2012 Season Countdown: #40 Nathan Brink

Tag: 2012 season countdown

21Jul 2012
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2012 Season Countdown: #40 Nathan Brink

Nathan Brink

Name: Nathan Brink
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 263 lbs.
High school: Holland (MI) Christian
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #67
Last year: I did not rank Brink.  He played in 11 games and made 1 tackle for loss.

Brink was a bit of a surprise last year, at least to me.  On a somewhat thin defensive line, the walk-on strongside end was touted during the spring and summer as a potential contributor by defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, who said that Brink was good enough to be in the two-deep at any of Mattison’s college stops (including Michigan, Notre Dame, and Florida).  I guess Mattison wasn’t lying, so maybe I should put more stock in what he says about personnel . . . but Brink played in eleven games and made just one tackle, so . . . yeah, I’m still not sure.

Whenever I saw Brink in the game last season, he seemed to struggle to get off the ball.  He was getting pushed around and couldn’t seem to get off blocks.  Of course, he was only a 260-ish pound redshirt sophomore, so maybe some added weight and strength will make the difference.  I have questions about whether he can be a productive player, but Mattison says he can, so here he sits at #40 on the list.  Craig Roh will probably start at the 5-tech position with no clear pecking order behind him, so the opportunity is there for Brink to step in, along with redshirt freshman Keith Heitzman and a few incoming freshmen.

Prediction: Backup defensive end

20Jul 2012
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2012 Season Countdown: #41 Quinton Washington

Quinton Washington

Name: Quinton Washington
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 302 lbs.
High school: St. Stephen (SC) Timberland
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #76
Last year: I ranked Washington #32 and said he would have 15 tackles as a backup DT.  He played in eight games and made 1 tackle.

I guess I overrated Washington’s ability to contribute last season, because he wasn’t even close to being productive.  He seems like an offensive guard who got stuck on defense, and by now it’s probably too late for him to switch back.  He lacks the quickness to get off the ball well, so whenever he’s in the game, it seems like he and an offensive lineman just get in a shoving match with nobody going anywhere.

With three stout linemen having graduated (Mike Martin, Ryan Van Bergen, and Will Heininger), the spots along the defensive line are wide open.  Washington has a chance to play nose tackle or 3-tech, but the coaches have inserted William Campbell at NT and bumped Jibreel Black down from weakside end to the 3-tech position.  Those are your likely starters for the beginning of the season, so guys like Washington, Richard Ash, and freshman Ondre Pipkins are going to be working their way up from below.  It seems like big #76 needs to step up this season for Michigan to have a strong defensive line rotation, but I didn’t see him flash a whole lot of potential in the spring game.  He will likely be a backup once again, although hopefully more productive than he was last season.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle, special teams contributor

19Jul 2012
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2012 Season Countdown: #42 Jack Miller

Jack Miller (image via GBMWolverine)

Name: Jack Miller
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 263 lbs.
High school: Toledo (OH) St. John’s
Position: Center
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #60
Last year: I ranked Miller #89 and said he would redshirt.  He redshirted.

Last season it was pretty obvious that Miller was going to redshirt.  Part of the reason Rich Rodriguez offered him a scholarship was because he was a small-ish, fairly quick center.  And at 263 lbs. it’s practically impossible to play in the Big Ten.  Luckily, starter David Molk was able to avoid the injury bug for most of the year, except for one series at the beginning of the Sugar Bowl when Rocko Khoury stepped in.  Miller wasn’t needed, supposedly bulked up throughout the year, and will hopefully arrive in the fall at 280 lbs. or more.

Since backup center Khoury departed with one year of eligibility remaining and Molk graduated, experience at the center position is non-existent.  Nobody on the current roster has snapped the ball in a college game.  But instead of plugging in Miller, the coaches have moved left guard Ricky Barnum over to the center spot.  Barnum played center in high school and has snapped the ball in practices throughout his college career, so he has a fair amount of experience for a guy who’s never played the position in college . . . but Barnum has also been prone to injury throughout his career, making it quite possible that a backup center will be needed during the season.  Michigan has several options to back up Barnum, including Miller, walk-on Joey Burzynski (who played some center last season before working in at left guard this spring), and fifth year senior Elliott Mealler (who has snapped the ball sporadically in practices the past few seasons and will also be competing at left guard).  Miller may or may not be the first guy in, but Michigan fans should all be hoping that Barnum stays healthy for the first time in his career.

Prediction: Backup center

18Jul 2012
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2012 Season Countdown: #43 Keith Heitzman

Keith Heitzman wraps up running back Justice Hayes in the spring game (image via AnnArbor.com)

Name: Keith Heitzman
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 251 lbs.
High school: Hilliard (OH) Hilliard Davidson
Position: Defensive end
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #92
Last year: I said he would redshirt.  He redshirted.

Heitzman came in toward the end of the recruiting cycle in 2011, when Brady Hoke and Greg Mattison were trying to salvage a recruiting class that was really on the verge of falling into mediocrity.  Heitzman committed in late January, just a couple weeks prior to National Signing Day.  As a 237-pounder who the coaches thought would grow into a “tackle,” he was almost certainly headed for redshirt territory.  That is in fact what happened.

He is currently listed at 251 lbs. but looked a little bigger than that during spring ball, so it would not surprise me if he is listed at 260-270 lbs. once August rolls around.  Heitzman opened a few eyes during bowl practices, and while he wasn’t a stud, practices observers indicated that he could be on his way to contributing soon.  I liked what I saw out of Heitzman in the spring.  He looks like a guy who might be able to substitute in without other teams automatically taking advantage, and he might be able to make a few plays along the way.  He might eventually grow into a 3-tech defensive tackle, but for this year, I think he can be a backup to Craig Roh at the 5-tech defensive end position.  He’ll also have to battle true freshmen and walk-on Nathan Brink, none of whom participated in spring practices.

Prediction: Backup 5-tech defensive end

17Jul 2012
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2012 Season Countdown: #44 Chris Bryant

Chris Bryant

Name: Chris Bryant
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 341 lbs.
High school: Chicago (IL) Simeon
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #58
Last year: I said Bryant would redshirt.  He redshirted.

Bryant showed up on campus at 341 lbs., and that’s simply too big, especially if you’re only 6’4″.  He was bound to redshirt because of the depth on the offensive line, anyway, but showing up that heavy didn’t help matters.  Despite the extra weight, he impressed a lot of people in practices with his run blocking abilities.  The buzz from practice was that if he got hold of a defensive lineman, the defensive lineman was lost.  Unfortunately, Bryant didn’t pass block much in high school, so he needs some work in that area.

Because of his shortcomings in pass blocking and some footwork issues, Bryant lingers as the backup right guard behind Patrick Omameh.  While the left guard spot is open, that battle seems to be between walk-on Joey Burzynski and fifth year senior Elliott Mealer.  Coach Hoke mentioned in the spring that he likes to get offensive linemen comfortable on one side of the line before flipping them back and forth, and with Bryant’s road grading abilities, right guard seems like a good spot for Bryant at this juncture.  Hopefully Omameh stays healthy and Bryant can spend another year as an apprentice before battling for one of the guard spots in 2013.

Prediction: Backup right guard