Posts under: Blog

2023 Season Countdown: #14 Junior Colson

Name: Junior Colson
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 247 lbs.
High school: Brentwood (TN) Ravenwood
Position: Linebacker
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #25
Last year: I ranked Colson #2 and said he would be the starting middle linebacker with 110 tackles and 4 sacks (LINK). He made 101 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 pass breakup, and 1 quarterback hurry.
TTB Rating: 89

Colson had a solid freshman campaign in 2021 followed up by a very good sophomore year. A player with sideline-to-sideline speed, he led the team in tackles with 101. He didn’t necessarily have the one huge “wow” play that might really cement him in Michigan fan’s memories – yet – but he was all over the field on a consistent basis, especially when he seemed to make every stop against Purdue. He ended up with 15 tackles against the Boilermakers alone.

Some people may quibble with my moving Colson down from #2 to #14 in this year’s countdown, but that points toward my having a little more confidence in this year’s linebacker group. Even though Nikhai Hill-Green transferred to Charlotte after sitting out 2022 due to injury, every other linebacker returns with an additional year of experience, plus Nebraska transfer Ernest Hausmann. Michigan really has three starting linebackers (Colson, Barrett, Hausmann) for two spots, not to mention Jimmy Rolder, who got quite a bit of experience last year. Throw in Micah Pollard and Jaydon Hood, who are both getting some practice buzz, and the Wolverines have a solid group.

Colson should once again be in the running for all-conference and will probably lead the team in tackles, but Michigan finally seems to have some quality depth rather than immediately having to dip into the true freshman – or even redshirt freshman – ranks if there’s an injury.

Prediction: Starting middle linebacker; 90 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception

2023 Season Countdown: #15 James Turner

Name: James Turner
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 196 lbs.
High school: Saline (MI) Saline
Position: Kicker
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #32
Last year: Turner played at Louisville. He made 20/22 field goals and 38/39 extra point attempts.
TTB Rating: N/A

Michigan was spoiled by having Jake Moody kick the ball the past couple years, so last year was thoroughly enjoyable with that guy around. Now he’s making important kicks in NFL (pre-season) games.

James Turner is a hometown boy who gets a chance to kick in front of 110,000+ fans after playing his high school ball in Saline. He spent the last four years at Louisville, where he was the starting kicker. He did make a long field goal of 48 yards last season, but generally, the strength of his kicking leg is the question mark. He’s accurate, but mostly from short range.

The transfer should be Michigan’s starting kicker this fall, and word seeping out of camp suggests that’s the case. He’s battling with freshman Adam Samaha, while punter/kicker Tommy Doman is probably going to stick with punting and walk-on Hudson Hollenbeck is likely to handle kickoffs. The hope is that Turner can handle some chip-shot field goals if Michigan’s offense gets bogged down in the redzone, and . . . well . . . hopefully that’s about it. Last-second field goals to win or tie games are about the most gut-wrenching plays in sports, so I don’t want any of those. It would be nice if Michigan could just cruise to 15 comfortable victories this season . . .

Prediction: Starting kicker

2023 Season Countdown: #16a Colston Loveland

Name: Colston Loveland
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 245 lbs.
High school: Gooding (ID) Gooding
Position: Tight end
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #18
Last year: I ranked Loveland #77 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He caught 16 passes for 245 yards and 2 touchdowns while starting five games.
TTB Rating: 85

Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong about Loveland when I put him in the 2022 countdown. I put him at #77 and said he would redshirt, considering the presence of Erick All, Luke Schoonmaker, and others. Of course, it helped him that All got hurt early in the season, but Loveland ended up being the most exciting of all of them, catching a touchdown pass against Ohio State and making a highlight reel, leaping catch against Purdue in the Big Ten championship game.

