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2021 Season Countdown: #2 Cade McNamara

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Name: Cade McNamara
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 212 lbs.
High school: Reno (NV) Damonte Ranch
Position: Quarterback
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #12
Last year: I ranked McNamara #65 and said he would be a backup quarterback (LINK). He completed 43/71 passes for 425 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions; he also ran for 1 touchdown.
TTB Rating: 65

My, what a ride it’s been in just a couple seasons for Cade McNamara. Thought by many to be a down-the-road option at quarterback for a team that had Shea Patterson, Dylan McCaffrey, and Joe Milton when he committed, that road got a lot shorter in a hurry. Patterson graduated and moved on, McCaffrey transferred to Northern Colorado, and suddenly McNamara was the primary backup to newly anointed starter Joe Milton in 2020. That situation evolved quickly, as well, with Milton getting injured/playing poorly mid-season, thrusting McNamara into the limelight. McNamara played late against Wisconsin, took over early against Rutgers, started against Penn State, and . . . promptly got hurt.

Milton looked the part of a stud quarterback, but he didn’t play like it with 4 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Meanwhile, McNamara looks like an average dude but didn’t turn over the ball. He commanded the offense better than Milton did in more extended playing time, and McNamara’s decision-making was quicker. One of the main things I look for when evaluating quarterbacks is how quickly they make decisions at the line of scrimmage and progress through their reads. That was an area where Milton struggled, but McNamara does well in that phase, despite his lack of elite physical talents.

This off-season McNamara has had to fend off 5-star freshman J.J. McCarthy, who reportedly struggled a little bit in the spring but has turned it on during fall camp. The coaching staff has been steadfast that McNamara is the guy, even though McCarthy will play. Michigan also has former Texas Tech starter Alan Bowman and redshirt freshman Dan Villari on the roster. It will be interesting to see whether McNamara entrenches himself as the starter or if McCarthy pops up if McNamara struggles. It would be great if Michigan can put the brakes on the revolving door at quarterback and keep players at the position for a few years. I’m expecting McNamara to have an efficient 2021 season. Michigan should be able to run the ball to keep pressure off of him, and he has some talented targets at wideout and tight end.

Prediction: Starting quarterback; 2,800 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, 6 interceptions

2021 Season Countdown: #3 Daxton Hill

Name: Daxton Hill
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 192 lbs.
High school: Tulsa (OK) Booker T. Washington
Position: Safety
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #30
Last year: I ranked Hill #3 and said he would be the starting free safety (LINK). He made 46 tackles, 1 interception, and 5 pass breakups.
TTB Rating: 100

Daxton Hill was Michigan’s highest rated recruit in the class of 2019, and much like other skill position players at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh, he has not lived up to the expectations. He certainly was not the only one, but he appeared to be disinterested in playing football during the 2020 season. There were times where he did not appear to be going full speed, either in running or tackling. There were even times where he seemed disinterested in getting lined up and in a good stance. When walk-on safety Hunter Reynolds got a chance to play, he seemed to outperform Hill if only because Reynolds looked like he actually cared.

Going into his third year, it’s time for Hill to finally reach his potential. A new coaching staff reportedly plans to use him in a variety of roles in the secondary, playing anywhere from corner to nickel to strong safety to deep safety. I am a little concerned that his new position coach is Ron Bellamy (a former receiver and a high school coach through last season), but it’s also fair to note that Bellamy played in the NFL. Guys who play in the NFL tend to know stuff.

Hill has very good speed, he has decent size, and he has playmaking ability. He can also lay the lumber if he wants. The big question is whether Jim Harbaugh, Mike Macdonald, and Bellamy can bring the best out of him. Michigan needs him to play at a high level if they want to win, since there are questions at cornerback and in the front seven. I think the new staff might be a positive jolt of energy for Hill, so he should take a step forward in 2021, perhaps resulting in an early departure for the NFL.

Prediction: Starting safety

2021 Season Countdown: #4 Josh Ross

Name: Josh Ross
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 224 lbs.
High school: Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s
Position: Linebacker
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #12
Last year: I ranked Ross #15 and said he would be the starting WILL linebacker (LINK). He made 53 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 interception.
TTB Rating: 79

Ross had a rough season in 2020. As part of a deteriorating defense – in performance and health – Ross played in every game. While defensive linemen and his fellow inside linebacker Cam McGrone fell apart, Ross kept plugging away. Reports have come out since then that Ross himself was struggling with a lower body injury, too. He missed tackles and got lost in coverage at times. Everyone expected better from him since he was a fourth-year player who was Honorable Mention All-Big Ten in 2018, but it just didn’t work out.

