Tag: 2012 season countdown

2012 Season Countdown: #65 Chris Wormley

Chris Wormley

Name: Chris Wormley
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 270 lbs.
High school: Toledo (OH) Whitmer
Position: Defensive end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #43
Last year: Wormley was in high school.  He had 66 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 pass breakup.

Final TTB Rating: 73

Wormley’s reputation as a football player went through a bit of a rough patch last year.   Widely regarded as an elite recruit early in his high school career, questions arose about his health and aggressiveness.  Some people (including me) thought that perhaps he had suffered an injury or, worse, had lost his fire for the game. The numbers above look pretty good, but it seemed they could have been better if he had given a little more effort on the field.

Wormley claims to be 270 lbs. now and he’s headed for the strongside defensive end position, unless or until he outgrows the position.  There has been a lot of discussion about his potential to play the 3-tech defensive tackle spot, and that seems to be a distinct possibility down the road.  Strongside end is a tough position to play for a true freshman because of the technique and strength required to hold up against double teams, so Wormley should probably redshirt.  After senior starter Craig Roh graduates, Wormley can battle with his classmates, Keith Heitzman, and Nathan Brink for the starting job.

Prediction: Redshirt if possible

2012 Season Countdown: #66 Royce Jenkins-Stone

Jenkins-Stone

Name: Royce Jenkins-Stone
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 215 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #52
Last year: Jenkins-Stone was in high school.  He had 84 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries; 309 yards rushing, 5 touchdowns; 4 receptions, 43 yards, and 1 touchdown.

Jenkins-Stone is a hulking middle linebacker prospect who should be a very imposing figure once he adds some weight.  He was given some high praise early on in the recruiting process and, for whatever reason, didn’t produce a great deal during his senior year.  Don’t get me wrong – those numbers above are very good, but they’re not off the charts like many expected.  There didn’t seem to be a great deal of on-the-field maturation between his junior and senior seasons.

Going into his freshman season, Jenkins-Stone has an uphill battle to climb for playing time.  He was recruited for the MIKE position, but the starter is Kenny Demens and fellow freshman Joe Bolden enrolled early and received a lot of hype.  And while the depth isn’t great at MIKE, there are other options that could slide over from WILL, such as Desmond Morgan and Brandin Hawthorne.  There has been some speculation that Jenkins-Stone will play SAM, and that does make sense.  The only two SAMs on the roster are redshirt sophomore Jake Ryan and redshirt junior Cam Gordon; last year’s other SAMs, Brennen Beyer and Jordan Paskorz, moved to defensive end and tight end, respectively.  I actually like the idea of Jenkins-Stone playing SAM because he’s not great at diagnosing plays, but either way, he’s bound to be no higher than third string.  That means he will have to make an impact on special teams or redshirt.

Prediction: Redshirt if possible

2012 Season Countdown: #67 Ben Braden

Ben Braden

Name: Ben Braden
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 325 lbs.
High school: Rockford (MI) Rockford
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Braden was in high school.  No stats are available.

Final TTB Rating: 71

Braden is a mammoth offensive lineman for being an incoming freshman.  At least in my memory, he’s the largest scholarship offensive lineman to come to Michigan if those measurements prove accurate.  Despite excellent size, Braden was mostly regarded by the recruiting services as a mediocre recruit.  He’s not the most technical or the most athletic lineman around.

Despite some shortcomings, Braden ranks fairly high on the list for a freshman lineman because of a lack of depth.  Technically, Michigan’s only two non-freshman offensive tackles are their starters, Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield.  Outside of those two, options are limited to freshmen, walk-ons, or guys who are expected to play guard like Elliott Mealer and Patrick Omameh.  Braden might not be any better than those walk-ons as a true freshman, but because of his size, he is perhaps the second-most likely rookie lineman to see the field.  If he plays at all, expect to see him limited to the right tackle position.

Prediction: Backup right tackle

2012 Season Countdown: #68 Mike Jones

Mike Jones (#27)

Name: Mike Jones
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 224 lbs.
High school: Orlando (FL) Edgewater
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #27
Last year: I ranked Jones #33 and said he would be the backup WILL.  He was a backup WILL, but he was mostly buried on the bench and made 4 total tackles.

As you can see from last year’s post, I am not a fan of Jones’s abilities.  Because of the lack of depth at linebacker, I assumed he would be in the mix for playing time, but he was beaten out by Brandin Hawthorne, Brandon Herron, and freshman Desmond Morgan, each of whom started at least one game at WILL.  Jones always seems to be a step slow, which is especially a problem when you’re a 224 lb. inside linebacker who’s not a particularly big hitter.

I’ve seen enough of Jones getting passed up to assume that he will once again be an end-of-the-bench guy.  Herron graduated, but Morgan and Hawthorne are still around, along with redshirt freshman Antonio Poole; now freshmen Kaleb Ringer and James Ross join the fray.  Middle linebacker is also a possibility for Jones, but Kenny Demens is the starter there and freshman Joe Bolden might be his primary backup.  No matter where Jones gets the most reps in practice, he’s likely to have a true freshman or redshirt freshman blocking his path.  Special teams coverage and mop-up duty seem to be his best bets for playing time.

Prediction: Special teamer

2012 Season Countdown: #69 Joe Kerridge

Joe Kerridge

Name: Joe Kerridge
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 231 lbs.
High school: Traverse City (MI) St. Francis
Position: Fullback
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #36
Last year: I did not rank Kerridge.  He redshirted.

Kerridge came to Michigan as a walk-on after his senior season was derailed by an ACL tear.  If not for the injury, he probably would have received a couple low-level scholarship offers.  As a sophomore and junior, he had 2,200 yards rushing and scored 35 touchdowns as the team’s featured running back.  But after sitting out his senior season, he took last year to work his way back into football playing shape.

Now presumably recovered from his ACL injury, Kerridge has a chance to nab the backup fullback job behind Stephen Hopkins.  He will also be battling freshman Sione Houma, but Kerridge has Houma beat in size.  The redshirt freshman seemed to play pretty well in the spring and did what a fullback should do, block and catch an occasional pass.  He’s not the runner that Hopkins is, but Kerridge is more of a traditional I-formation fullback.  Occasional snaps should be available to spell Hopkins or mop up late in games.

Prediction: Backup fullback; 1 carry for 3 yards