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2024 Season Countdown: #33 Jimmy Rolder

Name: Jimmy Rolder
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 240 lbs.
High school: Orland Park (IL) Marist
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #30
Last year: I ranked Rolder #39 and said he would be a backup linebacker (LINK). He played in six games and made 5 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss.
TTB Rating: 81

Rolder took a unique path in 2023 by redshirting during his second year. Nagged a little bit by injury, the coaching staff purposefully had him play in fewer than four regular season games so he could take a redshirt and preserve that year of eligibility. (Post-season games don’t count against the four-game limit for redshirts.) So when Rolder did play last year, he seemed a little bit rusty and maybe even looked like he had taken a small step back from 2022.

But this year Rolder is seven pounds heavier and almost certain to be in the rotation at linebacker. Michigan did bring in one of Maryland’s best players in linebacker Jaishawn Barham to start at middle linebacker, and #3 linebacker Ernest Hausmann will step in at WILL to replace Michael Barrett. Rolder will probably take the Hausmann role from last year and play a significant amount at both spots, but Jaydon Hood is also in competition to play.

Prediction: Backup linebacker

2024 Season Countdown: #34 Evan Link

Name: Evan Link
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 328 lbs.
High school: Washington (DC) Gonzaga
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #71
Last year: I ranked Link #116 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: 72

Michigan had a stacked offensive line in 2023, so it was kind of a given that freshmen would not factor in much. And in an ideal world, that’s how it should be unless there’s a 5-star-caliber behemoth joining the team. Link was 6’6″ and 305 pounds, which is good size for a freshman, but there was just no way he was going to overcome the seniority and size of the linemen ahead of him.

Now Link is up to 328 pounds, and perhaps he’s on his way to being a force on Michigan’s offensive line. Rumblings started last fall when people were talking about his performances in practice and Link being a name to watch. The talk increased this past spring. And they continue to come out of fall practice. Talk in the last few days has even suggested that Link might leap over two veterans, Jeffrey Persi and Andrew Gentry, to snag the starting right tackle job.

At the very least, it seems like Link is going to play a visible role in 2024. Maybe he’ll win the right tackle job. Maybe he’ll be a part-time starter if the coaching staff lets the competition go into the regular season, which they did last year. I’ve even heard talk that he could end up as the Trente Jones-style tight end/sixth offensive lineman. I would be surprised if he wins the right tackle job outright, but I expect to see big #71 on the field quite a bit this fall. And with the way people are talking about him, he’s a good bet to be a starting tackle by 2025.

Prediction: Backup offensive tackle

2024 Season Countdown: #35 Andrew Gentry

Name: Andrew Gentry
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 327 lbs.
High school: Littleton (CO) Columbine
Position: Offensive line
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #75
Last year: I ranked Gentry #72 and said he would be a backup offensive lineman and special teamer (LINK). He played in fifteen games.
TTB Rating: 85

The story of Gentry’s recruitment is probably well known at this point, but it’s worth reminding people: he originally committed to Virginia in the class of 2020, but he went on a two-year mission. By the time he returned to college football, he didn’t want to be a Cavalier anymore and chose to be a Wolverine. He joined Michigan in 2022 and played in three games before being a fifteen-game contributor last year.

I have the choice in the countdown of either going with my gut or going with what the coaches have done. My gut tells me that Gentry has not looked great when I’ve seen him on the field. I’m not writing him off, but sometimes it takes linemen a while to develop, and he took two years off from football. On the other hand, Gentry actually played a couple dozen snaps at offensive tackle – which is the open position for 2024 – while one of the other main competitors, Jeffrey Persi, played exclusively at guard. So do I go with what I’ve seen or what the coaches chose to do in 2023?

I’m going to lean toward Persi being the more valuable player for 2024. Gentry’s feet have been questionable, and he hasn’t got a ton of movement when I’ve watched him. He has added about 15 pounds this off-season to get up to an impressive 327 going into the year, so perhaps that extra bulk/strength will be a factor. But for now I’m going to peg him as a backup.

Prediction: Backup offensive lineman and special teamer

2024 Season Countdown: #36 Wesley Walker

Name: Wesley Walker
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 200 lbs.
High school: Lewisburg (TN) Ensworth
Position: Safety
Class: Sixth year senior
Jersey number: #13
Last year: Walker played at Tennessee. He started ten games and made 53 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and 2 pass breakups.
TTB Rating: N/A

Walker was a fifth year senior for the Tennessee Volunteers last year and had a decent season with 53 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss. He graded out fairly well overall on Pro Football Focus, but those scores declined during the second half of the year. His grades were all 60.4 or higher for the first half of the season, and then he didn’t have a grade higher than 55.3 after week seven, including a season-low 47.5 against Alabama. It’s a little concerning that he didn’t hold up well against the better competition, but that could also be opposing teams figuring out how to expose Tennessee’s defense.

Michigan brought in Walker to help at safety after they lost Quinten Johnson (declared for the NFL draft), Keon Sabb (transfer to Alabama), and Rod Moore (ACL tear). Johnson, of course, was able to return to the program, and then Michigan also landed Michigan State’s Jaden Mangham in the transfer portal. So the safety spot went from a huge question mark back to a solid spot, partly because of Walker. Word at the beginning of camp seemed to suggest that Walker would probably end up starting alongside Makari Paige, but now it seems like Johnson is the front-runner and Mangham is pushing for playing time. With Paige locking down one spot, it’s a three-man race for the other one. That kind of diminishes the importance of any one guy, so I have Mangham and Walker hanging out pretty close together in the countdown. The safety rotation could be one of the most volatile positions battles throughout the season as a bunch of veteran players all vie for playing time on the back end of a terrifying front seven.

Prediction: Backup safety

2024 Season Countdown: #37 Ja’Den McBurrows

Name: Ja’Den McBurrows
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 194 lbs.
High school: Fort Lauderdale (FL) Saint Thomas Aquinas
Position: Cornerback
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #18
Last year: I ranked McBurrows #41 and said he would be a backup cornerback (LINK). He made 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 interception.
TTB Rating: 73

I don’t know about other Michigan fans, but McBurrows has turned into a bit of a “fan favorite” of mine. As a high schooler, he was always around the ball and created a ton of turnovers despite being a little undersized. While at Michigan he has struggled at time with injuries. On top of that, he was a part of the infamous “Tunnel Incident” against Michigan State in 2022 when teammate Gemon Green was jumped by a bunch of Spartans and McBurrows tried to intervene.

He got some revenge in the 49-0 beatdown of Michigan State last year when he notched his first career interception.

McBurrows also had the unfortunate luck of playing behind Mike Sainristil, an all-time great for the Wolverines who just happened to also play the nickel spot. So his time has been limited over his first three years on campus.

His outlook is a little brighter for 2024. Sainristil is gone, and now McBurrows has a chance to step up and play some nickel or outside corner. He is unlikely to start at either position with Zeke Berry set to start at nickel and Jyaire Hill the likely #2 corner across from Will Johnson, but I expect an uptick in playing time for McBurrows as a fourth-year player. He was #20 on the team in defensive snaps last season (185) and I expect him to move up to perhaps #17 or #18 in defensive snaps this fall.

Prediction: Backup nickel/cornerback