Former Michigan defensive end Ron Johnson, Jr. is transferring to Rutgers. This has become an extremely common occurrence for Michigan players to transfer there: Johnson, Drew Singleton, Ahmir Mitchell, Ross Douglas, Anthony Lalota, and Marcus Witherspoon all come to mind off the top of my head.
#ChopNation?⚔️ Lets get it pic.twitter.com/1NRY7DXVrB
— Ron Johnson Jr. (@RonJohn24) June 13, 2019
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HIGH SCHOOL
I did a scouting report on Winovich after his junior year of high school (LINK) and gave him a TTB Rating of 79 (LINK). He ended the cycle as a 4-star, the #24 outside linebacker, and #299 overall. I’ll pat myself on the back for this take from that scouting report:
At his height he should end up around 240-250 lbs. by the time he’s a college upperclassman. Since there’s so much physical development in the works, it’s hard to project what kind of athlete he might be; however, I think he could be a BCS all-conference type of player if he can maintain his athleticism.
And this is just ridiculous(ly coincidental) on my player comparison:
Crable…had good speed and a knack for getting skinny to avoid blockers and shoot gaps.
You might know where I’m going with this. Winovich was picked in the 3rd round, #77 overall, by the Patriots. Crable was picked in the third round…#78 overall…by the Patriots.
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Name: Mike Morris
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 258 lbs.
High school: Belle Glade (FL) American Heritage
Position: Defensive end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Morris was a senior in high school (LINK). He had 89 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 blocked punt that he returned for a touchdown.
TTB Rating: 81
Morris was committed to Florida State for two years before flipping to the Wolverines last September. Looking at his 2018 senior season highlights, not much has changed since my initial evaluation of him. He’s a big body with good athleticism who needs to work on some technical things, along with improving his motor (which should be helped by the fact that he won’t be playing tight end on offense).
As for the upcoming season, Morris is a bit of a wild card. He looks like a college defensive end already, but I think college offensive linemen would have their way with him. How quickly can he learn a better stance, improved hand placement, and to play with a lower pad level consistently? I think it will take at least a season, but I could see him playing in a couple games early just to get his feet wet. The Wolverines do not have established depth on the defensive line, so they may want to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks.
Prediction: Redshirt
ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2021
Immediately after the offer, Anthony was crystal balled to Michigan by Steve Wiltfong.
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Name: Peter Bush
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 232 lbs.
High school: Newport Beach (CA) Corona Del Mar
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #45
Last year: I ranked Bush #107 and said he would be a backup fullback (LINK).
TTB Rating: N/A
Bush, who made the switch from fullback to tight end mid-season, played in eight games on special teams and two games on offense last year. Most prominently, he played on the kickoff return unit as an upback.
This year Bush moves a little closer to playing time with the graduation of Jared Wangler and Zach Gentry. While the Wolverines are removing the fullback more and more from the equation, Bush is a good athlete who was a high school quarterback and outside linebacker. There are a lot of question marks about how fullback types will be used this season, but Bush should be in the mix behind Ben Mason and Ben Van Sumeren, with the former’s involvement on the defensive a potential wild card.
Prediction: Backup tight end