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2020 Season Countdown: #61 Kalel Mullings

Name: Kalel Mullings
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 220 lbs.
High school: West Roxbury (MA) Milton Academy
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Mullings was a senior in high school (LINK). He ran for 371 yards and 22 touchdowns, and he had 289 yards receiving with 4 touchdowns; he also had 2 interceptions and 2 sacks.
TTB Rating: 78

Mullings had what I deem to be a very odd career at Milton Academy. He was a very highly touted recruit before falling back to the pack a little bit; even though he ended up as the #151 overall player and played in the All-American Bowl, it seemed at one point that he would be deemed a guy who would be in the top 75 or so. And maybe his stats are off, but I don’t know how he only ended up with 371 rushing yards and 289 receiving yards.

But I digress.

What’s he going to do at Michigan?

Well, I said in his commitment post that he reminded me of Jordan Anthony, and I’m going to stick with that. Anthony, who spent three years at Michigan before entering the transfer portal, was also a running back/linebacker in high school who looked too stiff to play running back. Anthony always seemed a step slow to read plays on defense, and I see some of that with Mullings, too. I do think Mullings is starting off with a little more aggression and size, and since Anthony – who was in the rotation – left along with Devin Gil (USF), the staff needs a freshman inside linebacker. I think Mullings will be that guy in 2020, even though I just expect him to get his feet wet a little bit without being an immediate standout.

Prediction: Backup inside linebacker

2020 Season Countdown: #62 German Green

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Name: German Green
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 180 lbs.
High school: DeSoto (TX) DeSoto
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #13
Last year: I ranked Green #59 and said he would be a backup safety and special teamer (LINK). He played in one game.
TTB Rating: 59

Entering year three at Michigan, Green has been named Defensive Scout Team Player of the Week twice and Special Teams Scout Player of the Week once. He played in one game in 2019, against Rutgers. At a listed 6’2″ and 180 lbs., he does not appear to be physically ready yet to take on the rigors of big-time college football, where a safety with his height should be around 200 lbs. or more.

I have Green here at #62, one spot ahead of true freshman Makari Paige (LINK). I do not expect much production from either player in 2020, but I lean toward experience when it comes to a few positions, and that includes safety. Sometimes mental maturity is more important than physical prowess at the safety spots. That being said, it’s not often that a guy goes into year three with no hype and then develops into a high-level contributor.

Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer

2020 Season Countdown: #63 Makari Paige

Name: Makari Paige
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 192 lbs.
High school: West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield
Position: Safety
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Paige was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 94 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries, and 7 pass breakups.
TTB Rating: 79

Paige was a pretty big question mark at one point, and his recruitment as an in-stater was somewhat similar to his 2021 teammate, Donovan Edwards. We knew Michigan was in the top group, but it seemed at one point that Paige was leaning elsewhere. It seemed like his recruitment dragged out a little longer than it did, but he ended up committing to the Wolverines in July of 2019. He ended up as a 4-star, the #25 safety, and #243 overall.

This year should be a learning year for Paige, but Michigan will probably need someone to step up in this freshman class to get some snaps. Paige has the size and some athleticism to play in the box, but I would not trust any of the freshman safeties in this class to manage a deep half or deep middle of the field. Someone will have to be prepped to take over for Brad Hawkins in 2021. I think Jordan Morant is a better overall prospect, but my concerns about his injury situation put Paige ahead in the race for 2020.

Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer

Hit the jump for Paige’s senior highlights.

Out-of-Date Poll Results: What will Michigan’s record be in 2020?

I had posted a poll asking what record Michigan will have in the 2020 regular season, but that’s back in the day when I expected Michigan would have a 12-game regular season. Now it will reportedly be a 10-game, conference-only schedule, and we don’t know which 10 opponents Michigan will play.

So here are the results of the outdated poll (1,503 votes), just for fun:

• 9 wins, 3 losses: 30%
• 10 wins, 2 losses: 28%
• 8 wins, 4 losses: 14%
• 11 wins, 1 loss: 12%
• 12 wins, 0 losses: 10%
• 7 wins, 5 losses…or worse: 6%

2020 Season Countdown: #64 Brad Robbins

Name: Brad Robbins
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 199 lbs.
High school: Westerville (OH) South
Position: Punter
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #3
Last year: I ranked Robbins #83 and said he would transfer (LINK). He punted 4 times for 171 yards (42.7 yards/punt) and had 1 punt blocked.
TTB Rating: 70

Robbins is one of those rare examples of a player who entered the transfer portal and then removed himself from the transfer portal. Last year I ranked him at #83 and then had him in the portal, but he ended up filling in for Will Hart in two games. Unfortunately, Michigan had 2 punts blocked in 2019, and one of them was Robbins’s against Alabama.

This year I assume Robbins will be Hart’s backup yet again. How valuable is a backup punter? Last year Michigan had a little more wiggle room with George Caratan in the mix, but he has since transferred to Arkansas, leaving redshirt freshman Karl Kerska as the likely #3. Robbins will probably not be used very much.

Prediction: Backup punter