Posts by: Thunder

2023 Season Countdown: #77 Marlin Klein

Name: Marlin Klein
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 245 lbs.
High school: Rabun Gap (GA) Nacoochee
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #17
Last year: I ranked Klein #89 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in two games.
TTB Rating: 81

Klein never had much of a chance to play significant snaps in 2022. Not only did Michigan have a glut of tight ends, but Klein was built very slight. At his height and just 215 pounds, he was never going to hold up against Big Ten defensive linemen or linebackers, and even some safeties probably could have pushed him around. So he got in the game at the end of a couple blowouts against Hawaii and UConn and that was it.

This year he has more of a chance, and I think we will see him start to emerge. Several tight ends moved on from last year’s team, so Klein moves up the depth chart a little bit. He is also listed at 245 this season, though he still looked pretty skinny in the spring game. I think blocking is still a major issue for Klein, so I don’t foresee him playing a significant role in 2023. However, multiple players/coaches have mentioned in interviews that he’s a bit of a freak athlete. The first three guys are probably Colston Loveland, A.J. Barner, and Matt Hibner, and Klein has a shot to be mixing in after that, along with Max Bredeson.

Prediction: Backup tight end

2023 Season Countdown: #78 Tyler McLaurin

Name: Tyler McLaurin
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 231 lbs.
High school: Bolingbrook (IL) Bolingbrook
Position: Edge
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #27
Last year: I ranked McLaurin #60 and said he would be a backup linebacker and special teamer (LINK). He played in four games.
TTB Rating: 75

Much like Ike Iwunnah (LINK), it’s starting to get a bit late for Tyler McLaurin to look like a contributor. He started off as a linebacker in 2021, but last year he got thrown in with the “edge” players, presumably the Jaylen Harrell outside linebacker spot. Listed at 237 lbs. last season, I thought he would continue to bulk up. He played in four games in 2022, mostly on special teams.

Now McLaurin is still listed at “edge” in 2023, but he’s down to 231 pounds, which is probably not a feasible weight for a 6’3″ edge defender in the Big Ten unless you have some excellent quickness/athleticism, which is not necessarily McLaurin’s forte based on his high school scouting. I expect McLaurin to be a special teams player, but I don’t foresee him playing much defense in 2023.

Prediction: Backup outside linebacker and special teamer

2023 Season Countdown: #79 Ike Iwunnah

Name: Ikechukwu Iwunnah
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 321 lbs.
High school: Garland (TX) Lakeview Centennial
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #92
Last year: I ranked Iwunnah #69 and said he would be a backup nose tackle (LINK). He did not play in any games.
TTB Rating: 75

Here’s a fun fact about Ike Iwunnah: He’s the only class of 2021 recruit yet to play a down of football in a Michigan uniform.

That is, unless you count transfer offensive tackle Willie Allen, who transferred in and out of Michigan during the off-season between 2020 and 2021.

Even Louis Hansen (UConn), George Rooks (Boston College), and a few offensive linemen who needed physical development have stepped on the field.

So here Iwunnah sits at #79 in the countdown, even though nose tackle Mazi Smith went to the Dallas Cowboys in the 1st round of the NFL Draft. Iwunnah has been passed up by 2022 signees Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, and fellow 2021 signee Rayshaun Benny has been earning more and more praise as he develops. Iwunnah has added about 15 pounds this off-season and may be more viable at the nose tackle position this season, but I will have to see it before I believe it for now, as there has been almost no practice buzz surrounding him at any point.

Prediction: Backup nose tackle

2023 Season Countdown: #80 Tavierre Dunlap

Name: Tavierre Dunlap
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 217 lbs.
High school: Del Valle (TX) Del Valle
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #22
Last year: I ranked Dunlap #66 and said he would be a backup running back (LINK). He ran 9 times for 46 yards and caught 1 pass for 5 yards.
TTB Rating: 59

A blog contributor recently threw out the phrase “It’s getting late early” in jest for a true freshman who might not fit what the current coaching staff wants, and that was a phrase that I was holding out until I got to the Dunlap post. Dunlap was the #237 overall player in the 2021 class, but he was part of a two-back class that included Donovan Edwards. While Edwards had some big plays in 2021 and had a standout season in 2022, Dunlap has been quietly working in as the fourth or fifth back. Last season he finished with fewer touches than Edwards, Blake Corum, freshman C.J. Stokes, walk-on Isaiah Gash, and converted linebacker Kalel Mullings. It was especially damning when Gash got some short yardage carries and some crunch-time touches against Illinois while Dunlap watched from the sideline.

Going into the 2023 season, Dunlap will certainly be behind Corum and Edwards, and I expect him to also be behind Stokes and Mullings. The real question is whether freshmen Benjamin Hall and Cole Cabana pass him up, too. Hall had a solid spring game, and Cabana is a speedster with big play ability. So far Dunlap has not shown much wiggle, speed, or power, and those skills don’t often suddenly appear in year three. I would not be surprised if this is Dunlap’s final year in a Michigan uniform before transferring. But hopefully Corum and Edwards can get their touches, put Michigan ahead, and leave a lot of reps in the third and fourth quarters for the backups to show their stuff.

Prediction: Backup running back and special teamer

2023 Season Countdown: #81 Zack Marshall

Name: Zack Marshall
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 220 lbs.
High school: Carlsbad (CA) Carlsbad
Position: Tight end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #83
Last year: Marshall was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 23 catches for 284 yards and 5 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 58

Michigan landed Marshall last August, but I didn’t write a commitment post for him until the beginning of February. So I had a chance to view his senior film before writing up my post. He missed a third of his senior year due to transferring schools and having to sit out for four weeks, so his stats don’t represent a full season. But when I watch Marshall, he seems like just an adequate athlete to play tight end in the Big Ten. There’s nothing that really stands out about him, whether it’s his size, speed, hands, athleticism, blocking, etc.

Reports coming out of spring were positive in regards to Marshall. The coaches apparently like his attitude and toughness, so that’s good. But it’s tough to play tight end much as a freshman, especially as someone coming in at 220 pounds. Even though Michigan lost several tight ends last season, Colston Loveland and A.J. Barner should get a majority of the reps, with guys like Matt Hibner, Max Bredeson, and Marlin Klein also mixing in.

Prediction: Backup tight end