Preview: Michigan vs. Michigan

Tag: 2012 spring game


14Apr 2012
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Preview: Michigan vs. Michigan

William Campbell (#73) will get his chance to be The Man in the middle of Michigan’s defensive line

Everyone was excited about the spring game last year to see how much Michigan would change from Rich Rodriguez to Brady Hoke.  This year we know what to expect, and the questions are more about the minutiae of the game.  Will this guy play over that other guy?  Who’s the main backup at this position?  Well, now’s our chance.

Here are the things I’m most excited to see in the spring game.

Who “starts” at cornerback?  Rumors this spring have suggested that Terrence Talbott is playing with the first team, sometimes over returning starter J.T. Floyd.  I have never been a huge fan of Floyd’s abilities as a corner, and I will be curious to see whether Talbott can perform when he gets the opportunity.  We haven’t seen much of Talbott since 2010 when he was a true freshman, and frankly, he was a kid who should have redshirted.  How much has he improved?  I’m not rooting for Floyd to lose his job; I’m rooting for the best player to play.  I wonder which guy it will be.

How good is the defensive line?  Michigan lost three starters from last season, and the lone remaining starter is changing from weakside end to strongside end.  Nose tackle William Campbell showed flashes of brilliance last season and is penciled in as the starter this year.  Hopefully he can be consistent.  Frank Clark and Brennen Beyer are classmates who are each vying for the weakside end position.  My guess is that at least one of those two becomes a solid full-timer at some point this season.

Can the freshmen play?  I’m not expecting to see a great deal of Kaleb Ringer, but Joe Bolden is supposedly the #2 middle linebacker already and Jarrod Wilson seems to be the #2 free safety.  I don’t have high hopes for Wilson to look great on Saturday because safety is a difficult position to adjust to early.  But so is middle linebacker, and the reports on Bolden have been glowing.

How good are the receivers?  I have serious concerns about the receivers’ abilities to get open consistently.  Tight end Brandon Moore is likely bound to be mediocre, Roy Roundtree struggled on the outside, and Jeremy Gallon seems to be a complementary guy who’s being squeezed into a primary role.  If Jerald Robinson isn’t solid on Saturday, I will be very concerned going into September.

Can the offensive get anything going?  I might be wrong, but I have a feeling that the spring game is going to be a bit of a stinker.  First of all, I doubt Brady Hoke and Al Borges are going to open up the offense at all.  I think they’ll be very vanilla.  With two new starters on the interior offensive line (Ricky Barnum at center, likely Elliott Mealer at left guard) and questions at receiver, I’m guessing William Campbell and the linebackers are going to feast on the #1 offense.  And remember – they won’t have to tackle Denard Robinson.  They’ll just have to get close enough to him to make the officials blow the whistle.

14Apr 2012
Uncategorized 6 comments

Spring Game Depth Chart*

*These are my presumptions for what you’ll (hopefully) see on Saturday.  If storms hit then the game will be held inside, and it won’t be open to the public.  I’m not sure whether it will be televised or not in that case, but at the very least, I would expect MGoBlue.com to put out a video.  If the weather isn’t too horrible, you’ll be able to find the game on the Big Ten Network at noon.

QB: Denard Robinson, Devin Gardner, Russell Bellomy
RB: Fitzgerald Toussaint, Thomas Rawls, Vincent Smith, Justice Hayes
FB: Stephen Hopkins, Joey Kerridge, Paul Gyarmati
FL: Roy Roundtree, Jerald Robinson, Jeremy Jackson
SE: Jeremy Gallon, Drew Dileo
TE: Brandon Moore, Mike Kwiatkowski, Ricardo Miller
LT: Taylor Lewan, Michael Schofield**
LG: Elliott Mealer, Joey Burzynski
C: Ricky Barnum, Jack Miller
RG: Patrick Omameh, Chris Bryant
RT: Michael Schofield, Erik Gunderson

SDE: Craig Roh, Keith Heitzman, Chris Rock
NT: William Campbell, Richard Ash
DT: Jibreel Black, Quinton Washington, Ken Wilkins
WDE: Frank Clark, Brennen Beyer
SAM: Jake Ryan, Cam Gordon
MIKE: Kenny Demens, Joe Bolden, Mike Jones
WILL: Desmond Morgan, Antonio Poole, Brandin Hawthorne, Kaleb Ringer
CB: Blake Countess, Raymon Taylor, Delonte Hollowell
CB: J.T. Floyd, Terrence Talbott
FS: Thomas Gordon, Jarrod Wilson
SS: Jordan Kovacs, Marvin Robinson

**Schofield is Lewan’s primary backup at left tackle.

13Apr 2012
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Weekend Visitors: April 13-15, 2012

Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas DE Joey
Bosa is perhaps the most important of the uncommitted
prospects to be coming to town this weekend

I’ll update this list as the week continues, but here’s a list of high schoolers who will be visiting for Michigan’s spring game.  All players listed have Michigan offers unless otherwise noted.

