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2018 Season Countdown: #43 Kekoa Crawford

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Kekoa Crawford

Name: Kekoa Crawford
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 195 lbs.
High school: Rancho Santa Margarita (CA) Catholic
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Junior
Jersey number:

#1
Last year:

I ranked Crawford #13 and said he would be a starting receiver with 40 catches for 520 yards and 3 touchdowns (LINK). He made 17 catches for 243 yards and 1 touchdown; he also returned 8 kickoffs for 139 yards (17.4 yards/return).
TTB Rating:

81

As you can see, Crawford dropped significantly on the countdown from 2017 to 2018, from #13 down to #43. And that was before he left the team to pursue greener pastures elsewhere. Crawford played a lot last season, especially after starting wide receiver Tarik Black went down with a foot injury midway through the year. Crawford’s numbers look okay for a #3 or #4 receiver for a whole season, but he was expected to do more and never seemed to mesh with any of the three quarterbacks who saw game action.

This year Tarik Black and Donovan Peoples-Jones are both expected to be starters, and they’re a year older. Meanwhile, Nico Collins saw more action late in the year, Grant Perry is a senior, and Oliver Martin is coming off a redshirt. The arrow seemed to be trending down for Crawford. I still think he has talent and could have been a decent contributor at Michigan if he stuck around, but with only 2018 and 2019 remaining, he was destined to be overshadowed by Black and Peoples-Jones, if not others.

Prediction: None; he transferred

2018 Season Countdown: #44 Oliver Martin

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Oliver Martin (image via MLive)

Name: Oliver Martin
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 198 lbs.
High school: Coralville (IA) West
Position: Wide receiver
Class:

Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #2
Last year: I ranked Martin #62 and said he would be a backup slot receiver (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating:  83

Last year I expected Martin to play without being a huge factor on the field, but he was the lone receiver from the 2017 class not to play. Injuries were a part of that. He wasn’t totally healthy throughout the year, and Michigan’s need at slot receiver wasn’t huge.

Hype for Martin has increased this off-season, and he should find a decent chunk of playing time. One piece of evidence is that rumors were floating around that incumbent slot receiver Grant Perry was exploring transfer options. Perry opted to stay and will almost surely play a large role, but he’s hearing footsteps. Furthermore, Michigan lost Maurice Ways, Drake Harris, and Kekoa Crawford since last season, and the only replacement in the 2018 class was Ronnie Bell. Ways and Harris barely played, and Crawford was a disappointment, but there’s still room for someone to take some snaps that were vacated. I don’t expect Martin to be heavily targeted, but I think he’ll be an enticing option for the future and we should get a glimpse of what Michigan will have in store when Perry graduates.

Prediction: Backup slot receiver; 10 catches for 110 yards and 1 TD

Recruiting Update: July 16, 2018

Frankfort (KY) Western Hills RB Wandale Robinson

OFF THE BOARD

Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy offensive tackle Chris Akporoghene committed to Tennessee.

Hogansville (GA) Callaway offensive guard Keiondre Jones committed to Auburn.

Orange (CA) Lutheran tight end Ethan Rae committed to USC.

Hit the jump for more.

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2018 Season Countdown: #45 Will Hart

Will Hart (image via Twitter)

Name: Will Hart
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 196 lbs.
High school: Hunting Valley (OH) University School
Position: Punter
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #17
Last year: I ranked Hart #84 and said he would be a backup punter. He punted 13 times for 490 yards (37.7 yards/punt) with 1 touchback, 5 fair catches, and 6 punts inside the 20-yard line.
TTB Rating: N/A

Last season was an odd year for punters at Michigan. Michigan brought in freshman Brad Robbins late in the recruiting cycle, and he was expected to be the guy. However, Robbins struggled. Michigan didn’t let strong-legged Quinn Nordin pull double-duty as the kicker and punter. So they turned to Hart, who was very inconsistent. At times he hit some decent punts, but he never averaged over 40 yards/punt in any contest throughout the year, and his 37.7 yards/punt average for the entire season was less than stellar. (It would have been last in the Big Ten if he had enough punts to qualify.)

This year I expect Robbins to be the guy, and he averaged 40.4 yards/punt (#11 in the Big Ten). However, he has not proven to be consistent enough to ward off Hart permanently, and it might be important for Hart to give Robbins competition and keep him on his toes. There’s a chance Hart won’t punt a single ball this year, but based on last season, this is still a question mark for the Wolverines.

Prediction: Backup punter

2018 Season Countdown: #46 Lawrence Marshall

Lawrence Marshall (#93, image via MLive)

Name: Lawrence Marshall
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 268 lbs.
High school: Southfield (MI) Southfield
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #93
Last year: I ranked Marshall #61 and said he would be a backup defensive tackle (LINK). He made 5 tackles and 1 fumble recovery.
TTB Rating: 72

Marshall had a chance last season to step up at defensive tackle last season, and he . . . sort of did. A converted defensive end, Marshall hasn’t shown the same explosiveness he displayed in high school, so Michigan bulked him up and made him an interior guy. He has 11 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss in four years on campus, and it looked like he might not return for a fifth year. However, he stuck around through the spring, and reports were generally positive. He’s not developing into a star, but he’s developing nonetheless.

I contemplated putting Marshall below Donovan Jeter, but Marshall has the experience and isn’t coming off an injury. I have to think the coaching staff offered to bring him back for a fifth year for a reason. They didn’t want him to come back just so he can waste away on the sideline and eat up a scholarship, so I expect Marshall to play. Maybe he’ll be the second 3-tech, or maybe he’ll be #3. Either way, I expect him to be a rotation guy and get a decent amount of playing time behind Michael Dwumfour and perhaps others.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle