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2021 Season Countdown: #45 Braiden McGregor

Name: Braiden McGregor
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 260 lbs.
High school: Port Huron (MI) Northern
Position: Outside linebacker
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #17
Last year: I ranked McGregor #42 and said he would be a backup defensive end (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: 87

McGregor suffered a terrible knee injury as a senior in high school during the 2019 season. With medical science the way it is, I thought he would be ready to play in 2020, but that turned out not to be the case.

Word out of practice is that McGregor is folliwing in Aidan Hutchinson’s footsteps as a strong player. The coaching staff is using the two in similar ways. Chris Hutchinson, Aidan’s dad, recently said that Aidan would be a standup outside linebacker on first and second downs before getting into a three-point stance to rush the passer on third down. Will McGregor be the #2 guy at outside linebacker? That remains to be seen. But I have heard good things about him, and I think McGregor is probably one of the top three most talented pass rushers on the team, along with Hutchinson and Jaylen Harrell. I hope the coaching staff is grooming him to replace Hutchinson in 2022.

Prediction: Backup outside linebacker

2021 Season Countdown: #46 Louis Hansen

Name: Louis Hansen
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 251 lbs.
High school: Needham (MA) St. Sebastian’s
Position: Tight end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #81
Last year: Hansen was a senior in high school (LINK). His season was canceled due to COVID.
TTB Rating: 84

Hansen ended up ranked as a 4-star, the #11 tight end, and #274 overall. He played a lot of wide receiver in high school, as St. Sebastian’s figured he was the best athlete around, so they might as well put him out in space. He outjumped and outmuscled defensive backs regularly. He caught 39 passes for 548 yards and 8 touchdowns as a junior in 2019, but his senior season was canceled due to COVID.

If Michigan’s offense is anything like it has been for the past several years, Michigan needs a contributor at tight end. The Wolverines have lost Sean McKeon and Nick Eubanks to graduation over the past couple seasons, and that production has not really been replaced. Presumed starter Erick All has the body and athletic skills to take over, but he was plagued by drops in 2020. Fifth year senior Joel Honigford is just a blocker, and Luke Schoonmaker has been so-so as a blocker and receiver.

The most interesting change is with Ben Mason’s departure. Mason was basically a fullback, but he was listed as a tight end. Will Michigan get rid of that position and those formations because they no longer have a fullback-like guy? Or will they do similar things with a different guy? The #3 tight end only had 2 catches each of the past two seasons (Mason in 2020, Schoonmaker in 2019), but those players got plenty of snaps on the field as blockers, route runners, etc.

Hansen will see the field in 2021. He probably won’t catch a ton of balls, but he should get a few looks and has reportedly bulked up to over 250 pounds in order to get physically ready to take on Big Ten defenders.

Prediction: Backup tight end

2021 Season Countdown: #47 Jaylen Harrell

Name: Jaylen Harrell
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 235 lbs.
High school: Tampa (FL) Berkeley Prep
Position: Outside linebacker
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #32
Last year: I ranked Harrell #73 and said he would be a backup outside linebacker (LINK). He played in four games and made 2 tackles.
TTB Rating: 84

Pop question: Did Jaylen Harrell get on the field in 2020?

Pop answer: If you don’t know the answer, you didn’t read the info above.

Harrell was a question mark going into 2020. I was not concerned about his athletic ability, but I did wonder if a staff that seemed to really appreciate veterans would put him on the field. As it turns out, the defensive staff didn’t really see a need to put him on the field, but the special teams coaches did.

If you’re playing special teams as a freshman, I think the coaching staff probably sees a bright future. Additionally, I think Harrell brings an element of size and athleticism to the outside linebacker position that not many others on the team possess. There are bigger guys, but they aren’t as quick. Nor can they dip their shoulders and turn the corner like I think Harrell can, or at least will be able to do down the road. He’s probably not developed enough to start, but I would expect defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald to start sprinkling him in as a situational pass rusher in 2021.

Prediction: Backup outside linebacker

2021 Season Countdown: #48 Mike Morris

Name: Mike Morris
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 276 lbs.
High school: Belle Glade (FL) American Heritage
Position: Defensive end
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #90
Last year: I ranked Morris #76 and said he would be a backup defensive end (LINK). He played in one game and made 1 tackle.
TTB Rating: 81

I have to admit that I’m going out on a limb here with my ranking of Morris at #48. With Michigan’s new defensive staff taking over, I have to think that someone in the front seven will come out of nowhere to become a solid rotation player, and I’m going with Morris as one of those candidates. He only played in one game last season and looked pretty thin, as though he hasn’t fully matured. With another off-season under his belt, I think he has the length and athleticism to be a guy who can play the 4i or a 5-tech and help contribute. Michigan needs players to step up on game day or at least provide competition. With proper development I still think Morris could be a good player down the road.

Prediction: Backup defensive end

2021 Season Countdown: #49 Jess Speight

Name: Jess Speight
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 290 lbs.
High school: Richmond (VA) Collegiate
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #67
Last year: I ranked Speight #45 and said he would be a backup defensive tackle (LINK). He made 2 tackles.
TTB Rating: N/A

I want to take a walk down memory lane to Speight’s first appearance in the countdown (LINK):

Speight, who is the brother of former Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight, is the rare walk-on offensive lineman who actually got me excited a little bit. . . . Speight’s time won’t come this year, but he’s one to keep an eye on in the coming years.

When the Michigan program took Wilton’s “little brother” as a preferred walk-on, I thought he was a guy who could eventually work his way into the starting center position, post-Cesar Ruiz. Obviously, Speight made the transition to defensive tackle, so I’m no Nostradamus. But he did start one game in 2019 and has played in a total of thirteen games, making 7 total tackles.

Entering his final year on campus, I think Speight will probably end up playing one of the defensive end (4i) positions as a backup. I don’t think he’s strong enough to play nose tackle and stand up to double teams as an interior guy, but he might be able to handle some single blocks from offensive tackles. He’s not going to turn into a star overnight, but for a team lacking experienced bulk on the defensive line, he should be back in the rotation once again in 2021.

Prediction: Backup defensive end