2011 Countdown: #48 Ricardo Miller

Tag: 2011 Season Countdown

14Jul 2011
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2011 Countdown: #48 Ricardo Miller

Ricardo Miller

Name: Ricardo Miller
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 215 lbs.
High school: Pioneer High Schoo in Ann Arbor, MI (via Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, FL)
Position: U-back
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #80
Last year: I ranked Miller #60 and said he would get minimal offensive reps.  He redshirted.

Miller looked like the freshman receiver who was most physically ready to play in 2010, but the lone freshman wideout to play in 2010 was Jeremy Jackson.  Miller did technically play special teams against UMass, but never saw action again for the rest of the season and therefore redshirted.  I wasn’t terribly excited about his potential as a wide receiver, so I’m glad he’s switched positions to U-back, which is Al Borges’ version of a fullback/tight end hybrid (known elsewhere as an H-back).

Miller is a willing blocker and I expect him to be bigger than 215 lbs. when fall practice comes around, maybe in the range of 225.  He still probably won’t be big enough (or technically sound enough) to be an in-line blocker, but he’s likely the best suited of the “tight ends” to play the old Aaron Shea hybrid position.  That ought to get him on the field with some regularity, especially since fullback John McColgan isn’t particularly skilled.

Prediction: Backup tight end

13Jul 2011
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2011 Countdown: #49 Jeremy Jackson

Jeremy Jackson

Name: Jeremy Jackson
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 203 lbs.
High school: Huron High School in Ann Arbor, MI
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #17
Last year: I ranked Jackson #74 and said he would redshirt.  He caught 4 passes for 55 passes.

Jackson emerged as the only freshman wide receiver to play last season, despite being the lowest regarded as a recruited.  He played in a backup capacity and notched four receptions throughout the year, which is the same number of receptions that Junior Hemingway had as a true freshman back in 2007.  If Jackson and Hemingway have parallel career arcs, that means Jackson will . . . get injured a lot.

There wasn’t much buzz around Jackson this spring, and I imagine that’s the way it’s going to be for him.  He’s a tall red zone target without much speed or elusiveness, which is fine for a role player.  Jerald Robinson, who’s a little more athletic, seemed to garner a more attention this spring.  And with several senior receivers, I don’t imagine that Jackson (or Robinson, for that matter) will be needed to have a big season.  If Brady Hoke and Al Borges intend to spread the field and use four-receiver sets, then we might see a little more depth required at the receiver positions than the old two-back, two-receiver sets that were so common in the Lloyd Carr era.  Jackson likely won’t play a big role this year, but he should see a fair amount of time on the field.

Prediction: Backup wide receiver; 10 catches, 120 yards, 1 touchdown

11Jul 2011
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2011 Countdown: #51 Jeremy Gallon

This was all too common a sight in 2010 – Jeremy Gallon fumbling
the football.

Name: Jeremy Gallon
Height: 5’8″
Weight: 180 lbs.
High school: Apopka High School in Apopka, FL
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #10
Last year: I ranked Gallon #59 and said he would be a part-time returner.  He caught 4 passes for 49 yards and 1 touchdown; returned 10 punts for 43 yards; and returned 27 kickoffs for 589 yards.

Gallon was one of 2010’s most frustrating players, eliciting countless groans from Michigan fans who got tired of muffed punts and fumbled returns back in, oh, 2008.  I’m not even exaggerating when I say my high school team has had more sure-handed punt returners in recent years than Michigan’s squads; our varsity’s last muffed punt return was in 2008.  Unfortunately, special teams were a consistent problem for Michigan, and Gallon was no exception.  The muffs contributed to his paltry 4.3 average on punt returns, although his 21.8 yards per kick return isn’t embarrassing.

Moving into 2011 Gallon’s chances to contribute on the offensive side of the ball are somewhat diminished with the new offense being implemented.  Gallon is elusively and pretty powerfully built for being so short, but he doesn’t make for much of a target from the pocket for a 6’0″ quarterback.  He’ll have to try to get on the field by shoring up his fumbling problems, and he’ll have to battle with various young players for return duties, including the sure-handed Drew Dileo, who seems like Michigan’s punt returner of the future.

Prediction: Backup wide receiver; backup returner

10Jul 2011
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2011 Countdown: #52 Josh Furman

Maybe it’s just me, but
Josh Furman looks
awesome with
glasses.

Name: Josh Furman
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 207 lbs.
High school: Old Mill Senior High School in Annapolis, MD
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #6
Last year: I ranked Furman #68 and said he would play on special teams.  He redshirted.

Furman is a bit of a question mark for me this year.  There’s no question that he’s an exceptional athlete with a laser-time 4.37 forty yard dash and a sprinter’s build.  He played outside linebacker and running back in high school, and last year played Spur in practice.  But he was pretty thin (right around 200 lbs.) and needed a little bit of seasoning.  Once Rich Rodriguez was fired and his poorly implemented 3-3-5 defense went with him, Furman became a safety to the new regime.

Beyond the aforementioned outstanding athleticism, I didn’t see much from Furman to get me excited about his future as a safety.  After playing close to the line in high school, he seems uncomfortable in open space.  He might get more accustomed to playing back off the line in the coming years, but as of now, I still think (as I said during his recruitment) that he would be a better fit as a linebacker.  Hopefully he proves me wrong in that regard, because Michigan does need to upgrade its talent level at the safety positions.  But for now Furman doesn’t look like he’s ready to see heavy minutes in the Big Ten.

Prediction: Backup safety and special teams contributor

9Jul 2011
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2011 Countdown: #53 Fitzgerald Toussaint

Fitzgerald Toussaint tries (unsuccessfully) to outrun BGSU

Name: Fitzgerald Toussaint
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 200 lbs.
High school: Liberty High School in Youngstown, OH
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #28
Last year: I ranked Toussaint #45 and said he would be a backup running back.  He had 8 carries for 87 yards and 1 touchdown, plus 1 catch for 5 yards.

I have been an unabashed fan of Toussaint since he was recruited in 2009, when I named him Michigan’s best offensive recruit.  He looks like he might have gone to the Carlos Brown and Michael Shaw School of Brittleness, having suffered a broken clavicle and a knee injury so far in his short career.  He flashed some skills against Bowling Green in 2010, taking his first career carry 61 yards . . . only to be caught from behind by a BGSU safety.  In fairness to Toussaint, though, he was still wearing a cumbersome knee brace, which seemed to slow him a bit.  He carried the ball on the next play for a 5-yard touchdown, but then missed the next five games with a shoulder injury.  He returned late in the season to play a little bit against Purdue, Ohio State, and Mississippi State.

I still hope for good things from Toussaint, but his injuries have clearly hampered his development.  It’s rare to see a running back have any kind of success while wearing a heavy knee brace.  He seems to buried on the depth chart after the spring, and more competition arrives in the fall from Thomas Rawls and Justice Hayes.  In my opinion, he’s the second most talented back on the roster, but talent doesn’t matter if you can’t get out of the training room.  If he can stay healthy, he might be your starting kick returner in 2011, though.

Prediction: Backup running back; kickoff returner