Tag: 2010 Season Countdown

2010 Countdown: #39 Mike Williams

Name: Mike Williams
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: St. Bonaventure High School in Santa Yuez, CA
Position: Spur
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #40
Last year: I ranked Williams #17 and said “Big hitter needs to solidify safety spot.” He did not, although he recorded 56 tackles.

By the end of last year, a lot of people had given up on Mike Williams. He came in as a pretty big-time recruit after playing in the Army All American Game but redshirted as a freshman, partly due to injury. With the regime change that came prior to the 2008 season, Williams was kind of thrown under the bus – not on purpose, but by circumstance. Under Lloyd Carr and Ron English, Williams was being groomed to play the slot corner position that Brandon Harrison played so effectively. That position was essentially eliminated with the hiring of new defensive coordinator Scott Shafer, and Williams moved to safety.

That’s where he remained in 2009 with the hiring of Greg Robinson, but Ron English had a bead on Williams (whom English recruited out of California) that the two subsequent coordinators have not. English could see that Williams wasn’t great playing in space, which is why he intended to play Williams over the slot. Due to shoddy recruiting, injuries, and what MGoBlog has deemed “Angry Michigan Safety Hating God,” Williams found himself covering deep zones in 2009. If you’re wondering how that worked out, check out the 2009 Michigan-Iowa game. Yeah . . . not good. In addition, Williams was prevented from playing special teams in 2009, a unit on which Williams blocked a punt and made 11 special teams tackles in the previous year.

For spring 2010 Williams moved to Spur, which is essentially the position Steve Brown occupied in 2009; it’s a linebacker/safety hybrid, one that won’t have deep responsibilities very often (if at all) and will largely be supporting the run. This fits Williams’s strengths well. He dropped to third on the depth chart in the spring (behind Thomas Gordon and Floyd Simmons), but the story’s not over for Williams. He’ll face stiff competition from incoming freshmen as well, but Williams has this year and 2011 to make his mark. If he can become more disciplined (Illinois quarterback Juice Williams embarrassed #40 several times last year), he has the speed and hitting ability to be a good player. If nothing else, he should be flying downfield on coverage units.

Prediction for 2010: Backup spur, special teams coverage

2010 Countdown: #40 Mark Moundros

Name: Mark Moundros
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 234 lbs.
High school: North Farmington High School in Farmington Hills, MI
Position: Fullback/linebacker
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #44
Last year: I ranked Moundros #23 and said he’d be the starting fullback. He assisted on 1 special teams tackle and played sparingly at fullback.

Moundros is an interesting – okay, confusing – case. He had over 2,000 yards rushing as a senior in high school, then walked on to the Michigan football team. He beat out a couple scholarship fullbacks for the starting job, forcing them to switch positions and subsequently leave the school. He was named Michigan’s Special Teams Player of the Year in 2008, caught a touchdown pass, ran the ball effectively in limited opportunities. He seemed to be the up-and-coming Owen Schmitt of the Wolverines.

Then in 2009 . . . nothing. He got a concussion early in the season on kickoff coverage, but still played in all 12 games. He barely played at fullback, despite looking fast and athletic in the 2009 spring game. After all the hype surrounding Schmitt at WVU, Michigan’s lone fullback specialist was a ghost. Maybe the coaches thought Kevin Grady was a better fullback and deserved to play in his fifth year, despite being a tailback/fullback hybrid-type. Grady did contribute 80 yards on the ground, but 73 of those came against Delaware State.

This past spring Moundros asked to get some reps at inside linebacker, just for a chance to see the field and help the team. He was given the opportunity and will supposedly continue to get reps at MLB, but I don’t expect to see him on the field there this fall. His 2009 disappearing act notwithstanding, I do expect Moundros to be the starting fullback in 2010. He’s a good blocker, has soft hands, and is more athletic than any Michigan fullback since BJ Askew. I don’t expect him to approach Schmitt’s statistics (47 carries, 272 yards, 5.8 ypc, 4 TDs as a senior at WVU), not only because Schmitt was a superior athlete, but because freshman Stephen Hopkins might steal some of those short yardage carries. But he could be a very solid contributor in 2010, and if nothing else, he should make some crushing blocks.

