2014 Season Countdown: #46 Channing Stribling

Tag: 2014 season countdown


10Jul 2014
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2014 Season Countdown: #46 Channing Stribling

Channing Stribling

Name: Channing Stribling
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 176 lbs.
High school: Matthews (NC) Butler
Position: Cornerback
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #8
Last year: I ranked Stribling #83 and said he would redshirt. He made 16 tackles and 1 forced fumbles.

I believed Stribling would redshirt in 2013 with the likes of Blake Countess, Raymon Taylor, and Courtney Avery returning, all of whom had starting experience going into the year. Avery hurt his knee in pre-season practice and split his time between corner and safety, which exacerbated the need for other corners. So freshmen Stribling and Jourdan Lewis stepped on the field. Stribling’s size seemed to lure defensive coordinator Greg Mattison into playing him, and he even said that Stribling made a lot of plays in practice. Unfortunately, that didn’t translate to the field a great deal, a problem that was made abundantly clear when he was beaten twice at critical moments against Penn State. That, of course, wasn’t his fault – the coaches made the decision to put a somewhat unheralded true freshman on the field in crunch time. Regardless, he mistimed a couple of passes, which were completed on the Nittany Lions’ way to a frustrating defeat for the Wolverines.

I thought Stribling looked overmatched as a freshman, but I am not without hope for his future. The problem for him is that Michigan has two established starters (Countess and Taylor), a classmate who has created quite a bit of buzz (Lewis), and an incoming freshman who is Michigan’s most hyped recruit in the Rivals/Scout era (Jabrill Peppers), which dates back to 2002. This does not mean that his path to playing time is blocked, but it may be a winding road; he may be a backup until both Countess and Taylor are gone, he may move to safety at some point, or he may remain the third corner after Lewis/Peppers. I hesitate to underestimate Stribling for a second year in a row, partly because the coaches seem to be high on him. But I can’t really see a situation where he’s called upon to contribute heavily this season unless injuries occur.

Prediction: Backup cornerback

9Jul 2014
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2014 Season Countdown: #47 Joe Kerridge

Joe Kerridge and Sione Houma (image via MWolverine.com)

Name: Joe Kerridge
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 247 lbs.
High school: Traverse City (MI) St. Francis
Position: Fullback
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #36
Last year: I ranked Kerridge #42 and said he would be the starting fullback with 2 receptions for 18 yards. He had 1 carry for 3 yards, 5 catches for 25 yards, and 4 tackles.

Kerridge was Michigan’s first string fullback in 2013, and he did a fine job. As the year went along, offensive coordinator Al Borges reached into his bag of tricks, pulled out the ol’ Spider 2 Y Banana, and shuffled the ball to Kerridge a few times. You know the Bo Schembechler saying: 4.67 yards and a cloud of dust. Kerridge is a decent blocker, but despite visions of him trucking kids in high school, he is not generally someone who should be touching the ball very often.

I have an uncorroborated hunch that new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier will value junior Sione Houma’s athleticism over Kerridge’s skills, which may relegate Kerridge to backup or special teams duty. Houma – who is slightly smaller but has better hair – looked niftier and quicker on the 2 passes he caught (for 14 yards), and I would guess Nussmeier wants a little more speed on the field for his tendency to spread the field a little more. The fullback position itself may be downgraded, but the lack of a healthy Jake Butt might make an H-back type like Houma more valuable to run flat routes. Either way, I think Kerridge will take a back seat to schemes and other personnel this year, but he’s experienced and trustworthy, so he’ll see the field a fair amount.

Prediction: Backup fullback; 1 catch for 4.67 yards

8Jul 2014
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2014 Season Countdown: #48 Matt Godin

Matt Godin (#99) – image via MWolverine.com

Name: Matt Godin
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 283 lbs.
High school: Novi (MI) Catholic Central
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #99
Last year: I ranked Godin #37 and said he would be a backup strongside end. He played in six games and made 3 tackles.

Believing Godin would be the primary backup to Keith Heitzman last season, I ranked the towering defensive end a little too high. He played sparingly throughout the year and did not make much of an impact. Reports surfaced that he would have played more, but a nagging back injury limited him during the season. Chris Wormley took a lot of the snaps that might have gone to Godin, and Brennen Beyer also spent some time at strongside end late in the year.

