2010 Countdown: #44 Anthony Lalota

Tag: 2010 Season Countdown

21Jul 2010
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2010 Countdown: #44 Anthony Lalota


Name: Anthony Lalota
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 263 lbs.
High school: The Hun School in Princeton, NJ
Position: Defensive end
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #90
Last year: I ranked Lalota #73, said he’d redshirt, and predicted he’d play defensive end (he also got reps at OLB in spring 2009). He redshirted and moved to defensive end.

It’s good to see that Lalota is back up to the weight that he supposedly was in high school. As a high school senior, he was listed as a 6’6″, 260 lbs. prospect. When he got to Michigan, the roster said he was 6’4″, 235. Now he’s apparently gained those 28 pounds back, which he’ll need if he’s going to play strongside defensive end this year.

Brandon Graham graduated, and Ryan Van Bergen has moved from defensive tackle to defensive end. Lalota should be his primary backup, especially now that Will Heininger will miss the season due to a torn ACL. Coming out of high school, Lalota was a project, having only played football during his junior and senior years. Getting a significant contribution from him this season will be a huge positive. However, I think Bruce Tall will rotate players in an effort to get his upperclassmen on the field rather than throwing Lalota out there too much. Greg Banks, Mike Martin, Renaldo Sagesse, and Adam Patterson are all guys that could play some defensive end.

Prediction for 2010: Backup defensive end

20Jul 2010
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2010 Countdown: #45 Teric Jones


Name: Teric Jones
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 194 lbs.
High school: Cass Technical High School in Detroit, MI
Position: Bandit
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #14
Last year: I ranked Jones #76 and said he’d redshirt. Jones played some cornerback and special teams, making 7 tackles altogether.

Last year I thought Jones would redshirt. He came to Michigan after being recruited as a running back or slot receiver, but with the shortage of cornerbacks, he immediately started getting reps on defense. He played cornerback against lesser opponents Eastern Michigan and Delaware State, and he contributed on kickoff coverage, making 7 total tackles. Ideally, he would have redshirted in 2009, but Jones played admirably in a tough situation.

Now he’s a sophomore and has changed positions once again. Jones moved to bandit in the spring, which is a strong safety-type position. He’ll be backing up probable starter Jordan Kovacs and competing with players such as Brandin Hawthorne, Vlad Emilien, and incoming freshman Marvin Robinson for playing time. I don’t expect that he’ll challenge for a starting position, but he’s an adequate backup and could move back to corner if any injuries occur. The best thing Jones has going for him is excellent speed, as he almost chased down Roy Roundtree during the spring game. He’s also a pretty tenacious hitter for such a small player.

Prediction for 2010: Backup bandit, special teams coverage

19Jul 2010
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2010 Countdown: #46 Fitzgerald Toussaint


Name: Fitzgerald Toussaint
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 199 lbs.
High school: Liberty High School in Youngstown, OH
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #28
Last year: I ranked Toussaint #74 and said he’d redshirt. He broke his collarbone prior to the season and redshirted.

Toussaint entered college as a highly touted running back. I even stated that he would be the best offensive recruit in the 2009 class once all is said and done. Unfortunately for him, the hype fizzled due to an injury (I’ve read conflicting reports, but it was either his clavicle or his scapula). But with the graduation of Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown, the running back position is wide open and Toussaint got a fair amount of reps in the spring.

Reports are that Toussaint would have seen playing time in 2009 if not for the injury, but spring practice reports mentioned that he was a bit hesitant when running the ball. That injury might have had something to do with it, but regardless, he wasn’t extremely impressive in the spring game and he seems to be looking up at Mike Shaw, Vincent Smith, and Michael Cox. Physically, Toussaint has the best combination of size, speed, shiftiness, and hands to be the best back on the team. But that doesn’t mean he’ll be the starter right now.

Prediction for 2010: Backup running back, 45 carries, 225 yards, 2 TDs

18Jul 2010
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2010 Countdown: #47 Adam Patterson


Name: Adam Patterson
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 272 lbs.
High school: Richland Northeast High School in Columbia, SC
Position: Nose tackle/defensive end
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #99
Last year: I ranked Patterson #35. He made 1 tackle.

That #35 ranking seems just a bit overzealous in retrospect. Who am I kidding? That was probably the biggest miss of the entire countdown. Patterson was a highly recruited kid coming out of school (top 100, I swear!), but he hasn’t been able to translate that potential to college success. I didn’t pay a ton of attention to recruiting when Patterson came out of high school in 2006, but looking back at his high school highlights, those rankings had nothing to do with his football talents – they looked at his speed (4.64 in the forty) and size (6’3″, 256 lbs.) and just assumed he’d be a good football player. He had no technique whatsoever.

Last year I just had the crazy idea that a top-100 player at a position (defensive end) of zero depth could beat out a walk-on like Will Heininger. Heininger got a lot of run and made 10 tackles and half a sack. Patterson made one tackle. In three years, Patterson has produced 8 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble. At least temporarily, Patterson has been bumped to nose tackle, but that might only have been because Mike Martin missed spring practice with an injury. At 272 lbs. and with the aforementioned lack of technique, I doubt Patterson is much of a threat to play at nose tackle, although the coaches did praise his quickness. With Ryan Van Bergen moving to defensive end and Anthony Lalota coming off his redshirt, those two will likely hold down the fort at end. Patterson looks to be a man caught in No Man’s Land. Hopefully he can contribute more in 2010 and his versatility is a positive, but he’s no better than third string at either position.

Prediction for 2010: Backup defensive lineman; 2 tackles

17Jul 2010
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2010 Countdown: #48 Ricky Barnum


Name: Ricky Barnum
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 282 lbs.
High school: Lake Gibson High School in Lakeland, FL
Position: Offensive line
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #56
Last year: I ranked him #59 and said he’d be a backup guard. Barnum played OG against Eastern Michigan and OT against Delaware State.

Barnum is one of those guys whose potential remains to be seen. He was highly recruited coming out of high school, but a series of injuries have caused him to miss spring practices and occasional fall practices. His play at offensive center has been somewhat lackluster, which makes him the fourth-string player at the position (behind Molk, Khoury, and Mealer). He’s also behind a couple classmates at guard (Omameh and Mealer).

But Barnum offers something that nobody else on the team does – the ability to play every position on the offensive line. That makes him an important backup. As Patrick Omameh’s understudy at right guard, Barnum should get more playing time than last season; he’s probably third string, behind Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield, at tackle. I don’t expect Barnum to vie for a starting job until perhaps 2012, when current starters Perry Dorrestein, Steve Schilling, David Molk, and Mark Huyge will have departed.

Prediction for 2010: Backup offensive guard