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Grant Newsome, Wolverine (again)

Former Michigan offensive tackle Grant Newsome has been named the new tight ends coach for the Wolverines, replacing Jay Harbaugh, who has moved to the defensive side of the ball.

I think this is my first time creating a second post for a guy whose recruitment I also covered. Newsome was an outstanding offensive tackle prospect in the 2015 class (here’s his commitment post). He played in five games as a freshman and then started the first five games at left tackle in 2016 before a brutal knee injury against Wisconsin ended his career. He attempted a comeback, but by 2018 he had retired from football and became a student assistant, working with the tight ends in 2018-2019. He then moved over to help Sherrone Moore with the offensive line in 2020-2021.

This is an internal hire that should pay off with a pretty seamless transition on the field. Newsome has worked with the tight ends and offensive line, and both of the former tight ends coaches – Moore and Jay Harbaugh – are still on the staff. So all that knowledge and experience is still contained within the team. Newsome is also widely well liked and should be a plus recruiter; he’s young, intelligent, affable, and loyal to the program.

I won’t make a separate post for the finalized staff, so here’s how it shakes out for 2022 unless other things change:

• HC: Jim Harbaugh
• Co-OC/QB: Matt Weiss
• RB: Mike Hart
• WR: Ron Bellamy
• TE: Grant Newsome
• Co-OC/OL: Sherrone Moore
• DC: Jesse Minter
• DL: Mike Elston
• LB: George Helow
• Co-DC/CB: Steve Clinkscale
• S: Jay Harbaugh

8 Michigan Players Invited to NFL Combine

There are eight Michigan players who have been invited to perform at the NFL Combine:

• CB Vincent Gray
• RB Hassan Haskins
• S Daxton Hill
• DT Chris Hinton
• DE Aidan Hutchinson
• DE David Ojabo
• LB Joshua Ross
• OG Andrew Stueber

A few draft-eligible players were not invited, including WR Daylen Baldwin, S Brad Hawkins, and C Andrew Vastardis. I guess this is my time to reiterate how weird it is for Baldwin to have declared for the draft, since he did not factor much into the Michigan attack this past season. It’s also interesting that Hawkins was not invited despite being literally the most experienced player in Michigan history (by games played).

Michigan’s 2022 Preferred Walk-ons

At any top-tier football program, walk-ons can seem meaningless. When teams recruit 5-star and 4-star players, what are the chances that some walk-on is going to do anything significant on the field? Except in almost any year, a walk-on plays a significant role, even if it’s “only” on special teams. This past season, safety Caden Kolesar (9 tackles), defensive tackle Jess Speight (7 tackles), tight end Carter Selzer, and long snapper William Wagner all played significant snaps for the Wolverines. There’s a good chance that at least one or two of these players will end up playing a lot of minutes in a Michigan uniform.

Nico Andrighetto – S – Mountain View (CA) St. Francis
Andrighetto is the 5’9″, 180 lb. brother of walk-on running back Lucas Andrighetto. He turned down offers from FCS Colgate and Columbia to walk on at Michigan. Nico had 75 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, 3 interceptions, and 1 touchdown as a senior in 2021. You can find his highlights HERE.

Chibi Anwunah – DE – Westland (MI) Lutheran
Anwuna is a 6’7″, 225 lb. Nigerian immigrant who played out of position – at least for college – as a linebacker in high school. He will almost certainly move down to the defensive line, probably defensive end, for Michigan. Anwunah has good size and decent athleticism, but he plays tentatively and needs to get a lot stronger. If he does he could be a diamond in the rough in a few years. You can find his highlights HERE.

Evan Boutorwick – LS – Sterling Heights (MI) Henry Ford II
Boutorwick has nice size at 6’4″ and 225 lbs. He was an Under Armour All-American and Korblue Kicking has him ranked as the #10 long snapper in the class of 2022.

Declan Byle – QB – Novi (MI) Catholic Central
Byle is a 6’2″, 175 lb. prospect who looks like a walk-on quarterback. He does not have a particularly good arm or noteworthy athleticism. I do not see him factoring into Michigan’s depth chart in the future. You can find some of his highlights HERE.

Hit the jump for more.

Jesse Minter, Wolverine

Michigan has a new defensive coordinator in the form of Jesse Minter. Minter comes to the Wolverines after spending one year at Vanderbilt as the Commodores’ defensive coordinator.

Minter is the son of former Cincinnati head coach Rick Minter, and he played wide receiver at Mount Saint Joseph in Ohio. He then spent time at Notre Dame and Cincinnati as a low-tier assistant before becoming a linebackers coach and then defensive coordinator at Indiana State (coincidentally, where several former Wolverines now coach, including head man Curt Mallory). Minter then moved on to become Georgia State’s defensive coordinator in 2013 and was a Broyles Award nominee as one of the top assistants in the country.

Minter was hired in 2017 to be an assistant for the Baltimore Ravens, coaching defensive backs through 2020. After just one season as the primary defensive backs coach in 2020, he was hired away by Vandy to be their defensive coordinator.

Hit the jump for more.

2023 Recruiting Update: February 7, 2022

COMMITMENT

Dexter (MI) Dexter running back Cole Cabana committed to Michigan on Saturday (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2023

Brooks Bahr – DT – Chicago (IL) Loyola: Bahr is a 6’6″, 270 lb. prospect with offers from Illinois, Northwestern, and Purdue, among others. He’s a 3-star and the #73 defensive lineman to 247 Sports.

Marvin Burks, Jr. – S – St. Louis (MO) Cardinal Ritter: Burks is a 6’2″, 190-pounder with offers from Florida, Miami, Ole Miss, and USC, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #26 safety, and #262 overall.

Adonijah Green – OLB – Ellenwood (GA) Cedar Grove: Green is a 6’5″, 203 lb. prospect who is committed to Louisville; he also has offers from Kentucky, Pitt, and USC. He’s a 3-star, the #38 edge defender, and #516 overall. As a junior in 2021, he made 73 tackles, 16.5 sacks, and 1 interception.

Hit the jump for more.