Loveland’s athleticism shined through so much that I’ve heard some Michigan podcasts and such talking about him as an All-American, which I think is a stretch since Georgia’s Brock Bowers is still around. But Loveland is definitely an exciting player, and he has packed on 15 pounds since last season. He can run and he can go up and high-point the ball like a receiver. I would venture to say that he’s probably Michigan’s most athletic tight end since Devin Funchess, and Funchess went on to play wide receiver in the NFL.

Some might argue that Loveland could be ranked higher, but this is a very talented group – both ahead of him and in the tight end room. Michigan stole Indiana captain and starter A.J. Barner, and they have a couple excellent athletes in Matt Hibner and Marlin Klein waiting in the wings, and there are some walk-ons pushing for time even among all that talent. Still, I expect Loveland to have a very good fall and perhaps be a second- or third-team All-Big Ten player.

Prediction: Starting tight end; 35 catches for 435 yards and 5 touchdowns

2023 Season Countdown: #16b Josh Wallace

Name: Josh Wallace
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha
Position: Cornerback
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #12
Last year: Wallace played at UMass. He made 41 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 10 pass breakups, and 1 fumble recovery.
TTB Rating: N/A

Wallace is a three-time team captain at UMass. Last year he started every game and made 2 interceptions, along with 41 tackles and 10 total pass breakups. A lightly regarded prospect – as most UMass signees are – coming out of high school in 2019, Wallace developed into a starter early in his career. Even though he played all four previous seasons, he had a chance to use his COVID exemption to spend a fifth year either creating more college football memories or making a claim to get a shot in the NFL. Michigan needed cornerback help after losing D.J. Turner II and Gemon Green, so it was a good fit.

My guess is that Wallace will end up starting opposite Will Johnson at cornerback. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter called him a “pro” but I got the sense that he meant that more as a compliment to his work ethic and preparation than his physical skills, which are moderate. He has okay size at 6’0″ and 190 pounds, but he’s not very swift or quick, which I think is going to be his downfall when trying to succeed in the NFL. I think his toughness and attitude will make him a solid enough player in 2023 to hold off the likes of Amorion Walker and Ja’Den McBurrows for the most part, but they should all get a chance to play. Even if Walker and McBurrows have opportunities, I think it will be helpful to have Wallace as a steady veteran to play or fill in if some of the inexperience shows up.

Prediction: Starting cornerback; 30 tackles, 1 interception

2023 Season Countdown: #17 Braiden McGregor

Name: Braiden McGregor
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 267 lbs.
High school: Port Huron (MI) Northern
Position: Defensive end
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #17
Last year: I ranked McGregor #41 and said he would be a backup defensive end (LINK). He made 16 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and 2 pass breakups.
TTB Rating: 87

McGregor has had a rough go of it for the past few years. He tore up his knee as a senior in high school, sat out the 2020 season, and then just didn’t look like himself in 2021. He looked physically underdeveloped in the lower body and just didn’t have the speed or athleticism that he showed earlier in high school.

But in 2022 he seemed to get some of his mojo back. While he didn’t put up astounding numbers as a backup, he did make some nice plays and rack up 2.5 sacks. He also batted down 2 balls against Ohio State. It’s tough to call that kind of performance a true breakout, but it was a mini-breakout season for the Port Huron native.

The 2023 season should be another step forward for McGregor. He has a good chance to start at defensive end, the position Mike Morris and Aidan Hutchinson played before him. Both of those guys had standout seasons, and McGregor is somewhere between the two of them as an athlete – more athletic than Morris, less athletic than Hutchinson, and probably a little less powerful than both. He’s actually very close to Hutchinson’s size (McGregor is listed at the same height and just two pounds heavier than Hutchinson was as a senior), and my comparison when he came out of high school was Hutchinson.

I don’t think McGregor has the same motor as Hutchinson – nor the array of moves – so I would be extremely surprised if he becomes the same sensation. But I do expect a breakout year for him. I would not be surprised if he approaches double digit sacks and looks like a first team all-conference player.

Prediction: Starting defensive end; 40 tackles, 9 sacks