Nashville (TN) Montgomery Bell DE Alex Bars: Bars is a 6’6″, 250 lb. defensive end for the class of 2014.  His older brother is Blake, the incoming Michigan freshman offensive lineman.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas DE Joey Bosa: Bosa is a 6’5″, 260 lb. strongside end and/or 3-tech tackle.  He’s not very far along toward making a decision, so nothing should be expected soon.  He’s a long shot to pick the Wolverines, but getting a kid on campus is a step in the right direction. (Bosa’s scouting report.)

Wheaton (IL) St. Francis OG Kyle Bosch: Bosch committed to Michigan in February.

Pickerington (OH) North TE Jake Butt: Butt committed to Michigan in February.

Pickerington (OH) Central DE Taco Charlton: Charlton committed to Michigan in February.

Forestville (MD) Bishop McNamara DT Darius Commissiong: Commissiong is a 6’2″, 285 lb. tackle who could be in line for a Michigan offer now that Greg Webb is off the board.  He already has offers from Iowa, Maryland, Purdue, Virginia, and several others.  He is also the teammate of 2014 offensive tackle target Damian Prince.

Massillon (OH) Washington CB Gareon Conley: Conley committed to Michigan in March.  UPDATE: Conley is not coming anymore due to taking the ACT.

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech OG David Dawson: Dawson committed to Michigan in February.

Columbus (OH) Marion-Franklin WR Jaron Dukes: Dukes committed to Michigan in February.

Parker (CO) Ponderose OT Chris Fox: Fox committed to Michigan in February.

Olney (MD) Good Counsel CB Kendall Fuller: Fuller is a 6’0″, 185 lb. defensive back who is generally considered to be one of the top couple corners in the country.  His linebacker teammate Dorian O’Daniel was originally supposed to come, too, but Michigan is no longer recruiting him. (Fuller’s scouting report.)

Olney (MD) Good Counsel CB Kirk Garner: Garner does not have a Michigan offer, but he is being pursued by Florida State, Maryland, Nebraska, Penn State, Purdue, Tennessee, West Virginia, and several others.  Michigan recently extended an offer to Avon (OH) Avon cornerback Ross Douglas, so the coaches might be willing to expand their search for more defensive backs if they think Garner is worthy.  UPDATE: Garner is no longer visiting due to because the coaches have told him they’re full at cornerback.

Akron (OH) Firestone WR Kevin Gladney: Gladney is a 6’1″, 175 lb. wideout who has been considered by some to be on the verge of committing to Michigan.  Despite a slowly building offer list, he’s held off so far.  Iowa, Michigan State, and Purdue are also after him.  UPDATE: According to Tom VanHaaren, Michigan is no longer pursuing Gladney.

Detroit (MI) Crockett TE Khalid Hill: Hill committed to Michigan in February.

Mequon (WI) Homestead DT Brandon Hines: Hines is a 6’2″, 265 lb. defensive tackle from the 2014 class.  He doesn’t have any offers yet, but he has shown considerable interest in the Wolverines.

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech LB Gary Hosey: The 6’0″, 230 lb. Hosey, a 2014 prospect, will be visiting along with some of his Cass Tech teammates.  He currently has no FBS offers.

Toledo (OH) Central Catholic QB DeShone Kizer: Kizer is a 6’4″, 205 lb. quarterback from the 2014 class with offers from Bowling Green, Syracuse, and Toledo.  He’s a teammate of 2013 recruits Jayme Thompson and Matt Miller.  UPDATE: Kizer will NOT be visiting Ann Arbor this weekend because he doesn’t have a ride.

College Station (TX) A&M DT Christian Lacouture: Lacouture is a 6’5″, 255-pounder who’s somewhat similar to Bosa.  He could play either SDE or DT if he chooses Michigan, but he was previously committed to Texas A&M, a school that’s still in the mix for his services.

