Posts by: Thunder

2020 Season Countdown: #48 Andrew Vastardis

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Name: Andrew Vastardis
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 319 lbs.
High school: Ashburn (VA) Stone Bridge
Position: Offensive guard/center
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #68
Last year: I ranked Vastardis #79 and said he would be a backup center/guard (LINK). He played in five games.
TTB Rating: N/A

A good number of walk-ons end up on Michigan’s football team, and the vast majority of them remain unknowns to casual fans. Vastardis started off his career at Michigan as a preferred walk-on. While Michigan does have a fair number of walk-on success stories – many of them Glasgows – Vastardis has an opportunity to add his name to that list. In the past two seasons, he has played in six and five games, respectively, while playing behind Cesar Ruiz.

Ruiz is off to the NFL, which opens a spot at center. Word is that the coaches really like redshirt freshman Zach Carpenter, who seems to be penciled in at the position. But Vastardis offers a great veteran backup option. This will be his fifth year in the program, and he appears to be very strong while lacking a little bit of agility. We probably won’t see much of him as long as everyone stays healthy up front, but the backup center is fairly valuable, considering he’s the one who makes the protection calls for the whole line.

Prediction: Backup center

2020 Season Countdown: #49 Darion Green-Warren

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Name: Darion Green-Warren
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 183 lbs.
High school: Harbor City (CA) Narbonne
Position: Cornerback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Green-Warren was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 16 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, and 8 pass breakups.
TTB Rating: 78

In what was a mediocre recruiting class in 2020, Green-Warren was one of the hard-fought prizes of the cycle. The importance of his recruitment was probably inflated by two things: 1. his position and 2. his California roots. Michigan has suffered losses from the cornerback position in recent years from guys who were expected to contribute (Benjamin St-Juste and Myles Sims, for example), leaving the position pretty thin, at least from an experience perspective. Michigan fans also probably prop up California kids just because it’s such a talent-rich state.

Green-Warren ended up as a 4-star, top-200 player who participated in the Adidas All-American Bowl. That NBC broadcast was all we got to see from Green-Warren in the final year of his recruitment, because after transferring from Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei to Narbonne for his senior year, no highlights were posted. His senior year stats (16 tackles, 6 TFLs, 8 PBUs) don’t indicate that there were a ton of highlights to post, anyway.

I believe Green-Warren will have a solid career at Michigan, but his so-so top-end speed will hold him back in the long run. He’s a physical player who should have little issue with that aspect of the game, but I don’t think he has a particularly high ceiling. This year he has a chance to fight for the #3 cornerback spot behind Ambry Thomas and Vincent Gray, but he’s likely a guy who won’t play a lot until his second or third year.

Prediction: Backup cornerback

2020 Season Countdown: #50 Joel Honigford

Name: Joel Honigford
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 284 lbs.
High school: Sugarcreek (OH) Garaway
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #59
Last year: I ranked Honigford #50 and said he would be a backup offensive guard (LINK). He played in ten games.
TTB Rating: 84

Honigford spent the 2019 season as a backup offensive guard, who also spent some time at tackle after Andrew Stueber got injured. Reports out of practice were good though lacking true buzz, but he was mentioned as a guy who could play numerous spots along the offensive line if necessary. Ultimately, he played in three games as a backup lineman and in ten total, including special teams.

Honigford has an interesting outlook for his final two years of college. On the one hand, he has excellent coaching, solid talent, and some experience under his belt. On the other hand, Michigan keeps recruiting well and some younger guys are pushing from behind. The 2020 season will be a huge one for him since none of the projected starters are seniors of any sort. If Honigford earns a starting position, he would presumably have two years to play. If he spends another year as a backup to a guy who isn’t slated to graduate, Honigford would almost certainly spend his fifth year wearing a different uniform. I like Honigford as a swing guy, but it’s getting down to crunch time.

Prediction: Backup offensive guard

2020 Season Countdown: #51 Jalen Perry

Name: Jalen Perry
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Dacula (GA) Dacula
Position: Cornerback
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #3
Last year: I ranked Perry #66 and said he would be a backup cornerback (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: 88

Perry came into the 2019 season with a decent shot at playing, or so I thought. He was the #201 player in the country at a position where Michigan needed a player or two to step up. Luckily, Michigan mostly avoided injury – after an early illness scare for Ambry Thomas – so Michigan’s backup corners weren’t tested much, outside of Vincent Gray.

Now Lavert Hill has graduated, and the #3 cornerback spot is wide open after Thomas and Gray. Perry has a chance, along with D.J. Turner II, Gemon Green, Darion Green-Warren, and others. Perry has the skills to compete, but the freshman practice hype was non-existent for him. It will be important for Michigan to not only get contributions from a third cornerback, but also to groom someone for 2021 after Ambry Thomas graduates. I expect Perry to be mired on the bench this season, but I do think his size and skill could present some healthy competition for other guys.

Prediction: Backup cornerback

2020 Season Countdown: #52 Quinten Johnson

Name: Quinten Johnson
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 198 lbs.
High school: Washington (DC) St. John’s
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #23
Last year: I ranked Johnson #68 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: 79

Johnson suffered an unfortunate knee injury in 2019, which cut off any arguments about whether he would see time in the defensive backfield.

The debate about his position can continue, though. His listed weight of 198 pounds is still light for Viper, but there were questions about whether he would stick at safety or end up playing the hybrid outside linebacker/safety position. I think he will play safety, and he’s listed as a defensive back. Senior Brad Hawkins and sophomore Daxton Hill are entrenched as the starting safeties, so Johnson has a chance to work in with the second unit so he could potentially take over Hawkins’s job in 2021. I think some of the older players will maintain their leg up, especially since Johnson didn’t have much of a chance to develop in 2019, but we should at least see him on some special teams this year.

Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer