2016 season countdown Archives - Page 6 of 20

18Aug 2016

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2016 Season Countdown: #24 Maurice Hurst, Jr.

Maurice Hurst, Jr.

Name: Maurice Hurst, Jr.
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 282 lbs.
High school: Westwood (MA) Xaverian Brothers
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #73
Last year: I ranked Hurst #39 and said he would be a backup nose tackle (LINK). He made four starts, 35 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks.

Hurst was maybe a bit of a pleasant surprise in 2015. He made just 3 tackles and 1 tackle for loss in 2014, and while he got some practice hype, he hadn’t shown a ton on the field. He also seemed to be pretty undersized for a nose tackle at a shade over 280 lbs. After Bryan Mone broke his leg in the pre-season and Ryan Glasgow tore his pec in the middle of the season, Hurst became The Man at nose tackle. He responded by making 35 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks. Those numbers are comparable or favorable with the senior seasons of Terrance Taylor (35 tackles, 4 TFLs, 1.5 sacks), Alan Branch (25 tackles, 6 TFLs, and 2 sacks) and Gabe Watson (40 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 2 sacks). It should be noted that he achieved those numbers while starting only four games and beginning the season at #3 on the depth chart.

Pro Football Focus ranks Hurst as the #27 overall player in the country for 2016 (LINK), but I don’t quite buy that hype, and I also think Michigan has the horses to cover up for his absence if necessary. It’s unclear exactly how the rotation will go down, but Michigan can play Hurst, Matt Godin, and Chris Wormley at 3-tech defensive tackle this year. Hurst may be a backup nose tackle in some packages or if Michigan suffers injuries there again this year, but otherwise, I think Michigan could probably stand to lose one defensive tackle (Hurst or someone else) without suffering too much. Hurst will play plenty, he will be productive, and I think his quickness will give offensive guards some problems. However, Michigan is pretty deep on the defensive line, lessening the importance of any one guy.

Prediction: Part-time starting defensive tackle

17Aug 2016

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2016 Season Countdown: #25 Grant Newsome

Grant Newsome (image via MLive)

Name: Grant Newsome
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 318 lbs.
High school: Lawrenceville (NJ) Lawrenceville School
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #77
Last year: I ranked Newsome #87 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in four games and made one start.

Newsome entered last season looking like he would redshirt. He was listed at just 280 lbs., and Michigan had a veteran offensive line with some older backups. Logan Tuley-Tillman was the backup left tackle and probably the sixth-best lineman . . . but then he got into legal trouble. Michigan tried Tom Strobel on the offensive line, too, but eventually he was needed on the defensive line after a couple injuries. Newsome then stepped in to be the sixth lineman who would play in certain packages. He did okay, and clearly he had potential, but he didn’t look ready for prime time just then.

With Mason Cole’s move to center in the off-season, the most natural fit was for Newsome to slide in at left tackle. The coaches burned his redshirt last season because they thought he had a good chance to be a starter this year, and he was the #1 guy this spring. I think Newsome has some ability to drive block, and I think he has the feet to be a blindside protector, but he looked raw in pass protection this spring. He tends to get overextended and plant his feet in pass protection, so it should be interesting seeing how far he has come since we saw him in early spring. On the plus side, he was listed at 280 lbs. last year and now checks in at 318 lbs., so that’s a gain of 38 lbs. in the span of about a year. The guy is huge. I imagine there will be some growing pains early in the season, but judging from what I saw last year, I think Newsome should make progress by week four or week six. The coaching staff does a good job of selecting and developing players, so I’m looking forward to seeing what type of player he will be in the second half of this year, as well as in 2017 and 2018. If he goes down this year, Michigan could turn to freshman Ben Bredeson or flip Erik Magnuson over from the right side. Since Newsome is so inexperienced himself and somewhat raw, I don’t think that would be too devastating.

Prediction: Starting left tackle

16Aug 2016

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2016 Season Countdown: #26 Channing Stribling

Channing Stribling

Name: Channing Stribling
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 175 lbs.
High school: Matthews (NC) Butler
Position: Cornerback
Class: Senior
Jersey number: #8
Last year: I ranked Stribling #35 and said he would be a backup cornerback (LINK). He made 17 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, and 3 pass breakups.

