Tag: 2013 season countdown

2013 Season Countdown: #75 Jordan Paskorz

Jordan Paskorz

Name: Jordan Paskorz
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 251 lbs.
High school: Gibsonia (PA) Hampton
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #94
Last year: I ranked Paskorz #75 and said he would be a bench player. He played in one game on special teams.

I swear on Bo Schembechler’s grave that this is just a coincidence, but this is the third consecutive year I have ranked Paskorz at #75. Weird, eh? Anyway, Paskorz was recruited as an outside linebacker, but moved to tight end in spring of 2012. There he remains. After not sniffing the field for his first two years on campus, he finally got some special teams action against UMass last year . . . only to be relegated to the bench for the rest of the season.

After seeing Paskorz in spring games for the past couple years, I think it’s fairly safe to say that he’s just not a Michigan-caliber athlete. The Wolverines are low on tight ends with size now that Mike Kwiatkowski graduated, so Paskorz could earn a role as a third tight end in short yardage or possibly an injury replacement if A.J. Williams gets hurt. However, he’s probably not a long-term solution at the position, and I would not be surprised if he departs after the 2013 season.

Prediction: Tiny bits of playing time as a backup tight end

2013 Season Countdown: #76 Erik Magnuson

Erik Magnuson and Taylor Lewan

Name: Erik Magnuson
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 286 lbs.
High school: Carlsbad (CA) La Costa Canyon
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #78
Last year: I ranked Magnuson #70 and said he would redshirt. He redshirted.

Magnuson came into last year with significant hype, with some even suggesting that he might play as a backup since the depth was so thin. Part of the reason that didn’t happen was that the offensive line stayed pretty healthy, and another – perhaps more significant – part is that he wasn’t very good in practice, according to reports. He was thin and young, and he was not a great run blocker coming out of high school; frustration on his end reportedly was evident.

Now he’s a year older and more mature, and he’s still in the same place on the depth chart. The two incumbent tackles (Taylor Lewan, Michael Schofield) return, and there are a couple adequate walk-ons still remaining (Erik Gunderson, Kristian Mateus). Furthermore, it seems a couple other players have surpassed Magnuson on the “Best Overall” chart, so if there are any injuries to tackles, I would expect to see someone like Ben Braden bump out to tackle before seeing Magnuson on the field. I still think he has considerable upside, but it might be another year or two before he really comes on.

Prediction: Backup offensive tackle

2013 Season Countdown: #77 Blake Bars

Blake Bars

Name: Blake Bars
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 284 lbs.
High school: Nashville (TN) Montgomery Bell
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #62
Last year: I ranked Bars #87 and said he would redshirt. He redshirted.

Bars came in last year as my choice for freshman most likely to redshirt, and he did not disappoint. Of course, all the offensive linemen redshirted, so it was a fairly easy choice. We didn’t hear much buzz about Bars coming out of practices, and his play in the spring game was less than stellar. Then again, at 6’5″ and in the mid-280’s, he’s nowhere near the weight he needs to be to compete in the Big Ten.

Bars appears to be a third-stringer at best, behind a couple of his classmates and some walk-ons. Unless there are departures or injuries between now and the season, he might not see any game action once again. Michigan should be able to run out a second line without using him, and he should hopefully be able to at least get into the 290’s for the 2014 season.

Prediction: Backup to the backup offensive guards

2013 Season Countdown: #78 Kyle Bosch

Kyle Bosch with offensive line coach Darrell Funk

Name: Kyle Bosch
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 307 lbs.
High school: Wheaton (IL) St. Francis
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #65
Last year: Bosch was a senior in high school. I gave him a TTB Rating of 88.

Bosch committed to Michigan in February 2012. Despite being ranked by some sites as an offensive tackle – and playing tackle for his high school team – Bosch looks more like an offensive guard at the next level.  He graduated early to enroll at Michigan in January, where he participated in spring practices.

He has excellent size for a kid coming out of high school, and reports out of spring practices were positive.  Because of his considerable talent, early enrollment, and good size, I think Bosch is the most likely of the freshman offensive linemen to play.  He probably won’t be one of the five best linemen right off the bat, but he has a chance to be a Justin Boren-type injury replacement at some point in the season.  The coaches would probably want to redshirt him, but the interior offensive linemen are very inexperienced, so he should at least be able to push those guys.

Prediction: Redshirt if possible

2013 Season Countdown: #79 Kenneth Allen

Kenneth Allen

Name: Kenneth Allen
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 212 lbs.
High school: Fenton (MI) Fenton
Position: Kicker/punter
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #91
Last year: I did not rank Allen. He did not see game action.

Allen came out of high school as a borderline scholarship-worthy specialist, but Michigan wasn’t in a position to offer him with three scholarship kickers (Will Hagerup, Brendan Gibbons, and Matt Wile) already on the roster by the 2012 class. Therefore, he came in as a preferred walk-on, and he has earned a little bit of buzz for his booming punts in practice.  With Hagerup out this year due to his off-the-field transgressions, the punting job is open.  Fifth year senior Gibbons will likely be the placekicker, and junior Wile has been the backup punter for the past couple seasons.  It’s not often that backup kickers are needed – unless the starter is an idiot – so we probably won’t see Allen on the field, but he might provide good competition for Wile.

Prediction: Backup punter