Tag: 2010 Season Countdown

2010 Countdown: #74 Jeremy Jackson

Name: Jeremy Jackson
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 196 lbs.
High school: Huron High School in Ann Arbor, MI
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #17
Prediction for 2010: Redshirt

I struggled with where to put Jackson on the list. There’s no question in my mind that at least one of the freshman receivers will play this season (Jackson, Ricardo Miller, or Jerald Robinson), perhaps more. Darryl Stonum and Junior Hemingway are the likely starters, but there’s not much after that.

But I’ve never been a fan of Jackson’s playmaking ability. As the son of running backs coach Fred Jackson, he’s probably learning the offense quickly and is technically sound. He’s tall and can probably grab some jump balls. But golly gee, he looks super slow in every video I’ve ever seen of him – game film, spring practice video, etc. Not only might that be a problem for getting downfield, but I even doubt whether he can be an effective blocker at this point. I feel like Big Ten cornerbacks would just dance around him to make a tackle. So out of the three freshman wideouts, I think Jackson is the least likely to play this season.

2010 Countdown: #75 Jibreel Black

Name: Jibreel Black
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 253 lbs.
High school: Wyoming High School in Cincinnati, OH
Position: Defensive end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Prediction for 2010: Redshirt

With as much certainty as an outside observer can have, I believe the players listed below Black will redshirt. That includes Christian Pace, Davion Rogers, DJ Williamson, Conelius Jones, Jordan Paskorz, Jake Ryan, Ray Vinopal, Drew Dileo, and Austin White. Their positions and readiness make that a near certainty, in my opinion.

But now we get into the murkier depths of the roster, the guys who have an outside chance to play this season due to a starter or rotation player getting injured, or perhaps due to the coaches wanting to get a guy some reps in preparation for 2011. That’s where Jibreel Black fits. Ideally, he’d probably redshirt in 2010, giving him a chance to add some weight and get stronger. He’s shorter than a prototypical defensive end at only 6’2″, so he’s going to need to make up for that deficiency in the strength department. But I’ve already compared him to Brandon Graham, so I think the kid’s got some talent.

The starter at defensive end will likely be Ryan Van Bergen, who has proven to be pretty durable so far in his career. He’s also pretty good. His rotational backup might be Anthony Lalota, but if Van Bergen does suffer an injury, I’d expect Greg Banks to flip to 5-tech DE with Renaldo Sagesse moving in at Banks’s old spot. That’s a big, fancy way of saying that I hope Van Bergen doesn’t get injured.

Meanwhile, Black is probably the most college-ready DE in the class, and he’s got a chance to contribute. With Banks and Sagesse departing after this season, the coaches might want to season a younger guy with some reps against UMass or Bowling Green. Ultimately, I don’t think Michigan will need Black on the field this season, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him playing in non-critical moments.

2010 Countdown: #76 Terry Talbott

Terry Talbott, Agent #9, Terrence Talbott, and Braxton Miller

Name: Terry Talbott
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 255 lbs.
High school: Wayne High School in Huber Heights, OH
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Prediction for 2010: Redshirt

Terry Talbott, the older and larger brother of Terrence, is a quick-footed defensive tackle prospect from the Worst State Ever. He’s got the physical skills to be a dominant high school defensive lineman, but sometimes it’s hard to project guys forward when they need to gain 30 or 40 pounds before they can sniff the playing field. As it stands, Terry has the quickest first step of any defensive tackle Michigan has brought in over the last several years. But as you can see in the picture above, he’s got some filling out to do.

From my perspective, Terry needs at least a year to bulk up. He seems to be headed for the 3-tech DT spot, which means he can probably play at a weight between 280-290 lbs. But it needs to be good weight, not just additional blubber. Michigan has a fair amount of depth at those interior positions with Mike Martin and Greg Banks the likely starters. Renaldo Sagesse, William Campbell, and Adam Patterson will back them up. So as long as nobody gets seriously injured, the freshmen can probably afford to sit and watch for 2011.

2010 Countdown: #77 Austin White

Name: Austin White
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 196 lbs.
School: Stevenson High School in Livonia, MI
Position: Running back
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #23
Prediction for 2010: Redshirt

Austin White is a very interesting prospect to me. Recruited to play running back, he has the skill set to play several positions – running back, slot receiver, wide receiver, or even safety. He also has the pedigree to play receiver, having two brothers who played receiver at Michigan State; older brother Blair was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in May. (EDIT: It has been brought to my attention that Blair is no relation. Mitchell and Myles White are Austin’s brothers. To state the obvious, I guess I don’t give a damn about MSU athletics or I would have remembered that.)

White enrolled in January, and he’s got decent size at 196 lbs. Reports out of spring practice indicate that he was behind fellow early enrollee Stephen Hopkins, and for that reason, I think White will redshirt. The running back position is somewhat clogged, albeit with unproven players. I would not be surprised to see White change positions at some point in his career, but those things usually happen after a year or two of unsuccessful attempts at the original spot.

2010 Countdown: #78 Drew Dileo

Name: Drew Dileo
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 175 lbs.
High school: Parkview Baptist Christian School in Greenwell Springs, LA
Position: Slot receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Prediction for 2010: Redshirt

Another controversial Michigan commitment, Dileo will play slot receiver and potentially return kicks at Michigan. He played for a successful high school program and was a jack-of-all-trades type who played running back, receiver, cornerback, and kick returner. But he’s small-ish and 175 lbs. might be on the generous side, as he has a pretty slight build.

Dileo’s most likely contribution for the Wolverines will be as a return man, but that probably won’t happen this year. He needs to put on some weight, and there are plenty of guys ahead of him. Martavious Odoms, Darryl Stonum, Jeremy Gallon, and Terrence Robinson appear to be the front-runners for the return jobs for now.