2023 Season Countdown: #80 Tavierre Dunlap

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11Jul 2023
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2023 Season Countdown: #80 Tavierre Dunlap

Tavierre Dunlap

Name: Tavierre Dunlap
Height: 
6’0″
Weight: 
217 lbs.
High school: 
Del Valle (TX) Del Valle
Position: 
Running back
Class: 
Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: 
#22
Last year: 
I ranked Dunlap #66 and said he would be a backup running back (LINK). He ran 9 times for 46 yards and caught 1 pass for 5 yards.
TTB Rating:
 59

A blog contributor recently threw out the phrase “It’s getting late early” in jest for a true freshman who might not fit what the current coaching staff wants, and that was a phrase that I was holding out until I got to the Dunlap post. Dunlap was the #237 overall player in the 2021 class, but he was part of a two-back class that included Donovan Edwards. While Edwards had some big plays in 2021 and had a standout season in 2022, Dunlap has been quietly working in as the fourth or fifth back. Last season he finished with fewer touches than Edwards, Blake Corum, freshman C.J. Stokes, walk-on Isaiah Gash, and converted linebacker Kalel Mullings. It was especially damning when Gash got some short yardage carries and some crunch-time touches against Illinois while Dunlap watched from the sideline.

Going into the 2023 season, Dunlap will certainly be behind Corum and Edwards, and I expect him to also be behind Stokes and Mullings. The real question is whether freshmen Benjamin Hall and Cole Cabana pass him up, too. Hall had a solid spring game, and Cabana is a speedster with big play ability. So far Dunlap has not shown much wiggle, speed, or power, and those skills don’t often suddenly appear in year three. I would not be surprised if this is Dunlap’s final year in a Michigan uniform before transferring. But hopefully Corum and Edwards can get their touches, put Michigan ahead, and leave a lot of reps in the third and fourth quarters for the backups to show their stuff.

Prediction: Backup running back and special teamer

11Jul 2023
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2023 Season Countdown: #81 Zack Marshall

Zack Marshall (image via Wolverines Wire)

Name: Zack Marshall
Height: 
6’4″
Weight: 
220 lbs.
High school: 
Carlsbad (CA) Carlsbad
Position: 
Tight end
Class: 
Freshman
Jersey number: 
#83
Last year: 
Marshall was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 23 catches for 284 yards and 5 touchdowns.
TTB Rating:
 58

Michigan landed Marshall last August, but I didn’t write a commitment post for him until the beginning of February. So I had a chance to view his senior film before writing up my post. He missed a third of his senior year due to transferring schools and having to sit out for four weeks, so his stats don’t represent a full season. But when I watch Marshall, he seems like just an adequate athlete to play tight end in the Big Ten. There’s nothing that really stands out about him, whether it’s his size, speed, hands, athleticism, blocking, etc.

Reports coming out of spring were positive in regards to Marshall. The coaches apparently like his attitude and toughness, so that’s good. But it’s tough to play tight end much as a freshman, especially as someone coming in at 220 pounds. Even though Michigan lost several tight ends last season, Colston Loveland and A.J. Barner should get a majority of the reps, with guys like Matt Hibner, Max Bredeson, and Marlin Klein also mixing in.

Prediction: Backup tight end

11Jul 2023
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2023 Season Countdown: #82 Enow Etta

Enow Etta

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Name: Enow Etta
Height: 
6’5″
Weight: 
270 lbs.
High school: 
Colleyville (TX) Covenant Christian Academy
Position: 
Defensive end
Class: 
Freshman
Jersey number: 
N/A
Last year: 
Etta was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 122 tackles, 34 tackles for loss, 20 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and 2 touchdowns.
TTB Rating:
 87

Etta was a big get for Michigan in the 2023 class, and the Wolverines were lucky to hold on to him, too. While bookend pass rusher Collins Acheampong decommitted from Michigan for the Miami Hurricanes’ money cannon, Etta held fast despite being recruited by Miami and Acheampong to join him in Coral Gables. Etta ended the cycle ranked as a 4-star, the #13 defensive lineman, and #120 overall.

When Etta arrives this summer, he will have some catching up to do. He was pretty much a big fish in a small pond at Covenant Christian Academy, which is a mid-sized private school in Texas, and the competition there is not great. He looked like a man among boys, running past offensive tackles who clearly had no business trying to block him. Things are going to look a little different in college when he’s trying to get past 6’5″, 310 lb. offensive tackles instead of 6’2″, 230 lb. kids. So there’s going to be an uptick in competition, and Michigan already has a pretty solid foursome of Jaylen Harrell, Braiden McGregor, Josaiah Stewart, and Derrick Moore to man the edge rusher positions, not to mention a couple other competitors vying for playing time. I think Etta will get some chances to show his stuff, but while Moore developed into a decent player last season, I think we’re going to have to wait until at least 2024 to see that from Etta.

Prediction: Backup defensive end

11Jul 2023
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2023 Season Countdown: #83 Dominick Giudice

Dominick Giudice (image via Yahoo!)

Name: Dominick Giudice
Height: 
6’4″
Weight: 
290 lbs.
High school: 
Freehold (NJ) Mater Dei
Position: 
Offensive guard
Class: 
Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: 
#56
Last year: 
I ranked Giudice #85 and said he would be a backup defensive tackle (LINK). He played in three games.
TTB Rating:
 58

Giudice is one of the biggest wild cards on Michigan’s roster. Recruited as a defensive lineman, he spent 2021 there and then moved to the offensive line a couple games into the 2022 season. Oddly, he played defensive line in the season opener on September 3 against Hawaii . . . and then by September 17, he was playing offensive guard against UConn. It’s not often that a player plays on the other side of the ball a week or two after switching.

Now Giudice is playing offensive guard, and I just don’t see where he fits in any kind of rotation. Michigan basically has two units with starting capabilities, and there’s a battle behind that group to be third-stringers. Giudice is part of that battle. He did play on the line on the PAT unit, so he will probably see the field in some capacity. But how valuable is he to the 2023 team? Perhaps 2024 will be a more meaningful year for him after several starters or starting-caliber players depart.

Prediction: Backup offensive guard