Posts under: Blog

2023 Season Countdown: #123 Joshua Luther

Name: Joshua Luther
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 180 lbs.
High school: Clarkston (MI) Clarkston
Position: Cornerback
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #44
Last year: I ranked Luther #118 and said he would be a backup defensive back (LINK). He played in one game.
TTB Rating: N/A

It’s always interesting to me to see how players progress in the countdown from year to year, and through no fault of his own, Luther is on a downward slide. He appeared in 2021 at #117, dropped to #118, and now appears at #123. There’s no real explanation other than the fact that Michigan brought in several scholarship-worthy transfer players, and the team now has a deeper talent well than they used to have.

At 5’9″ and 180 lbs., it’s hard to get on the field in the Big Ten unless you’re a dynamic athlete, and I think we can safely say that Luther is not particularly dynamic. But maybe he can make an occasional appearance on special teams.

Prediction: Backup defensive back

2024 Recruiting Update: May 1, 2023

COMMITMENTS

Rochester (MI) Adams tight end Brady Prieskorn committed to Michigan (LINK).

And so did Cheshire (CT) Cheshire Academy defensive lineman Jerod Smith (LINK).

And so did Ponte Vedra Beach (FL) Ponte Vedra offensive lineman Jake Guarnera (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2024

New Orleans (LA) John Curtis defensive tackle Jowhar Franklin, Jr. was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 300 lb. nose tackle prospect with offers from Miami, Ohio State, and Ole Miss, among others.

Atlanta (GA) Woodward Academy wide receiver Ben Grice was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, and others. He’s currently unranked, but . . . he should be. Grice is also a standout lacrosse player who would have a chance to play lacrosse in college.

Hit the jump for more.

2023 NFL Draft Results: Michigan

Here are the results of the 2023 NFL Draft for Michigan:

1st round: Mazi Smith – DT – Dallas Cowboys (#26 overall)
2nd round: Luke Schoonmaker – TE – Dallas Cowboys (#58)
2nd round: D.J. Turner II – CB – Cincinnati Bengals (#60)
3rd round: Jake Moody – K – San Francisco 49ers (#99)
5th round: Mike Morris – DE – Seattle Seahawks (#151)
5th round: Olu Oluwatimi – C – Seattle Seahawks (#154)
6th round: Brad Robbins – P – Cincinnati Bengals (#217)
7th round: Ryan Hayes – OT – Miami Dolphins (#238)
7th round: Ronnie Bell – WR – San Francisco 49ers (#253)

CB Gemon Green was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Giants and TE Joel Honigford was signed by the Arizona Cardinals.

Below are some former Wolverines who were drafted or signed as undrafted free agents:

2nd round: Zach Charbonnet – RB – Seattle Seahawks (#52 overall)
UDFA: Chuck Filiaga – OG – New York Giants
UDFA: Hunter Reynolds – S – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The following player, Eric Gray, was committed to Michigan at one point but signed with Tennessee before transferring to Oklahoma:

5th round: Eric Gray – RB – New York Giants (#172)

Jake Guarnera, Wolverine

Ponte Vedra Beach (FL) Ponte Vedra center Jake Guarnera committed to Michigan on Friday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Florida, Miami, Ole Miss, and Penn State, among others.

I wrote up a full scouting report on Guarnera Friday before his commitment, so feel free to check that out (LINK).

I had been working on an “If I Had My Druthers” post regarding finishing out the offensive line class, but there’s only so much time in a day, so I ran out of real estate for getting that posted. I still may complete the post now that Guarnera is in the fold, but . . . he was not particularly high on that list. The amazing thing is that it’s not even that he’s a bad prospect, but he was low on the list because so many high-quality linemen are interested in Michigan.

Guarnera will have to transition from playing left tackle in high school to playing center (or guard) in college, and it’s always difficult to gauge how those moves will go. For example, Reece Atteberry was another tackle who was slated for center, but he does not seem to have gained much traction there and now plays exclusively at guard.

Michigan now has five offensive linemen in the class and will probably try to land a sixth, if not a seventh. Guarnera is the best bet to play center. He is the third lowest ranked commit in the class, ahead of only German native Manuel Beigel and little known Zach Ludwig.

Guarnera would be the first player from Ponte Vedra High to play for Michigan.

Damani Dent, Ex-Wolverine

Redshirt freshman Damani Dent has entered the transfer portal.

Dent spent a chunk of 2022 away from the team and returned late in the year, but he never set foot on the field. The Jacksonville (FL) Terry Parker product was a Jim Harbaugh favorite as part of the recruiting class, but perhaps he did not see a path to playing time. I gave him a TTB Rating of 82 by the spring of 2022 after seeing his senior highlights, but he was a 3-star, the #65 safety, and #778 overall in his recruiting class.

Michigan lost both Dent and R.J. Moten (LINK) from the safety depth chart within a week, so that must mean good things about some of the young safeties on the roster, like Zeke Berry and Keon Sabb. This fall’s expected starters are junior Rod Moore and redshirt junior Makari Paige. I recently ranked Dent #132 in the 2023 Season Countdown because I did not expect him to play much this fall (LINK).

Dent is the second member of the class of 2022 to hit the transfer portal, following linebacker Deuce Spurlock (LINK), who transferred to Florida.