2020 Season Countdown: #91 Adam Shibley

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6Jun 2020
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2020 Season Countdown: #91 Adam Shibley

Name: Adam Shibley
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: Cleveland (OH) St. Ignatius
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #45
Last year: I ranked Shibley #81 and said he would be a backup linebacker and special teamer (LINK). He played in ten games and made 1 tackle.
TTB Rating: N/A

If you read the post about Adam Fakih yesterday, you can pretty much cut and paste it here for Shibley. Shibley was Scout Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2018 and is a talented walk-on, but there probably won’t be much playing time available for a coaching staff that doesn’t rotate in many backup linebackers.

It looks like another year of special teams work for Adam & Adam.

Prediction: Backup linebacker, special teamer

5Jun 2020
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2020 Season Countdown: #92 Adam Fakih

Adam Fakih (image via Wolverines Wire)

Name: Adam Fakih
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 228 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) Country Day
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #41
Last year: I ranked Fakih #82 and said he would be a backup linebacker and special teamer (LINK). He played in eleven games and made 3 tackles.
TTB Rating: N/A

Fakih is one of several talented walk-on linebackers on Michigan’s roster, and there have been years – not good years, but years nonetheless – where some of these guys would have been pushing for playing time. Instead, Fakih was limited to special teams, where he made 3 tackles on the kickoff team.

I expect more of the same for Fakih in 2020. Michigan has plenty of talented scholarship linebackers to handle the regular defensive duties, but Fakih’s role on special teams should remain consistent.

Prediction: Backup linebacker, special teamer

4Jun 2020
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2020 Season Countdown: #93 Jared Davis

Jared Davis (image via MGoBlue)

Name: Jared Davis
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 202 lbs.
High school: Frankenmuth (MI) Frankenmuth
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #23
Last year: I ranked Davis #97 and said he would be a backup safety and special teamer (LINK). He played in one game on special teams.
TTB Rating: N/A

Davis did not see the field during his first two years on campus, but last year the fruits of his labor showed when he played in the blowout victory over Notre Dame. For his efforts in practice, he was named Scout Special Teams Player of the Year.

Maybe Davis’s time will come this year. Fellow walk-on safety Louis Grodman (5 tackles in 2019) has run out of eligibility, perhaps opening up a spot on special teams for someone like Davis. There will be others battling for playing time, of course, but Davis seems to be ascending up the special teams depth chart. He may not see the field on defense, but I would expect #23 to be running downfield on some kickoffs in 2020.

Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer

3Jun 2020
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2020 Season Countdown: #94 Matt Brown

Matt Brown (image via MGoBlue)

Name: Matt Brown
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: Solon (OH) Solon
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #46
Last year: I ranked Brown #87 and said he would be a backup fullback and special teamer (LINK). He played in four games on special teams.
TTB Rating: N/A

Brown was negatively affected by the departure of Pep Hamilton and the arrival of Josh Gattis. Gattis ditched the more traditional fullback position for more of a spread offense, which hung Brown out to dry a little bit. After playing in three games as a backup fullback in 2018, he played four games last season but only on special teams.

This year looks to be more of the same from Brown. His best bet to get on the field will probably be on special teams. One plus is that Ben Van Sumeren – a former bigger back – made a transition to potentially play linebacker, so that could open up a few low-risk snaps late in games for Brown. But by and large, he’s just a quality walk-on for depth and special teams purposes.

Prediction: Backup running back, special teamer

1Jun 2020
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Tristan Bounds, Wolverine

Tristan Bounds (image via SI)

Wallingford (CT) Choate Rosemary Hall offensive tackle Tristan Bounds committed to Michigan on Monday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Maryland, Nebraska, Texas, and UCLA, among others.

Bounds is listed as Very Tall and 285 lbs.

RANKINGS
ESPN: 3-star, 78 grade, #51 OT
Rivals: 3-star, 5.5 grade
247 Sports: 3-star, 88 grade, #39 OT

Hit the jump for more on Bounds’s commitment.

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