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8Aug 2021

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2021 Season Countdown: #29 Chuck Filiaga

Name: Chuck Filiaga
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 337 lbs.
High school: Aledo (TX) Aledo
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #66
Last year: I ranked Filiaga #25 and said he would be the starting left guard (LINK). He started six games.
TTB Rating: 86

Filiaga was a highly regarded member of the monster 2017 recruiting class, and his recruiting ratings seemed on the verge of paying off going into 2020. Like with almost everyone else, his first game as a starter against Minnesota seemed to go pretty well. But everything went downhill from there. The fears with Filiaga seemed to rise to the fore when he struggled to identify defenders and move laterally. Despite starting all six games, he was the weakest member of the line, or at least of the initial starting group.

A little bit to my surprise, Filiaga stuck around for 2021. His teammates reportedly love him, so maybe he’s just a team-oriented guy who fits in well with his guys, but most projections have Trevor Keegan replacing him at left guard. Of course it’s a nice idea to have a huge, experienced guy coming off the bench to potentially sub in at a couple positions, but a lot of guys would have headed off for a guaranteed starting position. It’s entirely within the realm of possibility that Filiaga will earn a starting job; however, I expect Filiaga to be a backup or else be a frustrating member of the starting crew.

Prediction: Backup offensive lineman

8Aug 2021

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2021 Season Countdown: #30 Makari Paige

Name: Makari Paige
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 192 lbs.
High school: West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield
Position: Safety
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #7
Last year: I ranked Paige #63 and said he would be a backup safety (LINK). He made 6 tackles.
TTB Rating: 79

It’s not usually a good thing when the third best safety in the program is a true freshman, because safety is a notoriously difficult position to learn so quickly. And yet in 2020, that was exactly where Michigan found itself. Paige was a well regarded recruit but not a superstar high school player, and with no spring ball during a COVID year, he was apparently the best guy available to back up Brad Hawkins and Daxton Hill at safety. He performed adequately for a freshman, but he was still slow to read things and lacked something when supporting the run.

Paige looks to be the third best guy again, but now he has six games and an entire off-season under his belt. He also now plays for his former high school coach, Ron Bellamy, the new assistant at the position. (It’s also worth noting that last year’s safeties coach, Bob Shoop, was not with the team for the entire season and fill-in Aashon Larkins was not nearly as accomplished.) So there should be an improvement here, and Michigan needs to groom replacements for Hawkins and Hill, both of whom are likely to be gone to the NFL in 2022.

Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer

6Aug 2021

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2021 Season Countdown: #31 Roman Wilson

Name: Roman Wilson
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 180 lbs.
High school: Honolulu (HI) St. Louis
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #14
Last year: I ranked Wilson #56 and said he would be a backup wide receiver (LINK). He caugh 9 passes for 122 yards and 1 touchdown.
TTB Rating: 78

Wilson’s role in 2020 seemed up in the air going into the year, but he established himself as a reliable target with 9 catches in just six games. The freshman speedster made a nice diving catch against Indiana for a touchdown, which was the highlight of his year, but the coaching staff also gave him a handoff on an end around. Only four other true freshmen have averaged 1.5 catches or more per game since 2009 (Roy Roundtree, Jake Butt, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Tarik Black), and Wilson reached 1.5 in 2020.

That bodes well for Wilson, even though he does not appear to be in line to start in 2021. The expectation is that he will be a rotation guy unless injuries happen. It’s good to have a guy like Wilson coming off the bench, a guy who can stretch the field with his speed and who has reliable hands. This probably won’t be a breakout year for him, but I expect to see continued growth, especially if the quarterback play can be more consistent.

Prediction: Backup wide receiver

4Aug 2021

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2021 Season Countdown: #32 Luke Schoonmaker

Name: Luke Schoonmaker
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 252 lbs.
High school: Hamden (CT) Hamden Hall
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #86
Last year: I ranked Schoonmaker #53 and said he would be a backup tight end (LINK). He played in all six games.
TTB Rating: 81

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Schoonmaker seemed to take a step back in 2020. After catching 2 passes for 54 yards and 1 touchdown in 2019, he was fighting with Erick All for backup snaps last season. With Nick Eubanks as the starter, All largely took over the backup role (and dropped a lot of passes in the process), relegating Schoonmaker to the third guy at the position. (That does not include Ben Mason, who was more of a fullback.)

Now Eubanks (and Mason) have graduated, which should be good news for Schoonmaker. With All likely ascending to the starter’s role, that probably puts Schoonmaker in the #2 role. He has decent speed but has struggled a little as a blocker; however, he has gained 10 pounds since last season, squeezing those 10 pounds onto a shorter frame (fun fact: Schoonmaker was listed at 6’6″ in 2020 and is now 6’5″). Redshirt freshman Matt Hibner and true freshman Louis Hansen will both also be vying for snaps, but Schoonmaker is more experienced and has shown to be a quality backup.

Prediction: Backup tight end

3Aug 2021

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2021 Season Countdown: #33 Andrew Vastardis

Name: Andrew Vastardis
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 296 lbs.
High school: Ashburn (VA) Stone Bridge
Position: Center
Class: Sixth year senior
Jersey number: #68
Last year: I ranked Vastardis #48 and said he would be a backup center (LINK).
TTB Rating: N/A

I pegged Vastardis as a backup going into the 2020 season, and I was proven wrong immediately when he started the first four games of the year. To top it off, he was voted a captain. Unfortunately for him, he tried playing through injury but eventually missed the final two games of the year. In the meantime, his performance was decent but nothing special. Vastardis is a hard-nosed player and respected by his teammates, but he’s neither big nor quick.

I’m not confident in this ranking, since it basically projects a starter, captain, and sixth year player to be a backup to a sophomore who has never played the position in a game, but word coming out of practice is that Zak Zinter will be the starting center. Of course, Vastardis’s presence already helped chase one guy (Zach Carpenter) off to Indiana, so maybe Zinter will be the next Zach(k) to get his position yoinked by the former walk-on. But either way, Vastardis is a good guy to have as a veteran presence, whether he’s a starter or backup.

Prediction: Backup center

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