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2018 Season Countdown: #1 Shea Patterson

Shea Patterson (image via MLive)

Name: Shea Patterson
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 205 lbs.
High school: Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy
Position: Quarterback
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #2
Last year: I did not rank Patterson. He was a part-time starter at Ole Miss and was 166/260 (63.8%) for 2,259 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions.
TTB Rating: N/A

So much has been said about Patterson that there’s not much left. He was the starter at Ole Miss last year before getting injured, and then there was a whole bunch of idiocy going on at Ole Miss, and he got out of town (as did several of his teammates). He passed for 300+ yards in five out of seven games, and he had 400+ passing yards twice. In the two games where he was below 300 yards, he completed fewer than 50% of his passes, threw 0 touchdowns, and threw 5 interceptions; those games came against #1 Alabama and #18 LSU. Was that a function of those teams being very good? Was it because Ole Miss wasn’t good? Does Patterson just fold in big games? It’s hard to say.

One thing is for sure, though: there are going to be plenty of big games for Patterson to prove himself at Michigan, whether it’s Michigan State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Wisconsin, or Ohio State. I initially thought Patterson would have a great season this year with all the tools available to him, including a few good tight ends and a bunch of talented wide receivers like Donovan Peoples-Jones, Tarik Black, Eddie McDoom, Grant Perry, Nico Collins, etc. Unfortunately, McDoom transferred and Black is on the shelf with a broken foot. I think Patterson’s season may be trending downward, but if I could put him even higher on this list, I would. With every receiver that drops out of the picture, that raises the importance of having Patterson healthy. Patterson is a guy who can extend plays, which can help guys with maybe a little less talent get open. Michigan is undoubtedly going to roll out some walk-ons or young guys who aren’t quite ready, but that’s the nature of the game sometimes. I expect Michigan’s offense to evolve a little bit this year, become a little more up-tempo, and become more spread-oriented. Patterson is likely going to throw some silly interceptions and take care of the ball less than what we want as fans, but sometimes his gambles will pay off in big ways, too.

Prediction:

Starting quarterback; 3100 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions

2018 Season Countdown: #2 Khaleke Hudson

Khaleke Hudson (image via MGoBlog)

Name: Khaleke Hudson
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 220 lbs.
High school: McKeesport (PA) McKeesport
Position: Linebacker
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #7
Last year: I ranked Hudson #8 and said he would be the starting Viper with 65 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 2 interceptions (LINK

). He made 83 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions (returned for 22 yards), and 9 pass breakups.
TTB Rating: 80

Hudson was probably the breakout star of the year for Michigan, at least on defense. Taking over the position of first round draft pick Jabrill Peppers, we didn’t know what we were going to see. Practice reports said he was as good as or better than Peppers. Peppers did leave some things to be desired, but that hype still seemed outlandish. But for once, the practice hype was real. Hudson started off fast and played well all year long. His game against Minnesota was an all-timer after he racked up 15 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks. Those 8 tackles for loss are a Michigan school record and tied the NCAA’s mark for that stat. (The previous school record was set by linebacker Larry Foote against Iowa in 2001.) Rashan Gary, Chase Winovich, David Long, Lavert Hill, and Shea Patterson are getting a lot of hype, but meanwhile Hudson is putting up some of the most impressive numbers of all time.

Now we head into the 2018 season with Hudson entrenched at Viper and having bulked up to 220 lbs. There’s no reason to expect anything less from him this year, except a) that would be ridiculous and b) other teams should be identifying and game planning for him. That Minnesota performance was probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing, but Hudson should still rack up some big numbers. He can cover, he can blitz, and he can stop the run. The reason he’s up here at #2 on the team is . . . we don’t know what’s behind him. Walk-on Jordan Glasgow exists, but he hasn’t shown anything to suggest he can approximate Hudson’s performance. Otherwise, Brad Hawkins, Jr. has spent some time practicing at Viper, and Michigan has moved freshman Michael Barrett from slot receiver/running back to Viper. To get the best players on the field, Michigan might have to restructure its whole defense to play more SAM-type linebackers like Noah Furbush or Joshua Uche. That would negatively impact the team’s versatility and playmaking ability.

