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2023 Season Countdown: #31 Ernest Hausmann

Name: Ernest Hausmann
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 237 lbs.
High school: Columbus (NE) Columbus
Position: Linebacker
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #15
Last year: Hausmann played for Nebraska. He made 54 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 fumble recovery.
TTB Rating: N/A

Michigan offered Hausmann out of high school, but he hopped on the Scott Frost hype train and then wanted off pretty quickly. He started seven games for the Cornhuskers last fall and played in all twelve contests. When he entered the transfer portal, he was the top transfer prospect in the country, according to 247 Sports. (He ended up #4 behind Travis Hunter, Denver Harris, and Adonai Mitchell, who chose Colorado, LSU, and Texas, respectively.) Hausmann came to Ann Arbor in January and participated in spring practices.

Despite being one of the top transfer prospects in the country, I’m not sure exactly how he fits into Michigan’s defense this fall. Michigan brought back Michael Barrett for a sixth year, and Junior Colson has been starting for the past two seasons, with some discussion that he might leave for the NFL after his junior year. I think that means Hausmann will end up as Michigan’s #3 linebacker, and he’ll have the inside track to start in 2024. Reports from practice have been positive, so there should be some good competition to elevate the linebacker group as a whole.

Prediction: Backup linebacker and special teamer

2023 Season Countdown: #32 Amorion Walker

Name: Amorion Walker
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 180 lbs.
High school: Ponchatoula (LA) Ponchatoula
Position: Cornerback
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #4
Last year: I ranked Walker #94 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in six games and caught 1 pass for 4 yards.
TTB Rating: 81

Walker had quite a freshman year for Michigan, at least from the standpoint of potential. Wide receivers coach Ronald Bellamy and cornerbacks coach Steve Clinkscale fought over him. Jim Harbaugh said he was 157 pounds when he got to campus, so he has put on at least 23 pounds since then. Michigan couldn’t figure out which side of the ball to play him on, so naturally, they played him on both sides. He caught 1 pass for 4 yards during the blowout of UConn, and he played both wideout and cornerback against Hawaii.

This spring Harbaugh went as far as to say that he considered Walker to be a starter. Unfortunately, in the spring game, Walker looked a long way from being a starting-caliber corner. He was beaten multiple times by walk-on receiver Peyton O’Leary, and while O’Leary looks like a legitimate threat for playing time this fall, it’s not so much that Walker was beaten – it’s that he looked flummoxed while doing it. He had a hand-timed shuttle of 6.10 seconds, video of which was posted online, so athletically he’s perfectly capable of staying with almost anyone. But his reaction time and recognition of routes aren’t where they need to be, and he wasn’t physical enough yet in the spring. Perhaps his potential is sky-high, but I think he’s at least a year away from being a quality cornerback. Luckily, Michigan landed UMass transfer Josh Wallace to challenge him, along with guys like Ja’Den McBurrows and Keshaun Harris, who are already on the roster. I do think Walker will start at some point this season, but I don’t expect him to lock down the job, at least not early in the year.

Prediction: Part-time starting cornerback

2023 Season Countdown: #33 Giovanni El-Hadi

Name: Giovanni El-Hadi
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 318 lbs.
High school: Sterling Heights (MI) Stevenson
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #58
Last year: I ranked El-Hadi #58 and said he would be a backup offensive guard (LINK). He started three games at left guard.
TTB Rating: 84

El-Hadi didn’t get much experience as a freshman in 2021, playing in just one game. So it was a pleasant surprise when the coaching staff turned to him to start three games in 2022 when starting left guard Trevor Keegan had some injury issues. El-Hadi stepped in to start against Maryland, Nebraska, and Illinois, and handled himself pretty well. The offense didn’t skip a beat, and he was out there moving people, not just holding his own.

El-Hadi has already exceeded my expectations for 2023, because I think he’s the lone player on Michigan’s roster whose height and weight have both remained the same from 2022. But the former 4-star and top-100 recruit looks like a starting quality player, with the only problem being that Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter both returned for 2023 instead of testing the NFL Draft waters. Aside from being able to fill in this fall if an injury were to happen, El-Hadi’s chances of starting in 2024 are pretty good. So he should be a top backup as well as play on the field goal protection unit.

Prediction: Backup offensive guard

2023 Season Countdown: #34 Trente Jones

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Name: Trente Jones
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 325 lbs.
High school: Loganville (GA) Grayson
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #53
Last year: I ranked Jones #19 and said he would be a starting offensive tackle (LINK). He started six games at right tackle.
TTB Rating: 88

Jones stuck it out for three years, playing mostly as a sixth offensive lineman, and finally earned a starting job in year four! And then . . . he got hurt, and Karsen Barnhart took his job. Even when Jones returned later in the season, the coaches thought Barnhart was still ahead of Jones. So he continued to play as a sub and in certain packages. Jones did a good job of moving people at times, but he also had some tactical errors.

We keep hearing about him that he’s an amazing athlete for his size, but Barnhart seems to be the steadier player. I’ve been waffling back and forth on which one I think will start in 2023. My heart tells me Jones, but my head tells me Barnhart. And the dark horse is Stanford transfer Myles Hinton. Michigan has a ton of good options, which is great for the team and terrible for amateur prognosticators like myself. One silver lining is that Jones or Barnhart could use the 2020 COVID exemption to return in 2024 if the winner of the job moves on after this season. It will be very interesting to see how it all plays out on the field this fall.

Prediction: Backup offensive tackle

2023 Season Countdown: #35 William Wagner

Name: William Wagner
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 255 lbs.
High school: Alpharetta (GA) Alpharetta
Position: Long snapper
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #49
Last year: I ranked Wagner #30 and said he would be the starting long snapper (LINK). He started five games.
TTB Rating: N/A

Wagner was the starting long snapper for Michigan in 2021 and carried the job into 2022. Unfortunately, he and backup safety Caden Kolesar tore their ACLs on the same play, ending their seasons on October 1 against Iowa. Fortunately for Michigan, they had a solid backup in Greg Tarr, who stepped in seamlessly.

And the presence of Tarr is why Wagner drops a few spots this year, from #30 to #35. If there’s a backup who’s basically just as capable as the starter, then the starter isn’t quite so irreplaceable. I’d like to assume that Wagner is back to full strength and perhaps with a solid 2023, he can follow in Camaron Cheeseman’s footsteps and get drafted in 2024.

Prediction: Starting long snapper