Tag: 2016 season countdown

2016 Season Countdown: #64 Juwann Bushell-Beatty

Juwann Bushell-Beatty (image via Maize and Blue News)

Name: Juwann Bushell-Beatty
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 325 lbs.
High school: Paramus (NJ) Catholic
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #76
Last year: I ranked Bushell-Beatty #82 and said he would be a backup offensive tackle (LINK). He played in four games.

Bushell-Beatty, who has had some weight issues early in his career, bulked up from 319 lbs. last season to 325 lbs. when the official roster was updated this spring. Last year he played in four games as a reserve. This spring he did not appear to be pushing for significant playing time, and in fact, the next best offensive tackle behind the starters appeared to be Nolan Ulizio. With Ulizio and a potentially college-ready Ben Bredeson on the roster this fall, I do not think Bushell-Beatty will be of great importance this fall.

Prediction: Backup offensive tackle

2016 Season Countdown: #65 Carlo Kemp

Carlo Kemp (image via MGoBlog)

Name: Carlo Kemp
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 250 lbs.
High school: Boulder (CO) Fairview
Position: Defensive end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #2
Last year: Kemp was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 81 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks.
Final TTB Rating: 84

Kemp committed to Michigan in November and then enrolled early in January. During spring practice he was bouncing around between SAM linebacker, MIKE linebacker, and defensive end. It’s not clear whether Michigan was just working on different personnel packages or if they were legitimately trying him at several different spots, but by the end of spring, he seemed to have settled down at defensive end. Kemp may grow into a strongside end at some point, but with limited size as an underclassman, he should be on the weak side. Taco Charlton is presumed to be the starter there, and Chase Winovich looks to have worked his way to #2 on the depth chart. I expect Kemp to get some time this season to be groomed for a more prominent role in 2017, when Charlton and Chris Wormley will have graduated. There’s a chance that Rashan Gary will slide in to defensive tackle at that point, and at least one defensive end position will be up for grabs next season.

Prediction: Backup weakside end

2016 Season Countdown: #66 Kareem Walker

Kareem Walker

Name: Kareem Walker
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 210 lbs.
High school: Wayne (NJ) DePaul Catholic
Position: Running back
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #6
Last year: Walker was a senior in high school (LINK). He rushed for 1,517 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Final TTB Rating: 86

Walker was high on Michigan early, and then he somewhat surprisingly committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes on the day they won the national championship in 2015. Michigan continued to recruit him, and things went sour between Walker and OSU, which caused him to decommit in the fall. With a plan to enroll early at the school of his choice, he didn’t have a lot of time to drag out his decision, so he chose in mid-December to become a Wolverine. In the meantime, Walker’s promising sophomore and junior seasons preceded a slightly disappointing performance as a senior, when some started to question his lofty ranking. What seemed like elite quickness and burst as an underclassman turned into, less majestically, just good qualities.

This spring Walker was running fourth at tailback, behind De’Veon Smith, Ty Isaac, and Drake Johnson. Karan Higdon was sidelined by an injury for part of the spring, so he may be a factor ahead of Walker, too. I don’t expect Walker to surpass any of the first three guys unless one of them has a Ty Isaac-like inability to hold onto the football, but I do think he will play. You don’t steal a running back from Ohio State with the intent of burying him on the bench. I’m not in love with Walker, and he didn’t wow anyone this spring, but I do think he can be a productive back down the road. With Smith and Johnson graduating after the 2016 season, this year will be a bit of an audition to see who becomes the lead back in 2017.

Prediction: Backup tailback

2016 Season Countdown: #67 Brady Pallante

Brady Pallante

Name: Brady Pallante
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 280 lbs.
High school: Naples (FL) Barron Collier
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #45
Last year: I ranked Pallante #73 and said he would be a backup fullback (LINK). He played in seven games as a backup defensive tackle.

Pallante came to Michigan as an undersized nose tackle a few years ago, but when Michigan was lacking fullbacks, Jim Harbaugh gave him a shot to be a lead blocker. He split time between fullback and defensive tackle until he was needed full-time on defense due to some injuries. The coaching staff did not seem to have a ton of faith in him last year, because he lost nose tackle playing time to fellow position-oscillator Tom Strobel. Pallante played in seven games but did not register a tackle.

Michigan returns almost everyone on the defensive line this year, including a couple of the guys who were injured last year. Strobel transferred to Ohio, but the only significant departure was defensive tackle Willie Henry. Pallante won’t factor heavily into the nose tackle situation this year unless injuries rear their ugly heads again, and he was concentrating only on defense this spring. He’s game-experienced now and might see some mop-up time.

Prediction: Backup nose tackle

2016 Season Countdown: #68 Michael Onwenu

Michael Onwenu (image via Rivals)

Name: Michael Onwenu
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 350 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Onwenu was a senior in high school (LINK).
Final TTB Rating: 78

Onwenu committed to Michigan in early June of 2015. He measured in at over 360 lbs. at one point, although MGoBlue now lists him at 350 lbs. I thought he looked more like a nose tackle, but Michigan apparently wants him on the offensive line, where he is expected to play guard. He played the position adequately in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, and it’s not a bad idea because he’s pretty immovable at a squat 350 lbs., but he didn’t finish blocks in high school as much as I would have liked. This year it’s going to be tough for Onwenu to see much playing time. Not only is there a lot of experience returning on the offensive line, but Onwenu has work to do on his body and technique. However, the Wolverines need to groom at least three players to start in 2017, since Ben Braden, Kyle Kalis, and Erik Magnuson will all be graduating. With two of those players being guards, the coaches might want to get Onwenu some experience this season if they intend to start him next year.

Prediction: Backup offensive guard