Posts by: Thunder

2023 Season Countdown: #68 Semaj Morgan

Name: Semaj Morgan
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 180 lbs.
High school: West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #12
Last year: Morgan was a senior in high school (LINK). He caught 43 passes for 733 yards and 14 touchdowns; he also threw 5 touchdowns as a backup quarterback.
TTB Rating: 76

Morgan was a key component of the 2023 recruiting class as the second verbal in the class, following only kicker Adam Samaha. He was a consistent recruiter and constantly at Michigan recruiting events throughout the cycle. As a football player, he was always impressively tough in 7v7 and actual football games, despite being a little undersized at 5’10”. His ability to make catches in traffic and bounce off tacklers should serve him well in the future.

Morgan lacks elite speed, but his toughness and strength may serve him well as a possession receiver. I also think he could have value as a punt returner. Michigan needs to replace A.J. Henning at that spot, and while trusting a freshman to return punts is a bit scary, there aren’t a ton of upperclassman options. I think Morgan will start to get his feet wet a little bit this year, perhaps to groom him for a larger special teams role in 2024. I don’t think he will ever become a dynamic starting receiver, but he could be a consistent, reliable player for the Wolverines.

Prediction: Backup wide receiver

2023 Season Countdown: #69 Myles Pollard

Name: Myles Pollard
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 191 lbs.
High school: Brentwood (TN) Ravenwood
Position: Cornerback
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #24
Last year: I ranked Pollard #88 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in two games and made 1 tackle.
TTB Rating: 83

Pollard was not needed in 2022, so he was always a longshot to get much run. Not only did Michigan have some veteran starters in Gemon Green and D.J. Turner II, but they also had 5-star freshman Will Johnson. So when Pollard joined the recruiting class, he was always looked at as more of a year two contributor, if that.

Now going into year two, I see Pollard as a possible year three contributor . . . if that. Will Johnson returns on one side, and the buzz about the other starting corner revolves mostly around three people: UMass transfer Josh Wallace, converted receiver Amorion Walker, and Ja’den McBurrows. Pollard does not have great speed, so he will need to be physical and technical if he wants to succeed. He may be on that path, but it will take some time before he gets a chance to show it.

Prediction: Backup cornerback and special teamer

2023 Season Countdown: #70 Davis Warren

Name: Davis Warren
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 195 lbs.
High school: Suffield (CT) Suffield Academy
Position: Quarterback
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #16
Last year: I ranked Warren #64 and said he would be a backup quarterback (LINK). He completed 5/9 passes for 89 yards and ran 3 times for 30 yards.
TTB Rating: N/A

Warren came out of nowhere in 2022 to look like Michigan’s third-best quarterback, behind J.J. McCarthy and Cade McNamara. He looked better than Alan Bowman and Alex Orji in the spring game, and I don’t think much changed into the season. He ended up with more passing attempts (9) and games played (6) than Bowman (7 and 4, respectively) and Orji (3 and 1, respectively). And he looked pretty good doing it, averaging 9.9 yards per attempt and 10 yards per carry.

Those numbers won’t hold up in the long run, but it was a pretty good debut for a redshirt freshman walk-on. It’s also somewhat telling that Bowman transferred out and will likely be Oklahoma State’s starter this fall. So Michigan’s walk-on third-stringer is better than Oklahoma State’s starting quarterback.

And now is where you might be confused about why Warren is the fourth-highest quarterback on the countdown. Obviously, McCarthy is the top guy, and then I’m guessing Indiana transfer Jack Tuttle will be the primary backup. Then there’s Orji, who I think will be a bigger factor in 2023 as a running option to keep McCarthy healthy and fresh. Warren is a more traditional quarterback who isn’t much of a running option – despite averaging 10.0 yards per rush last season – so his value is more as a wholesale sub in case something happens to McCarthy and/or Tuttle, whereas Orji is somewhat of a one-trick pony. I think Warren could potentially be Michigan’s starter in 2024 if McCarthy leaves for the NFL and if Jadyn Davis isn’t ready to step on the field. But for now I think Warren is entrenched as the third or fourth QB this season.

Prediction: Backup quarterback

2023 Season Countdown: #71 Kechaun Bennett

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Name: Kechaun Bennett
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 241 lbs.
High school: Suffield (CT) Suffield Academy
Position: Defensive end
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #52
Last year: I ranked Bennett #59 and said he would be a backup defensive end (LINK). He played in three games.
TTB Rating: 78

Bennett’s 2022 season was a very quiet one. Buried pretty low on the depth chart, he played in Michigan’s first three games of the season, all of which were massive blowouts. Then he disappeared for the rest of the year. Michigan had a great defensive season and they stayed mostly injury-free at the edge positions, so he was never really in the running to play in a backup role, either.

There was a little bit of excitement this spring about the way Bennett played, so maybe he’s finally coming around in year three. His listed weight is the same as last season and he’s actually one inch shorter at 6’4″ than he was listed last year. But he made 3 tackles in the spring game and also got a QB hurry on Jack Tuttle that forced an interception. The depth chart is a little friendlier in 2023 than it was in 2022, so that’s good news for Bennett: Mike Morris (NFL), Taylor Upshaw (Arizona), and Eyabi Okie (Charlotte) all departed, while Josaiah Stewart was added from Coastal Carolina. But Bennett is still probably a third-stringer at best.

Prediction: Backup defensive end

2023 Season Countdown: #72 Andrew Gentry

Name: Andrew Gentry
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 312 lbs.
High school: Littleton (CO) Columbine
Position: Offensive line
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #75
Last year: I did not rank Gentry. He played in three games.
TTB Rating: 85

Gentry was a late addition to Michigan’s unit in 2022, and as a result, I completely overlooked putting him in the 2022 countdown. So he was not placed last year, which didn’t matter much because he played in just three games after completing his two-year Mormon mission. Nobody expected him to play a ton after taking two years off from football. He was still very rusty and played in just two games on offense, one at right guard and one at right tackle.

Going into the 2023 season, I have seen some positive buzz coming out of practices but I’m still not sold on him being ready. There’s still some rust to be knocked off from what I saw in the spring game, and there’s hefty competition on the offensive line. I think Gentry is at least one year away from being a starting-caliber player, whether it’s at guard or tackle. The speed of the game is still a little surprising to him, and he was getting caught flat-footed by aggressive defensive linemen. Perhaps after several linemen depart, he’ll be ready to go in 2024. For now I think he will carve out a role on the field goal/extra point protection unit.

Prediction: Backup offensive lineman and special teamer