Tag: 2016 season countdown

2016 Season Countdown: #10 Ryan Glasgow

Ryan Glasgow (image via Today’s U)

Name: Ryan Glasgow
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 299 lbs.
High school: Aurora (IL) Marmion Academy
Position: Nose tackle
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #96
Last year: I ranked Glasgow #25 and said he would be the starting nose tackle with 25 tackles (LINK). He started nine games and made 25 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, and 1 sack.

Did you notice that I predicted Glasgow to make 25 tackles last year, and he made exactly 25 tackles? An old phrase comes to mind: Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Anyway, Glasgow was indeed the starting nose tackle last season, but I underestimated him. He took a big step from 2014, in my opinion, and got more explosive off the football. Not only was he stalemating double teams, but he was splitting them and wreaking havoc in the backfield, forcing running backs to cut back and helping Michigan’s other high-quality defensive linemen and mediocre linebackers to make plays. Glasgow looked like a bona fide NFL draft pick. I probably would have ranked him higher than #25, of course, if I had known that backup Bryan Mone would break his leg in August practices. When Mone went down, that left 282 lb. Maurice Hurst, Jr. as the primary backup at nose tackle. That probably would have been okay until Glasgow tore his pectoral muscle in game nine, forcing Hurst into a starter’s role. Hurst had a breakout year, but he also struggled against teams that could handle his quickness. Meanwhile, an elite run-stopping defense absent its top two nose tackles was suddenly exposed against Indiana and Ohio State, getting gashed by running backs Jordan Howard and Ezekiel Elliott, respectively. Michigan eked out a win against the Hoosiers but got stomped by the Buckeyes as they wore down in the second half.

I almost wanted to put Glasgow in the top five this year because of what happened when Michigan lost him last year, but I keep having to remind myself that Mone is back and healthy. We haven’t seen what Mone has to offer, because the last time we saw him play was as a true freshman backup. Now the plan is to rotate Glasgow and Mone, while Hurst will be playing more 3-tech. I would expect Glasgow to be back to his old ways of tearing through centers and guards, though the pec injury concerns me. Will he have quite the same strength, or will he aggravate the injury? It’s impossible for us to say right now. If he can play like he did last year for a full season, I think he will earn some all-conference accolades.

Prediction: Starting nose tackle; Second Team All-Big Ten

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2016 Season Countdown: #11 Dymonte Thomas

Dymonte Thomas (image via Today’s U)

Name: Dymonte Thomas
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 199 lbs.
High school: Alliance (OH) Marlington
Position: Safety
Class: Senior
Jersey number: #25
Last year: I ranked Thomas #51 and said he would be a backup safety and special teamer (LINK). He started four games and made 24 tackles and 7 pass breakups.

When the season started in 2015, it appeared to be a third consecutive ho-hum season for Thomas. Brady Hoke had burned Thomas’s redshirt as a true freshman, when he didn’t seem to account for the transition costs of moving a high school linebacker to defensive back. So 2013 was mostly a wasted year, and 2014 brought playing time, but not at an effective level. Not having scratched his potential at the beginning of 2015, all eyes were on Jarrod Wilson and Jabrill Peppers at safety, along with a few sideways glances at Thomas and Delano Hill. He didn’t do anything special for the first few weeks, but the light seemed to come on midway through the year. From the Minnesota game onward, he made 20 of his 24 tackles and 4 of his 7 pass breakups. That doesn’t account for some nice plays against MSU, including an interception that was nullified by a penalty.

Thomas should have some established confidence in his game from last year, but my one concern – for the position as a whole – is the departure of excellent safeties coach Greg Jackson, who is now the defensive backs coach for the Dallas Cowboys. Michigan hired Don Brown over Jackson for defensive coordinator, and they brought in Brian Smith to coach defensive backs. Smith and incumbent cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich will split responsibility for the defensive backs, and while both have NFL experience in some form, there’s always concern when a proven coach is replaced by someone not so proven. Thomas made a very nice interception in the spring game when he covered a lot of ground to intercept Shane Morris, but it should be noted that Shane Morris-to-Jack Wangler is no Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance.

I think Thomas got over the proverbial hump last season, and now I think he’s a more valuable asset than Hill, who seemed to be the more trusted safety last year. Michigan doesn’t have another safety with Thomas’s speed, and I think the Cover 2 defense employed by Don Brown will give him an opportunity to make a few more plays: the free safety at Boston College, Brown’s last stop, was Justin Simmons, who made 5 picks last season and became a 3rd round NFL Draft pick for the Denver Broncos. Furthermore, Michigan is very thin at the position group, with true freshmen and walk-ons filling out the two- and three-deep after primary backup Tyree Kinnel. Thomas should be a very valuable part of the defense this season.

