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2018 Season Countdown: #47 Jaylen Kelly-Powell

Jaylen Kelly-Powell (#16, image via Zimbio)

Name: Jaylen Kelly-Powell
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 173 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Position:

Safety
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #16
Last year: I ranked Kelly-Powell #66 and said he would be a backup safety and special teamer (LINK

). He made 2 tackles.
TTB Rating: 77

Kelly-Powell was a freshman last season with an undefined position. Was he a safety, a cornerback, or a nickel? Michigan tried him everywhere in the defensive backfield to see where he fit best. Ultimately, they decided he probably had the best chance of contributing at the nickel corner position. He’s one of those tweeners who doesn’t have the speed/athleticism to be great at corner, and he’s not physical enough – at least not yet – to be a safety.

This year not much has changed in the defensive backfield, except Utah transfer Casey Hughes has entered the fold as a potential contributor at safety or nickel. Spring reports were positive about Kelly-Powell, though, and some observers said he looked excellent. I’m skeptical of spring practice reports without seeing evidence of it myself, but there were some who said Kelly-Powell will force his way onto the field somewhere. The problem is it’s a loaded defensive backfield, and there aren’t enough positions to get all the good players on the field. The four starters (David Long, Lavert Hill, Tyree Kinnel, Josh Metellus) all return, along with highly touted corner Ambry Thomas and experienced veteran Brandon Watson. Then you have Hughes, big-hitting J’Marick Woods, and a whole cadre of freshmen.

Prediction: Backup nickel corner

2018 Season Countdown: #48 Camaron Cheeseman

Camaron Cheeseman (#33, image via Denver Post)

Name: Camaron Cheeseman
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: New Albany (OH) Gahanna Lincoln
Position: Long snapper
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #38
Last year: I ranked Cheeseman #85 and said he would be the backup long snapper (LINK). He started at long snapper.
TTB Rating: N/A

Cheeseman got to Michigan in 2016 and redshirted, even when starting long snapper Scott Sypniewski got hurt. Andrew Robinson replaced Sypniewski, so I assumed Cheeseman would continue to be a backup, only to Robinson.

That turned out not to be the case, as Cheeseman started all year long. So I assume Cheeseman will once again be the starter in 2018, but you never know with these types of things. Off-season insider reports weren’t brimming with news about the long snapper competition. Either way, Robinson has experience and should be okay if Cheeseman isn’t. Usually I rank the starting long snapper a little higher, but I think Michigan has two pretty solid guys.

Prediction: Starting long snapper

2018 Season Countdown: #49 Tyrone Wheatley, Jr.

Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. (image via Pinterest)

Name: Tyrone Wheatley, Jr.
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 276 lbs.
High school: Buffalo (NY) Canisius
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #17
Last year: I ranked Wheatley #18 and said he would be a backup tight end (LINK). He made three starts and caught 3 passes for 26 yards.
TTB Rating: 82

When Wheatley came out of high school a few years ago, many Michigan fans wanted to bulk him up and make him an offensive tackle. I kind of wanted him to play defensive end. Instead, he has stayed at tight end, redshirting his first year and playing sporadic minutes since. He made bookend starts last year against Florida and Ohio State, but there wasn’t a lot of production in the meantime; he had one catch each against Cincinnati, Indiana, and Rutgers. The thing most people expected him to be good – blocking – has not been a strength.

It’s hard to believe Wheatley is a redshirt junior now, but that’s the case. The son of a Michigan all-timer has 6 catches for 61 yards and 1 touchdown in three years on campus. Furthermore, he might not be taking a step forward this season, because Sean McKeon and Zach Gentry look to still be ahead of him, while the only departure (Ian Bunting as a grad transfer to Cal) only had 1 reception last season. There’s no reason to expect Wheatley’s impact to increase this year unless he can improve significantly as a blocker, and both McKeon and Gentry have two years left if they decide to stay. Unless something changes this might be a case where Wheatley gets his degree and finishes his career elsewhere.

Prediction: Backup tight end

2018 Season Countdown: #50 Donovan Jeter

Donovan Jeter (image via The Wolverine)

Name: Donovan Jeter
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 288 lbs.
High school: Beaver Falls (PA) Beaver Falls
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #95
Last year: I ranked Jeter #76 and said he would be a backup defensive end (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: 78

Jeter earned quite a bit of hype going into last season as a potential contributor. He was playing some weakside end at one point, which never made a lot of sense to me. Regardless, his diet and the S&C program kicked in, and it turned out he was too big for weakside end. They moved him to 3-tech defensive tackle, and then he hurt his knee, anyway. So 2017 was a wash.

Jeter was expected to be a rotation player last year, so I expect him to be in that discussion this year, too. Michael Dwumfour is the expected starter at 3-tech, and Jeter is in the mix with Lawrence Marshall to back him up. Marshall is a fifth year senior who has to make an impact, while Jeter has higher upside. If he can stay healthy, I think Jeter will start taking more and more snaps away from Marshall throughout the season.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle

2018 Season Countdown: #51 Jordan Glasgow

Jordan Glasgow (#29, image via Zimbio)

Name: Jordan Glasgow
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 210 lbs.
High school: Aurora (IL) Marmion Academy
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #29
Last year: I ranked Glasgow #25 and said he would be a backup safety/Viper (LINK). He made 11 tackles and 1 pass breakup.
TTB Rating: N/A

Glasgow is part of a family that already sent two walk-ons (Graham, Ryan) through Michigan who ended up starting and then getting drafted into the NFL. In the spring of 2017, Glasgow looked like a front-runner to start and replace Delano Hill or Dymonte Thomas, both of whom graduated after the 2016 season. He played well in last year’s spring game and Michigan’s only other options were the unproven Josh Metellus (safety), the unproven Khaleke Hudson (Viper), and freshmen.

It turned out that I overrated Glasgow’s impact, though he was named the team’s Special Teams Player of the Year. Metellus and Hudson ended up starting at Glasgow’s potential positions, and he didn’t play much on defense.

This year I’m readjusting downward for Glasgow based on the 2017 season. Hudson has established himself, and while Metellus struggled, Glasgow has not been mentioned as one of the threats for his position. J’Marick Woods, Jaylen Kelly-Powell, and transfer Casey Hughes might take some Metellus’s snaps, but probably not Glasgow. At least not in crunch time. Glasgow will definitely play special teams, though, and he will probably be an important factor on the coverage units.

Prediction: Backup safety