2012 Season Countdown: #10 Thomas Gordon

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20Aug 2012
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2012 Season Countdown: #10 Thomas Gordon

Thomas Gordon

Name: Thomas Gordon
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 207 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #30
Last year: I ranked Gordon #34 and said he would be the slot corner.  He started 10 games at free safety, making 67 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 2 pass breakups, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles, and 4 fumble recoveries.

For a redshirt sophomore playing his first season at free safety, Gordon had an outstanding season in 2011.  In the spring of last year, he was practicing at slot corner and doing an excellent job.  The lack of depth at free safety – perhaps combined with Gordon’s playmaking abilities – jumped him into the top spot playing center field.  Toward the beginning of the year, he had a highlight-reel, one-handed interception on a double pass against Eastern Michigan; he also picked up a fumble in that game and went on to grab three more on the year.  For some unknown reason, he lost some playing time late in the season to Troy Woolfolk (who lost his cornerback job), despite only an occasional slip-up like in the Nebraska game.  Overall, he was a very solid player.

Now he’s the incumbent free safety with no strong challenger for his job, but he has been rumored to be the best defensive player on the team; that was the case in the spring, and the rumors have persisted so far this fall.  He will never be the fastest free safety, but he rarely gets out of position, tackles well, and always seems to be around the football.  Gordon’s primary backup appears to be freshman Jarrod Wilson, and true freshman safeties make me nervous.  Wilson needs to sharpen his skills in non-critical moments until he gains the awareness and strength not to be a liability back there.  Josh Furman and Marvin Robinson could also play free safety, but neither one excels in space.  Provided he stays healthy, this should be a bit of a breakout season for Gordon, who could earn some all-conference honors if he continues to improve.

Prediction: Starting free safety; 70 tackles, 2 interceptions; All-Big Ten Honorable Mention

Poll results: Gordon was first with 59% of the vote.

19Aug 2012
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2012 Season Countdown: #11 Michael Schofield

Michael Schofield (#75)

Name: Michael Schofield
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 300 lbs.
High school: Orland Park (IL) Sandburg
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #75
Last year: I ranked Schofield #42 and said he would be a backup offensive tackle.  Schofield started 10 games at left guard and played in all 13 games on special teams.

At 6’7″ and around 300 lbs., not many people expected that Schofield would play guard at Michigan.  In fact, when he came in for the injured Ricky Barnum early last season, it was the first time in his life that he had played guard.  Barnum suffered a lower leg injury that kept him from getting back to full strength, and Schofield played fairly well in his stead.  One might expect that someone with Schofield’s height would struggle on the interior, but he used his athleticism (he was a high school hurdler) to pull and maneuver through traffic.

The guy blocking Schofield’s path at right tackle (Mark Huyge) has graduated now, and the dearth of non-freshman tackles requires that he move back to the perimeter.  That opens up a hole at left guard now that Barnum has moved to center, but Schofield can’t be the answer there anymore.  Many people think Michigan’s pair of tackles is its best in years.  Taylor Lewan holds down the left tackle position and might be an All-American and/or a future first round draft pick, and Schofield has a chance to develop into a very good tackle over the next couple seasons.  Jake Long never had a strong tackle on the opposite side, so perhaps the 2000 season (Jeff Backus at LT, Maurice Williams at RT) was the last time Michigan was this good in the perimeter of the line.  It’s imperative that the two tackles stay healthy, or else freshmen will likely have to step in there.

Prediction: Starting right tackle

Poll results: Schofield got 35% of the vote for #11, while Thomas Gordon was first with 39%.

18Aug 2012
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2012 Season Countdown: #12 Jake Ryan

Jake Ryan

Name: Jake Ryan
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 242 lbs.
High school: Westlake (OH) St. Ignatius
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #90
Last year: I ranked Ryan #27 and said he would be the backup SAM with 40 tackles and 2 sacks.  He started eleven games at the position, making 37 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 2 fumble recoveries.

Ryan probably had the biggest breakout season of any defender in 2011.  As I hinted at in last year’s countdown, he’s the type of kid who’s just always around the ball.  In the opener against WMU, he hit the quarterback and caused the interception that was returned 94 yards for a touchdown by Brandon Herron.  Against San Diego State, he recovered two fumbles.  And in his most explosive game, the Sugar Bowl vs. Virginia Tech, Ryan made 7 tackles, 1 sack, and 4 tackles for loss, including a tackle of running back David Wilson 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage.  Ryan wasn’t perfect; he lost outside contain at times and wasn’t great in pass coverage, but he was pretty good for a redshirt freshman.