Woodbridge (VA) Woodbridge LB E.J. Levenberry: Levenberry is a 6’3″, 226 lb. linebacker who could play either MIKE or SAM at Michigan.  Michigan was his leader at one point, but after a week-long trip to Tallahassee, he now has Florida State tied at #1 with the Wolverines.  Perhaps the visit can vault Michigan back into the lead, but either way, Levenberry wants to wait until January to commit.  UPDATE: Levenberry recently announced that he plans to make his commitment in August.

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech CB Jourdan Lewis: Lewis committed to Michigan in February.

Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison LB Mike McCray: McCray committed to Michigan in March.

Detroit (MI) Loyola DE Malik McDowell: McDowell is a 6’6″, 260 lb. defensive end in the class of 2014.  So far his only offers are from Michigan, Michigan State, and Syracuse, but Michigan appears to be the odds-on favorite.

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech WR/S Johnny Miggins: Miggins is a 5’11”, 170-pounder who could play wide receiver, safety, or possibly cornerback at the next level.  He’s another class of 2014 prospect out of Cass Tech with no offers yet.

Perrysburg (OH) St. John’s DE Matt Miller: Miller is a 6’5″, 250 lb. strongside end whose brother Jack plays offensive line for the Wolverines.  He has offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Miami, Michigan State, Purdue, and Toledo, but he appears to be a backup option for Michigan.

Warren (MI) De La Salle QB Shane Morris: Morris committed to Michigan last May.

Brookfield (WI) Central DE Chikwe Obasih: Obasih is a 6’4″, 230 lb. defensive end who has not yet been offered by the Wolverines, but he does have verbal offers from Illinois, Iowa, Mississippi, Purdue, and Wisconsin, along with a few others.

Scottsdale (AZ) Chaparral TE Jake Roh: Roh is the 6’3″, 200 lb. brother of Michigan defensive end Craig Roh.  He doesn’t have a Michigan offer but is sitting on Arizona, Duke, and Oregon State offers.  Jake doesn’t seem to have the speed to play wide receiver at Michigan, which is his current position and where Arizona wants him to play.

Novi (MI) Catholic Central RB Wyatt Shallman: Shallman committed to Michigan in February.

Warren (OH) Howland RB DeVeon Smith: Smith committed to Michigan in March.

Peoria (IL) Manual OT Logan Tuley-Tillman: Tuley-Tillman committed to Michigan in February.

Toledo (OH) Central Catholic TE Keith Towbridge: Towbridge has not been offered by Michigan yet, but he’s a 6’4″, 230 lb. option if the Wolverines want to expand their search for a tight end.  The Wolverines will need to give out more tight end offers if they want to add another player at the position, since every current offeree has committed somewhere already.  He does have offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, and Purdue, along with a couple offers from smaller schools.  UPDATE: Towbridge committed to Louisville on Thursday, so he will NOT be visiting Michigan.

Crete (IL) Crete-Monee WR Laquon Treadwell: Treadwell was supposed to visit Oklahoma this weekend, but due to bad weather, he will be making the trek to Ann Arbor for the Wolverines’ spring game. (Treadwell’s scouting report.)

Los Angeles (CA) Loyola CB Cameron Walker: Walker is a 5’10”, 180 lb. corner whose only other offer comes from San Diego State.  The coaches still seem to be actively pursuing him, and I would not be surprised if Walker commits after the visit.  UPDATE: Walker has canceled his trip after being told that the recruiting class is full at cornerback.

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech WR Damon Webb: Webb is a 5’11”, 170 lb. wideout who is transferring into Cass Tech this year.  He has impressed observers at some recent camps.

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech LB William White: The 6’1″, 215 lb. linebacker, a 2014 kid, is the son of former Detroit Lions safety William White.  He also has no offers yet.

Cleveland (OH) Glenville S Christopher Worley: Worley is a 6’2″, 185 lb. safety with offers from Arkansas, Boston College, and West Virginia.  He doesn’t have a Michigan offer yet, but there may be opportunities to add more depth at the safety position before the end of the recruiting cycle.  Redshirt sophomore safety Josh Furman is currently suspended from the football team, and redshirt freshman Tamani Carter has also been absent from spring practices for undisclosed reasons.