This year Godin seems to have recovered from his injury, and he should be able to play a little more consistently. Starting 3-tech tackle Jibreel Black has graduated, and redshirt sophomores Willie Henry, Wormley (also a defensive tackle now), and Godin should battle for the majority of the snaps. Henry may also play some nose tackle, which could draw Godin into the lineup a little more frequently. Godin does not appear to be a penetrator or pass rushing threat, but he plays with good leverage – despite being the the tallest defensive tackle on the team by two inches. I expect to see him in the rotation quite often, but he won’t fill up the stat sheet.

Prediction: Backup 3-tech defensive tackle

7Jul 2014
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2014 Season Countdown: #49 Jeremy Clark

Jeremy Clark (#34)

Name: Jeremy Clark
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 206 lbs.
High school: Madisonville (KY) North Hopkins
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #34
Last year: I ranked Clark #50 and said he would be a backup strong safety and special teams player. He played on special teams coverage and played one game as a backup safety, but he did not accrue any statistics.

Michigan went into 2013 with some experience at safety, but not much depth. Now Michigan is in the same boat, minus the experience. The only returning player with significant playing time is junior Jarrod Wilson; full-time safety Thomas Gordon graduated, part-time safety Courtney Avery graduated, and primary backup Josh Furman transferred. Clark didn’t play much, and the safety position is a very large question mark going into 2014.

Aside from Wilson, who is all but assured a starting position, Clark seems to be battling sophomore Delano Hill for safety. The possibility exists that Michigan will shift a cornerback – where depth is, uh, deep – to safety; in the meantime, it seems Hill will beat out Clark by a nose. Even so, those three players appear to be the main competitors for playing time on the back end, and as we saw last year with Furman, a backup will probably be needed for a stretch of time. Clark is the largest defensive back, reportedly has decent speed, and looks like a solid tackler. I doubt he will turn into a playmaker, but he could play a role as a fill-in and special teamer.

Prediction: Backup strong safety, special teams player

6Jul 2014
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2014 Season Countdown: #50 Lawrence Marshall

Lawrence Marshall (image via Scout)

Name: Lawrence Marshall
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 245 lbs.
High school: Southfield (MI) Southfield
Position: Defensive end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #93
Last year: Marshall was a senior in high school. He made 68 tackles, 8 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles. He finished as a 247 Composite 4-star, the #10 weakside end, and #176 overall.
Final TTB Rating: 72

Marshall originally committed to Ohio State after visiting Columbus in the spring of 2013, only to reconsider and decommit shortly thereafter. Then in early May, he committed to the Wolverines. It wasn’t a Kyle Kalis-level event from rival to rival, nor did it have the buildup of Gareon Conley flipping to Ohio State. Still, there are worse things than stealing a recruit from the Buckeyes. Marshall was expected to give Michigan a boost in the recruitment of defensive lineman Malik McDowell (who transferred from Detroit Loyola prior to the 2013 season), but that was not to be. McDowell eventually chose Michigan State, and Marshall ended up as the only defensive end in Michigan’s 2014 class. He had a solid senior season and was chosen for the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl.

Marshall has reached a good size for a freshman defensive end and comes in larger than any weakside end prospect in recent memory (most of them have been 215-230 lbs.). That may be fortunate, because Michigan is a little short on weakside ends and may need Marshall to play a role this season. Established starter Frank Clark has an experienced junior backup in Mario Ojemudia, but that’s where the depth chart stops. Michigan could rearrange some things and put strongside guys Taco Charlton or Brennen Beyer at weakside end if necessary, because there’s more depth behind them. Regardless, this coaching staff has gone three deep at weakside end for the past few years, so my expectation is that they will play Marshall. One other strategy in the past has been to play a SAM linebacker at weakside end in nickel situations, which might save someone like Marshall from burning his redshirt; however, Cameron Gordon graduated and Jake Ryan moved to middle linebacker, so putting Ryan down at WDE would necessitate bringing in a backup middle linebacker, which is a questionable move. The coaching staff will probably try to get Marshall’s feet wet early in the season so he can contribute more as the year goes along.

Prediction: Backup weakside end