch schools. He worked out while visiting Michigan last week, an offer ensued, and it was assumed shortly after that he would pick the Wolverines, with the biggest reason being an opening for immediate playing time.

I have perhaps an irrational affinity for receivers who are roughly 6’3″ and 210 lbs., because those have been some of the guys who have had the most success at Michigan, such as Marquise Walker, David Terrell, Adrian Arrington, etc. Michigan doesn’t have many of those long, rangy types on the roster in 2021, with just redshirt sophomore Cornelius Johnson and true freshman Cristian Dixon approaching that type of height and length.

Baldwin has some good film from the level of FCS Jackson State, catching deep balls and outjumping some smaller defensive backs. I have not seen evidence that he is an advanced route runner, but Michigan does not really require advanced route running from its outside receivers. The Wolverines mostly need a big receiver who can run fades and posts, allowing the slot guys to run the RPO’s over the middle.

Baldwin has a good chance to play immediately at Michigan. Cornelius Johnson will probably start on the outside, and he could somewhat have a breakout season. Ronnie Bell can play outside and inside, and then there are guys like Roman Wilson and A.J. Henning, who are a little smaller but faster than Baldwin. Personally, I think Baldwin is probably the fourth or fifth most talented receiver on the roster, but that should still get him on the field.

2021 Season Countdown: #89 Joey George

Name: Joey George
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 287 lbs.
High school: Walled Lake (MI) Western
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #57
Last year: I did not rank George. He played in one game.
TTB Rating: N/A

George, a walk-on defensive lineman, achieved what might have been his dream of playing in a Michigan football game last season. Unfortunately, it was across from a mean ol’ nasty Wisconsin offensive line that plowed Michigan’s defense out onto Main Street.

This spring George earned a mention from Jim Harbaugh as someone who had an excellent spring. I’m pegging Harbaugh’s comments as pure hype, considering George’s only playing time came in a blowout loss and that George is an undersized 6’0″, 287 lb. lineman on a team that supposedly wants to get bigger up front. Perhaps his height will let him maintain leverage against some opponents, but I’m guessing he will be primarily a scout team guy.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle

2021 Season Countdown: #90 Kechaun Bennett

Name: Kechaun Bennett
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 220 lbs.
High school: Suffield (CT) Suffield Academy
Position: Defensive end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #52
Last year: Bennett was a senior in high school (LINK). His senior season was canceled due to COVID.
TTB Rating: 78

Connecticut high schoolers lost their 2021 season to COVID, which is unfortunate for them all. It also throws a little bit of a wrench into projecting them forward. I liked Bennett when he committed to Michigan, but I did not give him a TTB Rating. As a defensive lineman with skinny legs and a lot of weight to eventually add, he was not close to his physical ceiling as a junior in high school. But I do like his athleticism, quickness, and physicality.

As a freshman at Michigan who did not enroll early, my guess is that Bennett will remain raw and will need time to develop. He might even need more time than originally expected, considering he missed a full season of development. With Michigan’s move from a 4-man front to a 3-4, I think Bennett will become an outside linebacker where it seems Michigan has a fair amount of depth. The Wolverines should be able to give Bennett at least a year to train his body and mind for a role that could come once Aidan Hutchinson graduates after the 2021 season.

Prediction: Redshirt

On Ace Leaving MGoBlog

Recently, Ace Anbender announced on Twitter that he was resigning from MGoBlog. While he did not go into much detail about the reasons for his resignation, I have some assumptions. (I will keep those assumptions to myself.)

I feel compelled to post about Ace since he was such an integral part of MGoBlog, a place that has provided a platform for Touch the Banner and my Michigan fandom in general.

You can hit the jump for more.