I pegged Stribling as a backup last season with the idea that Brandon Watson would beat him out, and Jeremy Clark would be playing safety. Watson turned out to be the #4 cornerback after Jeremy Clark moved over from his strong safety spot; meanwhile, Stribling started four games until Clark started seven later in the year. It was an up-and-down year for both of those guys. Stribling made his first career interception early in the year against UNLV, weaving for a 30-yard return after undercutting the throw. That was perhaps the high point of his season. He suffered an injury and had a couple biffed coverages, including against Michigan State and Minnesota. His “interception” against Florida came on a fake field goal attempt where the ball was flipped forward when he burst through the line, and he happened to grab it. It was a good play, of course, but doesn’t really speak to his pass coverage abilities.

This spring there were insider rumblings that Stribling looked like the best defensive player on the field. Reports had Stribling running with the ones almost exclusively, while Clark was back to a complementary role. I don’t know how much practice hype to believe, although I do buy the thought that Stribling is the #1 boundary corner. I’m reticent to crown Stribling as the best defensive player on the team, because that would involve him surpassing a number of high-quality players (Jourdan Lewis, Jabrill Peppers, Ryan Glasgow, Chris Wormley, etc.). But we have also not seen Stribling make a lot of game-changing plays in his career. It was his junior year before he recorded a pass breakup or interception, and last year’s early-season success faded away down the stretch. We’re into the starters or quasi-starters in the countdown, and I’m placing him on the low end due to his solid but unspectacular past performances, as well as the fact that Clark has more starting experience, Watson played some last year, and Michigan recruited a couple solid corners in the 2016 class. Defensive backs coach Mike Zordich also recently said that Stribling is the least physical of the top three corners when it comes to run support. If Stribling gets hurt again, it might reshuffle the defense a little bit but shouldn’t be hugely detrimental.

Prediction: Starting cornerback; 30 tackles, 2 interceptions

15Aug 2016

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2016 Season Countdown: #27 Matt Godin

Matt Godin

Name: Matt Godin
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 294 lbs.
High school: Novi (MI) Catholic Central
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #99
Last year: I ranked Godin #36 and said he would be a backup defensive tackle (LINK). He started four games and made 17 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 0.5 sacks.

Godin has quietly turned into a solid player for Michigan. He began last season as the starting defensive tackle before an injury began to hamper him, at which point he was displaced as a starter by Chris Wormley. Godin’s technique was an issue earlier in his career, but he has learned to stay lower and to use his length as an advantage against offensive linemen. It’s tough for most 6’6″ guys to be effective defensive tackles, but he has learned to make it work. When Godin came back from injury, he was less effective, though that may have been partially due to the increasingly difficult opponents Michigan faced later in the year.

Entering his final season, Godin looks like the forgotten man up front. There’s hype about Rashan Gary, Chris Wormley, Maurice Hurst, Jr., Ryan Glasgow, Taco Charlton, Bryan Mone, and even Chase Winovich. But not so much Godin. He can play a couple spots on the line – strongside end or 3-tech – though he lacks the suddenness to be a full-time defensive end. I would expect Godin to be a backup this year now that Chris Wormley seems to have found his stride, and Hurst may be fighting for snaps at 3-tech, too. It’s a deep defensive line group, and that should be the strength of the entire team this season. If Michigan doesn’t get solid play up front, that’s going to make it difficult on the relatively inexperienced linebackers.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle

14Aug 2016

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2016 Season Countdown: #28 Jeremy Clark

Jeremy Clark

Name: Jeremy Clark
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 206 lbs.
High school: Madisonville (KY) North Hopkins
Position: Cornerback
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #34
Last year: I ranked Clark #47 and said he would be a backup strong safety (LINK). He started seven games at cornerback, making 21 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 3 pass breakups.

Clark was perhaps the biggest surprise on defense during the 2015 season. He didn’t play a great deal prior to last year, and he was thought to be a strong safety or perhaps a guy who could bulk up into an outside linebacker. Instead, he battled Channing Stribling for the starting boundary corner gig. Things were pretty even throughout the year, with Clark starting seven games and Stribling starting six. Clark was victimized by a couple excellent plays from offensive players, but mostly he was very solid. His large wingspan allowed him to blanket receivers who might have been open against smaller guys.

I thought Clark outplayed Stribling in 2015, but the Stribling hype train started once again this spring. Multiple reports said that Stribling had a great spring and sometimes looked like the best player on the whole defense. Meanwhile, defensive backs coach Mike Zordich said publicly that Clark is more physical and Stribling needs to get more involved in stopping the run. He also said that all three guys would play in certain packages. I’m giving the edge to Stribling in the countdown based on spring practice reports, but I don’t think Clark is far behind. He’s physical, covers well, and tackles well. I wasn’t a believer in his abilities as a corner prior to last season, but he has turned into a solid player.

Prediction: Backup cornerback