2010 Countdown: #41 Floyd Simmons

Name: Floyd Simmons
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 197 lbs.
High school: Crockett High School in Detroit, MI
Position: Spur
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #23
Last year: Simmons was unranked. He contributed 5 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and 1 tackle for loss from the SAM linebacker position.

Simmons is pretty high up on this list for being a walk-on. He started off as a practice squad cornerback in 2008. Last season he moved to SAM and backed up Steve Brown, posting 5 tackles. This season he’ll be playing Spur, which is a hybrid strong safety/linebacker. Three different positions in three different years.

Spring practices went well for Simmons, and there was a time that he was considered the frontrunner for the Spur job. By the end of spring, it seemed he was beaten out by Thomas Gordon. Regardless, Simmons is vying for playing time this year. He’ll be challenged by a freshman or two (Carvin Johnson, Josh Furman), but he has the advantage of spending a couple years with the coaches, knowing what they expect, and working with them in the weight room. He’s not a star in the making, but he’s been solid wherever these coaches have deployed him.

Prediction for 2010: Backup Spur, special teams coverage

2010 Countdown: #42 Je’Ron Stokes

Name: Je’Ron Stokes
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 187 lbs.
High school: Northeast High School in Philadelphia, PA
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #6
Last year: I ranked Stokes #45 and said he’d see limited playing time. He played in 6 games, catching 2 passes for 16 yards against Delaware State.

Stokes was a highly rated recruit coming out of Philadelphia in 2009, going on a somewhat meandering journey before signing with the Wolverines in February. He made two catches as a freshman and spent the last five weeks on the sideline due to injury. While wasting a redshirt year to make two catches might seem like a shame, it’s important to keep in mind that Michigan lost a couple seniors after the 2009 season (Greg Mathews, LaTerryal Savoy) and Stokes will be forced to play in 2010.

It was important for Stokes to get some reps against college-level competition in game situations, because other than presumed starters Darryl Stonum and Junior Hemingway on the outside, Stokes is all that stands between trotting out a freshman or three. Slot receivers Roy Roundtree and Martavious Odoms will also probably see time on the outside, but Stokes will need to spell some of the more experienced receivers. He has been compared to Mario Manningham as a receiver, and while Stokes hasn’t shown the knack for catching the deep ball that Manningham had, Stokes has shown the ability to work his way open and find windows when the quarterback scrambles. That’s a helpful trait, since Michigan’s quarterback’s are both about six feet tall and run frequently.

Prediction for 2010: Backup wide receiver; 12 catches, 160 yards, 1 TD

2010 Countdown: #43 Brandon Herron

Name: Brandon Herron
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 220 lbs.
High school: Dulles High School in Stafford, TX
Position: Outside linebacker
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #58
Last year: I ranked Herron #25, assuming he’d beat out freshman Craig Roh for the OLB position. Herron was Roh’s backup, making 20 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 fumble recovery.

Reports from spring 2009 indicated that Herron was a physical freak with great speed and strength for his relatively small size for a rush linebacker. Having two years of experience on Roh, Herron was the expected starter. However, Roh beat out the then-redshirt sophomore and held onto the position. Herron played occasionally, but got pushed around in the run game.

Now it’s 2010, and Herron’s spot as the primary backup at OLB has been relinquished to J.B. Fitzgerald. Spring practice ended without much of a peep from Herron, who’s still only 220 lbs. I’m not sure if the coaches have mandated that Herron maintain that weight, but it seems odd that he wouldn’t bulk up more to defend the run. Sometimes injuries or illness prevent guys from adding weight, but I haven’t heard anything to indicate such a problem for him. While Roh added approximately 15 lbs. and weighs over 250 now, Herron remains somewhat of a lightweight. He could contribute on special teams and is an adequate backup at OLB, but I would not be surprised to see Herron’s redshirt junior year be his final season at Michigan.

Prediction for 2010: Backup OLB, special teams contributor