Tag: 2014 season countdown

2014 Season Countdown: #41 Maurice Hurst, Jr.

Maurice Hurst, Jr.

Name: Maurice Hurst, Jr.
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 277 lbs.
High school: Westwood (MA) Xaverian Brothers
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #73
Last year: I ranked Hurst #82 and said he would redshirt. He redshirted.

Putting Hurst at #41 is perhaps the gutsiest ranking of the whole countdown, since he’s jumping up 41 spots from last year and has yet to play a down of college football. I often choose not to believe the practice hype, but Hurst has been earning some buzz since last season when coaches and players were talking about his quickness off the ball. He also played some running back in high school, and I think his burst offers something that other nose tackles (Ondre Pipkins, Bryan Mone, Ryan Glasgow, Brady Pallante) lack, perhaps with the exception of Willie Henry. I bumped Hurst up the list a little bit because of the uncertainty surrounding Pipkins, who is recovering from a torn ACL. Regardless, I like a nose tackle who can penetrate and cause some havoc, and I also think Hurst could play some 3-tech tackle. His listed weight (277 lbs.) might be a drawback if accurate, but he looked bigger than that in the spring. I look for Hurst to start to make a name for himself and perhaps work his way into the lineup on passing downs, where his lack of bulk won’t be as much of a hindrance and his quickness can force quarterbacks out of their comfort zone.

Prediction: Backup nose tackle

2014 Season Countdown: #42 Justice Hayes

Justice Hayes

Name: Justice Hayes
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Grand Blanc (MI) Grand Blanc
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #5
Last year: I ranked Hayes #55 and said he would have 15 carries for 60 yards as a backup. He had 2 carries for 6 yards, 6 catches for 40 yards, and 1 kick return for 8 yards.

Hayes had quite a roller coaster of a year last year. To begin the season, he was buried on the depth chart at running back. In the middle of the year, the coaches stated publicly that Hayes would move to wide receiver permanently. At the end of the year, he started the bowl game against Kansas State – at running back. Despite starting a game at running back, he finished the year with 2 carries. How many running backs in history have started a game but finished with fewer than 3 carries in the whole season?

Hayes’s problem seems to be that he’s not quick enough to be a scat back, and he’s not big enough to power through tackles. And while Michigan hasn’t exactly been rife with running back talent over the past couple years, they have had guys who were either quick or big, who were enticing enough to put on the field regularly. One big obstacle in his way was Fitzgerald Toussaint, who is now trying to make it in the NFL. Another medium-sized obstacle was Thomas Rawls, who will be pounding away behind Central Michigan’s line this season. That leaves two boulder-sized barriers (and a potential third) in sophomores Derrick Green and DeVeon Smith (and Ty Isaac, who will probably be forced to redshirt after transferring from USC). Normally, I would probably put the third-string running back lower in the countdown, but Hayes is supposedly the best pass protector of the bunch and could carve out a role as a Vincent Smith-style blocker and designated screen guy. Redshirt freshman Ross Douglas is a small, quick guy and Dennis Norfleet could catch some screens, but both are inexperienced at playing running back in college. Hayes will probably once again have more receptions than carries.

Prediction: Backup running back, third down guy; 10 carries for 35 yards, 12 receptions for 100 yards and 1 touchdown

2014 Season Countdown: #43 Dymonte Thomas

Dymonte Thomas

Name: Dymonte Thomas
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 191 lbs.
High school: Alliance (OH) Marlington
Position: Safety
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #25
Last year: I ranked Thomas #33 and said he would be Michigan’s nickel corner. He made 7 tackles and blocked 1 punt.

Thomas was an Army All-American, enrolled early in January 2013, got lots of hype, and was pegged as the starting slot corner going into the fall. In the season opener again Central Michigan, he won the Brandon Herron Award, which is given out once every today to reward a guy who plays very well in a season opener only to fall off the face of the planet. Thomas made brief appearances for the rest of the season, but fellow freshman defensive backs Jourdan Lewis and Channing Stribling kept him off the field while Blake Countess would move into the slot in nickel situations.

