2013 Season Countdown: #80 Jaron Dukes

Tag: 2013 season countdown

10Jun 2013
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2013 Season Countdown: #80 Jaron Dukes

Jaron Dukes (right, with Khalid Hill and Jake Butt)

Name: Jaron Dukes
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 197 lbs.
High school: Columbus (OH) Marion-Franklin
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #83
Last year: Dukes was a senior in high school. I gave him a TTB Rating of 59.

Dukes committed to Michigan in February 2012 after a pretty solid junior year. Never an upper echelon prospect, he had a mediocre senior year due to some iffy quarterback play.  Michigan fans did get a little excitement when Dukes had a good game against future Ohio State cornerback Cam Burrows, from Trotwood-Madison, but overall it was a pretty anticlimactic senior year.

Dukes enters college with a long frame and plenty of room to add weight, a kid that could easily reach 220-225 pounds.  The knock on him is somewhat limited athleticism and speed.  He could be the first receiver from the 2013 class to hit the field due to his size, because freshman receivers sometimes get in the game just due to how they might help in the running game; last year the coaches kept the slight Jehu Chesson on the bench while the physically developed Amara Darboh saw the field in limited action. However, even if he does see playing time, I doubt Dukes will be an integral part of the offense this season.

Prediction: Redshirt

9Jun 2013
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2013 Season Countdown: #81 Alex Swieca

Alex Swieca

Name: Alex Swieca
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 210 lbs.
High school: New York (NY) Frisch
Position: Quarterback
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #13
Last year: I did not rank Swieca. He did not see any game action.

Swieca walked on to the team as a true freshman back in 2011. He has yet to play in a game, but he did play a little bit in the spring game back in April.

With backup quarterback Russell Bellomy going down with a torn ACL in the spring, that bumps the other quarterbacks up a little bit on this list.  Swieca will certainly be behind Devin Gardner and probably even freshman Shane Morris, but options are thin beyond those two.  If nothing else, I would expect Swieca to have a pretty big hand in running the scout team while the aforementioned guys and presumed #3 quarterback Brian Cleary get reps with the regular offense.

Prediction: Scout team quarterback, perhaps a few snaps in garbage time

8Jun 2013
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2013 Season Countdown: #82 Maurice Hurst, Jr.

Maurice Hurst, Jr. (#50, with Ross Douglas)

Name: Maurice Hurst, Jr.
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 290 lbs.
High school: Westwood (MA) Xaverian Brothers
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #73
Last year: Hurst was a senior in high school. I gave him a TTB Rating of 78.

Hurst committed to Michigan just over a year ago in June 2012. Doubling as a high school fullback, he garnered enough hype to be invited to the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl.  He performed well in that game and was too powerful for many of the offensive linemen present, although the competition isn’t quite as good as the U.S. Army and Under Armour games.

As a short, quick, and powerful player, I expect Hurst to be a nose tackle. Michigan seems pretty set at the position with fifth year senior Quinton Washington and sophomore Ondre Pipkins, along with a couple unproven guys in Richard Ash and Willie Henry, so Hurst should be able to redshirt this season.  There are good numbers along the defensive line, and he has some technical issues to work through, so there’s no need to rush him onto the field.

Prediction: Redshirt

7Jun 2013
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2013 Season Countdown: #83 Channing Stribling

Channing Stribling

Name: Channing Stribling
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 165 lbs.
High school: Matthews (NC) Butler
Position: Cornerback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #8
Last year: Stribling was a senior in high school. I gave him a TTB Rating of 73.

Stribling came out of nowhere in the summer of 2012 to earn a Michigan offer after he camped in Ann Arbor at the end of June.  Prior to then, the Ball State Fightin’ Brady Hokes were the only FBS team to have offered him, so it was a very un-dude move by Hoke to swoop in and steal him.  Stribling went on to have a stellar senior season in which he starred offensively, defensively, and on special teams on the way to a North Carolina state championship.

Stribling’s a little thin, and the need for an immediate contribution at cornerback isn’t very high. Three quasi-starters return (Raymon Taylor, Blake Countess, and Courtney Avery) with Delonte Hollowell pushing for playing time, too.  While Stribling shows a nose for the ball and making plays, he’s not the kind of freak athlete who would probably force his way onto the field as a freshman.  In some ways, he might be the kind of guy whose jersey number he is taking (J.T. Floyd), another Carolinian who had good length, lacks blazing speed, and might be better off at safety in the long run.  I think Stribling has a higher ceiling than Floyd, but he’s still likely to redshirt.

Prediction: Redshirt

6Jun 2013
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2013 Season Countdown: #84 Henry Poggi

Henry Poggi

Name: Henry Poggi
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 270 lbs.
High school: Baltimore (MD) Gilman
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Poggi was a senior in high school. I gave him a TTB Rating of 79.

Spurning SEC schools Alabama and Tennessee, Poggi committed to Michigan in June 2012. He went on to play in the Under Armour All-America Game and did pretty well there. There was some hand wringing near the end of the recruiting process over Poggi, because he decided to visit the Crimson Tide and stopped talking to the media for a while.  He and his father/high school coach Biff indicated that the visit was more of a chance to see teammates, but I have a suspicion that Henry was waffling on his commitment a little bit.

Regardless, Poggi signed with the Wolverines and will now look to jump into the fray. He’s not the biggest defensive tackle around – especially right now – but I think he could play three defensive line positions at some point: nose tackle, 3-tech defensive tackle, and/or strongside end.  As a freshman, his best bet to see the field would probably be 5-tech defensive end, but there are a few older guys to surge past if he wants to play. My guess is that he will spend this year watching.

Prediction: Redshirt