Prediction: Starting free safety; 50 tackles, 3 interceptions

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2016 Season Countdown: #12 De’Veon Smith

De’Veon Smith (image via Sporting News)

Name: De’Veon Smith
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 228 lbs.
High school: Warren (OH) Howland
Position: Running back
Class: Senior
Jersey number: #4
Last year: I ranked Smith #21 and said he would be the starting running back with 150 carries, 700 yards, and 8 touchdowns (LINK). He started ten games and had 180 carries, 753 yards, and 6 touchdowns.

Smith embodies what Jim Harbaugh looks for in a running back: toughness, determination, and not dropping the football. That was why it seemed apparent that he would win the starting gig last year, and he did. He ran 180 times for 753 yards (4.2 yards/carry) and 6 touchdowns, and he added 19 catches for 159 yards (8.4 yards/catch) and 1 touchdown. The highlight of his season came against BYU when he disappeared into a pile of Michigan/BYU players and seemed to evaporate, appearing on the other side of the pile and running 60 yards for a touchdown, shaking off and spinning out of a tackle near the goal line.

Hit the jump for more on Smith.

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2016 Season Countdown: #13 Ben Braden

Ben Braden (image via Michigan Daily)

Name: Ben Braden
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 335 lbs.
High school: Rockford (MI) Rockford
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #71
Last year: I ranked Braden #17 and said he would be the starting right guard (LINK). He started thirteen games at left guard.

Going into the 2015 season, Braden was making a pretty big transition. At 6’6″ (and sometimes listed at 6’7″), he seemed a little tall for an offensive guard, and he had started at right tackle during the 2014 season. Brady Hoke had tried him at guard in the spring of 2014, but he was back to tackle by that fall. Jim Harbaugh committed to the left guard thing, and Braden was good enough to be named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten. He wasn’t as dominant as you would hope for somebody who’s 330+ pounds and was winning sprints for his position group, but the offensive playcalling favored running behind Braden and then tackle Mason Cole on the left side.

Braden should be back at left guard for the second season in a row, and I expect him to make at least an incremental improvement. He will need to be a little better because he will most likely have a first-time starter on his left, since Cole has moved to center. Whether it’s sophomore Grant Newsome or freshman Ben Bredeson at left tackle, it’s important for a team with a right-handed QB like Michigan to have a solid left side of the line, not only to protect the QB’s blind side, but to set up a convincing play action. I think Braden has a chance at being All-Big Ten this fall, since he should be a three-year starter at season’s end and Michigan should be a top-tier team in the Big Ten.

Prediction: Starting left guard

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2016 Season Countdown: #14 Amara Darboh

Amara Darboh

Name: Amara Darboh
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 215 lbs.
High school: West Des Moines (IA) Dowling Catholic
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #82
Last year: I ranked Darboh #6 and said he would have 50 catches for 650 yards and 4 touchdowns (LINK). He made 58 catches for 727 yards and 5 touchdowns.

I was impressed with the strides Darboh made from 2014 to 2015, and I mean that in a literal sense. Maybe being a full year recovered from his foot injury made the difference, or maybe it was the new strength and conditioning staff. But either way, he had a little extra juice, and Michigan took advantage of that at times by running some quick screens. The younger version of Darboh would have been chopped down quickly, but redshirt junior Darboh blew past some corners and stiff-armed others. As always, he was a reliable possession target, and he had one of the highlights of the year for the Wolverines when he made a leaping, twisting, one-handed catch against BYU. Darboh led the team in receptions and finished second to Jehu Chesson in both receptions and receiving yardage.

I’m dropping Darboh in this year’s countdown for a couple reasons. First of all, Chesson developed into the bigger receiving threat as the season went on. Second, I think the pack has caught up to Darboh a little bit, with Maurice Ways, Drake Harris, Grant Perry, and a couple freshmen being able to contribute. And third, with more receiving options at tight end, the wideouts could become less emphasized if the game plan, opponent, and personnel packages deem them so. Darboh will start and should remain a frequent target on the outside, but I don’t think he’s quite as valuable as last year, when he and Butt were the only proven targets.

Prediction: Starting wide receiver; 45 catches, 600 yards, 4 touchdowns

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