Posts under: Blog

2016 Season Countdown: #67 Brady Pallante

Brady Pallante

Name: Brady Pallante
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 280 lbs.
High school: Naples (FL) Barron Collier
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #45
Last year: I ranked Pallante #73 and said he would be a backup fullback (LINK). He played in seven games as a backup defensive tackle.

Pallante came to Michigan as an undersized nose tackle a few years ago, but when Michigan was lacking fullbacks, Jim Harbaugh gave him a shot to be a lead blocker. He split time between fullback and defensive tackle until he was needed full-time on defense due to some injuries. The coaching staff did not seem to have a ton of faith in him last year, because he lost nose tackle playing time to fellow position-oscillator Tom Strobel. Pallante played in seven games but did not register a tackle.

Michigan returns almost everyone on the defensive line this year, including a couple of the guys who were injured last year. Strobel transferred to Ohio, but the only significant departure was defensive tackle Willie Henry. Pallante won’t factor heavily into the nose tackle situation this year unless injuries rear their ugly heads again, and he was concentrating only on defense this spring. He’s game-experienced now and might see some mop-up time.

Prediction: Backup nose tackle

The Opening 2016 roster

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech WR Donovan Peoples-Jones won the SPARQ national championship as an underclassman in 2015

Nike’s The Opening is taking place this coming weekend in Oregon. Lots of Michigan targets and commits are participating. Here’s a look at the Michigan targets to watch during the televised portions and 7-on-7 tournament, along with updates on Twitter and recruiting sites.

Hit the jump.

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2016 Season Countdown: #68 Michael Onwenu

Michael Onwenu (image via Rivals)

Name: Michael Onwenu
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 350 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Onwenu was a senior in high school (LINK).
Final TTB Rating: 78

Onwenu committed to Michigan in early June of 2015. He measured in at over 360 lbs. at one point, although MGoBlue now lists him at 350 lbs. I thought he looked more like a nose tackle, but Michigan apparently wants him on the offensive line, where he is expected to play guard. He played the position adequately in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, and it’s not a bad idea because he’s pretty immovable at a squat 350 lbs., but he didn’t finish blocks in high school as much as I would have liked. This year it’s going to be tough for Onwenu to see much playing time. Not only is there a lot of experience returning on the offensive line, but Onwenu has work to do on his body and technique. However, the Wolverines need to groom at least three players to start in 2017, since Ben Braden, Kyle Kalis, and Erik Magnuson will all be graduating. With two of those players being guards, the coaches might want to get Onwenu some experience this season if they intend to start him next year.

Prediction: Backup offensive guard

What I’ve Been Reading: Dark Places

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl, Sharp Objects) is another quasi murder mystery that plays with timelines. It’s the story of Libby Day, the survivor of a brutal multiple homicide when she was a little girl. Her mother and two sisters were killed, and the murderer put behind bars was her 15-year-old brother Ben. Libby survives and writes a book about her experience, but with money running out, she accepts an offer from a Kill Club that doesn’t believe her brother was guilty. In the ensuing investigation, all kinds of new information comes to light. The story is told mostly from the perspective of a modern Libby Day, but it also gives a look from Ben and his mother from the time of the murders in 1985. I thought this book started off slowly and picked up about a third of the way through, mostly because it’s hard to empathize with Libby Day. (I also found that to be the case with Sharp Objects, where the main female protagonist was a little strange.) Flynn writes about some women with strange views on life, but she’s almost like a female Chuck Palahniuk, who writes (mostly) about some screwed-up dudes.

Has anybody else read this book? Or seen the movie? I watched the trailer for the movie, and I think Charlize Theron is a pretty poor choice for the lead role.

Scout 300 for 2018 released

Otis Reese (image via Scout)

Scout released their top 100 prospects for 2018 a few days ago (LINK). Then on Friday, they released the rest of the top 300 (LINK). Michigan targets are listed below:

106. Austin Osborne – WR – CA
107. Artur Sitkowski – QB – NJ
112. Jermaine Eskridge – WR – FL
116. Brian Snead – RB – FL
124. Emil Ekiyor, Jr. – OG – IN
126. Thomas Booker – ATH – MD
138. Joshua Moore – WR – FL
143. Malcolm Epps – TE – TX (Alabama)
149. Barton Clement – OG – TX
155. Elijah Wade – DE – NV
158. Tyson Campbell – CB – FL
160. Christian Tutt – CB – GA
169. Kyler McMichael – S – GA
170. Amari Burney – ATH – FL
182. L’Christian Smith – WR – OH
192. Shabazz Dotson – DT – TX
193. Markese Stepp – RB – IN (Notre Dame)
194. Rick Sandidge – DT – NC
195. Dorian Hardy – DE – NJ
200. Quin Williams – LB – GA
203. Aidan Hutchinson – DE – MI
211. Jayson Ademilola – DE – NJ (Notre Dame)
213. Jack West – QB – AL
214. Jeremiah Martin – DE – CA
229. Otis Reese – S – GA (Michigan)
234. Kearis Jackson – WR – GA
235. Allan Walters – QB – NJ
236. Stephon Wynn – DT – SC
238. Ovie Oghoufo – LB – MI
247. Trenton Gillison – TE – OH
248. Will Mallory – WR – FL
259. Asante Samuel, Jr. – CB – FL
270. Elijah Moore – WR – FL
298. Kalon Gervin – CB – MI