Tag: 2014 season countdown

2014 Season Countdown: #51 Jack Miller

Jack Miller

Name: Jack Miller
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 297 lbs.
High school: Toledo (OH) St. John’s
Position: Center
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #60
Last year: I ranked Miller #17 and said he would be the starting center. He started the first four games.

Miller went into the 2013 season as the presumed starting center and was essentially the only player recruited for that position other than Patrick Kugler, who was a true freshman at the time. Miller started the first four games of the year, but things did not go well. The whole offensive line missed blocks and assignments, but the game was clearly moving too quickly for Miller. After the first third of the season, he was replaced by walk-on guard Graham Glasgow, who had been starting at left guard up until that point. Despite numerous botched snaps between Glasgow and quarterback Devin Gardner, the coaching staff never turned the reins back over to Miller.

This season the coaches will have no other choice but to hand the center job to someone other than Glasgow, if only for one game – Glasgow has been suspended for the opener against Appalachian State. Miller was ahead of Kugler in the spring game, and Miller is the only other center to have played in an actual game. So my guess is that Miller will be the starting center for at least one game this season. He may draw into the lineup long-term as well if Glasgow finds himself starting at right tackle, which is a possibility with the uncertainty surrounding the inexperienced Ben Braden. I do not expect Miller to establish a stranglehold on the position, and he may be passed up by Kugler at some point, but I do believe we’ll see Miller on the field for stretches of time this year.

Prediction: Part-time starting center

2014 Season Countdown: #52 Bryan Mone

Bryan Mone (#90) – image MWolverine

Name: Bryan Mone
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 315 lbs.
High school: Salt Lake City (UT) Brighton
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #90
Last year: Mone was a senior in high school. He had 35 tackles and 6 tackles for loss. He was a 247 Composite 4-star, the #8 defensive tackle, #111 overall, and #2 in Utah.
Final TTB Rating: 79

Mone received Michigan’s first offer of the 2014 class, and he eventually committed to Michigan in February of 2013. As a roughly 260 lb. sophomore and even as a junior, he looked as if he might be able to stick as a strongside end or maybe a 3-tech tackle. As time wore on and the pounds added up (he’s been listed as heavy as 338 lbs.), it became clearer that he would be an interior player. Regardless, he turned that athleticism into being a fringe top 100 player and earned an invite to the Under Armour All-American Bowl.

I was originally very high on Mone, but the added weight has me slightly concerned. I was under no illusion that Mone would remain in the 260 lb. range, but his weight ballooned in a seemingly short period of time, and he has been unable to show the explosiveness that he had early in his recruitment. He looked out of shape as a senior and at the Under Armour all-star game. I have flashbacks of William Campbell’s lack of development, and I cringe at the thought that we might see four years of uninspired play from Mone. On the plus side, Mone has a respectable personal story (he helps take care of his brother, who has serious special needs) and seems like the type of kid who will put in the work to be good. I hope that translates into eating the right things and putting on the right kinds of muscle.

With the season looming, Mone has a very good chance of contributing this season, and I think a redshirt is off the table unless he gets injured. The starting nose tackle is expected to be junior Ondre Pipkins, who is coming off a torn ACL. Redshirt sophomore Willie Henry is capable of playing either defensive tackle position, redshirt sophomore Ryan Glasgow played quite a bit last year, and redshirt freshman Maurice Hurst, Jr. will also get some snaps at nose tackle. But if the coaches need some space-eating snaps in Pipkins’s stead, Mone might be their man. The Utah native is the third-heaviest player on the team behind Juwann Bushell-Beatty (327 lbs.) and Ben Braden (319), and two pounds heavier than Pipkins. The sky is the limit if Mone takes care of his body, but at the very least, he should be a solid, regular contributor for the Wolverines.

Prediction: Backup nose tackle

2014 Season Countdown: #53 David Dawson

David Dawson (#55) – image via AnnArbor.com

Name: David Dawson
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 295 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #55
Last year: I ranked Dawson #91 and said he would redshirt. He redshirted.

Dawson spent the 2013 season on the sideline, where most people expected him to stand. He came in a little undersized at 280 lbs., and some of it appeared to be bad weight. Michigan had a revolving door at the guard positions, but Dawson’s classmate, Kyle Bosch, was the most college ready lineman in the class and started a couple games because of it.