This season he will likely continue to hold off Cam Gordon for the SAM linebacker job.  Ryan has put on about twelve pounds in the offseason and looks considerably bigger.  He played some snaps at defensive end in pass rush situations, and that role will probably expand with the unknown future of weakside end Frank Clark, who will likely face a suspension or worse for his alleged role in stealing a computer.  Currently, Ryan and Gordon are the only two SAMs, so an injury to either one could force the coaches to shift another linebacker to the strong side.  Ryan is going to see lots of playing time this year, and he’s going to be rushing the quarterback from every angle possible.  Not only will he be a better player in 2012; he should be more consistent.

Prediction: Starting SAM linebacker; 45 tackles, 5 sacks

17Aug 2012
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2012 Season Countdown: #13 Roy Roundtree

Roy Roundtree

Name: Roy Roundtree
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 180 lbs.
High school: Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #21
Last year: I ranked Roundtree #11 and said he would have 850 yards and 7 touchdowns.  He had 19 receptions for 355 yards (18.7 yards per reception) and 2 touchdowns.

Boy, was I wrong about Roundtree last season.  Coming off a stellar 2010 campaign, I thought he would start where he left off and continue his synchronous relationship with Denard Robinson.  Instead, Roundtree failed to catch a pass in three games and averaged just 1.9 receptions per game in the ones where he actually caught a ball.  He did make some nice plays, particularly against Notre Dame and Nebraska.  But the adjustment from slot receiver in Rich Rodriguez’s offense to split end in Al Borges’s offense really took its toll, to the point where 5’8″ slot/split end Jeremy Gallon caught 31 balls, twelve more than last year’s returning leading receiver.

Roundtree makes yet another position move in 2012, this time to flanker.  He replaces the departed Junior Hemingway, who had 34 catches and 699 yards.  Hemingway was targeted more often than Roundtree, and now Roundtree will likely become the primary passing target.  The flanker typically lines up on the same side of the field as a tight end or slot receiver, so there are more combination routes on that side of the field.  With no obvious passing target from the tight end corps now that Kevin Koger has graduated, Roundtree might be targeted more often than Hemingway was.  Unfortunately, Roundtree recently had arthroscopic surgery on his knee, which might get him off to a slow start this season.  Freshman receivers Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson could alleviate the loss of Roundtree, as could the emergence of redshirt sophomore Jerald Robinson, whom departing seniors guessed would have a breakout season in 2012.  But Roundtree should be more polished this season and has more speed than Robinson, so hopefully he can come back from his minor knee surgery and make an impact early in the season.

Prediction: Starting wide receiver; 30 receptions, 500 yards, 4 touchdowns

16Aug 2012
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2012 Season Countdown: #14 Kenny Demens

Kenny Demens

Name: Kenny Demens
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 242 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) Country Day
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #25
Last year: I ranked Demens #3 and said he would have 100 tackles.  He had 94 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 2 pass breakups, and 1 forced fumble.

Demens went from a part-time starter in 2010 to almost never coming off the field in 2011.  At a solid 248 lbs., he looked like a prototypical linebacker for a 4-3 defense.  He was pretty good against the run and pretty good against the pass, although he never really seemed to have a signature play or signature game.  Ask a bunch of Michigan fans what their favorite Demens play is, and you’ll either get no answer or a bunch of different answers.  Regardless, he was a mainstay on the field, even in obvious passing situations when a 6’1″, 248-pounder with seemingly limited athleticism might seem to be a liability.

Now Demens has lost six pounds, which is probably a good thing.  While he wasn’t overweight last season, the Big Ten is no longer a power run-heavy league and his weight seemed to be a bit cumbersome for chasing down all the spread running backs and receivers.  Maybe being a little lighter will give him an extra half step to make a few more plays, and 242 isn’t small by any means.  I put Demens at #3 last season partly because he had no viable backup, and that was evidenced by the fact that he was rarely replaced, except in blowouts.  Now that freshman Joe Bolden is on campus, Demens should be able to get a breather.  Bolden likely won’t be a crunch-time player, but he’s more reliable than the backup MIKEs who were available last season.  Brandin Hawthorne also got more reps at MIKE in the spring and could be a situational replacement there, although he’s more of a weakside ‘backer.  Demens should get a little more rest this season, but he’ll still have a big impact on the defense.

Prediction: 90 tackles, 1 interception