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Preview: Michigan vs. Colorado State

RUSH OFFENSE vs. COLORADO STATE RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan had a top-15 rushing offense in 2021, and they might not drop off much – if at all – in 2022. The team returns three of five starters, the new center nearly won the Rimington at Virginia last year, and the new right tackle was the sixth lineman last year. All of these players are experienced. The biggest question mark is how well they will replace powerful running back Hassan Haskins. Blake Corum (144 carries, 952 yards, 11 TD) will be the lead back and Donovan Edwards (35 carries, 174 yards, 3 TD) will be the backup, but the #3 guy could be any of three unproven guys in Tavi Dunlap, C.J. Stokes, or Kalel Mullings. Colorado State held a couple top-25 teams to poor rushing efforts in 2021, including Iowa (32 carries for 54 yards) and Utah State (48 carries for 111 yards). The defense is anchored by a couple solid linebackers in Cam’Ron Carter (100 tackles, 7.5 TFLs in 2021) and Dequan Jackson (84 tackles, 8.5 TFLs). Both starting defensive tackles are around 6’1″ and 300 pounds, so there’s not a ton of size up front. Michigan will definitely have the advantage, but the Rams may not be pushovers.
Advantage: Michigan

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2022 Season Countdown: #9 Ronnie Bell

Name: Ronnie Bell
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Kansas City (MO) Park Hill
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #8
Last year: I ranked Bell # and said he would be a starting wide receiver with 43 catches for 670 yards and 4 touchdowns (LINK). He caught 1 pass for 76 yards and 1 touchdown and returned 1 punt for 31 yards.
TTB Rating: 71

Bell was Michigan’s two-time defending champ when it comes to receiving going into 2021. Despite a lot of people thinking he wasn’t fast enough or big enough, he just kept coming through. And despite higher ranked receivers also existing on the roster, he kept outperforming them. I only gave him a TTB Rating of 71 coming out of high school, but I hopped on the bandwagon after watching him bounce off of tacklers over and over again, just like he did in high school. He might have better balance after contact than any Michigan receiver I remember.

And 2021 was off to a great start.

He made a spectacular one-handed grab in the opener that was somehow ruled incomplete.

And he made a 76-yard touchdown catch.

And he made a 31-yard punt return . . .

. . . and at the end of it, he tore his ACL.

He averaged 76 yards per catch and 31 yards per punt return, the best season in Michigan history.

With the miracle of modern medicine, Bell should be back to full speed to start the season. He’s already up to full speed in captain voting, being voted a captain for a second year in a row. I expect him to once again lead Michigan’s team in receiving, but the presence of a solid crew of receivers keeps him here at #9, one spot below last year’s rank. The team showed they could win without him, yes, but he’s an emotional leader who can do a lot of different things – catch, run after the catch, block, return, etc. – as well as make plays on deep, intermediate, and short routes.

Prediction: Starting wide receiver; 45 catches for 650 yards, 5 touchdowns

2022 Season Countdown: #10 Jake Moody

Name: Jake Moody
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 210 lbs.
High school: Northville (MI) Northville
Position: Kicker
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #13
Last year: I ranked Moody #7 and said he would be the starting kickoff specialist and placekicker (LINK). He was the kickoff specialist and made 23/25 field goals and 56/56 extra points.
TTB Rating: N/A

Moody went from being a question mark in 2020 – when he made just 1/4 field goals – to a consensus All-American in 2021. It’s probably not a coincidence that fellow kicker Quinn Nordin had gone to the NFL after the 2020 season. It seemed like the pressure of Nordin lurking over his shoulder had been a bit too ominous for him to overcome. Once Nordin was gone, Moody turned into a star. He won the Lou Groza Award as the top kicker in the country and was Big Ten Kicker of the Year.

Moody should be very good again in 2022. Whether he repeats as a winner of all those awards or not, you never know. Other guys could have great seasons, too. If he makes 23/25 field goals and another guy makes 24/25, hats off to the other guy. But it’s not often you get a consensus All-American returning despite being draft eligible. So why is Moody at #10? I can put a kicker in the top ten – or even at #7 like I did last year – but it’s tough to rank a guy all the way at the top who doesn’t play full-time on offense or defense.

Prediction: Starting kickoff specialist and placekicker

Ex-Wolverine Player Updates: Pre-season 2022

FORMER PLAYERS

OG Zach Carpenter (Indiana): Carpenter is a redshirt junior who is expected to start at center for the Hoosiers.

RB Zach Charbonnet (UCLA): Charbonnet ran for 1,137 yards and 13 touchdowns last season and returns for his senior season.

Sammy Faustin (UMass): Faustin transferred to UMass this off-season and will battle for playing time under former Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown, who is now the head coach of the Minutemen.

OG Chuck Filiaga (Minnesota): Filiaga is a sixth year senior who is expected to start at guard for the Gophers.

CB Darion Green-Warren (Nevada): Green-Warren is a redshirt freshman who is in contention to start at cornerback for the Wolfpack.

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2022 Season Countdown: #11 Gemon Green

Name: Gemon Green
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 181 lbs.
High school: DeSoto (TX) DeSoto
Position: Cornerback
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #22
Last year: I ranked Green #9 and said he would be a starting cornerback with 32 tackles and 1 interception (LINK). He started six games and made 24 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, and 2 pass breakups.
TTB Rating: 82

Green was expected by some, including me, to build on the end of his 2020 season and blossom into a quality starter for the Wolverines. However, as the season went along, he ceded playing time to the two starters, Vincent Gray and D.J. Turner II. As it turned out, Green was basically a third starter at the cornerback position. He didn’t take the next step like some expected, but he was at least a functional player for the Wolverines.

Now that Vincent Gray is gone, Green is expected to start the season opposite Turner. With a good chunk of experience over the past two seasons, he should be a quality starter. The main guy lurking in the background is true freshman Will Johnson, who may start at some point but has also been playing some nickel and could factor in there. Green is a feisty, long corner who is frequently in position to challenge for the football, and I’d like to see him come up with a few more PBUs or INTs. But he should be a solid corner in 2022.

Prediction: Starting cornerback; 40 tackles, 1 interception