Tag: 2011 Season Countdown

2011 Countdown: #39 Tom Pomarico

Tom Pomarico (#91)

Name: Tom Pomarico
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 236 lbs.
High school: Lumen Christi High School in Jackson, MI
Position: Long snapper
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #91
Last year: I didn’t rank any long snappers.  Pomarico started all 13 games and made 2 tackles in coverage.

Pomarico might even be ranked too low here.  He’s been the starting long snapper for two seasons, and I can’t remember a single botched snap in that time.  It generally seems to be an assumption that extra point and punt snaps will be handled cleanly, but that’s not the case for every team.  Good snaps are expected.  Bad snaps can be devastating.

Prediction: Starting long snapper

2011 Countdown: #40 Jerald Robinson

Jerald Robinson

Name: Jerald Robinson
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 195 lbs.
High school: South High School in Canton, OH
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #83
Last year: I ranked Robinson #58 and said he would earn regular reps at wide receiver.  He redshirted.

As I’m going through this countdown list, I’m discovering exactly how disappointing the 2010 freshman class was, at least in their short time on campus.  Not only are seven guys from the 27-man class of 2010 already gone (failed to qualify, kicked off the team, transferred, etc.), but a few more were in the doghouse early in their careers, including Robinson.  There are several talented and hardworking guys like Carvin Johnson, Drew Dileo, and several others, but it just seemed like an immature group.  Robinson was the most talented wideout in the class with decent speed plus the size and leaping ability to outjump cornerbacks, but he reportedly didn’t do what he needed to do in the offseason, and that kept him off the field last fall.

Now it’s 2011, though, and Robinson no longer has the excuse of being fresh out of high school.  He can run and jump and generally make quarterbacks happy.  He ought to be one of the first receivers off the bench and, if he keeps his head on straight, could be a starter in 2012.  It’s unclear how often the receivers will rotate this fall, and there are four senior receivers ahead of him, so we might only see flashes of what’s to come for the next three years.

Prediction: Backup wide receiver; 8 catches, 110 yards

2011 Countdown: #41 Je’Ron Stokes

Je’Ron Stokes (#6) hauls in a touchdown pass in the 2011 spring game

Name: Je’Ron Stokes
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 193 lbs.
High school: Northeast High School in Philadelphia, PA
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #6
Last year: I ranked Stokes #42 and said he’d have a dozen catches as a backup wide receiver.  He had 1 catch for 11 yards.

I overestimated Stokes’ usefulness a little bit last year, a season in which he had exactly one reception.  He tied for 12th on the team in receptions, and Michigan only lost five of their 243 receptions from a season ago (all five coming from tight end Martell Webb).  So there are still ten guys left who had more productive seasons catching the ball.

When Stokes is out on the field, he doesn’t look bad.  He’s not particularly slow or particularly short.  It seems like the quarterbacks just have better chemistry with the other wideouts.  With three seniors (Junior Hemingway, Martavious Odoms, and Darryl Stonum if he gets his life in order) and the team’s leading receiver (Roy Roundtree) returning here in 2011, things aren’t looking good for Stokes in the near future.  He probably won’t be targeted much again this season, which gives him one year to shine before running out of eligibility.  The clock is ticking.

Prediction: Backup wide receiver; 5 catches, 70 yards

2011 Countdown: #42 Michael Schofield

Michael Schofield (left) is up to 303 lbs. and younger brother Andrew, an offensive lineman for South Dakota, is up to 286 (image courtesy of the Schofield family)

Name: Michael Schofield
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 303 lbs.
High school: Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park, IL
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #75
Last year: I ranked Schofield #54 and said he would be a backup right tackle.  He played on special teams in every game and got in at right tackle against Bowling Green.

Schofield has added another ten pounds to his 6’7″ frame, and he’s finally in the range of an appropriate weight for a guy who’s that tall.  So if you’re wondering how quickly high school linemen can add 30 pounds, well, here’s one who’s done it prior to his third year of school (he was 275 as a freshman).  Schofield has been practicing mostly at right tackle the past couple seasons, but there were a couple upperclassmen (Perry Dorrestein, Mark Huyge) standing in his way.

Huyge still looks to block Schofield’s path here in 2011.  When starting left tackle Taylor Lewan injured his elbow in the spring, Huyge flipped over to the left side and Schofield drew into the lineup on the right.  The Wolverines only have three scholarship offensive tackles on the roster, so if any injuries crop up for Lewan or Huyge, Schofield might get his first significant taste of action.  However, there’s also a chance that if a long-term injury were to occur, right guard Patrick Omameh could bump out to tackle, since he has the height and athleticism to play both positions.  With the depth on the interior (two redshirt junior guards back up two redshirt junior guards), fanning out those upperclassmen might be the best choice.

Prediction: Backup right tackle; special teams contributor

Out of the Office

There seems to be a trend going around the Michigan blogosphere, and that’s . . . marriage.

Yours truly will be enjoying Bahamian beaches for the last ten days of July.

The 2011 Season Countdown will continue as scheduled, but if any news breaks . . . I don’t really care.

Candice and I will see you when we get back.