Tag: 2015 season countdown

2015 Season Countdown: #20 James Ross III

James Ross (#15)

Name: James Ross III
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 232 lbs.
High school: Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s
Position: Linebacker
Class: Senior
Jersey number: #15
Last year: I ranked Ross #13 and said he would be the starting SAM with 90 tackles. He started seven games and made 32 tackles with 3 tackles for loss.

The deployment of Ross last year was one that left me scratching my head a little bit. Basically a full- or part-time starter since his freshman year in 2012, he still made seven starts last year but didn’t play much. Playing SAM linebacker in a 4-3 Over, he was pulled off the field pretty frequently in nickel situations. Because of that, he had the fewest tackles of his career and did not have even half a sack for the first time.

This year Ross has been practicing at two positions: SAM and WILL linebacker. The two inside linebacker positions seem to be pretty solidified with Joe Bolden and Desmond Morgan, but SAM is a position that has just one proven contributor in the form of Ross. On the one hand, that versatility should give him different chances to get on the field. On the other hand, the SAM linebacker will probably be pulled off the field when Michigan goes with three safeties for their nickel look. That will happen quite a bit again this season. I would like to rank Ross higher because of few options at SAM, but ultimately, there seem to be contingency plans that could include playing a safety down in the box.

Prediction: Starting SAM linebacker; 50 tackles, 2 sacks

2015 Season Countdown: #62 Ian Bunting

I just want to apologize for the somewhat inconsistent posting for the past few days. Normally I like to put up at least two posts per day (6:30 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.), but my schedule has been thrown off a bit and I sometimes don’t have a chance to write until later in the morning. Also, this week’s recruiting updates will be posted on Wednesday and/or Thursday. Thanks for reading! read more

2015 Season Countdown: #63 Wyatt Shallman

Name: Wyatt Shallman
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 244 lbs.
High school: Novi (MI) Catholic Central
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #33
Last year: I ranked Shallman #66 and said he would be a backup H-back. He had 1 carry for 5 yards while playing in nine games.

Shallman has bounced around a little bit so far in his career, playing some running back, fullback, and H-back. He came out of high school as somewhat of an athlete, and that’s still the category he inhabits. Even the coaches seem a little bit confused, as both Hoke’s staff and Harbaugh’s staff have bounced him around. The majority of his playing time in 2014 came on special teams.

In this year’s spring game, Shallman was used quite a bit as a tailback. Despite pretty good overall numbers at the position, injuries and such left Michigan short-handed, so Shallman and cornerback Ross Taylor-Douglas each got several snaps. Harbaugh has experience using jumbo-sized running backs in college, such as Toby Gerhart at Stanford. The Wolverines seem to have a stable of big running backs: De’veon Smith, Derrick Green, Ty Isaac, and Shallman are all between 228 and 244 lbs. Since Shallman is the least athletic of the bunch, I do not expect him to get a lot of carries. But if he can prove to be difficult to bring down, then he could be the staff’s go-to guy in short yardage situations and near the goal line.

Prediction: Backup running back

2015 Season Countdown: #64 Ross Taylor-Douglas

Ross Taylor-Douglas (#29)

Name: Ross Taylor-Douglas
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 186 lbs.
High school: Avon (OH) Avon
Position: Cornerback
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #29
Last year: I ranked Douglas #69 and said he would be a backup running back. He played in ten games but did not record any statistics.

Taylor-Douglas – who changed his name from just Ross Douglas this past year – has bounced around during his first couple years on campus. Recruited as a cornerback, he moved to running back in the spring of 2014 to provide a little competition at a position he had played very well in high school. But with the running back rotation pretty set by the season, he moved to slot receiver. He played in ten games but was not utilized at all.

This spring he returned to cornerback officially, but that hasn’t stopped the coaches from using him elsewhere. When injuries slowed down a couple running backs, the staff threw him out there at tailback in the spring game for a couple carries. If nothing else, he’s a good option for the scout team to have in the offensive backfield. The path to playing on defense is blocked by a few guys, but the numbers at the cornerback position are limited. There’s nothing to suggest that anyone beyond Jourdan Lewis, Wayne Lyons, and Channing Stribling is ready to play. Taylor-Douglas should get a shot to play on special teams and probably a little on defense this season, but he will not be relied on heavily unless injuries become a serious issue.

Prediction: Backup cornerback, special teamer

2015 Season Countdown: #65 Shelton Johnson

Shelton Johnson

Name: Shelton Johnson
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: Delray Beach (FL) Atlantic
Position: Defensive end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Johnson was a senior in high school. He was a 247 Composite 3-star, the #20 strongside end, #365 overall, and #54 in Florida.
TTB Rating: 80

Johnson was a late pull out of Florida, a steal orchestrated by defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin, who was the Florida defensive coordinator for the past couple seasons. Johnson was offered in the middle of January, immediately scheduled a visit, and then spurned the favorite (Florida State) to move up north. Michigan fans can’t be anything less than intrigued after watching Johnson’s high school film where he shows a good combination of size, speed, and aggression.

Michigan has some “defensive ends,” but what the teams lacks is edge rushers. The Wolverines lost their top two sack artists from last season, and the top returners are senior Mario Ojemudia and junior Taco Charlton, who had 3.5 sacks each. The only other returning defensive linemen to get to the quarterback were tackles. Redshirt freshman Lawrence Marshall and senior Royce Jenkins-Stone are going to get their shots to come off the edge, but Johnson has a chance to step into the rotation as a freshman and help out with the pass rush. He will be a little light (he recently said he’s up to 235 lbs.) but I think he can still be a situational player.

Prediction: Backup defensive end, situational pass rusher