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2022 Season Countdown: #89 Marlin Klein

Name: Marlin Klein
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 215 lbs.
High school: Rabun Gap (GA) Nacoochee
Position: Tight end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #17
Last year: Klein was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 22 catches for 303 yards and 3 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 81

Klein is an impressive athlete who comes from a little way off the beaten path. A native of Germany, he ended up at a private school on the border of Georgia and North Carolina. The competition isn’t great and Klein didn’t even put up great numbers, but he claims 4.5 speed at 6’6″ and 215+ pounds. He certainly looks the part of a quality tight end, but he will have to adjust to significantly better competition, and he will need to get in the weight room.

Tight end is a difficult position to play as a true freshman, at least with any proficiency. Michigan has recruited more physically advanced tight ends who haven’t seen the field much as true freshmen. On top of several quality tight ends already available (Erick All, Joel Honigford, Luke Schoonmaker), Michigan has a fairly experienced walk-on in Carter Selzer and some inexperienced guys with a year or two in the weight room already. I don’t expect to see Klein on the field in 2022 unless it’s at the end of a blowout victory.

Prediction: Redshirt

Visitors: June 10-12, 2022

2023

Collins Acheampong – DE – Anaheim (CA) Fairmont: Acheampong is a 6’7″, 230-pounder with offers from LSU, Miami, Michigan, UCLA, and USC, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #22 athlete, and #318 overall. Acheampong took an unofficial visit to Michigan this spring and is a bit of a late bloomer, since he was mostly focused on basketball earlier in his teenage years. This is an official visit.

Semaj Bridgeman – LB – Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep: Bridgeman isa 6’2″, 230 lb. inside linebacker with offers from Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, and Oregon, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #18 linebacker, and #281 overall. This is an official visit.

My’Keil Gardner – DT – Peoria (AZ) Liberty: Gardner is a 6’2″, 275-pounder with offers from Michigan, Oregon, Texas, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #52 defensive lineman, and #379 overall. He visited Wisconsin last weekend and still have official visits planned for Oregon and Texas after his official to Michigan.

Hit the jump for more.

2022 Season Countdown: #90 Damani Dent

Name: Damani Dent
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Jacksonville (FL) Terry Parker
Position: Safety
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #9
Last year: Dent was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 82

Dent was a little known prospect to Michigan fans before he was on the verge of committing. That type of thing can tend to happen when you’re from Florida and your other two best offers are from Oregon and Pitt. Not that there’s anything wrong with those schools, of course, but they’re not traditional recruiting powerhouses.

I do like Dent and his potential. He’s supposedly a student of the game, and he’s an aggressive and intelligent player. I think if he sticks around long enough at Michigan, he could be a good player. I had a hard time placing him in the countdown, because another undersized safety, Rod Moore, played quite a bit as a freshman in 2021. Dent could follow in his footsteps. Or the safety depth chart could be full enough with Moore, R.J. Moten, Makari Paige, and others to leave Dent redshirting.

Safety is traditionally not a spot where freshmen get a lot of run, so I’m betting against the chances of finding lightning in a bottle two years in a row. I’m guessing Dent will play in a game or two as a backup and preserve his redshirt.

Prediction: Redshirt

Site News: TTB is joining Rivals!

Good morning, and happy Monday!

This is a special post, and the title above says a lot. I was recently approached by The Maize and Blue Review editor Josh Henschke to join the Rivals gang, and after a little consideration, I decided to accept. I have occasionally deliberated attempting to join up with one of the recruiting sites, but I was just never sure it fit what I have to offer.

One hang-up I had was that I did not want to give up Touch the Banner, something that I take pride in for having built up over more than a decade. Luckily, Josh said I would not have to give up the site. Therefore, you will see me still posting here at www.touch-the-banner.com and www.touchthebanner.blogspot.com while working part-time for Rivals. Josh and I think that will be mutually beneficial, as perhaps some traffic here will filter over to Rivals, and some Rivals traffic may filter over here to TTB.

Is it a win-win? I hope so!

As for what to expect from a content perspective, I plan to continue the 2022 Season Countdown and maintain team-oriented posts here. Josh wants me to focus mostly on recruiting content for TMBR. Of course, team and recruiting news often are inextricably linked, so there will be some crossover on both sites.

You can follow me on Twitter @TouchtheBanner, where I will be sharing content from both sites moving forward. And of course you can always find me in the comments, as I appreciate the back-and-forth with readers.

Thanks for reading, and I hope I can continue to bring you worthwhile content, regardless of the site on which you encounter my work! Go Blue!

2022 Season Countdown: #91 Alessandro Lorenzetti

Name: Alessandro Lorenzetti
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 285 lbs.
High school: Windsor (CT) Loomis Chaffee
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Lorenzetti was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 85

Lorenzetti is a native Canadian who transferred to Loomis Chaffee in Connecticut to boost his football and recruiting opportunities. Baylor, Georgia, and Penn State all offered. Michigan State was rumored to be the leader until Michigan stepped in with an offer, and a little publicized visit turned into a commitment. When I turned on his film, I was expecting the Canadian to be a huge project. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find out he has outstanding footwork and finishes his blocks really well.

Like almost every lineman entering college, Lorenzetti needs to continue getting stronger. He’s still pretty light at 285 lbs. His technique is solid, but for size/strength reasons, I think Lorenzetti is practically a shoo-in for a redshirt.

Prediction: Redshirt