Posts under: Blog

2023 Season Countdown: #104 Jayden Denegal

Name: Jayden Denegal
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 238 lbs.
High school: Apple Valley (CA) Apple Valley
Position: Quarterback
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #14
Last year: I ranked Denegal #97 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in one game.
TTB Rating: 61

Denegal may have been regarded as a better passing quarterback than classmate Alex Orji last season, but it turned out that Michigan didn’t really need a passer. They didn’t really need Orji as a runner, either. They mostly just needed J.J. McCarthy and a few backups to take garbage time snaps (though Cade McNamara did start one unimpressive game before getting injured). Denegal got into the UConn game to hand off the ball, and that was it.

While McNamara is off to Iowa, McCarthy returns and will be backed up by some combination of Jack Tuttle and/or Davis Warren. Orji has earned some off-season hype because he’s 6’3″ and 235 lbs., looks really strong, and can run and jump and do fun things to watch. Some people have been clamoring for Orji to get the Dan Villari treatment and come in for some occasional running plays.

No one is clamoring for Denegal at this point. Buzz out of practice has been next to nil, but that’s what tends to happen for the quarterback who is roughly fifth on the depth chart. With McCarthy possibly gone in 2024, maybe he will get a chance to vie for the starting job next season, but for now it seems like he will be buried on the depth chart for at least one season. I would expect to see him on the field a little here and there in mop-up duty.

Prediction: Backup quarterback

Visitors: June 2-4, 2023

2023 TRANSFER PORTAL

Josh Wallace – CB – UMass: Wallace is a 6’1″, 190-pounder who has started 34 games over the past few seasons at UMass and was a two-time team captain. He has one year of eligibility remaining and was coached at UMass by former Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown.

2024

Marquis Gallegos – S – West Hills (CA) Chaminade: Gallegos is a 6’1″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Cal, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, UCLA, and USC, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #23 safety, and #252 overall. This is his official visit.

Brian Robinson, Jr. – DE – Austintown (OH) Fitch: Robinson is a 6’5″, 255-pounder with offers from Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Penn State, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #10 edge, and #132 overall. All four crystal ball picks have come in for Michigan, but he also has official visits set up for Kentucky and Penn State after he visits Ann Arbor.

Hit the jump for more.

2023 Season Countdown: #106 Hunter Neff

Name: Hunter Neff
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 231 lbs.
High school: Chelsea (MI) Chelsea
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #80
Last year: I ranked Neff #117 and said he would be a backup tight end (LINK). He played in two games and caught 1 pass for 8 yards.
TTB Rating: N/A

Neff deserves some sort of award for stick-to-it-iveness. He joined the program as a walk-on in 2019, stuck through 2020, and stayed through 2021 without seeing the field. After three years of sitting and watching, he finally got on the field in a couple blowout games in 2022, even catching an 8-yard pass against Colorado State.

There probably won’t be a big leap in 2023, but Michigan did lose several tight ends in the off-season – four, to be exact. Neff doesn’t have the size to factor into the rotation much, but he could possibly move up slightly on the depth chart. A.J. Barner, Matt Hibner, and Colston Loveland seem to make up the top three, and then after that, things seem to be a little murky.

Prediction: Backup tight end

2024 Recruiting Update: May 29, 2023

CURRENT 2024 TEAM RECRUITING RANKING: #2

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2023 TRANSFER PORTAL

Michigan offered UMass grad transfer Josh Wallace, who’s a 6’1″, 190-pounder. Wallace was a 3-star and the #142 cornerback overall back in the class of 2019 when he came out of Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha. He made 41 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery, and 8 pass breakups in 2022. Wallace is a two-time team captain and has started 34 games for the Minutemen.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2024

Princeton (NJ) Hun School defensive tackle Owen Wafle (4-star, #41 DL, #405 overall) was offered by Michigan and decommitted from Notre Dame. Notre Dame has a policy like Brady Hoke used to have, where visiting other schools means you’re no longer considered a commitment. Wafle plans to visit Ann Arbor and therefore sacrificed his spot in Notre Dame’s class, so some crystal balls came in for Wafle to commit to the Wolverines.

OFF THE BOARD

Peculiar (MO) Raymore-Peculiar tight end Jaden Reddell (4-star, #3 TE, #55 overall) committed to Georgia.

2023 Season Countdown: #107 Danny Hughes

Name: Danny Hughes
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 205 lbs.
High school: Naperville (IL) Central
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #24
Last year: I ranked Hughes #80 and said he would be a backup running back and special teamer (LINK). He played in seven games and had 6 carries for 35 yards.
TTB Rating: N/A

For the past two seasons, Hughes has been a big special teams contributor, playing in 20 games over that time span. Last season with a shallow running back depth chart, he managed to snag 6 carries for 35 yards across two blowout games (Hawaii and UConn).

This season I’m dropping Hughes down a hefty 27 spots for a couple reasons. First of all, Michigan returns a ton of players this season and did not lose much off the College Football Playoff team from a year ago. Second, Michigan returns everyone from the running back room and adds two freshmen, Cole Cabana and Benjamin Hall. There might be some garbage time carries to be handed out to walk-ons, but Michigan also needs to find out what it has in some of the younger backs like Hall, Cabana, and C.J. Stokes to see if they can take over the load in 2024 after both Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards could possibly be gone.

Prediction: Backup running back and special teamer