Posts by: Thunder

What I’ve Been Reading: The Passenger by Lisa Lutz

Quarantine is prime reading time, and while I’ve been reading a smattering of books, I haven’t thought to post much about them here. Most recently, I finished The Passenger by Lisa Lutz. The marketing of the book – and I’m just going to roll with it – has pegged it as a Gone Girl-type novel. There are some similarities, among them a female protagonist on the run with a dark past.

I think the storytelling was a little spotty at times, and it kind of glossed over some items that should have been explained. But there are enough twists and turns throughout to keep things interesting. It’s kind of an easy-peasy summer beach read type of thing, but you need those once in a while.

I’ve also been juggling The Late Shift, which tells the story of the transition from Johnny Carson to Jay Leno, including the rivalry with David Letterman.

As always, tell us what you’ve been reading in the comments.

2020 Season Countdown: #104 Peyton Smith

Name: Peyton Smith
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Traverse City (MI) Central
Position: Quarterback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Smith was a senior in high school.
TTB Rating: N/A

Smith is a very nice pickup for Michigan as a preferred walk-on in the 2020 class. He looks to me like an FCS-level quarterback who will pay his own way to Michigan. You can see some athleticism, a decent arm, and some good accuracy. He does look a little skittish in the pocket sometimes, but he looks like a true quarterback, unlike some other preferred walk-ons who are just good athletes but end up playing receiver or tight end or fullback or defensive back.

Michigan’s quarterback situation isn’t great with three scholarship returners (Dylan McCaffrey, Joe Milton, Cade McNamara) and an incoming freshman who’s more of an athlete (Dan Villari). In fact, in some ways I like Smith more than Villari when it comes to quarterback skills, though Villari is a more enticing athlete. Smith is unlikely to rise up the ranks to the point where he’s a key player, but for a preferred walk-on, he has potential.

Prediction: Redshirt

Hit the jump for his senior highlights.

2020 Season Countdown: #105 Mahdi Hazime

Name: Mahdi Hazime
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 319 lbs.
High school: Dearborn (MI) Fordson
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #64
Last year: Hazime was not ranked. He redshirted.

As a walk-on lineman, it’s always going to be an uphill battle to get on the field at Michigan. Hazime was raw coming out of high school, and he had some weight to shuffle around on his body. But I think he has potential as a scout team guy and maybe more down the line. Ultimately, he’s probably a little short and not quite talented enough to be a big-time walk-on success, but these types of guys are valuable to rep against the guys who might be a little taller, more advanced, or more athletic. Hazime transferred to Fordson from Canada, so his learning curve might be a little different than some others.

Prediction: Backup offensive guard

Hit the jump for his highlights from 2018.

New Offer: 2022 WR Caleb Burton

Michigan offered Del Valle (TX) Del Valle wide receiver Caleb Burton. He’s a 6’0″, 165-pounder with offers from Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame, and Ohio State, among others. His father played linebacker at Syracuse.

As a sophomore in 2019, Burton caught 51 passes for 882 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Hit the jump for his highlights.

2020 Season Countdown: #106 Sam Staruch

Name: Sam Staruch
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 185 lbs.
High school: Lake Orion (MI) Lake Orion
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Last year: Staruch was a senior in high school.

I don’t have much background information on Staruch, but based on his senior film, I think he has the best natural receiving skills of the preferred walk-ons. He’s a lanky kid with decent speed and good ball skills. Dayton (FCS) offered, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had other FCS interest.

As a freshman preferred walk-on, he’s very unlikely to see the field. But that could be a possibility in the next few years.

Hit the jump for his senior highlights.