Posts under: Blog

George Rooks, Ex-Wolverine

Second-year defensive lineman George Rooks has entered the transfer portal. Rooks played in six games this past season and three in 2021. He made 1 tackle and 1 fumble recovery in his career as a Wolverine.

Rooks was a class of 2021 signee and part of a much needed influx of defensive linemen. Coming out of Jersey City (NJ) St. Peters Prep, he was a 4-star, the #35 defensive lineman, and #271 overall. I gave him a TTB Rating of 80 (LINK) and here was my overall summation of his talents:

Overall, Rooks has a nice set of athletic skills but is held back by a little bit of a tendency toward finesse when taking on blockers. I believe he will make a move to the interior of the defensive line, and it will take some time to bulk up. I see him as an eventual 290- to 295-pounder playing 3-tech (outside shoulder of the guard) or 4i (inside shoulder of tackle). With proper development, he could become a quietly solid player in the mold of Matt Godin.

Listed at 6’5″ and 278 lbs., Rooks never reached the weight that I expected from him. Obviously, he never made much of an impact at Michigan, but based on what I’ve seen, I think he could still be a quality player for someone down the road.

Rooks is the second player from the 2021 class to announce an entry into the transfer portal, following tight end Louis Hansen.

2024 Recruiting Update: December 12, 2022

COMMITMENT

Bellevue (WA) Bellevue tight end Hogan Hansen committed to Michigan (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2024

Max Anderson – OT – Frisco (TX) Reedy: Anderson is a 6’5″, 300 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, LSU, Penn State, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #8 offensive tackle, and #182 overall.

Aydin Breland – DT – Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei: Breland is a 6’5″, 290-pounder with offers from Alabama, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas A&M, and USC, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #11 defensive lineman, and #79 overall.

Brandon Davis-Swain – DE – West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield: Davis-Swain is a 6’4″, 240 lb. edge player who decommitted from Notre Dame. He’s a 4-star, the #12 defensive lineman, and #91 overall in the 2024 class. Iowa, Ole Miss, Penn State, and USC are some of the other schools that have offered. Davis-Swain had a semi-secret visit to Michigan this off-season, and he’s a teammate of 2023 Michigan commits Amir Herring and Semaj Morgan.

Hit the jump for more.

All-Time Leaders: Top Bowl Game Performances

With Michigan’s post-season coming up, here’s a look at Michigan’s top performances in bowl games over the years.

NOTE: This took a lot of time to sift through the various games, so if I missed a top performance, let me know!

SINGLE GAME PASSING YARDAGE LEADERS

1. 373 yards – Chad Henne (2007 vs. Florida)
2. 369 yards – Tom Brady (1999 vs. Alabama)
3. 343 yards – J.J. McCarthy (2022 vs. TCU)
4. 319 yards – John Navarre (2002 vs. Florida)
5. 309 yards – Chad Henne (2006 vs. USC)

Hit the jump for more.

Potential Departure Candidates: Offense

With the onslaught of transfer portal entries in college football, it’s inevitable that Michigan will face some more departures this off-season. Three players have already announced their intentions to transfer, and one (Cade McNamara to Iowa) has already found a landing spot. Tight ends Erick All and Louis Hansen are both headed for, ahem, greener pastures.

McNamara and All are both somewhat unique cases of players who played a lot but felt slighted in some way, but Hansen is a more typical case of a player buried on the depth chart who wants to see some light at the end of the tunnel. This post explores several players in similar situations who may find greener pastures elsewhere:

DISCLAIMER: This post is speculative in nature and not intended to encourage/discourage any player from leaving Michigan’s program. The reality is that college football is now a lot like unrestricted free agency from year to year.

RB TAVIERRE DUNLAP
Why he should stay: Every Michigan starting running back during his tenure has turned in a 1,000+ yard season, but they had to wait three or more years to do it. Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum have both turned in star performances after waiting their turn. Dunlap has done well when given a chance, averaging 6.1 yards per carry.
Why he might leave: Opportunities are limited when you’re the third string back or lower, and there’s no reason to expect much of a change in scenery for 2023. While Corum is likely headed to the NFL, Donovan Edwards is a bona fide star in the making and freshman C.J. Stokes already has many more carries (55) in one season than Dunlap has in two (16), and walk-on Isaiah Gash (19 carries, 101 yards, 2 touchdowns) even topped Dunlap in touches. When it came to the Big Ten championship game and Ohio State, Michigan decided to use a big back at times . . . but that back was the 6’2″, 232 lb. backup linebacker Kalel Mullings instead of Dunlap (6’0″, 217).

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Hogan Hansen, Wolverine

Bellevue (WA) Bellevue tight end Hogan Hansen, a 2024 prospect, committed to Michigan on Thursday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Colorado, Florida, Miami, Oregon, Washington, and Washington State, among others.

Hansen is listed at 6’6″ and 220 lbs.

RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 81 grade, #11 TE, #252 overall
On3: 3-star, 87 grade, #27 TE
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #12 TE
247 Sports: 4-star, 90 grade, #6 TE, #122 overall

Hit the jump for more.