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2020 Scholarship Count

Players are listed in order of remaining eligibility. With 82 scholarships allotted, Michigan is currently under its scholarship limit by 3. Meanwhile, 9 seniors are scheduled to graduate, so the 2021 class should have at least 12 players.

TOTAL SCHOLARSHIPS ALLOTTED FOR 2020 = 82

• Removed OL Jalen Mayfield, who declared for the NFL Draft.
• Removed DE Aaron Lewis, who transferred to Rutgers.
• Removed LB Devin Gil, who transferred to USF.
• Removed DT Michael Dwumfour, who transferred to Rutgers.
• Added LB Edward Warinner as a walk-on, who transferred from Michigan State.
• Removed walk-on RB Tru Wilson, who transferred to Northern Colorado.
• Removed S Jaylen Kelly-Powell, who transferred to Akron.

Hit the jump for the breakdown by class.

2020 Season Countdown: #30 Jake Moody

Name: Jake Moody
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 177 lbs.
High school: Northville (MI) Northville
Position: Kicker
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #2
Last year: I ranked Moody #45 and said he would be the starting kicker (LINK). He was 6/9 on field goals with a long of 43 yards, and 34 of his 75 kickoffs went for touchbacks.
TTB Rating: N/A

Moody had an up-and-down season in 2019. He made his first 4 field goals of the year, but then he went 2-for-5 down the stretch. On the flip side, fellow kicker Quinn Nordin missed his first 3 field goals of the year and then went 10/10 once he took over the job full-time from Moody. Moody made a giant kick against Army, which broke a 21-21 tie to win the game in double overtime. That was the highlight of his year.

I put Moody here at #30 because he is likely to be the kickoff specialist and handle at least some of the placekicking duties. It’s a very odd dynamic between him and Nordin, and there must be things going on in practice and behind closed doors that keeps the competition seesawing back and forth. Nordin was a highly touted kicker and is returning for a fifth year, so the coaches must see some value in having him around . . . but Moody keeps hanging him around, too. It’s not often that Michigan has two scholarship kickers in such a battle.

Prediction: Starting kickoff specialist, part-time placekicker

Ranking Michigan’s Running Backs

Tim Biakabutuka

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I went through the process of ranking Michigan’s quarterbacks (LINK), which created a lot of debate. This has been in the works for a long time, but here’s a look at my ranking of running backs, going back to the beginning of the Lloyd Carr era.

To be considered for this list, a running back must have started at least ten games in a Michigan uniform*, which roughly equals one full season’s worth of starts with some wiggle room for being banged up a little bit.

*There are two exceptions to this for different reasons, which you’ll see in the post.

Hit the jump.

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2020 Season Countdown: #31 Erick All

Name: Erick All
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 242 lbs.
High school: Fairfield (OH) Fairfield
Position: Tight end/wide receiver
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #83
Last year: I ranked All #62 and said he would be a backup tight end (LINK). He played in eleven games and made 1 catch for 10 yards.
TTB Rating: 75

All was as advertised in 2019. He was skinny but a good blocker, which was good enough to get him on the field as the #4 tight end. He caught 1 pass for 10 yards in the loss to Penn State, but mostly he was just a guy used as a blocker near the goal line because the guys who are “better” than him don’t like to be physical. So Sean McKeon, Nick Eubanks, and Luke Schoonmaker caught the touchdowns and made the big plays, while All did the dirty work.

Now McKeon is off to the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent, and All is fighting with Schoonmaker to be the primary backup. (It will be interesting to see if Eubanks sticks around for another season in the spring/fall, but if he leaves, that could leave All or Schoonmaker as the starter.) I think All will end up as the #2 guy based mainly on his blocking. He has added significant size, and he reportedly has some of the best hands on the team, regardless of position.

Prediction: Backup tight end

2020 Season Countdown: #32 Andre Seldon, Jr.

Name: Andre Seldon, Jr.
Height: 5’8″
Weight: 172 lbs.
High school: Belleville (MI) Belleville
Position: Cornerback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #0
Last year: Seldon was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 27 tackles, 6 interceptions (1 touchdown), 3 pass breakups, and 4 punt return touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 83

Seldon was perhaps Michigan’s most solid commit in the 2020 class and maybe its most prized, too. (This happened despite some friction between Belleville and Michigan.) He finished the cycle as a 4-star, the #11 cornerback, and #161 overall, and he was selected to the Under Armour All-American Bowl.

I didn’t give Seldon a TTB Rating when he committed because it was too early, but I really like him as a player. His upside is limited because of a lack of height, but he can still be a successful college player. With Donovan Peoples-Jones having graduated, I would want Seldon to return punts because he has such good acceleration and change-of-direction skills. On top of that, he will likely be Michigan’s slot corner from his freshman season onward. He’s feisty, tough, and fast with good ball skills.

Prediction: Starting nickel corner

Hit the jump for his senior highlights.