Stephen Herron, Jr. (image via Detroit News)
Stephen Herron, Jr. – DE – Louisville (KY) Trinity: Herron is a 6’3″, 235 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, and Stanford, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #4 weakside end, and #35 overall. The Crystal Ball is 70% in favor of Ohio State, while the other 30% is for Michigan. He will be in Ann Arbor on July 14-15.
J’Marick Woods (image via MGoBlog)
Name: J’Marick Woods
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 205 lbs.
High school: Florence (AL) Florence
Position: Safety
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #26
Last year: Woods was a senior in high school.
TTB Rating: 80
Woods was a bit of an unknown when he suddenly popped up on Michigan’s radar, and he committed to the Wolverines just prior to the 2016 spring game. A large strong safety type, he was known more for his in-the-box play and run support than being wildly athletic. The Wolverines brought him in as an early enrollee in January, and that reputation continued in college. Reportedly referred to as “The Truth” for his hitting ability, there were some practice clips that popped up showing him supporting the run rather well. Unfortunately, an injury prevented him from playing in the spring game, so our chances to see him were limited.
This fall Michigan might need Woods, and they might not. Defensive back is not a particularly dangerous position group for severe injuries, so as long as you can find three safeties and about four cornerbacks, you should be pretty set with your rotation. The defense seems to be pretty set with Joshua Metellus and Tyree Kinnel as the starting safeties, and Jordan Glasgow appears to be the backup strong safety. Woods is probably the #3 strong safety at this point in time, but Glasgow also could play a fair amount of Viper if Khaleke Hudson falters or gets hurt. I do not see true freshman Jaylen Kelly-Powell as a viable option this year, so Woods should probably be viewed as the #4 overall safety. His size and tackling ability make him a potential contributor on special teams, and I think he will offer some value on kickoff coverage.
Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer
Nick Eubanks (#18, image via USA Today)
Name: Nick Eubanks
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 236 lbs.
High school: Plantation (FL) American Heritage
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #18
Last year: I ranked Eubanks #82 and said he would redshirt. He played in one game.
TTB Rating: 44
Eubanks was skinny and raw entering college last year, so I was a little surprised when he trotted out late in the game against Central Florida last year and burned his redshirt. Then we started to realize that Jim Harbaugh doesn’t care too much about redshirting. Technically, Eubanks might be a sophomore this season, but considering he only played in one game, I imagine Michigan will be aiming to get this year back for him if they want him for a fifth year down the road.
This year the chance for Eubanks to play has increased. Not only is Jake Butt off to the NFL, but he was able to do some of the flex tight end stuff that Eubanks is most suited to run. And on top of that, Devin Asiasi – the top-rated tight end in Michigan’s 2016 class – ditched Ann Arbor for UCLA. Presumed starter Ian Bunting was a wide receiver for much of his high school career, and he might be able to flex out, but he’s mostly an in-line guy at this point. The two guys most likely to detach from the formation are Eubanks and Zach Gentry. Gentry, a former quarterback, is faster and more athletic, but he has struggled with his hands and still might need to add some weight. I was not impressed with Eubanks’s route-running or instincts in the spring game, but he’s still just a young’n.
Prediction: Backup tight end
This news is a couple days old by now, and I even posted a link to the MLive story (a post that had much better visuals, by the way). But I didn’t have time to add any editorial thoughts to that link, so here they are.
True freshman defensive end Corey Malone-Hatcher is done with football. He helped spearhead the 2017 recruiting class through videos and social media, and he enrolled early. But a lingering Achilles injury, which I’ve talked about before, ended up being his downfall. He was hurt for much of spring practice and unable to participate in football drills for most of that time. Instead of fighting through Achilles recovery – and an Achilles tear can be a very tough injury to overcome – he took a medical exemption, so he’ll remain at Michigan as a student on scholarship.
As for the impact on the team, I don’t think it will be significant. I ranked him at #83 in the countdown (LINK), and I gave him a final TTB Rating of 49, which is among the lowest I’ve given. His departure does open up a football scholarship for someone, since the Wolverines are down to 83 scholarship players (LINK).
Maurice Ways, Jr. (image via MGoBlue)
Name: Maurice Ways, Jr.
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 217 lbs.
High school: Beverly Hills (MI) Country Day
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #85
Last year: I ranked Ways #50 and said he would be a backup wide receiver. He caught 2 passes for 24 yards.
TTB Rating: 81
Last year there was a fair amount of hype for Ways coming out of spring ball. The coaching staff liked him, he was catching the ball consistently, he’s always been a solid blocker, and he’s a high-character kid. Things seemed to be shaping up for a pretty solid year, probably as the next guy behind Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh on the outside. Then a foot injury happened. He played in just six games, and he only caught 2 passes.
Going into his fourth year in the program, it’s another now-or-never situation. Michigan has a batch of young players who are superior when it comes to speed and athleticism, and if they’re starting from roughly the same overall talent, coaches are going to lean toward developing the younger players. One place freshmen typically struggle is in the area of blocking, and that’s where Ways will probably have to make hay if he wants to see the field. The Wolverines lost both starters from last year, so technically, the outside jobs are up for grabs. Most projections right now seem to have Kekoa Crawford pegged as the top guy outside, and he played more than Ways last year. Otherwise, Drake Harris has moved to defense, and the rest of the contributors were mainly in the slot. Since Ways is strictly an outside guy, he’ll be battling with the likes of Tarik Black, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and Nico Collins for snaps. I don’t think Ways will win that battle, but if he’s healthy, I think he should see an uptick in snaps and play in more than six games.