Brady Hoke said this off-season that they would be moving Thomas to safety and letting him concentrate on one position, which indicates that things were moving a little too quickly for him last year. Indications are that he has been getting reps at free safety, which scares me in much the same way as it did with the now departed Josh Furman – anytime you move a guy back in the defense, bad things are likely to happen. Thomas, a high school linebacker, should be playing nickel corner or in the box as a safety. The starting free safety will be Jarrod Wilson, but the strong safety situation is unsettled – Delano Hill appears to be the front-runner with Jeremy Clark as another option. I place Thomas here because he could play either safety position, he could help out at nickel corner if there’s a need, and he can also be a valuable asset on special teams with his speed, athleticism, and physicality. I believe his physical assets are unmatched by any defensive back on the team besides Jabrill Peppers, but it remains to be see how exactly he fits.

Prediction: Backup safety, special teams ace

2014 Season Countdown: #44 Delonte Hollowell

Delonte Hollowell

Name: Delonte Hollowell
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 175 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Position: Cornerback
Class: Senior
Jersey number: #24
Last year: I ranked Hollowell #39 and said he would be a backup cornerback. He made 2 tackles and 1 fumble recovery.

Hollowell entered the 2013 season looking like a backup corner and special teams player, and that’s exactly what he was. Blocked for playing time by incumbent starters, he played sparingly. In perhaps an odd pattern, he has 6, 4, and 2 tackles during his days in Ann Arbor, plus 1 fumble recovery each year.

Hollowell enters the 2014 season in the same spot. Starting corners Blake Countess and Raymon Taylor return, and sophomores Jourdan Lewis and Channing Stribling played more defense than Hollowell last year. He will also probably be looking up at freshman Jabrill Peppers. I rank Hollowell slightly higher than Stribling because of his knack for special teams coverage and scooping up fumbles. He will probably be the third-string slot corner, which is like saying he’s the backup holder – he might play there, but it’s really difficult to predict. Regardless, Hollowell has proven to be a feisty tackler and does not seem to be a liability when he’s on the field, so he could be a capable injury replacement if Armageddon were to take place in the defensive backfield.

Prediction: Backup cornerback, special teamer; 0 tackles, 1 fumble recovery

2014 Season Countdown: #45 A.J. Williams

A.J. Williams (#84) with Devin Funchess

Name: A.J. Williams

Height: 6’6″
Weight: 263 lbs.
High school: Cincinnati (OH) Sycamore
Position: Tight end
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #84
Last year: I ranked Williams #28 and said he would be the starting tight end with 2 catches for 20 yards. He started six games and caught 1 pass for 2 yards and 1 touchdown.

Williams couldn’t block a soul as a true freshman in 2012, and he improved exponentially by blocking a couple guys in 2013. The good news is that Doug Nussmeier is the new sheriff in town, and in my mind, that means he will fix every problem that Michigan ever had. The bad news is that, in my mind, that one hot chick from my senior year house party totally wanted to hook up with me.

More good news, though: A.J. Williams caught a touchdown pass!

More bad news: That was the only pass he caught since his junior year of high school.

The only other good news I have is that Chick-Fil-A is pretty tasty, especially when you remove the pickle from the sandwich.

Speaking of sandwiches, Williams has been eating less of them and is down to 263 lbs. after being 280+ as a freshman and 265 as a sophomore. Michigan will be without their main tight end in Jake Butt, so Williams will have to fill some kind of void until he returns. Even when Butt comes back, Williams will still find some playing time. This year there seems to be a challenge coming from redshirt junior Keith Heitzman, a position-switcher from defensive end. I’m dropping Williams quite a long way in this year’s countdown, not because he won’t play but because losing him to injury would likely not affect the team much. The combination of Heitzman and Butt should be able to do most of what Nussmeier wants, and anything the coaches can get from freshman Ian Bunting, redshirt freshman Khalid Hill, and some H-backs would be gravy.

Prediction: Backup tight end; 1 catch for 7 yards