Now Dawson is up to 295 lbs., and while most of the main contenders for the interior positions remain (Chris Bryant’s career ended due to injury), they will spread out a little bit with the graduations of tackles Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield. The semi-permanent starter at left guard, Erik Magnuson, bumps out to left tackle, and starting center/guard Graham Glasgow could also play right tackle if a viable center candidate arises out of the Jack Miller/Patrick Kugler combination. Dawson does not appear to be in contention to start this year, but he may draw into the lineup if there are injuries. He played left tackle and left guard in the spring when Magnuson was out with a shoulder injury, but freshman Mason Cole started the spring game at left tackle. I rank Dawson slightly ahead of Cole because Dawson has a year of experience, a little more size, and the coaches may want to preserve Cole’s redshirt if they can. Based on Dawson’s play in the spring game, he’s still a work in progress. Michigan can’t afford to suffer any long-term injuries on the offensive line.

Prediction: Backup offensive guard/tackle

2014 Season Countdown: #54 Ryan Glasgow

Ryan Glasgow (#96)

Name: Ryan Glasgow
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 297 lbs.
High school: Aurora (IL) Marmion Academy
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #96
Last year: I did not rank Glasgow. He played in eleven games and made 2 tackles.

Kudos to reader and frequent commenter Roanman, who said in last year’s 2013 Countdown wrap-up that he would put Ryan Glasgow somewhere between #54 and #68. On the other hand, I didn’t think he was worth ranking because I didn’t think he would play much. I was wrong, but I remain befuddled as to why I was wrong. The obvious answer is, of course, that Michigan’s coaching staff thought Glasgow was the second-best nose tackle on the roster once Ondre Pipkins got injured. But I’m not sure how a guy plays in eleven (11!) games at nose tackle and doesn’t make more than 2 tackles as a defensive lineman. Players who equaled or surpassed his production include Tom Strobel (1 game, 2 tackles), Richard Ash (8 games, 3 tackles), Matt Godin (7 games, 3 tackles), and Anthony Capatina (5 games, 2 tackles). Whenever I noticed Glasgow on the field, it seemed to be that he was getting pushed downfield or getting turned; at best he would earn a stalemate.

Ah well. What does 2013 matter? We’re talking about 2014 now! Brady Hoke is no longer the nose tackles coach, and maybe a change of scenery will do the position some good. He will still help out, of course, but Mark Smith has taken over defensive line coaching duties. Pipkins is scheduled to return from his ACL injury suffered mid-season, and he would be counted on to start if healthy. Redshirt freshman Maurice Hurst, Jr. made a splash in the spring, redshirt sophomore Willie Henry can play either defensive tackle position, and freshman Bryan Mone will probably also play a role. My head is telling me that Glasgow should be relegated to garbage time duty, but evidence suggests that the coaches will still try to shoehorn him in there somewhere. Whoever ends up playing nose tackle can hopefully produce more than the 28 tackles and .5 tackles for loss that Quinton Washington, Pipkins, and Glasgow produced last year.

Prediction: Backup nose tackle

2014 Season Countdown: #55 Joey Burzynski

Joey Burzynski (image via Bardwell Lab)

Name: Joey Burzynski
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 288 lbs.
High school: Carlsbad (CA) Carlsbad
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #56
Last year: I ranked Burzynski #53 and said he would be a backup offensive guard. He started one game at left guard and played in a total of four games.

Burzynski went into the 2013 season as a backup, and the walk-on finally got his chance to shine on October 19th against Indiana. In his first career start, he played a few series before an unfortunate thing happened: he tore his ACL. That knocked him out for the rest of the year, and it precipitated the burning of freshman Kyle Bosch’s redshirt.

Burzynski is still 6’1″ and hovering around 290 lbs., and as one might expect from an undersized walk-on, he frequently seems unable to move guys off the line. But the coaching staff likes him, so he gets continual shots to contribute on the field – four games in 2011, eight games in 2012, and four more in 2013 (including the lone start). Michigan appears to have a little more depth on the interior than in past seasons, so maybe Burzynski won’t get as many opportunities to play. Even so, the past three seasons suggest that if a game gets out of hand or if an injury or two occur, we will see #56 trotting out at one of the guard positions. He also offers some flexibility to play center, but that position should be in hand this season.

Prediction: Backup offensive guard