2014 Season Countdown: #56 Allen Gant

Tag: 2014 season countdown

30Jun 2014
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2014 Season Countdown: #56 Allen Gant

Allen Gant (image via Go Blue Wolverine)

Name: Allen Gant
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 222 lbs.
High school: Sylvania (OH) Southview
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #12
Last year: I ranked Gant #63 and said he would be a backup linebacker and special teamer. He played a little on special teams.

Gant entered the 2013 season as a distant backup at the SAM linebacker position, and he remained there. He started his career as a strong safety and was only a little over 200 lbs. during his redshirt freshman year, so it was understandable that he would not be ready. Besides his physical limitations, he was behind several upperclassmen. He played a bit on special teams but did not make much of an impact.

It looks to be more of the same for Gant in 2014. Despite the switch to the 4-3 Over defense, he remains at SAM linebacker but should be behind juniors James Ross III and Royce Jenkins-Stone. He will also have to fend off freshman Jared Wangler, who is roughly the same size despite being two years younger, and perhaps others as the coaches shuffle a glut of linebackers. Gant’s best chance to get on the field once again will be on special teams, where he can use his safety/linebacker speed and decent size with some effectiveness.

Prediction: Backup SAM linebacker, special teams contributor

29Jun 2014
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2014 Season Countdown: #57 Ian Bunting

Ian Bunting (image via Scout)

Name: Ian Bunting
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 230 lbs.
High school: Hinsdale (IL) Central
Position: Tight end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #94
Last year: Bunting was a senior in high school. He had 10 receptions for 165 yards. He was a 247 Composite 4-star, the #11 tight end, and the #315 player overall.
Final TTB Rating: 78

Bunting committed to Michigan in April 2013, shunning offers from the likes of Florida State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Oregon, among numerous others. He played mostly wide receiver as a junior and put up some decent numbers, but he moved to tight end for his senior year, where his receiving numbers dropped significantly. He also earned an invitation to Nike’s The Opening last July.

Bunting’s role for 2014 seems a little up in the air. He was recruited to Michigan as a “U-back” type who could split out, play in the slot, play a little on the line, etc. Michigan already has a jumbo wide receiver in Devin Funchess, and Bunting doesn’t have quite the athleticism of Funchess. The Wolverines also have a pretty good tight end in sophomore Jake Butt, who is recovering from an ACL tear and won’t be back until a few games into the season. Other options are limited with blocking specialist A.J. Williams, converted defensive end Keith Heitzman, and rough-around-the-edges Khalid Hill. In my opinion, the coaches have to get Bunting ready for the beginning of the year so he can be a receiving threat from the tight end position, which is severely lacking without Butt. However, once the big sophomore returns, Bunting should be able to take a back seat.

Prediction: Backup tight end; 4 catches, 38 yards

28Jun 2014
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2014 Season Countdown: #58 Mason Cole

Mason Cole (image via Michigan Journal)

Name: Mason Cole
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 275 lbs.
High school: Tarpon Springs (FL) East Lake
Position: Offensive line
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #52
Last year: Cole was a senior in high school. He was a 247 Composite 4-star, the #15 offensive guard, and #126 overall.
Final TTB Rating: 87

Cole committed to Michigan in February of 2013 and stuck with the Wolverines throughout their somewhat rough season. (At one time his teammate, wide receiver George Campbell, was committed to Michigan as a part of the 2015 class, but he has since decommitted.) On-field accomplishments are difficult to quantify for offensive linemen, but he was selected to play for the East in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, where he was chosen by Rivals as one of the top overall performers. Cole played guard and tackle throughout the week and in the game.

Immediately after the all-star game, he enrolled at Michigan for the winter semester and participated in spring practices. With injuries to various linemen – including projected starting left tackle Erik Magnuson – Cole earned the “start” at left tackle in the spring game. While I think he projects long-term to guard, he looked athletic enough at tackle but still looked a little thin. In a normal year, I would be expecting all true freshman linemen to redshirt, but Michigan’s inexperience on the offensive line means anything could happen. Kyle Bosch played as a true freshman last season, and it’s possible that Cole follows suit. Magnuson is expected to be healthy for the beginning of the season, and the Wolverines have some experience at the interior positions now, so I don’t expect Cole to reprise his role as a starter at any point this fall unless injuries occur. However, he could provide depth at a number of positions and be a mid-season fill-in, much like Bosch did a year ago.

Prediction: Backup offensive lineman

27Jun 2014
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2014 Season Countdown: #59 Drake Johnson

Drake Johnson (#29) – image via Saturday Edge

Name: Drake Johnson
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 212 lbs.
High school: Ann Arbor (MI) Pioneer
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #20
Last year: I ranked Johnson #63 and said he would be a backup running back and special teams player. He had 2 carries for 9 yards before tearing his ACL in the first game.

Johnson earned a little bit of buzz starting during the lead-up to the bowl game against South Carolina during his true freshman year. Brady Hoke said that he wished guys who redshirted during the regular season could play in the bowl game, and he mentioned Johnson by name. Despite having players with bigger recruiting profiles, Johnson was the #2 running back to enter the season and carried the ball 2 times for 9 yards against Central Michigan. Unfortunately for him, he blew out his ACL on kick coverage and missed the rest of the year.

Johnson was still limited this spring, but Hoke has indicated that he will be 100% by the beginning of the season. Last year’s starter, Fitzgerald Toussaint, has graduated, but it seems that the two front-runners for the starting gig this year are sophomores DeVeon Smith and Derrick Green. Redshirt junior Justice Hayes appears to be the third-down back, so it’s unclear where Johnson can figure into the mix. His situation could be further compromised if USC transfer Ty Isaac gets a waiver to play this year (Isaac was not in the equation when I put together the list initially). Assuming Isaac is forced to redshirt, Johnson should earn a few carries because Hoke appears to like him. However, he should not factor heavily into the rotation, and his best chance to play might be on special teams, where his speed and sturdiness can be an asset.

Prediction: Backup running back, special teams player

26Jun 2014
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2014 Season Countdown: #60 Khalid Hill

Khalid Hill (image via Go Blue Wolverine)

Name: Khalid Hill
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 255 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) East English Village
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #80
Last year: I ranked Hill #73 and said he would be a backup U-back. He redshirted.

Coming into last season, I believed Michigan would find a role for Hill as a bit player in the “move” tight end position. He lacked the size of a true tight end but showed good hands coming out of high school. However, the fullbacks did what fullbacks do, and Michigan made things work with Devin Funchess and Jake Butt as U-back types, so Hill never saw the field.

Now it appears that Hill has become a full-time, in-line tight end. That does not bode well for his future. He’s short for a tight end, and he has always been more of a slot guy or off-the-line player. He was dreadful as a blocker in the spring game. I would rank him lower, but Butt’s ACL injury makes him doubtful for the first chunk of the season, meaning Hill might see more playing time than anyone really wants. The Wolverines are very limited now that Funchess is a full-time wideout and Jordan Paskorz did not return for a fifth year, leaving junior A.J. Williams and redshirt junior position-switcher Keith Heitzman as the only legitimate options at tight end until Butt returns. I do not expect Hill to see much playing time, but he’s possibly one injury away from being forced onto the field in certain situations.

Prediction: Backup tight end