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2024 Season Countdown: #38 Amorion Walker

Name: Amorion Walker
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 182 lbs.
High school: Ponchatoula (LA) Ponchatoula
Position: Cornerback
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #1
Last year: I ranked Walker #32 and said he would be a part-time starter at cornerback (LINK). He played in five games and made 5 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and 1 pass breakup.
TTB Rating: 81

I vastly overranked Walker in 2023, largely based on Jim Harbaugh’s assertion in the off-season that the staff considered Walker to be a starter at cornerback. He then had a terrible spring game and played in just five games last fall, dropping down the depth chart behind UMass transfer Josh Wallace, walk-on Keshaun Harris, and then-freshman D.J. Waller. Walker’s speed and agility are top-notch, but it has yet to transfer to the game field.

And speaking of transfers, Walker had a bit of an odyssey this past off-season. He chose to transfer – which is understandable given the modern transfer portal climate and his spot on the field – because it seemed like he was not destined to play much at corner for Michigan. So he went to Ole Miss, where they had him playing cornerback during spring ball. And then after spring practices, he sought greener pastures at Michigan . . . in the wide receiver room with Ronald Bellamy.

I might be overranking Walker yet again. I’m putting more faith in logic than in actual practice buzz, I guess. A lot of the murmurs coming out of practice are about Tyler Morris, Semaj Morgan, Colston Loveland, and Marlin Klein, and not about Walker. But if the coaching staff didn’t love Walker’s ability as a receiver, I’m not sure how much effort they would have put into trying to get him back after he had already walked out the door. Walker has put on just two pounds (up to 182) since the beginning of last season, so he’s not going to be a physical wideout. What he might bring to the table is field-stretching speed, height, and leaping ability, and maybe the coaching staff thinks that can clear things out for the aforementioned targets underneath. I don’t think we will see a ton of catches from Walker this fall, but we might see a few big plays.

Prediction: Backup wide receiver; 15 catches, 260 yards, 2 touchdowns

2024 Season Countdown: #39 Trey Pierce

Name: Trey Pierce
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 315 lbs.
High school: Oak Lawn (IL) Brother Rice
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #95
Last year: I ranked Pierce #98 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in thirteen games and made 2 tackles.
TTB Rating: 79

As a freshman in 2023, Pierce joined a team that didn’t really need a lot of help at nose tackle on paper. They had Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant on the roster, plus veteran UCF transfer Cam Goode and redshirt sophomore Ike Iwunnah. So the likelihood of needing a 290 pound true freshman seemed low. Instead, Pierce played in thirteen games. His play wasn’t necessarily stellar – he finished with a 50.5 grade from PFF – but he didn’t look out of place on the field.

This year Pierce’s contributions will be needed more after Goode’s departure. Michigan also lost defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, meaning Graham and Grant will be spread a little bit thinner eating up some of Jenkins’s snaps. Theoretically, Pierce might very well end up as the #2 nose tackle on the depth chart, but in actuality, he’ll probably be #3 behind Graham and Grant. With Pierce up to 315 pounds this season, he should be a little more viable as a nose tackle.

Prediction: Backup nose tackle

2024 Season Countdown: #40 Cameron Brandt

Name: Cameron Brandt
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 265 lbs.
High school: Chatsworth (CA) Sierra Canyon
Position: Defensive end
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #91
Last year: I ranked Brandt #94 and said he would be a backup defensive end (LINK). He played in fourteen games and made 4 tackles.
TTB Rating: 82

Brandt was committed to Stanford during the recruiting process, but he was good enough to contribute on a national championship-winning team as a freshman, so clearly he was going to be a big fish in a small (football) pond in Palo Alto. Instead of transferring to a place like Michigan in two or three years, he just skipped that step altogether. Michigan didn’t really need help at the edge positions in 2023 because they had Jaylen Harrell, Braiden McGregor, Derrick Moore, and Coastal Carolina transfer Josaiah Stewart, but mop-up duty was inevitable, and that’s the role that Brandt served. He played 60 snaps on the defensive line (plus another 84 on special teams). Pro Football Focus wasn’t high on his play as they gave him an overall grade of 47.3, but not much should be expected from a true freshman third-stringer.

