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Taylor Upshaw, Ex-Wolverine

Fifth year senior Taylor Upshaw announced yesterday that he would be entering the transfer portal. He joins classmate and position mate Julius Welschof, announcing one day after the latter.

Upshaw was a member of the class of 2018. A 247 Composite 3-star, the #25 strongside end, and #561 overall, Upshaw is the son of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Regan Upshaw. I gave him a TTB Rating of 62 (LINK) with this to say about him:

Otherwise, I expected more from an NFLer’s son. Upshaw is a little slow and tentative out of his stance. He stands up too high and is a little stiff-legged. He does not play with a sense of urgency and seems to be a split second slow to react. He also does not run through tackles, instead leaving his feet to swing ball carriers to the ground. He’s somewhat of a finesse player when he should be dominant with his size and relative athleticism.

Overall, I’m somewhat indifferent on Upshaw’s commitment. He will get top-notch coaching at Michigan from Don Brown and Greg Mattison, who have turned non-scholarship players like Ryan Glasgow into quality players. But of all the scholarship guys currently on the roster, Upshaw probably has the least impressive film. He reminds me of former Michigan defensive end/defensive tackle Greg Banks. Banks was a 2005 signee who started 9 games (all as a fifth year senior in 2009), making 56 tackles, 8.5 tackles, 3 sacks, and 2 pass breakups throughout his career.

After redshirting in 2018, Upshaw made 2 tackles in 2019 in limited playing time. Over the next three seasons, he became a rotational player, making just two starts from 2020-2022. However, he was fairly productive given his backup role, making 44 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles in his career. He also notched a memorable interception of C.J. Stroud in the 2022 Ohio State game, a play that took place right before Donovan Edwards cinched the game with a long touchdown run to make it 45-23.

Michigan has Braiden McGregor and Eyabi Okie coming back next year, along with incoming transfer Josaiah Stewart. Even though Mike Morris is expected to move on to the NFL, I think Upshaw would have been a backup piece in 2023. Even with some decent productivity as a backup, I don’t see much of a reason to stick around for year six of coming off the bench.

Julius Welschof, Ex-Wolverine

Fifth year senior Julius Welschof announced on Tuesday that he is entering the transfer portal. Welschof was a part of the class of 2018 and has the opportunity to use the 2020 COVID exemption to get a sixth year of eligibility, which he will presumably use in 2023 if he can find a new home.

Welschof was a member of the class of 2018 and I gave him a TTB Rating of 78 at the time (LINK). He was 6’6″, 248 lbs. as a recruit and earned some extra hype because he was an excellent mogul skier in Germany as a youth. He was a 247 Composite 3-star, the #28 strongside end, and #645 overall in that 2018 class.

Unfortunately, things did not play out that well at Michigan. He played some defensive end and defensive tackle, but he often played high. The one thing he did most consistently was run downfield on kickoff coverage, using the athletic skills that put him on Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List.” After playing in the 280s for a couple seasons, Welschof slimmed down to 266 pounds to play the edge rusher position under Jesse Minter, but that wasn’t enough to get him on the field defensively with any regularity. He was passed up by younger players like Derrick Moore and Braiden McGregor, as well as a transfer in Eyabi Okie.

Altogether, Welschof made just 6 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 pass breakup during his five seasons at Michigan. It will be interesting to see if perhaps Welschof rejoins Don Brown at UMass, who was Michigan’s defensive coordinator from 2016-2020.

Now five years removed from their 2018 high school recruiting class, the only players remaining on the roster (for now) are linebacker Michael Barrett, defensive end Taylor Upshaw, and defensive back brothers Gemon and German Green. Other fifth year players who are entering the NFL draft include offensive tackle Ryan Hayes, kicker Jake Moody, , wide receiver Ronnie Bell, and tight end Luke Schoonmaker

2024 Recruiting Update: January 3, 2022

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2024

Caleb Brewer – OT – Reading (PA) Wyomissing: Brewer is a 6’6″, 290 lb. prospect with offers from Notre Dame, Pitt, and Tennessee, among others. He’s an On3 3-star and the #38 interior offensive lineman.

Danny Okoye – DE – Tulsa (OK) NOAH Homeschool: Okoye is a 6’5″, 233-pounder with offers from Alabama, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State, among others. He’s currently unranked.

Taylor Tatum – RB – Longview (TX) Longview: Tatum is a 5’10”, 195 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, TCU, Texas, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #3 running back, and #39 overall. As a junior, he ran 227 times for 1,889 yards and 33 touchdowns.

OFF THE BOARD

Deuce Spurlock, Ex-Wolverine

Freshman linebacker Deuce Spurlock has decided to enter the transfer portal. Spurlock played in two games this season and made 3 tackles against Hawaii.

Spurlock came to Michigan from Madison (AL) Madison Academy and was a standout receiver and linebacker in high school. I gave him a TTB Rating of 78 (LINK) and ranked him #82 in the season countdown (LINK).

The writing appeared to be on the wall for some of these backup linebackers once Michigan played freshman Jimmy Rolder over some other young guys and then recruited Nebraska linebacker Ernest Hausmann out of the transfer portal. With Junior Colson returning next year and possibly Michael Barrett, along with Rolder, there just isn’t going to be much room for playing time in 2023. The Wolverines have so many roster spots devoted to linebackers that it’s just not really tenable to keep all of them around.

Here’s a look at a possible depth chart for next season, which does not include Barrett, who could return for a sixth year:

MIKE: Nikhai Hill-Green (RS Jr.), Jimmy Rolder (So.), Ernest Hausmann (So.), Joey Velazquez (RS Sr.), Micah Pollard (RS Fr.), Jason Hewlett (Fr.)
WILL: Junior Colson (Jr.), Kalel Mullings (Sr.), Jaydon Hood (RS So.), Semaj Bridgeman (Fr.), Breeon Ishmail (Fr.)

Spurlock is the first signee from the 2022 class to hit the portal.

All-Time Leaders: Longest Field Goals

In the Fiesta Bowl against TCU in 2022, Jake Moody set a school record for the longest field goal. Here’s a look at the longest field goals in program history.

1. 59 yards – Jake Moody (2022 vs. TCU)
2. 57 yards – Hayden Epstein (2001 vs. Michigan State)
3. 57 yards – Quinn Nordin (2019 vs. Alabama)
4. 56 yards – Hayden Epstein (1999 vs. Michigan State)
5. 56 yards – Dominic Zvada (2024 vs. Indiana)
6. 56 yards – Dominic Zvada (2024 vs. Northwestern)
7. 55 yards – Quinn Nordin (2017 vs. Florida)
8. 55 yards – Dominic Zvada (2024 vs. Fresno State)
9. 54 yards – Jake Moody (2022 vs. Michigan State)
10. 53 yards – Dominic Zvada (2024 vs. Fresno State)
11. 53 yards – Dominic Zvada (2024 vs. Minnesota)
12. 52 yards – Hayden Epstein (2000 vs. Northwestern)
13. 52 yards – Brendan Gibbons (2012 vs. Nebraska)
14. 52 yards – Matt Wile (2012 vs. South Carolina)
15. 52 yards – Jake Moody (2021 vs. Washington)
16. 52 yards – Jake Moody (2022 vs. Maryland)
17. 52 yards – Dominic Zvada (2024 vs. Texas)