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2020 Season Countdown: #44 Ben VanSumeren

Name: Ben VanSumeren
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 244 lbs.
High school: Essexville (MI) Garber
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #40
Last year: I ranked VanSumeren #48 and said he would be a backup running back (LINK). He played in five games and ran the ball 6 times for 20 yards.
TTB Rating: 78

Michigan’s transition to the Josh Gattis offense was a positive for a lot of people, but probably not someone like VanSumeren. Brought in as more of a traditional fullback, he was left without a real position on offense. At 6’2″ and 236 pounds, his speed and quickness were lacking as a runner. Though he spent the spring of 2019 getting a lot of reps due to injuries, the season itself saw him finish as the #5 tailback.

The outlook has not changed much going into 2020, and VanSumeren has reportedly made another position switch, this time to linebacker. It’s not clear exactly what role he would fill on defense, but he was rumored to potentially become a pass rusher off the edge, a role that Josh Uche previously inhabited. I do not see VanSumeren having a lot of success in that type of role, but like fellow fullback/linebacker recruit Ben Mason (who has also spent time at defensive tackle), it appears the coaching staff will try to shoehorn him into a role. I would not be surprised to see him line up at linebacker, defensive end, fullback, and/or tailback in 2020, but I would be surprised to see him become a standout at any one of those spots.

Prediction: Backup linebacker

2020 Season Countdown: #45 Jess Speight

Name: Jess Speight
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 288 lbs.
High school: Richmond (VA) Collegiate
Position: Center
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #67
Last year: I ranked Speight #90 and said he would be a backup center (LINK). He played in seven games and made 7 tackles.
TTB Rating: N/A

Speight has slowly climbed the ranks of Michigan football over the past few years. He came in as a preferred walk-on and the brother of quarterback Wilton Speight, who transferred from Michigan to UCLA. I liked him as a recruit and thought he might be able to work his way onto the field on the offensive line. After spending his first couple seasons on campus playing center, he switched to defensive tackle last fall when there was a need for depth. By the end of the season, he was playing some key minutes.

While Speight is not expected to start in 2020, there is once again an opportunity for him to play. Part-time starter Michael Dwumfour transferred to Rutgers, but sophomore Chris Hinton is expected to step into the starting lineup alongside nose tackle Carlo Kemp. Other players involved in the competition include Speight, Donovan Jeter, and Mazi Smith, among others. Hinton’s parents have been pretty vocal about being opposed to playing due to COVID-19, so there’s a chance that he will opt out of the season. That could elevate Speight’s importance for 2020, but I’m operating under the assumption that Hinton will play (NOTE: No Michigan players have opted out for 2020 as of this writing). I don’t think Speight will be a difference maker, but he’s an okay role player.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle

Andrel Anthony, Wolverine

East Lansing (MI) East Lansing wide receiver Andrel Anthony, Jr. committed to Michigan on Friday evening. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Penn State, among others.

Anthony is listed at 6’2″ and 175 lbs. As a junior in 2019, he caught 54 passes for 973 yards and 9 touchdowns.

RATINGS
ESPN: 3-star, 77 grade, #111 WR
Rivals: 3-star, 5.7 grade, #81 WR
247 Sports: 3-star, 87 grade, #103 WR

Hit the jump for more.

What I’ve Been Eating: Protein Smoothie

Because we’re in the doldrums of the coronavirus pandemic, I’m bored in some ways. So here’s a little bit of a different post.

Here’s a smoothie recipe (with some alternatives) I’ve been downing pretty much every day. It’s pretty large and filling, so you can use this as a meal replacement.

2020 Season Countdown: #46 Gemon Green

Name: Gemon Green
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 180 lbs.
High school: DeSoto (TX) DeSoto
Position: Cornerback
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #22
Last year: I ranked Green #43 and said he would be a backup cornerback. (LINK). He made 5 tackles.
TTB Rating: 82

Green had a momentary uptick in expectations during the pre-season leading up to 2019 when it came out that Ambry Thomas was suffering from an illness. That left Thomas’s availability for the season up in the air, and maybe backup corners like Green were licking their chops at the chance to play. Luckily for Michigan, Thomas made a pretty miraculous recovery to be ready for game one and he stayed healthy throughout the year. Green was limited to special teams as Thomas, Lavert Hill, and Vincent Gray took the vast majority of snaps at corner.

This year Green is in the hot seat. With Hill having graduated, Michigan needs to find a third corner. Green is in his third year on campus and has the most experience of any of the backups, but he hasn’t separated himself from the pack. In fact, word on the street is that D.J. Turner II has been the most impressive of the backup corners. Green needs to stake his claim to playing time here in 2020 or else Gray, Turner, Darion Green-Warren, and/or others might make him irrelevant going into 2021.

Prediction: Backup cornerback