Now Harrell and McGregor are gone. Moore and Stewart should slide into the starting roles, but the Wolverines need people to step up as backups. T.J. Guy has been getting a lot of buzz since the spring, but someone else needs to be that #4 guy. There has been talk that Michigan might use middle linebacker Jaishawn Barham to rush off the edge at times, but that’s probably not going to be a frequent strategy. Instead, it will probably be someone like Brandt – or Kechaun Bennett or Dominic Nichols – who takes most of those snaps. I expect Brandt to be the #4 edge overall and back up Moore.

Prediction: Backup defensive end

2024 Season Countdown: #41 Jaydon Hood

Name: Jaydon Hood
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: Fort Lauderdale (FL) Saint Thomas Aquinas
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #34
Last year: I ranked Hood #73 and said he would be a backup linebacker and special teamer (LINK). He made 13 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and 1 pass breakup.
TTB Rating: 72

As a member of the class of 2021, Hood was recruited by a former linebackers coach named Brian Jean-Mary, who left for Tennessee before coaching Hood. Hood played in just five total games over his first couple seasons and generally seemed to be buried on the depth chart under the guys who succeeded Jean-Mary: George Helow, Chris Partridge, and Rick Minter. Hood did play in six games at linebacker in 2023 (plus another six on special teams), but it was only during blowouts. With Junior Colson and Michael Barrett (both now in the NFL) and Ernest Hausmann ahead of him, there wasn’t going to be much playing time left for any linebacker.

Fast forward to 2024, and Michigan’s new linebackers coach is a guy named . . . Brian Jean-Mary. Yes, the guy who recruited Hood left for three seasons and has now returned. And it’s probably not a coincidence that Hood is getting mentioned more as a possible contributor for this upcoming season. Colson and Barrett are gone, but Hausmann and Maryland transfer Jaishawn Barham are penciled in as the starters. After that it’s a race for the #3 spot, most likely between Hood and Jimmy Rolder. I have Rolder slightly ahead because he was ahead of Hood as a freshman in 2022 (Rolder played sparingly in 2023 to preserve his redshirt behind such a talented group), but there’s at least more opportunity since the 1-2-3 guys were so obviously cemented in place last year. Hood should continue to play on special teams, but he should play more than the 85 snaps we saw him play last year.

Prediction: Backup linebacker

2024 Season Countdown: #42 Jaden Mangham

Name: Jaden Mangham
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 185 lbs.
High school: Birmingham (MI) Groves
Position: Safety
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #3
Last year: Mangham played for Michigan State. He started ten games and made 53 tackles, 4 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, and 7 pass breakups.
TTB Rating: N/A

A year ago, Mangham was the enemy. A starting safety for the Michigan State Spartans is to Michigan fans what the vocabulary in a young adult novel is to Ohio State fans. It didn’t really matter that Mangham started ten games and made 4 interceptions on the season. We just laughed as Michigan skunked MSU 49-0. Mangham made 5 tackles and 1 pass breakup in that contest.

But then the off-season came, and Michigan needed safeties. Keon Sabb transferred to Alabama, Rod Moore got hurt, and suddenly the depth chart was looking somewhat questionable. Mangham had been recruited by the Wolverines out of high school but the interest on both sides was somewhat tepid. Time – and playing for Mel Tucker – had changed that perspective, though.

I could be underrating Mangham here by ranking him at #42. I think he’ll end up as Michigan’s fourth safety behind Makari Paige, Quinten Johnson, and Wesley Walker; rumors out of practice have Johnson and Walker competing for the spot opposite Paige. But Mangham could force his way into the lineup. Even if he doesn’t break into the top three this fall, Mangham should be good enough for the coaching staff to feel confident he can be a starter in 2025 after Paige, Johnson, and Walker are gone.

Prediction: Backup safety