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2018 Season Countdown: #28 James Hudson III

James Hudson III (image via Twitter)

Name: James Hudson III
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 302 lbs.
High school: Toledo (OH) Central Catholic
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #55
Last year: I ranked Hudson #63 and said he would be a backup defensive tackle (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: 85

I gave Hudson a TTB Rating of 85 coming out of high school, and that was with the thought that he would play defensive tackle, the position for which he was recruited. I always saw Hudson as more of an offensive tackle, though. While he came in expecting to play defense, it hasn’t taken long for Michigan to switch him to offense.

Lo and behold, the talk all spring and summer has been that Hudson is in a battle to start at left tackle. In one corner, you have fifth year senior Juwann Bushell-Beatty, who started part of the 2017 season at right tackle and did a pretty good job of run blocking (not so much in the passing game). In the other corner, you have redshirt freshman Hudson, who has yet to take a college snap. My metaphorical money is on Bushell-Beatty to start the first game, but he’s been out of shape in his career and he’s not a great athlete. It would be great if he can take a leap as a senior, but I stop expecting a ton of growth going into years four and five. Aside from the two incoming freshmen (Ryan Hayes and perhaps Jalen Mayfield) and the injured Grant Newsome, Hudson is physically the best suited guy to play left tackle. I expect Hudson to start at left tackle for at least a portion of the season.

Prediction: Part-time starting left tackle

2018 Season Countdown: #29 Ambry Thomas

Ambry Thomas (#1, image via Michigan Daily)

Name: Ambry Thomas
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 179 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) King
Position: Cornerback
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #1
Last year: I ranked Thomas #41 and said he would be a nickel corner and special teamer (LINK). He made 7 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 forced fumble; he also returned 20 kickoffs for 396 yards (19.8 yards/return).
TTB Rating: 90

Thomas was one of the most heralded recruits in Michigan’s 2017 class and might have been the jewel of many classes. Unfortunately for him, he was overshadowed a little bit by Donovan Peoples-Jones and others. Thomas was very skinny coming out of high school, and the transition from high school to heavy playing time in college can be difficult, even for talented skill guys. Michigan had two pretty good guys on the outside in 2017, Lavert Hill and David Long. Thomas saw most of his time in the slot and playing on kickoff return.

Hopefully a year under strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert will help him become a little more physical. I mentioned when I profiled Brandon Watson a couple days ago that Michigan has perhaps its most talented group of cornerbacks in a long time, and that includes Thomas, who would probably be starting at almost every other Big Ten school. Instead, he’s probably going to be a part-timer as the nickel corner, as long as Hill and Long stay healthy. Watson saw more snaps on the outside, while the coaching staff tried to limit Thomas to learning the nickel spot. It’s unclear whether they’ll free him up to play more on the outside this season if needed, but the point is that he should play quite a bit. His kickoff returns were uninspiring last season and his 19.6 yards/return was not impressive, but that additional strength and maturity might help a little bit there. If Hill and/or Long leave early for the NFL after the 2018 season, look for Thomas to get his shot.

Prediction: Nickel corner, special teamer

Recruiting Update: July 30, 2018

Oklahoma City (OK) Putnam City DE Collin Clay (image via NewsOK)

DECOMMITMENT

Stephen Herron – DE – Louisville (KY) Trinity: Herron flipped to Stanford (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2019

Cam’Ron Kelly – S – Chesapeake (VA) Oscar Smith: Kelly is a 6’1″, 190 lb. prospect and he decommitted from Virginia Tech. He also has offers from Clemson and Penn State, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #13 athlete, and #175 overall. Michigan is not really in the mix.

Hit the jump for several guys who went off the board and some other bits.

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2018 Season Countdown: #30 Bryan Mone

Bryan Mone (image via Michigan Journal)

Name: Bryan Mone
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 325 lbs.
High school: Salt Lake City (UT) Highland
Position: Nose tackle
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #90
Last year: I ranked Mone #5A and said he would be the starting nose tackle with 20 tackles and 1 sack (LINK). He started six games and made 10 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 pass breakup.
TTB Rating: 88

This sounds harsh, but based on Mone’s recruiting profile and the coaching available to him, he has been a bit of a disappointment at Michigan. He lost a season to a broken leg, but between the 2014, 2016, and 2017 seasons, he has made just 30 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and 0 sacks during his Michigan career. I have long maintained that he bulked up too much, and he’s listed at 325 lbs. (last year he was 330). Mone is massive and holds up well at the point of attack, but he lost some quickness when he added weight, and now he’s strictly a space eater. He probably played his best game against Ohio State at the end of the 2017 season, so maybe that shows he’s rounding into form.

It’s hard to know what to expect in 2018. The starting nose tackle spot has been vacated by Maurice Hurst, Jr., and a bunch of insiders keep insisting that Michael Dwumfour is a reincarnation of Hurst. The word coming from those people is that Dwumfour and Auburey Solomon will be the starters, while Mone looks like a backup. Mone is a starter-quality player, somewhat like Quinton Washington several years ago, but he’s never going to be Hurst. Michigan probably has one of the top five defensive lines in the country with the talent at all four spots and then the depth on the interior. I’m not expecting a leap from Mone in his fifth year, but I think he should get some more snaps this season with Mone, Dwumfour, and Solomon making a nice trio on the interior.

Prediction: Backup nose tackle

2018 Season Countdown: #31 Brandon Watson

Brandon Watson (#28, image via Newsday)

Name: Brandon Watson
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 200 lbs.
High school: Wilmington (DE) Eastern Christian Academy
Position: Cornerback
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #28
Last year: I ranked Watson #35 and said he would be a backup cornerback (LINK). He made 21 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 5 pass breakups.
TTB Rating: N/A

Watson had a pretty solid season in 2017 and showed what an additional year of development can do for a defensive back who’s not a top-notch athlete. Watson was a liability in 2016 and was always a step or two slow. He played a lot in the slot, and that hurt him a little bit because he couldn’t be physical with wide receivers. It’s a little tougher to be a physical cover guy in the slot, because receivers have a two-way go, and they often start off behind the line of scrimmage. Last year Watson played a little more on the outside, and I thought he did a better job of recognizing routes. Maybe he watched more film or improved his formation recognition or just got more technically sound, but he became a solid corner. He doesn’t have the speed or playmaking ability of Lavert Hill or David Long, but he’s a solid player at this point.

Watson returns as a fifth year senior, even though he has virtually no hope of starting. He’s one of several fifth year guys who could probably go to a lot of other schools and start. He should get a lot of snaps on defense, and he’s also heavily utilized on special teams. Michigan has a large number of defensive backs, but Watson and fellow backup Ambry Thomas should both be key members of that defensive backfield. College football teams love to throw the football all over the field, and Michigan has at least four decent corners. In fact, this cornerback group from #1 through #4 might be the most talented group altogether that Michigan has had in the last 25 years or so. Watson’s not a game-changer in the commonly accepted use of the term, but he gives Michigan a starter-quality option in case Hill or Long gets injured along the way.

Prediction: Backup cornerback