Posts by: Thunder

2023 Season Countdown: #57 Micah Pollard

Name: Micah Pollard
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 206 lbs.
High school: Jacksonville (FL) Bartram Trail
Position: Linebacker
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #4
Last year: I ranked Pollard #95 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in twelve games and made 8 tackles.
TTB Rating: 74

The expectations for Pollard were a little bit up in the air going into 2022. He was light at 200 pounds and Michigan didn’t have a strong need for a bunch of new contributions from linebackers. I expected him to redshirt for those reasons, but he surprisingly played in twelve games – mostly on special teams, but in four games at linebacker. So he burned his redshirt, which is usually a clue that the coaching staff likes a player.

The 2023 season will be an interesting one for him. Sam Webb recently pegged Pollard as someone that Michigan fans aren’t talking enough about when it comes to playing time for 2023, but I’m not sure where he fits. Junior Colson is expected to start, with Jimmy Rolder or Ernest Hausmann or Michael Barrett taking the other inside linebacker spot. Pollard is also light, so maybe he’s not an inside linebacker . . . but there’s not a ton of room for a 206 lb. non-nickel on the field. If Michigan needs a nickel, they’ll probably go with a safety type. So I don’t necessarily buy the idea that Pollard will play much of a role on defense, but he should be a regular special teams contributor once again in 2023.

Prediction: Backup linebacker and special teamer

2023 Season Countdown: #58 Greg Tarr

Name: Greg Tarr
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 216 lbs.
High school: Washington (MI) Romeo
Position: Long snapper
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #45
Last year: I ranked Tarr #65 and said he would be a backup long snapper (LINK). He played in ten games and started nine of them.
TTB Rating: N/A

Here’s what I said last year when I ranked Tarr #65 in the countdown:

A backup long snapper is completely and utterly useless on game days . . . until he isn’t.

And it turned out he wasn’t completely and utterly useless, because starting long snapper William Wagner tore his ACL a month into the season. Tarr stepped in and didn’t miss a beat. Freshman preferred walk-on Evan Boutorwick never even got a sniff of the field. Sometimes a backup long snapper is noticeable, but if you told Michigan fans that Tarr started every game last season, very few would probably remember that the guy in there from October onward was a different guy.

With the advancements in medicine over the past decade or two, I expect Wagner to be back to full go by the season. When Michigan opens up against East Carolina, it will have been eleven months since Wagner tore his ACL. Most guys seem to be ready in eight or nine months these days (on the “In the Trenches” podcast, Jake Butt just talked about how his first ACL recovery only took about six months). I’m bumping Tarr up a little bit just in case Wagner has some lingering issues, but I would expect Wagner – who has been the primary starter for the past two seasons – to reclaim his job for 2023.

Prediction: Backup long snapper

2023 Season Countdown: #59 Cole Cabana

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Name: Cole Cabana
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 180 lbs.
High school: Dexter (MI) Dexter
Position: Running back
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #24
Last year: Cabana was a senior in high school (LINK). He ran for 1,518 yards and 27 touchdowns, caught passes for 472 yards and 6 touchdowns, and had 444 return yards and 3 return touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 73

Cabana was Michigan’s highest rated recruit for much of the cycle. One of the fastest players in the recruiting cycle, he was explosive with the ball in his hands for the past few years. Whether it was running the ball, catching the ball, or returning kicks, he had a chance to take it to the house every time. He ended up ranked as a 4-star, the #10 running back, and #172 overall in the 247 Composite ranking.

Cabana’s best chance to play in 2023, in my opinion, is on kickoff returns. Michigan has the best backfield duo in the country in Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, and I think the coaching staff will focus on getting those guys the ball as often as necessary to win games comfortable and impressive the College Football Playoff selection committee. Fellow freshman Benjamin Hall made a case in the spring to be the third-string running back, but sophomore C.J. Stokes may also be a factor. The point is that Cabana isn’t really needed on offense; this backfield is the same as 2022 when Michigan ran roughshod over almost everyone.

What Michigan lost, however, is punt returner and part-time kickoff returner A.J. Henning. And as part-time kickoff returner Roman Wilson becomes more important on offense after the departure of Ronnie Bell, I’m not sure if the coaching staff will want Wilson returning kicks anymore. So if Cabana wants to see the field in 2023 and doesn’t mind burning his redshirt, I think Michigan should give him a shot to handle kickoffs.

Prediction: Backup running back and part-time kickoff returner

2023 Season Countdown: #60 T.J. Guy

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Name: T.J. Guy
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 246 lbs.
High school: Mansfield (MA) Mansfield
Position: Defensive end
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #42
Last year: I ranked Guy #50 and said he would be a backup defensive end (LINK). He made 4 tackles.
TTB Rating: 65

Guy seems to be steadily progressing in his career. After playing in two games as a freshman, he played in ten total contests last fall, including six on defense. He came into college with some questions about where he should play – end or tackle – but he’s been hovering in the 240s for his entire career so far.

The outlook for 2023 is perhaps a little brighter than it was in 2022. Mike Morris, Taylor Upshaw, and Eyabi Okie have all moved on from his position group. Josaiah Stewart, Jaylen Harrell, Braiden McGregor, and Derrick Moore are probably going to make up the top four edges, so Guy will be battling Kechaun Bennett, Tyler McLaurin, and freshman to get the other snaps available. While Bennett flashed a little bit in the spring, Guy has been more trusted by the coaches when it comes to live games over the past couple years, so I’m giving Guy the nod in the race for playing time.

Prediction: Backup defensive end

2024 Recruiting Update: July 24, 2023

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