Carter Dunaway (image via Wolverine Daily)
Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice tight end Carter Dunaway decommitted from Michigan. A 2017 prospect, the Michigan legacy had committed to the Wolverines in April of 2015 (LINK).
Hit the jump for more on the decommitment.
Antwuan Johnson (#2) and Leonard Taylor (#88) have both decommitted from Michigan. No word on #26 yet. (image via 247 Sports)
Dayton (OH) Dunbar linebacker Antwuan Johnson, a 2018 prospect, decommitted from Michigan on Friday morning. Here’s his commitment post from this spring (LINK).
Johnson is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #6 inside linebacker, and #294 overall. He has offers from a few MAC schools, a few middle-of-the-pack Big Ten programs, and Kentucky. Johnson was a teammate of Springfield (OH) Springfield defensive end Leonard Taylor last year but transferred this off-season. Both players were Michigan commits at one point and have now decommitted, and Johnson mentioned that his relationship with linebackers coach Chris Partridge had fallen off recently. One has to wonder if Michigan cooled on Johnson since his higher rated former teammate jumped off the bandwagon.
This decommitment doesn’t bother me much. Johnson has some talent, but he doesn’t appear to be a huge difference-maker and a player ranked at #294 overall can probably be replaced between now and February of 2018. Michigan is now down to one commitment in the 2018 class, though, after losing Johnson, Taylor, and Georgia offensive guard Jalil Irvin in recent weeks. The one remaining 2018 commit is Georgia linebacker/safety Otis Reese.
RUSH OFFENSE vs. UCF RUSH DEFENSE
After one week, Michigan is #14 in the country with 306 rushing yards/game. The biggest chunk of that yardage came from freshman third-stringer Chris Evans, who had 112 yards on just 8 carries. Primary backup Ty Isaac had 9 carries for 52 yards. The starter hasn’t been mentioned yet, because De’Veon Smith had a ho-hum day (6 carries, 27 yards) before leaving with a rib injury. Those three players represent speed (Evans), power (Smith), and a nice mix of the two (Isaac). Fifth year senior Drake Johnson did not play, and sophomore Karan Higdon provides depth. Up front, Michigan has a mix of experience and talent. Fifth year senior left guard Ben Braden missed the Hawaii game but should come back this week, but even if he doesn’t, redshirt junior Pat Kugler filled in fairly well for him last week. Jim Harbaugh said fifth year senior right tackle Erik Magnuson graded out the best. Elsewhere, Michigan has mammoth sophomore left tackle Grant Newsome, junior Mason Cole at center, and fifth year senior Kyle Kalis at right guard. Central Florida is #32 in rushing yards allowed (85.0) and #38 in rushing average against (2.66), though those numbers came against FCS team South Dakota State. UCF employs a 3-4 defense. The top seven tacklers last week were linebackers, and the next three were defensive backs. You have to go all the way down to 11th before finding a defensive lineman. Leading tackler Mark Rucker, a fifth year senior inside linebacker, is 5’9″, 217 lbs. Freshman starting defensive end Trysten Hill (6’1″, 295 lbs.), nose tackle Jamiyus Pittman (6’0″, 295 lbs.), and defensive end Tony Guerad (6’3″, 275 lbs.) make up the starting line. One guy to watch is redshirt junior outside linebacker Shaquern Griffin (6’1″, 213 lbs.). The biggest linebacker is 230 lbs. and the biggest lineman in the rotation is 295, so it’s not a very big front seven. Michigan should be able to run the ball with some regularity.
Advantage: Michigan
Hit the jump for more on Michigan vs. Central Florida.
Mike Weber (image via Cleveland.com)
If you’re like me, sometimes you wonder “What happened to _____________?” But the difference between you and me is that I’m nerdy enough to research it. So here are a bunch of former Michigan players, coaches, and commits, and how they’re faring at their new schools.
Former DE commit Pharaoh Brown: Brown made 1 catch for 23 yards in Oregon’s 53-28 win over UC-Davis. He’s back on the field after suffering a devastating knee injury in 2014 and missing the entire 2015 season.
Former CB commit Gareon Conley: Conley made 2 tackles and 1 pass breakup in Ohio State’s 77-10 win over Bowling Green State University.
Former CB commit Shaun Crawford: Crawford made 5 tackles and 1 interception (returned for 22 yards) in a 50-47 Notre Dame loss to Texas. He also returned a blocked extra point for a 2-point conversion.
Hit the jump for many more updates on former Michigan players and coaches.