Tag: 2014 season countdown

2014 Season Countdown: #71 Drake Harris

Drake Harris (#1) with Michael Ferns III (#10) and Wilton Speight

Name: Drake Harris
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 180 lbs.
High school: Grand Rapids (MI) Christian
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #14
Last year: Harris was a senior in high school. He was a 247 Composite 4-star, the #8 wide receiver, and #67 overall.

Harris had a bit of a roller coaster ride in high school. Originally considered to be a potential two-sport athlete, he committed to Michigan State, mainly for basketball purposes. However, his higher upside on the gridiron made him reconsider, at which point he flipped to the Wolverines. Maybe the universe was punishing him for his indecision because he suffered a hamstring injury in August of 2013 and didn’t play football at all during his senior year. That was a good thing for his opponents, considering he had a record-setting junior season (91 catches, 2016 yards, 23 touchdowns).

Harris enrolled at Michigan in January, but his hamstring issues persisted through the spring. He has reportedly been lifting weights and added some noticeable bulk during his recovery, but it’s unclear how long the injury problem will last. Hamstrings can be touchy. The Wolverines have a decent group of receivers, and freshman Freddy Canteen got a lot of hype in the spring. While there is room for someone else to step up behind top target Devin Funchess, Harris will probably not be that guy, at least not this year. Redshirt sophomore Jehu Chesson got a lot of playing time last year, and redshirt sophomore Amara Darboh was ahead of Chesson on the depth chart until a foot injury sidelined him for the 2013 season. The prudent thing would seem to be a redshirt so Harris can continue getting physically ready for the college game.

Prediction: Redshirt

2014 Season Countdown: #72 Noah Furbush

Noah Furbush

Name: Noah Furbush
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 240 lbs.
High school: Kenton (OH) Kenton
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Furbush was a senior in high school. He made 102 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 3 fumble recoveries. He was a 247 Composite 3-star, the #40 outside linebacker, and #519 overall.
Final TTB Rating: 64

Furbush is one of the more under-the-radar recruits in the 2014 class. He had a decent offer list (Michigan State, Northwestern, Tennessee) and didn’t talk much to the media while playing for a successful small-town school in Kenton. The Wolverines recruited him as a middle linebacker even though most of his high school film shows him playing off the edge, and almost everyone assumed he would be an outside linebacker or a defensive end at the next level. The MIKE position makes a little more sense if Michigan sticks with the Over defense, but even so, Furbush looks like a kid who might be too big and ends up as a weakside end. Michigan’s coaching staff has made a habit of playing young linebackers, and Furbush is more physically ready than a couple of the other guys. He could feasibly be the third-string middle linebacker if he beats out classmate Michael Ferns III.

Prediction: Redshirt

2014 Season Countdown: #73 Brandon Watson

Brandon Watson

Name: Brandon Watson
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 185 lbs.
High school: Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian Academy
Position: Safety
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #20
Last year: Watson was a senior in high school.
Final TTB Rating: N/A

Watson is a largely unknown quantity coming into college. He earned an offer when he camped at Michigan last summer (along with high school teammate Freddy Canteen), but he played just a few games as a junior. And despite the fact that Eastern Christian Academy was essentially created to get exposure for football players, highlights have been tough to find. What we do know is that a few schools like UConn and Rutgers also pursued Watson, which means he may not be a Brady Pallante-sized gamble.

Watson enrolled in January and went through spring drills as a safety, despite playing corner in high school. There was a time (when I originally drafted the list) that I thought Watson might be able to nab some playing time, but the more I think about it and sift through information, the more it looks like Watson will redshirt this season. Special teams duty is a possibility, but I think there are enough other players with similar skills to fill those roles. I was unable to nail down a TTB Rating for Watson based on a lack of film, but it’s going to be tough for him to break through into playing time considering the youth of some other players and the talent in Michigan’s secondary.

Prediction: Redshirt

2014 Season Countdown: #74 Chase Winovich

Chase Winovich

Name: Chase Winovich
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: Clairton (PA) Thomas Jefferson
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Winovich was a senior in high school. He was a 247 Composite 4-star, the #24 outside linebacker, and #287 overall.
Final TTB Rating: 79

Winovich committed in June of 2013 over the likes of Florida State and Ohio State. A somewhat rare combination of quarterback and linebacker, he made 85 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 907 yards on the ground, and 11 touchdowns. Winovich is a long kid with good straight-line speed that seemed molded to play SAM linebacker until the coaches switched from the 4-3 Under to the 4-3 Over defense.

I don’t think Winovich will be needed on defense this year with all but Cameron Gordon returning at linebacker. Michigan did well enough at the position that a freshman probably isn’t going to work his way past the experienced guys. Furthermore, Winovich looks more like an underweight MIKE linebacker in the 4-3 Over, and Michigan is pretty set at that spot with fifth year senior Jake Ryan and sophomore Ben Gedeon. A place Winovich might be able to help is on special teams, where it seems like at least one linebacker or safety burns a redshirt every year. He has the speed to help out on kickoff coverage, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see him out there this year, but it makes more sense to redshirt him.

Prediction: Redshirt

2014 Season Countdown: #75 Patrick Kugler

Patrick Kugler (image via Go Blue Wolverine)

Name: Patrick Kugler
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 295 lbs.
High school: Wexford (PA) North Allegheny
Position: Center
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #57
Last year: I ranked Kugler #87 and said he would redshirt. He redshirted.

Kugler had surgery to repair his injured shoulder between his senior year of high school and his freshman year of college, so his rehab impaired his ability to contribute last season. Even so, a true freshman playing offensive line in college is somewhat rare, let alone at center. Kugler was a full go for the latter part of the season in practice, and he seemed none the worse for wear during the spring game.

Kugler enters the 2014 season as the third center on the roster. Redshirt junior Graham Glasgow leads the way, followed by redshirt junior Jack Miller, who started the first few games last year before being passed by Glasgow. So there’s a fair amount of experience ahead of the redshirt freshman. Despite being listed at 295 lbs., Kugler looked pretty thin this spring and could afford to add some mass before he hits the field in the regular season. I think he will eventually take over the position and could even help out at guard in the meantime, but that’s probably still a year or two away.

Prediction: Backup center