Tag: 2017 season countdown

2017 Season Countdown: #61 Lawrence Marshall

Lawrence Marshall

Name: Lawrence Marshall
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 268 lbs.
High school: Southfield (MI) Southfield
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #93
Last year: I ranked Marshall #48 and said he would be a backup Anchor.
TTB Rating: 72

Marshall, who was listed in 2016 at 268 lbs., was a backup strongside end. Rumors have existed for a while now that he hasn’t been 100% committed to improving as a football player, and that resulted in him playing in just three games last season. He made 6 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss in that playing time, and he struggled some when he got a chance to play. Originally a 240 lb. weakside end, he’s on one of those trajectories where he appears to be bulking up for a mediocre career inside.

Now Marshall is said to be around 280 lbs., and he’s playing 3-tech defensive tackle. Some players have bounced around due to need at different spots, but this appears to be at least a semi-permanent move for Marshall. Michigan needs help on the interior of the defensive line, and there’s not a whole lot of experience there. I profiled true freshman James Hudson III a couple days ago (LINK), so I view him as being almost on par with Marshall, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Hudson passed him up. It’s now-or-never for Marshall, who could see his time expire at Michigan if he doesn’t amp up his game. The Wolverines won’t want him back for a fifth year if he doesn’t become more disciplined and productive. On the plus side, Marshall has to see that there’s playing time up for grabs with Maurice Hurst, Jr. the only proven guy at his position. He could be the #2 guy, or he could be clawing for snaps with the likes of Carl Myers, Hudson, and freshman Donovan Jeter, among others.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle

2017 Season Countdown: #62 Oliver Martin

Oliver Martin

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Name: Oliver Martin
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 189 lbs.
High school: Iowa City (IA) West
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Martin was a senior in high school. He caught 85 passes for 1,272 yards and 16 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 83

Martin was a fairly late addition to the 2017 class when he committed in late January. That might be partly because he showed up on their radar relatively late in the process. Michigan hadn’t been in much contact until he attended The Opening, and some of Michigan’s commitments alerted the coaching staff to how much they liked playing with him out at Nike’s headquarters. The staff offered, and he visited shortly afterward, but he still held off on committing for several months.

Going into Martin’s freshman season, it’s hard to see where he’ll fit. I wouldn’t be surprised if he redshirted . . . or if he played a backup role . . . or if he finished second on the team in receptions. He will probably play in the slot, but he has the size and skill to contribute at multiple receiver positions. He’s a decent route runner with good hands, and he can work across the middle. The drawback is that he did not enroll early like some of Michigan’s other freshman receivers. I think Martin will play this season, but his production will be limited by a glut of talented young wideouts.

Prediction: Backup slot receiver

2017 Season Countdown: #63 James Hudson III

James Hudson III (image via The Wolverine Daily)

Name: James Hudson III
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 294 lbs.
High school: Toledo (OH) Central Catholic
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Hudson was a senior in high school. He made 80 tackles, 34 tackles for loss, and 8 sacks.
TTB Rating: 85

I’ve gone back and forth on whether Hudson should play offensive tackle or defensive tackle in college. Some people compare him to Willie Henry, but he’s a little bit taller and longer. Due to a need for numbers at defensive tackle – and, of course, the words of Hudson himself – I think he’ll at least start out at 3-tech on defense, but I wouldn’t rule out a move to offense at some point.

Regardless, I saw Hudson make some significant improvements mentally and physically from his junior to senior years, and I believe he’ll be a high-impact player at Michigan. The Wolverines have a starter (Maurice Hurst, Jr.) and a backup (Michael Dwumfour) at 3-tech, but both of those guys can be used at nose tackle, and there’s not much else behind them. Lawrence Marshall and walk-on Carl Myers can both play 3-tech, but neither has the athleticism or upside of Hudson. I think Hudson will get his feet wet this year so he can be primed to start or backup Dwumfour in 2018.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle

2017 Season Countdown: #64 Andrew Vastardis

Vastardis, Bredeson, Runyan, and Ulizio (L to R, image via Detroit News)

Name: Andrew Vastardis
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 305 lbs.
High school: Ashburn (VA) Stone Bridge
Position: Center/offensive guard
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #68
Last year: I did not rank Vastardis. He redshirted.
TTB Rating: N/A

Vastardis was a preferred walk-on who arrived on campus last year. He’s a block of granite. And he moves like one, too. But when you’re an interior lineman, sometimes that can work. He saw a fair amount of time in the spring game, and he acquitted himself well. Michigan has some decent options on the inside, and things seem to be fairly settled. The top four guys on the interior appear to be Ben Bredeson, Patrick Kugler, Michael Onwenu, and Cesar Ruiz, and I don’t think Vastardis will beat out any of them. However, he could be an injury replacement for one of them, and he will probably get some chances to hone his skills in mop-up time.

Prediction: Backup offensive guard

2017 Season Countdown: #65 Benjamin St-Juste

Benjamin St-Juste (image via Twitter)

Name: Benjamin St-Juste
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 188 lbs.
High school: Montreal (Quebec) Vieux
Position: Cornerback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #25
Last year: St-Juste was a senior in high school. He made 30 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 18 pass breakups.
TTB Rating: 78

St-Juste had an odd route to Michigan. Originally committed as a part of the 2016 class, he reclassified to 2017. He was a very inexperienced football player and extremely raw when he first popped up onto the scene and committed to Michigan in June of 2015. Many Michigan fans – including me – were unsure why the Wolverines would take a chance on him, even though Michigan offered him after they saw him at a camp in person.

But then came his 2016 season and an early enrollment and the spring game, and maybe we were wrong. Michigan just had a 6’3″, 220 lb. cornerback with a torn ACL get drafted, and maybe Jim Harbaugh knows what he’s doing with big corners.  St-Juste had an okay spring game where he was toasted by fellow freshman Tarik Black for several catches, except St-Juste was right in his hip pocket the whole time and it took some nice throws and catches to complete those passes. The defense needs two brand new starting corners this year, and while St-Juste probably won’t be a starter this year, he could be a depth player who gets groomed for a bigger role as a boundary corner in the next couple years.

Prediction: Backup cornerback