Posts under: homepage

2022 Season Countdown: #92 Kraig Correll

Name: Kraig Correll
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 311 lbs.
High school: Easton (PA) Blair Academy
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #54
Last year: I ranked Correll #91 and said he would be a backup offensive guard (LINK). He played in one game.
TTB Rating: N/A

Correll was a fairly highly touted walk-on a few years ago. Now that he’s been on campus for four seasons, that has turned into exactly one game played. The truth is that Michigan’s offensive line (and offensive line recruiting) has been pretty good, so they haven’t needed to reach deep down the depth chart to try to find other contributors.

Correll is unlikely to move up the depth chart too much in 2022. Even with a small offensive line class in 2022, Michigan should have a pretty solid two-deep. But it’s certainly nice to have a stout fifth year senior on the scout team to give decent reps to the guys who are higher on the depth chart.

Prediction: Backup offensive guard

2022 Season Countdown: #93 Tyler Morris

Name: Tyler Morris
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 175 lbs.
High school: La Grange Park (IL) Nazareth Academy
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #13
Last year: Morris was a senior in high school (LINK). He sat out the season with a torn ACL.
TTB Rating: 83

Morris had a disappointing end to his high school career. Instead of going out with a bang, he went out with what was likely a literal whimper as he tore his ACL in the spring of 2021. Yes, as if the COVID year wasn’t already bad enough, he had to pop his ACL while making an interception and then sit out his entire senior season while recovering. I can’t think of many worse ways to finish up.

On the plus side, Morris ended up transferring to Plainedge (IL) East for his final semester of high school in the fall of 2021, graduate, and then enroll early at Michigan in January 2022. He spent the spring at Michigan wearing a non-contact jersey and just running drills. Now a full year out from suffering the injury, Morris should be well on his way to a full recovery. However, the shortened 2020 (a.k.a. spring 2021) season and then a totally missed fall 2021 season probably leaves him a little bit rusty. I think Morris has high upside as a receiver, but with Michigan’s returning players and a supposed freak in Darrius Clemons as a fellow freshman, I don’t think Morris will be counted on much in 2022.

Prediction: Redshirt

2022 Season Countdown: #94 Amorion Walker

Name: Amorion Walker
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 180 lbs.
High school: Ponchatoula (LA) Ponchatoula
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #4
Last year: Walker was a senior in high school (LINK). He caught 8 touchdown passes.
TTB Rating: 81

Walker was committed to Notre Dame for a long time, but one of the worst kept secrets in recruiting last year was his impending flip to Michigan. Insiders were hinting or flat-out saying he was going to flip, but that it was just a matter of time. And it’s totally understandable why he would ditch the Fighting Irish for the Wolverines, because Notre Dame people are nincompoops.

As for Walker’s accomplishments on the field, he earned offers from Alabama and LSU and was selected for the Under Armour All-America Game. He was a 247 Composite 3-star, the #72 wide receiver, and #526 overall, which all seem to be low rankings for a guy with offers from several powerhouse programs.

The only reasonable explanation for the low rankings is the fact that Walker is only 180 pounds, which is tiny for someone who is 6’4″. Walker enrolled early at Michigan, and Jim Harbaugh raved about him as a football player. I think Harbaugh loves this kid. His high school film makes him look like a greyhound being covered by a bunch of Dachshunds. But with as skinny as he is, I think 2022 will be a year for him to redshirt and get in the weight room. Michigan has plenty of depth at receiver right now to keep him safely on the sideline.

Prediction: Redshirt

2022 Season Countdown: #95 Micah Pollard

Name: Micah Pollard
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 200 lbs.
High school: Jacksonville (FL) Bartram Trail
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Pollard was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 74

Pollard committed to Michigan in July of last year. Unrelated to cornerback signee Myles Pollard, Micah is, however, related to a much more famous Pollard: former Indianapolis Colts tight end Marcus Pollard. Marcus is Micah’s father and played with Jim Harbaugh for the Colts back in ye olden days. Micah fielded offers from Auburn, Ole Miss, Penn State, and South Carolina, among others, before committed to the Wolverines. He ended up ranked as a 3-star, the #71 linebacker, and #719 overall.

I think Pollard is a high-floor, low-ceiling prospect. He has the pedigree, technique, and athleticism to be a decent player, but he lacks that quick-twitch ability to be a high-level performer, in my opinion. The biggest thing lacking as a freshman will be a shortage of bulk and strength. He’s listed at 200 pounds and he does not have the ability to overpower linemen as a senior in high school. That will need to come in the weight room and at the dinner table. For now I think Pollard is likely to redshirt with an outside chance at playing on some special teams.

Prediction: Redshirt

2022 Season Countdown: #96 Isaiah Gash

Name: Isaiah Gash
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 178 lbs.
High school: Green Bay (WI) Bay Port
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #41
Last year: I ranked Gash #99 and said he would be a backup running back (LINK). He played in two games and had 6 carries for 17 yards.
TTB Rating: N/A

Gash, whom I feel compelled to point out again is the son of former NFL fullback Sam Gash, continues to be a little light for running back at the Big Ten level. I keep expecting to open up an updated roster with him suddenly around 195 or 200 pounds, but that doesn’t seem to be likely at this point. It’s rare to see a Big Ten running back hovering in the 170-180 pound range, but that’s where Gash has been. Perhaps it has something to do with his fledgling amateur boxing career.

Regardless, Gash is going to chill here in the 90s. Considering his pedigree, I thought he would move up this list at some point in his career, but that seems unlikely right now. If he can’t or won’t put on weight, then he will probably never factor into the running back depth chart much other than getting a chance to carry the ball late in blowouts, like he did against Northern Illinois and Maryland last year.

Prediction: Backup running back