Posts by: Thunder

2021 Season Countdown: #100 Lucas Andrighetto

Name: Lucas Andrighetto
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 202 lbs.
High school: Mountain View (CA) St. Francis
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #31
Last year: I ranked Andrighetto #99 and said he would be a backup running back (LINK). He missed the season due to injury.
TTB Rating: N/A

Andrighetto has had a rough couple years at Michigan. After redshirting in 2018, virtually every other running back was injured or suspended in 2019, leading Andrighetto to get a bunch of playing time in the spring. Then the season came around, and he didn’t get any snaps except a little time on special teams against Alabama in the bowl game. Then he tore his ACL in 2020 and missed the abbreviated season.

Michigan is once again pretty well stacked at running back, with returning starter Hassan Haskins, key backup Blake Corum, and blue chip recruit Donovan Edwards. Andrighetto is unlikely to crack the lineup anytime soon unless injuries once again befall the backfield.

2021 Season Countdown: #101 Elijah Pierre

Name: Elijah Pierre
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 297 lbs.
High school: Rockland (MA) Xaverian Brothers
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Sixth year senior
Jersey number: #72
Last year: I did not rank Pierre. He did not play.
TTB Rating: N/A

Pierre plays every Michigan fan’s favorite position: defensive tackle! This is exciting, right?

But some of you have never heard of Elijah Pierre, so let me back up. Pierre graduated from Xavier Brothers – home of Maurice Hurst, Jr. – in the class of 2016. He attended Brown University from 2016-2019 and used the graduate transfer rule to spend one more season playing college football at Michigan. Of course, the 2020 season did not go according to plan, and a 6’1″, 297 lb. tackle wasn’t going to solve the problem presented by a lack of size on the defensive line. Perhaps a couple games against MAC schools may have shown him some playing time, but those didn’t happen.

Moving into the 2021 season, Pierre is probably once against on the outside looking in. He doesn’t have great size for a team that is looking for beef on the interior. Plus Michigan nabbed four defensive tackles in the 2021 recruiting class. While he may have a weight advantage on a few of those guys, the coaches will probably try to develop young guys rather than find snaps for a player in his sixth year of college football. While it’s nice to have an experienced player available (Pierre made 26 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks at Brown), he will probably be watching from the sideline for most of the year.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle

Visitors: June 4-6, 2021

TRANSFERS

Jay Toia – DT – USC: Toia is a 6’2″, 315 lb. player who signed with USC in the class of 2021. However, he entered the transfer portal and is interested in Michigan. He was a 4-star, the #26 defensive lineman, and #186 overall. Michigan offered him out of high school and pursued hard, but Toia has lamented that he couldn’t take official visits and see more schools due to COVID.

2022

Dillon Bell – WR – Houston (TX) Kinkaid: Bell is a 6’2″, 205 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, Michigan, and Penn State, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #69 wide receiver, and #545 overall. He stopped by Michigan for an unofficial visit and is supposed to return later in June for an official visit. The Wolverines recently offered his younger brother Micah Bell, a 2023 cornerback.

Jeremiah Caldwell – CB – Belleville (MI) Belleville: Caldwell is a 6’3″, 170 lb. prospect who has been committed to Kentucky since January 2021. He is a 3-star, the #31 athlete, and #385 overall. Michigan offered in mid-April, and the defensive backs coach he committed to at Kentucky is now at Michigan (Steve Clinkscale). This is an unofficial visit on June 2.

Dakari Frazier – DE – Pickerington (OH) Central: Frazier is a 6’4″, 245 lb. prospect with offers from a handful of MAC programs. He’s a 247 Sports 3-star and the #174 defensive lineman in the country. He’s a teammate of 2023 safety/linebacker Sonny Styles (see below).

Hit the jump for more.

2021 Season Countdown: #102 Andy Maddox

Name: Andy Maddox
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 212 lbs.
High school: Prairie Village (KS) Shawnee Mission East
Position: Quarterback
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #15
Last year: I did not rank Maddox. He did not play.
TTB Rating: N/A

Maddox is that somewhat rare walk-on quarterback who actually looks like a quarterback on the hoof (6’4″, 212 lbs.). He’s not too short to see over the line, nor is he a 6’7″ monster. But he has limited athleticism and his throwing mechanics – at least in high school – were somewhat awkward. Maddox was probably the #2 walk-on quarterback on the roster this spring until Ren Hefley entered the transfer portal, but either way, it’s unlikely that Michigan would find itself in a position to play a walk-on at the position.

Prediction: Backup quarterback

2021 Season Countdown: #103 Luke Buckman

Name: Luke Buckman
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 244 lbs.
High school: Holland (MI) Holland
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #35
Last year: I did not rank Buckman. He did not play.
TTB Rating: N/A

Buckman enters his fourth season in the program without having seen the field yet. He’s the younger brother of Wade Buckman, who played a little bit of tight end at Purdue and Western Michigan. Michigan has often played walk-on tight ends, and Luke Buckman has good size. But I have not seen anything yet to suggest that he is a threat to see the field. Michigan lost Nick Eubanks to graduation, but the replacement on the roster is a 4-star freshman in Louis Hansen, who is reportedly already up to 250 lbs. So I assume Buckman will spend this season on the sideline.

Prediction: Backup tight end