Reports about Ross’s leadership have been glowing this off-season, and Ross has been named one of the four team captains. He has played a lot but has somehow only started ten games in his career. Among the linebackers, he’s the grizzled veteran. New linebackers coach George Helow revealed recently that redshirt freshman Nikhai Hill-Green will be starting next to Ross at inside linebacker (beating out Michael Barrett), and I think that elevates Ross’s importance even more. The team needs an experienced player on the inside to get people lined up and keep people calm if and when things go poorly on the field.

Prediction: Starting middle linebacker

2021 Season Countdown: #5 Mazi Smith

Name: Mazi Smith
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 326 lbs.
High school: Grand Rapids (MI) East Kentwood
Position: Nose tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #58
Last year: I ranked Smith #28 and said he would be a backup defensive tackle (LINK). He made 3 tackles and 1 tackle for loss.
TTB Rating: 86

Michigan fans have been longing for an impact defensive tackle basically since Maurice Hurst, Jr. moved on to the NFL. For the past few seasons, the Wolverines have been lacking true defensive tackles, resulting in the team playing people like former linebacker Carlo Kemp on the interior. In the class of 2019, Michigan recruited a couple highly regarded, beefy tackle types, and fans have been salivating for them to play. Unfortunately, it’s been some slow going with Smith and Chris Hinton, Jr. Smith played in a couple games in 2019 but didn’t do much, and last season he made just 3 tackles in five games as a backup.

With the move to more of a 3-4 look under new defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, Michigan needs a nose tackle to step up. Smith is the obvious top choice considering his size and recruiting pedigree. The concern continues to be his conditioning. How long can he play at one time or in any one game before his performance falls off drastically? Michigan did bring in help in the form of Oregon State nose tackle Jordan Whittley, but reports coming out of practice are saying he’s probably not going to help much. (Whittley sat out the 2020 season and is in the 350 lb. range.) Beyond those two players, Michigan is looking at the likes of Donovan Jeter, Jess Speight, and Jack Stewart. Ideally, Smith and Whittley would provide a nice 1-2 punch on standard downs, perhaps with a sub package coming in on passing downs to get a better pass rusher on the field.

Prediction: Starting nose tackle; 15 tackles, 3 tackles for loss

2021 Season Countdown: #6 Hassan Haskins

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Name: Hassan Haskins
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 220 lbs.
High school: St. Louis (MO) Eureka
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #25
Last year: I ranked Haskins #40 and said he would be a backup running back (LINK). He led the team with 61 carries for 375 yards (6.1 yards/carry) and 6 touchdowns; he also caught 0 passes for 0 yards.
TTB Rating: 74

I have to admit to being a Hassan Haskins doubter. Not that I ever thought he would be an abject failure (I gave a TTB Rating of 74), but I thought he would get stuck behind Zach Charbonnet. Or Chris Evans. But like a horror movie villain, you try to run away, you stumble, you look up, and he’s always there. Looming. Lurking.

Charbonnet (since transferred to UCLA) was the first victim, and Evans (held to just 25 touches in 2020) was the second. Haskins broke a ton of tackles, ran the Wildcat, and seemed to cement his place as the #1 running back on the team. He made some long runs (66 yards vs. Minnesota, 59 vs. Penn State) and squeaked out yardage when it seemed like there was nowhere to go. As a somewhat taller back, he has shown a surprising ability to sink his hips and make people miss.

Now Haskins appears to be the top guy with Blake Corum as his tag team buddy. Michigan has always rotated backs heavily during the Jim Harbaugh era, and not just when Jay Harbaugh was the running backs coach from 2017-2020. Tyrone Wheatley also rotated through guys in 2015-2016, with five players having 30+ carries in 2015 and four guys notching 70+ carries in 2016. The rotation won’t be quite as liberal in 2021 since Michigan has just four scholarship running backs on the roster, but both Haskins and Corum should get a fair number of opportunities. I don’t think Haskins will have an explosive year on the ground, but if Michigan’s line can gel this season, I think he could approach 900 yards.

Prediction: Starting running back; 900 yards, 9 touchdowns