Tag: 2011 Season Countdown

2011 Countdown: #64 Kellen Jones, Wolverine

Kellen Jones

Name: Kellen Jones
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: St. Pius X High School in Houston, TX
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #52
Last year: Jones was a senior in high school (no commitment post)

For a moment I forgot why I never posted about Jones’ commitment.  Now I remember – I was vacationing at the beach and had better things to do (in other words, sitting in a hot tub, playing Frisbee, using my superior height to dominate in pool volleyball, and checking out the . . . sunsets).  But I’m not at the beach now, so this might be a little long winded.

I was thoroughly excited about Jones’ commitment.  He’s a missile-like 6’1″ and has reportedly put on 10 lbs. since his senior year year, when he was listed at 215.  The size isn’t particularly intimidating right now, but he obviously works hard in the gym and has been following Michigan’s workout regimen this spring.  I see no reason why he can’t bulk up to 240-ish pounds in a couple years.

Jones had offers from the likes of Arizona, Arkansas, Boise State, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Purdue, Stanford, Texas A&M, and Virginia, among others.  Scout ranked him as a 4-star and the #12 middle linebacker.  He was a 3-star, the #29 inside linebacker, and the #69 player in the state of Texas to Rivals.  ESPN placed him as a 3-star and the #35 outside linebacker, and 247 Sports ranked him as a 3-star, too.  As a senior in 2010, he had 110 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, and 8 sacks.

The best parts of Jones’ game are his intelligence and instincts.  He has a knack for finding the ball even if he has to wade through the trash.  Furthermore, as a high school middle linebacker, he has experience playing the position, which ought to enhance the speed with which he picks up the college game.  Once he finds the ball, he’s a solid tackler who could be a devastating hitter once he puts on the necessary weight and refines some tackling technique issues.  There are times where he just hits guys and lets his weight drag down the ballcarrier, which isn’t going to work in the Big Ten, at least not until he hits 240 or so.

Jones’ size has led some to believe that he’ll be headed for the WILL position at Michigan, but he was recruited to play the MIKE.  And when I watch him on film, the MIKE seems to be where he’s best suited.  Jones plays sideline-to-sideline rather than downhill.  As a MIKE in a 4-3, he needs to flow from side to side and make tackles all over the field.  The WILL linebacker needs to read the play and go now (a skill that 2012 linebacker James Ross possesses in spades), and while Jones diagnoses plays quickly, it just doesn’t seem to be his style to get upfield.  Other than when his coaches sent him on blitzes (which was often), most of his plays seemed to be made a couple yards beyond the line of scrimmage.

If you had asked me back in January, I would have said that Jones might be the #2 middle linebacker this fall. However, the return of Marell Evans to the team makes that a little more questionable.  Evans played well at MIKE this spring and while I expect him to play WILL this fall, he could slide over to MIKE if Demens suffers an injury.  It would seem that Jones will be in a constant battle for playing time with Demens a redshirt junior and then the stellar 2012 linebacker class (Royce Jenkins-Stone and Joe Bolden, in particular) pushing him after Demens graduates.

TTB Rating: 78

Prediction: Special teams contributor; backup linebacker

2011 Countdown: #65 Tamani Carter

Tamani Carter (#3)

Name: Tamani Carter
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 175 lbs.
High school: Pickerington Central High School in Pickerington, OH
Position: Safety
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #20
Last year: Carter was a senior in high school (commitment post here)

TTB Rating: 62

Carter was one of the kids recruited by Brady Hoke and Greg Mattison once they were hired at Michigan.  Michigan fans didn’t have much time to get familiar with him, and he didn’t create a ton of buzz when they did find out more about him.  He was one of those tweener players with a mediocre offer list and an unspectacular highlight film.  But he was a defensive back, which Michigan needed.

Although listed as a cornerback by recruiting services, Hoke introduced him as a safety on National Signing Day.  That’s probably a good thing, because I don’t see Carter having the athleticism to run with Big Ten wide receivers on a regular basis.  He might get a bit of seasoning this year because of Michigan’s shortage of safeties, but Carter will be blocked for major playing time by more experienced or more athletic players.  He could be a Brandent Englemon, fill-in starter type somewhere down the road, though.

Prediction: Backup safety

2011 Countdown: #66 Raymon Taylor

Raymon Taylor

Name: Raymon Taylor
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 170 lbs.
High school: Highland Park High School in Highland Park, MI
Position: Cornerback/safety
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #21
Last year: Taylor was a high school senior (commitment post here)

TTB Rating: 67

Taylor is one of the Wolverines’ more intriguing players from the class of 2011.  He could play several positions at the next level, including cornerback, free safety, or wide receiver.  He doesn’t have ideal change-of-direction skills for corner, nor ideal size for safety and wide receiver.  However, he was a productive player on both sides of the ball, and I have to give him credit for that.

At least a couple of the five freshman defensive backs are going to contribute this fall, and Taylor ought to be up there battling for time.  He has the overall skill set to see time on special times, and as I said in his commitment post, he reminds me of James Rogers.  Rogers saw a little time as a freshman cornerback back in 2007, so maybe we’ll see a repeat of his career.  The Wolverines are also a little low on receivers, so I wouldn’t be entirely surprised to hear that Taylor’s taking snaps on offense in August, either.

Prediction: Backup defensive back; special teams contributor

2011 Countdown: #67 Erik Gunderson

Erik Gunderson (#69)

Name: Erik Gunderson
Height: 6’8″
Weight: 298 lbs.
High school: Milan High School in Milan, MI
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #69
Last year: I did not rank Gunderson.  He didn’t play in any games.

Gunderson was one of those kids who created a wee bit of buzz when he chose to attend Michigan and become a walk-on.  Those things happen when you come out of high school standing 6’8″ and weighing 338 lbs.  But many assumed that he would be too stiff to play at this level and he would spend a few years standing on the sidelines, blocking the view of fans sitting in the first row.

But Rich Rodriguez was the coach and he criminally under-recruited various positions, including offensive linemen the past couple years.  By default Gunderson might be the #4 offensive tackle for the upcoming season, and he actually acquitted himself well this past spring.  He could be an emergency option in case of injury, and he has an outside chance to push for playing time in the next few years.  However, I have to think that if an injury bug hit the offensive tackles ahead of him for any length of time, somebody like Patrick Omameh would probably slide from guard to tackle to fill the gap.

Prediction: Backup offensive tackle

2011 Countdown: #68 Greg Brown

Greg Brown (#35) looks on as Je’ron Stokes (#6) catches the TD pass in the 2011 spring game.

Name: Greg Brown
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 180 lbs.
High school: Ross High School in Fremont, OH
Position: Cornerback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #35
Last year: Brown was a high school senior

For some reason I failed to write up a commitment post for Brown when he committed back in September of 2009.  That’s probably because I was super busy right at the beginning of football season, but now I have nothing to link to.  Crap.

Brown enrolled early back in January, and that ought to give him a leg up on some of his defensive back classmates.  Early reports from spring practice weren’t exactly glowing, but he started to gain some steam as the spring session continued.  Brown played a fair amount in the spring game, and reviews of his performance were mixed.  He had good coverage at times, bad coverage at times, and wasn’t particularly effective supporting the run.  Overall, though, he did about as well as one could expect of a freshman early enrollee.

With the return of three starting cornerbacks (Troy Woolfolk, J.T. Floyd, Courtney Avery) in the fall and some more talented classmates hitting the field in August, Brown’s chances of making a major impact this fall are slim.  He might play against the MAC teams on the schedule, but regular special teams duty might even be a stretch.

Prediction: Backup cornerback