Prediction: Starting Viper; 75 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, 2 interceptions

2018 Season Countdown: #3 Chase Winovich

Chase Winovich (image via MGoBlue)

Name: Chase Winovich
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 255 lbs.
High school: Jefferson Hills (PA) Jefferson
Position: Defensive end
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #15
Last year: I ranked Winovich #6 and said he would be the starting weakside end with 40 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 9 sacks (LINK). He made 79 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and 8 sacks.
TTB Rating: 79

Winovich started to show what he can do back in 2016, but last year was his true breakout. He went from being a high-energy Taco Charlton backup to a high-energy Chase Winovich starter in the span of a year. After bouncing around from linebacker to tight end early in his career, he settled in at defensive end and became an All-Big Ten player (First Team for media, Second Team for coaches). His sack production dropped off after the first four games (he had 5.5 sacks in the first four games and only 2.5 in the final nine), but he still flew all over the field, managing 10 tackles against Ohio State and 18 against Wisconsin. Keep in mind that’s a weakside end making 18 tackles against the two best teams in the conference when it really counts at the end of the season.

This year should be another huge year for Winovich, though it’s hard for me to see him taking another giant step in production. He’s listed 10 pounds heavier than he was in 2017, and that might help his strength a little bit, but he already had a high motor and was a pretty disciplined football player. Winovich flirted with going to the NFL during the off-season, but he decided to come back for whatever reason. I don’t know that he’s going to prove much more in college, but I’m glad he came back for another year wearing the winged helmet. Winovich may not be as ultra-talented as Rashan Gary, but he’s more irreplaceable because of his attitude and the fact that all the guys behind him are young and unproven. The backup weakside ends include redshirt freshman Luiji Vilain, who has been banged up once again, and true freshman Aidan Hutchinson. I look forward to watching Winovich use his hustle and leverage to frustrate offensive tackles and quarterbacks once again in 2018.

Prediction: Starting weakside end; 70 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 8 sacks

Recruiting Update: August 27, 2018

Eric Gray (image via Commercial Appeal)

OFF THE BOARD

Mohamoud Diabate – DE – Auburn (AL) Auburn: Diabate committed to Florida. He’s a 4-star, the #10 outside linebacker, and #144 overall.

Cam’Ron Kelly – S – Chesapeake (VA) Oscar Smith: Kelly committed to Auburn. He had previously been committed to Virginia Tech. Kelly is a 4-star, the #13 athlete, and #177 overall.

Jalyn Phillips – S – Lawrenceville (GA) Archer: Phillips committed to Clemson. He’s a 3-star, the #34 safety, and #415 overall.

Zion Puckett – WR – Griffin (GA) Spalding: Puckett committed to Auburn. He’s a 4-star, the #7 athlete, and #104 overall.

MISCELLANEY

I’ve started the recruit tracker posts once again on the message board (LINK) now that the 2018 season is underway for a lot of high school players:

• Zach Charbonnet
• Eric Gray
• Chris Hinton

Here’s kind of a cool thing from 2019 running back commit Eric Gray:

I will be dedicating my senior season to helping the kids at St. Jude Children’s Hospital. For every touchdown that I score you can give a one time donation or a specific dollar amount per touchdown. The link to donate is in my bio. Please help me reach my goal and help the kids! pic.twitter.com/2cmp9KuWf4

— E.Juice¹ (@ericdgray1) August 16, 2018

2018 Season Countdown: #4 Rashan Gary

Rashan Gary (image via USA Today)

Name: Rashan Gary
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 283 lbs.
High school: Paramus (NJ) Catholic
Position: Defensive end
Class:

Junior
Jersey number: #3
Last year:

I ranked Gary #2 and said he would be the starting Anchor (LINK). He made 65 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble.
TTB Rating: 100

Gary had an excellent season in 2017. He was named First Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and Second Team by the media. His best career game came against Ohio State at the end of the regular season, when he made 7 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks. He has versatility to play inside and out, and it’s rare that other teams can get the best of him. His season-long performance was good enough to win him the Richard Katcher Award for the team’s best defensive lineman or outside linebacker.

You’re probably wondering why the former #1 recruit in the country and an All-Big Ten guy is sitting at #4 on my list, and that’s fair. But keep in mind that this list is about importance, not talent. Gary will be the starting Anchor once again in 2018, without a doubt. The big question is what’s behind him. The Wolverines have been grooming junior Carlo Kemp over the past couple seasons to play strongside end or 3-tech, and Michigan has also moved sophomore Kwity Paye to strongside end. Defensive line coach Greg Mattison has always done a great job of developing his players, and Michigan can replace Gary with a solid college player. That’s not necessarily the case with the three players remaining on the countdown. On top of all that, Gary has been very good but not outlandishly productive. (For a comparison, Gary’s 16.5 career TFLs and 6.5 sacks are well behind Ohio State Buckeye Nick Bosa’s 23 TFLs and 13.5 sacks over the same time period.) Gary is a very good player, but the team would miss him less than a few other guys. I expect this to be his final season in Ann Arbor.

Prediction: Starting Anchor; 60 tackles, 7 sacks; First Team All-Big Ten