Posts under: Blog

2023 Season Countdown: #7 Roman Wilson

Name: Roman Wilson
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 192 lbs.
High school: Honolulu (HI) St. Louis
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Senior
Jersey number: #1
Last year: I ranked Wilson #24 and said he would be a part-time starting wide receiver with 30 catches for 450 yards and 4 touchdowns (LINK). He started four games and caught 25 passes for 376 yards and 4 touchdowns, and he ran 2 times for 39 yards and 2 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 78

For the second consecutive year, Wilson made 25 catches in a season. Also for the second consecutive year, he struggled a little bit with nagging injuries that limited his availability and his effectiveness. But when he was available, he showed pretty consistently what his speed could do. With strong-armed quarterback J.J. McCarthy at the helm, Wilson found himself open deep time and time again. Unfortunately, McCarthy’s arm was a little erratic early in the year, so some of the wide-open deep shots ended in frustration. Still, Wilson took a screen 61 yards to the house against Colorado State, he went for 104 yards against TCU, and in between he was keeping defenses honest by occasionally popping open deep to scare people. He also grabbed two carries on the year, turning them into 21- and 18-yard touchdowns on end arounds.

Wilson’s speed is unmatched by the other receivers who have been getting on the field. (Word is that Eamonn Dennis is the fastest receiver, but he has only really played on special teams.) When a team can run the ball like Michigan can, an effective deep target can be a huge weapon. A lot depends on whether McCarthy can perform in 2023 like he did late in 2022. The play action game could be huge for getting Wilson to pop open deep, and on the flip side, if he makes some big plays early in the year, teams are going to have to start respecting that and possibly committing less to stopping the run. Even though I think Cornelius Johnson will lead the team in receptions, Wilson is the guy whose speed could make this offense take the next step in the passing game. Perhaps he and the coaches think so, too, which might be why Wilson will wear #1 this year instead of #14.

Prediction: Starting wide receiver; 38 receptions for 650 yards and 8 touchdowns

2023 Season Countdown: #8 Kris Jenkins, Jr.

Name: Kris Jenkins, Jr.
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 305 lbs.
High school: Olney (MD) Our Lady of Good Counsel
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #94
Last year: I ranked Jenkins #18 and said he would be a starting defensive tackle with 35 tackles and 2 sacks (LINK). He made 54 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 2 quarterback hurries.
TTB Rating: 77

If there’s anyone who seems to follow right in his dad’s footsteps – after all the legacies Michigan has seen – it appears to be Jenkins. Jenkins, whose dad and Uncle Cullen played defensive tackle in the NFL for a long time, has grown immensely over the past two years, putting on 20 pounds in each of the past two off-seasons. Last year’s 20-pound jump put him at 285, which is feasible defensive tackle size. He proceeded to blow up a bunch of run plays, get after the passer a little bit, and put himself on the Honorable Mention All-Big Ten team. He was named Michigan’s Defensive Player of the Week five times (including sharing the honor against Illinois in week eleven).

You could make an argument to place Jenkins higher in the countdown, but I think Michigan’s defensive tackle depth is solid, especially in the two-deep with Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, and Rayshaun Benny. Throw in grad student Cam Goode and that’s a solid fivesome, which doesn’t include redshirt sophomore Ike Iwunnah or any of this year’s freshmen. Jenkins is Michigan’s top entry in Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List” for this year, and in some of the workout videos produced by the @umichfootball Twitter account, he looks jacked and supremely confident. I think it’s going to be a fun season of seeing him consistently in opposing backfields.

Prediction: Starting defensive tackle; 50 tackles, 4 sacks

Ex-Wolverine Commit Updates: Pre-season 2023

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FORMER COMMITS

DE Collins Acheampong (Miami): Acheampong is listed as a 6’7″, 270 lb. freshman defensive end for the Hurricanes.

LB Aaron Alexander (Michigan State): Alexander is a 6’1″, 225 lb. linebacker for the Spartans after transferring from UMass.

WR Markus Allen (N/A): Allen entered the transfer portal from Wisconsin, went back to Wisconsin, and then entered the portal again this summer.

Hit the jump for more.

2023 Season Countdown: #9 Mason Graham

Name: Mason Graham
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 318 lbs.
High school: Anaheim (CA) Servite
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #55
Last year: I ranked Graham #63 and said he would be a backup defensive tackle (LINK). He made 27 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and 1 pass breakup.
TTB Rating: 84

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said last year that one of Michigan’s freshman defensive tackles was “a gift from the football gods” and that guy turned out to be Kenneth Grant . . . or Mason Graham. There was debate about which one he meant. It doesn’t really matter, though, because Graham turned out to be excellent for a freshman, and Grant should be pretty darn good by the time all is said and done, too. Graham had 1 sack each against Iowa and Nebraska, and even though he didn’t record any tackles for loss that weren’t sacks, he was consistently eating up double teams or otherwise creating problems for opposing offensive lines. His technical expertise and motor were impressive, especially for a freshman.

Now Graham is a sophomore and, for better or worse, he’s 26 pounds heavier than he was listed last year. Hopefully that doesn’t affect his quickness or persistence, and just judging by what we’ve seen from him over the past couple years (in high school and as a freshman), odds are that he will continue to wreak havoc. Graham is likely to start at nose tackle next to Kris Jenkins, Jr., which is a very formidable starting duo, with Rayshaun Benny and Grant backing them up. It’s likely to be another very good season for Graham.

Prediction: Starting nose tackle; 45 tackles, 4 sacks

Ex-Wolverine Updates: Week 0

FORMER PLAYERS

CB George Johnson III (UMass): Johnson made 1 catch for 22 yards in a 41-30 win over New Mexico State.

CB Andre Seldon (New Mexico State): Seldon made 3 tackles in a 41-30 loss to UMass.

Hit the jump for more.