Posts by: Thunder

2020 Season Countdown: #68 Nikhai Hill-Green

Name: Nikhai Hill-Green
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 230 lbs.
High school: Baltimore (MD) St. Francis
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Hill-Green was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 74 81

Hill-Green transferred from Pittsburgh (PA) North Catholic to St. Francis between his junior and senior years, and that move worked out well for him. I gave him a so-so TTB Rating of 74 based on his junior film at North Catholic, but what I see of him as a senior shows a player who is more physical, quicker, more decisive, and more confident.

I have heard some chatter that Michigan thinks Hill-Green is a little bit of a sleeper in this class, and I think he has an outside shot to contribute this fall. Michigan needs someone to step up at inside linebacker behind Cam McGrone and Joshua Ross, and the only veteran presence is redshirt freshman Charles Thomas. If Hill-Green is in good shape and truly measures in close to his listed numbers (6’1″, 230 lbs.), then he could be a guy who gets a few snaps to groom him for 2021, when it’s not totally unrealistic that one or both of McGrone and Ross could move on to the NFL.

Prediction: Backup linebacker

Hit the jump for his senior highlights.

2020 Season Countdown: #69 Hunter Reynolds

Name: Hunter Reynolds
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 198 lbs.
High school: South Orange (NJ) Choate Rosemary Hall
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #27
Last year: I ranked Reynolds #56 and said he would be a backup safety and special teamer (LINK). He made 5 tackles and 1 tackle for loss.
TTB Rating: N/A

Reynolds had his most significant year yet in 2019. He was named Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year in 2018, and last year he made 5 tackles and 1 tackle for loss while playing special teams and a little bit of defense.

Overall, it’s tough to get much playing time as a walk-on, let alone as a defensive back. At the defensive back position, it’s been since the early 2010’s when Jordan Kovacs manned one of the safety positions. (Jordan Glasgow didn’t really emerge until he moved to linebacker.) With Josh Metellus and Lavert Hill having moved on to the NFL, there’s a possibility that Reynolds might work his way into the two-deep.

For whatever it’s worth, in 2019 Reynolds made more tackles than Sammy Faustin, played in more games than Faustin and Gemon Green, recorded stats – unlike German Green – and exceeded any season Jaylen Kelly-Powell ever had in a Wolverines uniform.

How much does all that mean for Reynolds going into 2020? It’s very hard to say. But I think he might be a dark horse candidate for playing time while people are busy getting excited about R.J. Moten, Jordan Morant, Makari Paige, and Darion Green-Warren.

Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer

2020 Season Countdown: #70 Phillip Paea

Name: Phillip Paea
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 302 lbs.
High school: Berrien Springs (MI) Berrien Springs
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #92
Last year: I ranked Paea #80 and said he would be a backup . . . somewhere (LINK). He did not play in any games.
TTB Rating: 68

Well, here we are on the brink of another season (or not) and Paea doesn’t appear to be any further along than he was last year at this time. Paea went from being a backup offensive lineman in 2018 to a backup defensive tackle in 2019. Michigan had a need for contributions on the interior of the defensive line, because they were relying on help from other unproven players, like freshman Chris Hinton and veteran Donovan Jeter.

This year the guys ahead of Paea appear to be all the same guys, except the departed Michael Dwumfour, who will be suiting up for Rutgers in 2020. There might even be some strongside defensive end types encroaching on defensive tackle playing time, such as Julius Welschof. Though there is opportunity once again for unproven players to step up, it’s unlikely that Paea will be one of them. Unless he has a breakthrough this season, this will probably be the finale of his Michigan career.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle

2020 Season Countdown: #71 Eamonn Dennis

Name: Eamonn Dennis
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 173 lbs.
High school: Worcester (MA) St. John’s
Position: Cornerback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Dennis was a senior in high school (LINK). He ran 39 times for 448 yards and 9 touchdowns and also caught 30 passes for 751 yards and 7 touchdowns, while returning 3 kickoffs for touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 72 79

As I look at Dennis’s stats for his senior season, my first thought is this . . . how did this guy get only 69 offensive touches during his senior year?

Anyway, Dennis blew away the competition while playing running back, receiver, special teams, and defensive back. He runs away from people, makes people miss, and shows great vision with the ball in his hands.

There were rumors that Dennis would play cornerback at Michigan, and at one point, he seemed to shoot those down, saying he wanted to play wide receiver. Based on the latest intel, he is indeed headed for corner to start his career.

Dennis is in No Man’s Land here at #71 because of positional uncertainty, a lack of experience at the position, and a healthy dose of tantalizing athleticism. Michigan does not have great depth at cornerback, and at least one guy ahead of him, senior Ambry Thomas, will be gone after 2020. The other corner spot probably belongs to Vincent Gray for the next couple seasons, but Dennis might have a shot in 2021 while battling Darion Green-Warren, Jalen Perry, Andre Seldon, and others. I think the coaching staff should try to get Dennis’s feet wet this fall, even if he plays four or fewer games to preserve his redshirt.

Prediction: Redshirt

2020 Season Countdown: #72 Trente Jones

Name: Trente Jones
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 294 lbs.
High school: Loganville (GA) Grayson
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #53
Last year: I ranked Jones #95 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: 88

Jones had a great season for a freshman offensive lineman: he redshirted.

Just a few seasons ago, Michigan had a dearth of offensive tackles, and any halfway decent lineman was in danger of having to play early. Now they seemingly have a plethora. Is Jones one of them? We’ll see. He plays like an offensive tackle, but he’s a little on the short side at 6’4″.

The 2020 season should be another developmental one for Jones. Michigan’s two tackles are pretty set in Jalen Mayfield and Ryan Hayes, and there are a few seasoned backups, such as Andrew Stueber (who could start at guard) and Joel Honigford. I have heard more practice hype about Jones’s classmate Trevor Keegan, who came in with a little more college-ready body. So Jones is probably on the outside looking in for now.

Prediction: Backup offensive tackle