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2016 Season Countdown: #37 Chase Winovich

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Chase Winovich (image via MWolverine)

Name: Chase Winovich
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 245 lbs.
High school: Jefferson Hills (PA) Thomas Jefferson
Position: Defensive end
Class:

Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #15
Last year: I ranked Winovich #49 and said he would be a backup F-back (LINK). He played in six games and made 2 tackles.

For only being a redshirt sophomore, Winovich has had somewhat of a meandering career so far. He started off as a linebacker, but then he made a questionable move to tight end by spring 2015. I heard a lot of positive things about him in the spring and leading up to August, but then he barely played. He saw some special teams snaps and made a couple tackles, but never broke out in any way. Lost in the shuffle of tight ends, he moved back to defensive end in the spring.

Now in his third year on campus, Winovich is also on his third position. In the open practice at Ford Field this spring, he played a lot at weakside end. He’s not very big and he’s not very fast, but he’s very tenacious and caused a couple kerfuffles that I saw. At the very least, he can play some and piss off opponents. Taco Charlton is supposed to be the weakside end, and Michigan has a couple other unproven options, too. I think Winovich might end up as a Brennen Beyer type who never really lights the world on fire, but does his job with enough effectiveness to be a potent backup or spot starter. I think Don Brown could also move him around to a few different spots and use his quickness in certain blitz packages.

Prediction: Backup weakside end

2016 Season Countdown: #38 Bobby Henderson

Bobby Henderson (middle, with Sione Houma and Joe Kerridge; image via MGoBlog)

Name:

Bobby Henderson
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 245 lbs.
High school: Hopewell Junction (NY) John Jay
Position: Fullback
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #37
Last year: I didn’t rank Henderson. He played in three games as a backup fullback.

Henderson has been on the team for four years after walking on as a freshman. He has played in a few games here or there, but last year I didn’t think he warranted being put on the countdown as something like the fifth or sixth fullback. Not only was he pretty low on the depth chart, but he had two talented, traditional fullbacks ahead of him in the shirtless guys you see above – Sione Houma and Joe Kerridge. He did play in three games, but only after the games had been decided.

This year Houma and Kerridge are gone. The remaining fullbacks are totally inexperienced walk-ons; a 6’4″, 266 lb. former defensive lineman; or 6’2″, 263 lb. converted tight end Khalid Hill. Poggi and Hill are guaranteed to play because of their blocking and receiving abilities, respectively, but neither one has ever carried a football, and Poggi’s unlikely to do so. They will be used in some packages, but I think Henderson might get some of those traps and fullback dives that turned into big plays in 2015. I like what I’ve seen out of Henderson from a blocking and toughness perspective, so I think he’ll get a fair number of snaps.

Prediction: Backup fullback

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Poll results: What is your favorite Michigan blog?

(image via, yes, MGoBlog)

A couple weeks ago, I posted this question as a poll: Which Michigan football blog is your favorite?

I admit that the results might be a wee bit skewed, since I posted this poll on my very own blog. After all, anyone visiting this site must at least be willing to give me a little bit of traffic, if not spend a considerable amount of time here. But since no neutral site is going to post such a niche poll, here was as good as anywhere. Hit the jump for the results.

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2016 Season Countdown: #39 Noah Furbush

Noah Furbush (image via Limaohio.com)

Name: Noah Furbush
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 242 lbs.
High school: Kenton (OH) Kenton
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #59
Last year: I ranked Furbush #81 and said he would be a backup linebacker and special teamer (LINK). He played special teams in nine games and made 4 tackles.

Furbush was recruited as a middle linebacker in the 2014 class. He had nagging shoulder injury problems that prevented him from lifting and adding weight for a while, so he spent last season around 220 lbs. and was limited to special teams. Michigan didn’t need any more bodies at middle linebacker with a bunch of upperclassmen available, but he still found a way to impress on special teams. Kickoff coverage was his specialty, where a guy with good length and decent speed can tear through some people at high velocity. Jim Harbaugh mentioned him multiple times in press conferences.

Fast forward to the spring, and Furbush was moved to SAM linebacker. That position makes more sense to me than middle linebacker for a guy with his size and skills. Oddly, though, he’ll be backing up quasi-safety Jabrill Peppers, who is about 6’1″, 210 lbs. They’re totally different players, but Furbush makes sense against teams that like to line up big bodies, while Peppers is more of a spread-beater. I expect Furbush to be deployed more against the Wisconsins and Michigan States of the world, while Peppers fits more against Ohio State and teams that send out three or four wide receivers. Peppers is too good to take off the field very often for Furbush, but the coaching staff seems to like the Ohio native, who has added over 20 lbs. since last season now that he’s healthy. In addition to more special teams duty, Furbush should get his first snaps on the defensive side of the ball in 2016.

Prediction: Backup SAM linebacker

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2016 Season Countdown: #40 Ian Bunting

Ian Bunting (image via MLive)

Name: Ian Bunting
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 252 lbs.
High school: Hinsdale (IL) Central
Position:

Tight end
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #89
Last year: I ranked Bunting #62 and said he would be a backup tight end (LINK). He played in nine games and made 5 catches for 72 yards (14.4 yards/catch).

Michigan used a variety of tight ends, including some position-switchers, in 2015. Bunting was the guy who seems to exist every year, a guy who’s a wide receiver with questionable blocking ability that needs to bulk up. At 6’7″ and 243 lbs., we all knew he was too light to be a major contributor. He was last year’s Zach Gentry. That didn’t stop Bunting from playing some and showing himself as a very possible replacement for Jake Butt down the road. He averaged a respectable 14.4 yards/catch, including some nice catch-and-runs against Oregon State and Florida.

Blocking tight end A.J. Williams graduated, but Bunting isn’t the guy to replace him. That will probably be Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. Instead, Bunting has one more year to play the apprentice role behind the possible All-American in Butt. I would normally put the backup to a star tight end a little bit higher, but Michigan has so much competition at the position that I can’t convince myself to put him higher than #40. I don’t see a big reason for his number of targets to increase significantly, but adding 9 lbs. since last season improves his viability. I see him catching around 10 balls with a slight uptick in snaps.

Prediction: Backup tight end; 10 catches, 120 yards, 1 TD