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2021 Season Countdown: #76 Dan Villari

Name: Dan Villari
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 227 lbs.
High school: Massapequa (NY) Plainedge
Position: Quarterback
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #4
Last year: I ranked Villari #98 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: 69

Villari was a late addition to the 2020 class after Michigan lost its 4-star quarterback commitment to a health issue. He was a project then, and I have no reason to believe he’s much less of a project now. As expected he spent the 2020 season redshirting, and word is that if Michigan had been forced to play its final couple games of the season (which were mercifully canceled due to COVID), the Wolverines would have split time with Hassan Haskins in the Wildcat and Villari in the . . . Wildkitten. It would have been ugly, especially against Ohio State.

Jim Harbaugh raised some eyebrows this off-season when he suggested Villari could be used in a Taysom Hill type of role. Despite that somewhat lofty praise, I’m not sure if Villari is ready for that type of role. Furthermore, who would be coming off the field to put Villari on it? It’s one thing to put him on the field if you’re lacking playmakers, but with three game-ready running backs and a good group of speedy receivers, I don’t know how much it helps to throw out a 6’4″, 227 lb. redshirt freshman quarterback in various spots. Plus Michigan has been prone to offering up a fair amount of off-season hype that never materializes during games. So Villari could prove to deserve a higher spot in the ranking, but I’ll believe it when I see it.

Prediction: Backup quarterback

Edward Warinner, Ex-Wolverine

Linebacker Edward Warinner, Jr. has entered the transfer portal. Warinner played in three games on special teams last season after signing with MSU out of high school and then transferring to Michigan to play for his dad, former Wolverines offensive line coach Ed Warinner.

The elder Warinner is now FAU’s offensive line coach and run game coordinator. The younger Warinner was in over his head at a school like Michigan, and it would not surprise me to see the son follow the father to Florida Atlantic.

Here’s what I said about Warinner when he transferred to Michigan (LINK):

While Warinner was listed at 6’2″ and 222 lbs. during the recruiting process, he was listed at 6’0″ and 225 lbs. as a second-year player at MSU. I remember glancing at his film as a recruit since his dad was being hired at Michigan and subsequently shrugged my shoulders about him going to the Spartans. Now that he’s coming to Michigan, the first name that popped into my mind on the re-watch is Jared Wangler. Warinner is not a quick-twitch guy, nor does he possess impressive size. You may remember that Wangler spent a few seasons languishing on the bench at linebacker before ultimately switching to offense and becoming a second-string fullback.

Normally I don’t create farewell posts for walk-ons, but I’m writing one because I wrote that commitment post not knowing for sure whether he was a walk-on or scholarship player.

Coincidentally, Warinner was going to be up next at #77 in the 2021 countdown, so I’ll be skipping to #76 shortly.

2021 Scholarship Count

Players are listed in order of remaining eligibility. With 84 scholarships allotted, Michigan is currently under its scholarship limit. Meanwhile, 13 seniors are scheduled to graduate, so the 2022 class should have at least 14 players.

TOTAL SCHOLARSHIPS ALLOTTED FOR 2021 = 84

• Added WR Daylen Baldwin, who is transferring from Jackson State to Michigan.
• Removed LB Cornell Wheeler, who is transferring.
• Added DT Jordan Whittley, who is transferring from Oregon State to Michigan.
• Removed OT Willie Allen, who is transferring to UMass.
• Removed WR Xavier Worthy, who asked out of his National Letter of Intent.
• Removed DT Phillip Paea, who is transferring.
• Removed LB William Mohan, who is transferring to Tennessee.
• Removed WR Giles Jackson, who is transferring to Washington.
• Removed LB Ben VanSumeren, who is transferring to Michigan State.
• Added DT Ikechukwu Iwunnah, DT George Rooks, and DT Rayshaun Benny, who committed to the 2021 class.
• Removed DE Luiji Vilain, who is transferring to Wake Forest.
• Removed RB Zach Charbonnet, who is transferring to UCLA.
• Added S Brad Hawkins, who is returning for a fifth year.
• Removed LB Cam McGrone, who is entering the NFL Draft.
• Removed RB Christian Turner, who is transferring to Wake Forest.
• Removed LB Branden Jennings, who decommitted and signed with Maryland.
• Removed OL Zach Carpenter, who is transferring to Indiana.
• Removed LB Charles Thomas, who is transferring.
• Added LB Branden Jennings, who committed to the 2021 class.
• Added OL Willie Allen, who is transferring in from Louisiana Tech.
• Removed LB Osman Savage, who plans to transfer.
• Removed QB Dylan McCaffrey, who is transferring to Northern Colorado.
• Removed OL Jalen Mayfield, who plans to enter the 2021 NFL Draft.
• Removed DE Aaron Lewis, who transferred to Rutgers.

Hit the jump for the breakdown by class.

2021 Season Countdown: #78 Kris Jenkins, Jr.

Name: Kris Jenkins, Jr.
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 265 lbs.
High school: Olney (MD) Our Lady of Good Counsel
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #94
Last year: I ranked Jenkins #101 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in one game.
TTB Rating: 77

Jenkins is the son of former Central Michigan and NFL defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, so the bloodline is there. Brought in to be bulked up into an interior defensive lineman, he was not ready last season. That didn’t stop him from getting thrown in there against Wisconsin when the Badgers were running all over the starters, the backups, the ushers, and the concession stand workers. But that was Jenkins’s only appearance of the season.

This year I don’t expect Jenkins to play much more than last year. For one thing, he’s still too light at 265 lbs. to play inside. For another thing, the coaching staff’s switch to more of a 3-4 look should prioritize size with the linemen, which might require Jenkins to spend a prolonged period eating and lifting before he sees the field. And those things don’t take into the equation that the Wolverines brought in 358-pound transfer nose tackle in Jordan Whittley to take at least some of the snaps inside. This should be another developmental year for Jenkins.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle

2021 Season Countdown: #79 Jack Stewart

Name: Jack Stewart
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 318 lbs.
High school: New Canaan (CT) New Canaan
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #70
Last year: I ranked Stewart #82 and said he would be a backup offensive lineman (LINK). He did not play.
TTB Rating: 74

Stewart enters his third year on campus having yet to see the field. When he entered school in 2019, he was considered to be an offensive tackle or offensive guard. After two years of not seeing the field – and being passed by classmates – this spring he moved to the defensive line. It’s rare that a guy switches sides of the ball and finds success, much less immediately. Michigan does need bulk on the defensive line, which Stewart has at 318 pounds; but I don’t think he has the athleticism to be very effective on defense. He’s likely looking at another year spent mostly on the bench, though perhaps he can play on the extra points/field goal unit.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle