Posts by: Thunder

2020 Season Countdown: #85 William Mohan

Name: William Mohan
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 195 lbs.
High school: Brooklyn (NY) Erasmus Hall
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Mohan was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 56 tackles and 13 sacks.
TTB Rating: 88

Mohan has flown under the radar, but I’m here to tell you there’s a UFO in our airspace.

Mohan (247 Composite 3-star, #23 ATH, #459 overall) has a senior film that shows him flying all over the field – and through the air – to take down ball carriers, sack the quarterback, and wreak havoc. I have a soft spot in my heart for football players who hurl themselves all over with no regard for human life, and Mohan is one of those.

You can juxtapose the film of Mohan (below) with the film of R.J. Moten (LINK) and find totally different attitudes, even though my guess is they’re headed for the same position of Viper. I view Khaleke Hudson, Mohan, and 2021 commit Jaydon Hood all as being in the same vein of player who just can’t help being physical.

So while it’s fitting that Mohan appears to be headed for Hudson’s vacated position, I don’t think Mohan will play much this fall. Mohan is a little light at 195 pounds, and the starter is expected to be redshirt sophomore Michael Barrett. Michigan also has sophomore Anthony Solomon backing up that spot. So I expect Mohan to redshirt, but I think he could make a mark on special teams. I think he also has the ability to be a better pass rusher than some other Viper recruits, which could open up the door for more of a Josh Uche role than what some other Vipers have offered.

Prediction: Redshirt

Hit the jump for Mohan’s senior film.

2020 Season Countdown: #86 Osman Savage

Name: Osman Savage
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: Baltimore (MD) St. Frances
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Savage was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 83

“Savage” is a great name for a football player, and Osman seemed to grow into that name more as a senior. While his physicality did not stand out to me as a junior, I believe he improved in that area during his final year of high school. St. Frances doesn’t seem to be too keen on “stats” and that kind of thing, so his numbers are a mystery.

Being a backup inside linebacker at Michigan is an exercise in anonymity, so I don’t expect much from him this year. Cam McGrone and Josh Ross seem to have the two inside ‘backer positions locked down, and with Jordan Glasgow and Devin Gil gone to the Indianapolis Colts and the UCF, respectively, there is traditionally only one guy who is going to get significant snaps in a backup role. Murmurings out of Ann Arbor indicate that guy will be redshirt freshman Charles Thomas, so I expect to see Savage redshirt or just play a bit role in 2020.

Hit the jump for some senior highlights.

What I’ve Been Reading: Spymaster

As of this morning, I just finished reading Brad Thor’s Spymaster, the second most recent book in the Scot Harvath series.

If you’ve read Spymaster, you probably agree that it’s a good thing I had already bought the most recent book, Backlash, which I started immediately.

I’ve read series of books before (Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, etc.), but I guess a sign of adulthood is reading a bunch of spy novels and stuff. So here I am (almost) caught up on both the Jack Reacher and Scot Harvath series.

I’m also reading Deliverance by James Dickey and Smarter Faster Better by Charles Duhigg, which I found recently after misplacing it.

What have you been reading?

2020 Season Countdown: #87 George Johnson III

Name: George Johnson III
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 193 lbs.
High school: Stuart (FL) Martin
Position: Cornerback
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #22
Last year: I ranked Johnson #94 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: 58

Johnson had a pretty quiet first year in Ann Arbor, which was fully expected. A high school quarterback, he spent the 2019 season transitioning to wide receiver. He earned Offensive Scout Team Player of the Week for the Illinois game, but otherwise, things were pretty quiet.

Now Johnson has reportedly moved to cornerback, his third position in three years. Michigan does not have a lot of depth at cornerback, but I would expect Johnson to be at or near the bottom of the depth chart. He didn’t even have spring ball to help get acclimated to the position, so players he might have surged past are probably still watching him in the rearview mirror. I expect this season to be another year of mostly standing on the sideline.

Prediction: Backup cornerback

2020 Season Countdown: #88 R.J. Moten

Name: R.J. Moten
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 200 lbs.
High school: Delran (NJ) Delran
Position: Safety
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Moten was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 61 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 2 interceptions, plus 432 total yards and 8 touchdowns on offense.
TTB Rating: 68

Moten is a very interesting prospect and perhaps one of those boom-or-bust guys like Jeffrey Persi. He was a great all-around athlete at Delran, and he was named Athlete of the Decade by the school. He’s a high-level baseball prospect (like Joey Velazquez) and plans to play baseball at Michigan in addition to football (like Joey Velazquez). Whereas Velazquez is almost certain to be a linebacker, though, Moten has the potential to play safety.

Moten seems to me to be a virtual lock to redshirt. He played a lot of offense in high school and didn’t concentrate on defense, but Michigan recruited him strictly for defense. I also happen to think he’s more of a raw prospect on defense. For a defensive coordinator that says “Solve your problems with aggression,” I don’t see Moten display much aggression on defense. He is fairly physical on offense when running the ball, so if he can flip that switch when he’s concentrating on the other side of the ball, then he could be good. If he can’t, other guys are going to move ahead of him. For this year, though, he’s just not ready.

Prediction: Redshirt

Hit the jump for some senior highlights.