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2023 Season Countdown: #34 Trente Jones

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Name: Trente Jones
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 325 lbs.
High school: Loganville (GA) Grayson
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #53
Last year: I ranked Jones #19 and said he would be a starting offensive tackle (LINK). He started six games at right tackle.
TTB Rating: 88

Jones stuck it out for three years, playing mostly as a sixth offensive lineman, and finally earned a starting job in year four! And then . . . he got hurt, and Karsen Barnhart took his job. Even when Jones returned later in the season, the coaches thought Barnhart was still ahead of Jones. So he continued to play as a sub and in certain packages. Jones did a good job of moving people at times, but he also had some tactical errors.

We keep hearing about him that he’s an amazing athlete for his size, but Barnhart seems to be the steadier player. I’ve been waffling back and forth on which one I think will start in 2023. My heart tells me Jones, but my head tells me Barnhart. And the dark horse is Stanford transfer Myles Hinton. Michigan has a ton of good options, which is great for the team and terrible for amateur prognosticators like myself. One silver lining is that Jones or Barnhart could use the 2020 COVID exemption to return in 2024 if the winner of the job moves on after this season. It will be very interesting to see how it all plays out on the field this fall.

Prediction: Backup offensive tackle

2023 Season Countdown: #35 William Wagner

Name: William Wagner
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 255 lbs.
High school: Alpharetta (GA) Alpharetta
Position: Long snapper
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #49
Last year: I ranked Wagner #30 and said he would be the starting long snapper (LINK). He started five games.
TTB Rating: N/A

Wagner was the starting long snapper for Michigan in 2021 and carried the job into 2022. Unfortunately, he and backup safety Caden Kolesar tore their ACLs on the same play, ending their seasons on October 1 against Iowa. Fortunately for Michigan, they had a solid backup in Greg Tarr, who stepped in seamlessly.

And the presence of Tarr is why Wagner drops a few spots this year, from #30 to #35. If there’s a backup who’s basically just as capable as the starter, then the starter isn’t quite so irreplaceable. I’d like to assume that Wagner is back to full strength and perhaps with a solid 2023, he can follow in Camaron Cheeseman’s footsteps and get drafted in 2024.

Prediction: Starting long snapper

2023 Season Countdown: #36 Quinten Johnson

Name: Quinten Johnson
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 200 lbs.
High school: Washington (DC) St. John’s
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #28
Last year: I ranked Johnson #56 and said he would be a backup safety and special teamer (LINK). He made 11 tackles and 1 tackle for loss.
TTB Rating: 79

Johnson was ranked #57 and #56 in the past two years, so he’s been a fringe player for a while. He suffered a nasty leg injury a couple years ago that slowed his progress, but I had given him a TTB Rating of 79 when he came out of high school, so I thought he would be a solid player. Unfortunately, that hasn’t really come to fruition so far in his career, during which he’s been a little used backup and special teamer. His playing time did pick up last season and he played quite a bit in the CFP semifinal against TCU.

During this past off-season, safety R.J. Moten transferred to Florida once he realized Makari Paige had moved past him on the depth chart. Now there’s a top two of Paige and Rod Moore, but the third safety spot is up for grabs. From what I’ve gathered so far, it looks like Johnson is the front-runner, but there are numerous other guys battling for playing time, including solid second-year prospects in Keon Sabb and Zeke Berry. Experience is a valuable asset at the safety position, so I’m giving Johnson the nod here.

Prediction: Backup safety and special teamer

2023 Season Countdown: #37 Matt Hibner

Name: Matthew Hibner
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 254 lbs.
High school: Burke (VA) Lake Braddock
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #88
Last year: I did not rank Hibner. He made 2 catches for 15 yards, 3 tackles, and 1 fumble recovery.
TTB Rating: 72

How did you guys let me get away without ranking Hibner?!?!?! What in God’s name is wrong with you people?!?!?!

I legitimately don’t understand how I have not ranked Hibner in the countdown since his freshman year in 2020.

Okay, so let me recap his career so far since I haven’t discussed him since prior to his freshman year:

Hibner redshirted in 2020 and then has seen steady playing time increases over the past couple years. He played in eight games as a redshirt freshman in 2021, including five at tight end. I started to pick up some buzz about him prior to 2022, when there were suggestions that he was one of the freakiest all-around athletes on the team. He played in thirteen games last year, including eight at tight end, and started to make a bit of an impact with 2 receptions for 15 yards, 3 tackles, and 1 fumble recovery on special teams.

This past spring he had one of the more exciting offensive plays of the spring game with a long catch and run from Davis Warren, albeit finishing the play with a pretty embarrassing stumble:

Up until he got tripped up by the turf monster, though, he showed some nice acceleration and speed, and he was maybe on his way to outrunning the secondary for a touchdown.

This season the depth chart has cleared out for him. Erick All (Iowa), Joel Honigford (NFL), Luke Schoonmaker (NFL), Carter Selzer (graduation), and Louis Hansen (UConn) have all departed, and the only transfer replacement has been Indiana’s A.J. Barner. While Barner and Colston Loveland will probably get the majority of snaps, the #3 tight end spot is open and looks to be Hibner’s. Redshirt freshman Marlin Klein and redshirt sophomore Max Bredeson will also get snaps, but I’m guessing Hibner will be the third most used guy.

Prediction: Backup tight end

What I’ve Been Reading: Sea Stories

Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations by Admiral William H. McRaven. My dad was in the military, and I have tremendous respect for anyone who served or serves our country. So even though I have no idea what it’s like to be halfway around the world with my life on the line, I still feel like I can connect with the story. And I feel a little closer to my dad (and grandfather), who served in Vietnam (and World War II, respectively). McRaven is a Navy SEAL who finished out his career as the commander of all Special Forces and worked closely with a couple presidents, including George W. Bush and Barack Obama. This book goes all the way back to his childhood, growing up in a military family, and then through various points in his career. It climaxes with details about the hunt for Osama bin Laden, but what I found way more entertaining was the story of catching and interrogating Saddam Hussein. Overall, it’s an interesting and fairly easy read if you’re at all interested in the military.