Tag: 2010 Season Countdown

2010 Countdown: #24 Mark Huyge

2010 Countdown: #25 Perry Dorrestein

Name: Perry Dorrestein
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 321 lbs.
High school: Plainfield Central High School in Plainfield, IL
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #79
Last year: I ranked Dorrestein #58 and said he’d be the backup to Patrick Omameh at tackle. Dorrestein started 8 games, while Omameh eventually started at right guard.

I’ve never been extremely high on Dorrestein, so let’s get that out of the way. He’s not extremely athletic for a left tackle, and he’s too tall to play much guard. I’ve thought of Dorrestein as backup material in an ideal world, and he indeed began last year as a backup to Mark Huyge. At best I think he’s an adequate right tackle. So while I’m not in the Dorrestein-for-starter camp, that doesn’t mean that offensive line coach Greg Frey and Rich Rodriguez aren’t high on Perry. He played 11 games at tackle in 2009, starting 8 of them.

This year the fifth-year senior is in another battle for playing time, this time with redshirt freshman Taylor Lewan. Dorrestein has bumped over to the left side to protect the quarterbacks’ blind side, but he missed some time in the spring due to a back injury that has lingered in part over the summer. When fall practices begin today, this will be one of the most heated position battles on the field. Lewan is an up-and-comer, but according to a source, it’s Dorrestein’s spot to lose. I think that an injury or lack of production will move Lewan into the starting lineup by the end of the season, but Dorrestein is perhaps the lowest ranked starter because he has a backup who’s roughly equivalent. All other things being equal, I’d rather the senior get playing time to reward him for five years of hard work. I’m just not sure if it will work out that way in this case.

Prediction for 2010: Starting left tackle to begin the season, but watch for the back injury to flare up

2010 Countdown: #26 Junior Hemingway

Name: Junior Hemingway
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 227 lbs.
High school: Conway High School in Conway, SC
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #21
Last year: I ranked Hemingway #20 and said he’d be the breakout offensive player. He had 16 catches for 268 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Okay, I was duped. I thought that the arrival of Tate Forcier would mean more passes thrown to the outside receivers. I predicted that Hemingway would be 2009’s breakout offensive player (in retrospect, Roy Roundtree should probably have been given that title). Even the opening game against WMU seemed to bode well for my prediction skills, when he caught 5 balls for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns. Unfortunately, Hemingway was still slow (10 punt returns for 86 yards, an 8.6 yard average) and slightly injury prone, dealing with nagging injuries much of the season.

At 227 lbs., Hemingway is the heaviest receiver in my Michigan memory. He reportedly has great athleticism when going after the ball and getting it at its highest point, but the aforementioned “slowness” is a bit of a problem sometimes. No longer do I see him as a potential breakout player, not with Denard Robinson leading the charge to start at quarterback and Roundtree emerging at wideout. Hopefully Hemingway can block in the running game and make occasional plays in the passing game, but Robinson and the running backs should lead a powerful, explosive, run-oriented offense in 2010. I think Hemingway missed his small window of opportunity to step out front and become a star, but he has two years to prove me wrong.

Prediction for 2010: Starting wide receiver; 25 receptions, 300 yards, 4 touchdowns

2010 Countdown: #27 Vladimir Emilien

Name: Vladimir Emilien
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 202 lbs.
High school: Plantation High School in Lauderhill, FL
Position: Safety
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #5
Last year: I ranked him #33 and said he’d have to contribute as one of only a few scholarship safeties. He played in five games, mostly on special teams, and made 1 tackle.

Emilien made an inauspicious debut to most Michigan fans, who first noticed him when Carlos Brown outran him for a long touchdown in the 2009 spring game. After having torn an ACL prior to his senior high school season and missing every game, he enrolled last January for spring practices. So not only was he just recently recovered from an ACL tear, but weakside linebacker Kevin Leach failed to fill his gap and hung Emilien out to dry against Brown, whose speed was superior to most Big Ten players, let alone a should-be-high-schooler with a bum knee. It was assumed by many (including me) that Emilien would contribute in 2009, but he should have redshirted. He wasted a year of eligibility for 1 tackle and played in less than half the games.

This spring Emilien sprained his knee early during practices, but returned just in time to be outrun by Roy Roundtree on a 97-yard TD pass in the spring game. I’m not sure that we’ve seen Emilien at full speed yet, but hopefully he can turn on the jets sometime soon. Spring buzz makes it seem that Cameron Gordon is standing between #5 and a starting free safety job this season. Emilien does offer some versatility, as he has stated that he can play all three safety positions. While he will likely remain in the two-deep at free safety this fall, he could potentially wedge himself into some playing time at Bandit if an injury or two occurs. I doubt you’ll see him starting any games this fall, but he could be a key backup if receiver-turned-safety Gordon falters. Nearly two years removed from his torn ACL, he should be nearing full speed once again. Hopefully his full speed is fast enough to track down Big Ten receivers and running backs.

Prediction for 2010: Backup safety, special teams coverage

2010 Countdown: #28 Taylor Lewan

Name: Taylor Lewan
Height: 6’8″
Weight: 283 lbs.
High school: Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, AZ
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #77
Last year: I ranked him #79 and said he’d redshirt. He redshirted.

Lewan came in last year and was in the 270 lb. range. He was a highly touted prospect by the end of the recruiting cycle, shooting up the charts after switching to offensive tackle from defensive end. His high school highlights are chock-full of him blocking fools until the echo echo echo of the whistle. Despite incredible talent, that lack of size prevented him from competing for playing time last year. But reports from practice said that defensive players hated playing against him because he’s nasty and never stops blocking. Among others, he and Greg Banks got into a scuffle when Banks took umbrage at some of Lewan’s tactics.

Naturally slotted at left tackle, Lewan will battle senior Perry Dorrestein for playing time. According to a source, it’s Dorrestein’s spot to lose, although Perry has been fighting a back injury for several months. There’s also a chance that Lewan will outperform him in fall camp to win the starting job. It’s bound to be a battle to the end, but I’m giving the edge to Dorrestein for now. Lewan is ranked this highly because a) he’s nearly neck-and-neck with the “starter”, b) injuries are common on the offensive line, and c) starting tackles Dorrestein and Mark Huyge could slide inside to guard if Patrick Omameh or Steve Schilling gets hurt.

Prediction for 2010: Backup left tackle, spot starter