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2015 Season Countdown: #81 Noah Furbush

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Name: Noah Furbush
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 217 lbs.
High school: Kenton (OH) Kenton
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #59
Last year: I ranked Furbush #72 and said he would redshirt. He redshirted.

Furbush was listed at 6’5″ and 240 lbs. coming out of high school, but both of those measurements were apparently exaggerated. Not only was Furbush below 240 lbs., he was listed last season at 210 lbs. Even at 6’4″ that’s considered to be prohibitively light. Aside from the weight fact, Michigan had a solid group of experienced linebackers last season that made Furbush’s absence from the field palatable.

In his second year on campus, Furbush is up to a whopping 217 lbs. He has been suffering from a nagging shoulder injury since his true freshman season, and he missed this past spring with the same issue. His inability to lift seems to have kept him from adding the necessary strength, and it again appears unlikely that he will physically be able to contribute much this coming season. Recruited as a middle linebacker, he is more likely to contribute as an edge player when he does finally hit the field.

Prediction: Backup linebacker, special teamer

2015 Season Countdown: #82 Juwann Bushell-Beatty

Juwann Bushell-Beatty (image via Maizeandbluenews.com)

Name: Juwann Bushell-Beatty
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 319 lbs.
High school: Paramus (NJ) Catholic
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #76
Last year: I ranked Bushell-Beatty #91 and said he would redshirt. He redshirted.

One of my bigger concerns with Bushell-Beatty was the amount of bad weight he had on him coming out of high school. He looked somewhat out of shape during his senior year of football, and that continued on into the Under Armour All-American Game, where he struggled with quicker players. Bushell-Beatty redshirted his freshman year, like most thought he would.

Still pretty heavy at 319 lbs., it’s not clear whether he has remade his body and added some muscle or whether he still has a long way to go with his conditioning. I think we will see a more beefed-up line under Jim Harbaugh, but the hogs up front will still have to be in pretty good shape. Regardless, Bushell-Beatty is near the bottom of the offensive line depth chart with a few guys ahead of him who can fill in at various slots. I do not expect that he will factor into the rotation even if there are a couple injuries, although he could see some mop-up duty if Michigan gets a chance to throw a full second- or third-string line in there.

Prediction: Backup offensive tackle

2015 Season Countdown: #83 Dan Liesman

Dan Liesman (image via Twitter)

Name: Dan Liesman
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 233 lbs.
High school: Lansing (MI) Catholic
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #66
Last year: I did not rank Liesman. He did not see any game action.

Walk-on linebacker Dan Liesman did not play at all last year and has spent the last three season as a scout team player. That didn’t stop the new coaching staff from starting him in this year’s spring game, though. The intrasquad scrimmage might not portend the future exactly, and some players were unavailable due to injury, but the fact that Liesman played almost the entire time at inside linebacker indicates there’s at least something the coaches like about him. Based on what I saw, I do not think he will crack the rotation at all. But he is a guy that the coaches might want to reward with some mop-up duty or special teams play.

Prediction: Backup linebacker, special teamer

2015 Season Countdown: #84 Michael Jocz

Name: Michael Jocz
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 231 lbs.
High school: Novi (MI) Novi
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #95
Last year: I ranked Jocz #86 and said he would be a backup tight end. He played in four games.

Jocz is undersized at 231 lbs. but the guy has some receiving skills (check out the link above). Junior Jake Butt is Michigan’s only proven option at the tight end position, and for the second year in a row, the Wolverines have another contributor (Khalid Hill) coming off of a torn ACL. The Wolverines should have a full-strength Butt and some other pieces at tight end, but Jim Harbaugh likes to use multiple tight ends. If there are injuries, Jocz could find his name called for certain situations.

Prediction: Backup tight end

2015 Season Countdown: #85 Karan Higdon

Name: Karan Higdon
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Sarasota (FL) Riverview
Position: Running back
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Higdon was a senior in high school. He was a 247 Composite 3-star, the #40 running back, and #478 overall.
TTB Rating: 73

Higdon was a late success story for the new coaching staff this winter. He had been a Hawkeye commit, but he was interested in Michigan for a while without reciprocation. Jim Harbaugh extended an offer just before National Signing Day, and Higdon fought through a snowstorm and some travel issues to make it to Ann Arbor. Leading up to NSD, it was a question of whether he would stick with Iowa or flip to Michigan, and obviously he sent his National Letter of Intent to the Wolverines. Higdon is a slightly undersized back who has good vision and runs tough, though he lacks great speed.

Michigan’s situation this year is an intriguing one. There are two very highly touted recruits (Derrick Green, Ty Isaac) with experience, last year’s leading rusher returns (De’Veon Smith), and Drake Johnson made a late-season push before tearing his ACL for a second time. Yet three of the four guys have been hampered by injuries at one point or another, none has been outstanding, and the job remains up for grabs. It would be a surprise if Higdon were to beat out all those guys, although it’s not impossible. It would probably be best for him to redshirt, let the situation in front of him play itself out, and then have an extra year to make an impact down the road.

Prediction: Redshirt