Tag: 2017 season countdown

2017 Season Countdown: #26 Aubrey Solomon

Aubrey Solomon

Name: Aubrey Solomon
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 288 lbs.
High school: Leesburg (GA) Lee County
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #5
Last year: Solomon was a senior in high school.
TTB Rating: 89

Solomon committed to Michigan in June of 2016 (LINK). And then he committed again in February of 2017 (LINK). Why did he have to commit to Michigan twice? Because in between, Michigan thanked him for attending the BBQ at the Big House that he didn’t attend, and they spelled his name wrong, which led to a decommitment (LINK). I can’t blame him for being miffed, but he was also recorded saying “f*** Michigan” by another player at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Hope seemed to dissipate at that point . . . until a couple days later, Michigan Crystal Balls started to pop up. The rest is history, and Michigan landed a 5-star and the #24 overall player in the country.

Solomon arrived on campus this summer, and initial reports were not glowing. He was rumored to be less physical than expected, despite the fact that he has to realize there’s an opportunity for immediate playing time behind nose tackle Bryan Mone. But here’s him defeating sophomore offensive guard Ben Bredeson:

@AubreySolomon91 Competing! pic.twitter.com/RDcW24lZ0r

— Aaron Bills (@AaronBDesigns) August 6, 2017

If he’s not quite powerful enough to be a standout as a freshman, he doesn’t seem too far off.

The Wolverines need a nose tackle to step up this year, now that Maurice Hurst, Jr. has moved to the 3-tech position and Ryan Glasgow is in the NFL. Sophomore Michael Dwumfour can play some nose, too, but it’s a position that’s pretty light beyond Mone unless guys start shifting around. I’ve said for a while that I think Solomon will be the #2 nose tackle, and while it might take him a bit of time to adjust, I think he has to fill that role this season. I think he will be pretty good by the second half of the year, if not earlier.

Prediction: Backup nose tackle

2017 Season Countdown: #27 Tarik Black

Tarik Black (image via BCSN)

Name: Tarik Black
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 208 lbs.
High school: Cheshire (CT) Cheshire Academy
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #7
Last year: Black was a senior in high school.
TTB Rating:

Black was a big recruiting win for Michigan out of Connecticut. In the final composite rankings, he was the #17 wide receiver and #118 overall. The Wolverines beat out Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, and Notre Dame, among others. He was a U.S. Army All-American and then enrolled early in Ann Arbor. During the spring, he looked like perhaps Michigan’s best receiver, and he was a go-to target, at least against fellow freshman Benjamin St-Juste.

Black looked faster than I expected from him in the spring game, and there are some who think he has looked like Michigan’s top wideout. I can’t see anyone arguing that he’s lower than fourth, which is still pretty solid for a true freshman receiver; personally, I think he’s one of the top two guys on the outside and should start this coming fall. He has good speed and very good size, and he’s a solid route runner. He has been more impressive than superstar classmate Donovan Peoples-Jones, but it’s hard to rank any freshman receiver too highly. After all, Michigan’s best freshman receiver was Mario Manningham in 2005, when he had 27 catches for 433 yards and 6 touchdowns. I don’t think Black’s yards per catch will supersede Manningham’s 16.0, but I expect roughly similar production.

Prediction: 35 catches, 450 yards, 5 touchdowns

2017 Season Countdown: #28 Henry Poggi

Henry Poggi

Name: Henry Poggi
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 257 lbs.
High school: Baltimore (MD) Gilman
Position: Fullback
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #19
Last year: I ranked Poggi #41 and said he would be a part-time starting fullback. He started seven games and ended with 1 carry for 4 yards, plus 6 catches for 45 yards.
TTB Rating: 79

Poggi split fullback time with Khalid Hill in 2016. Poggi was treated as the big, bruising blocker who could kick out defensive ends and trap defensive tackles, while Hill was the guy who would lead on toss sweeps and grab short-yardage carries. I thought Hill played better than Poggi, but somehow the coaching staff still started for half of the season.

Despite Poggi not being an offensive skill weapon, I think he has value to the team because he’s big enough and strong enough to be an effective blocker against bigs. Michigan uses multiple tight ends and sometimes multiple fullbacks at once, and Poggi and Hill are the only two guys ready for that spot this year. The next guy is probably freshman Ben Mason, and after that it drops off to small-ish walk-ons. If Michigan didn’t play Hill ahead of Poggi last year full-time, then I don’t see why that would change going into 2017. I expect another low-key season for Poggi, but he should be a battering ram in the power running game.

Prediction: Part-time starting fullback

2017 Season Countdown: #29 Brad Robbins

Brad Robbins (image via Westerville Schools)

Name: Brad Robbins
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 180 lbs.
High school: Westerville (OH) South
Position: Punter
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #3
Last year: Robbins was a senior in high school.
TTB Rating: 70

Michigan was in good shape last year at punter with fifth year senior Kenny Allen. But his contract expired after the season and he was not re-signed, so now the Wolverines drafted a punter. On National Signing Day. Kind of like Mr. Irrelevant. Except he’s totally relevant. Walk-on Ryan Tice and redshirt freshman Quin Nordin both have the ability to punt, but the plan for Nordin is to be the placekicker, and it’s iffy whether someone so young should be pulling double duty. I think Robbins will win the punting job, but the efficacy of his kicking is up in the air.

Prediction: Starting punter; 42 yards/kick

2017 Season Countdown: #30 Luiji Vilain

Luiji Vilain (image via 247 Sports)

Name: Luiji Vilain
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 247 lbs.
High school: Alexandria (VA) Episcopal
Position: Defensive end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #18
Last year: Vilain was a senior in high school.
TTB Rating: 90

Vilain grew up in Canada, but a couple years before graduation, his name started to pop up on Michigan’s radar. He was attending camps in the midwest and eventually ended up in Alexandria, VA, to finish out the final two years of his high school career. That was probably a good choice, because offers started rolling in. Penn State, Rutgers, and North Carolina all took runs at him at various times, but perhaps that early familiarity with border state Michigan helped out in the end. He became an Under Armour All-American and powered his way up to #56 overall in the 247 Composite rankings, including #36 overall to 247 itself.

Vilain joins a team with no established backup at weakside end. Taco Charlton graduated, and his backup, Chase Winovich, will step into the starting role. Everyone else is almost totally inexperienced, and one bullet in the chamber was ejected when Corey Malone-Hatcher retired due to medical reasons. Donovan Jeter worked there in the spring, but he’s more of a strongside end or even a 3-tech in the long term. Other options include redshirt freshman Ron Johnson, redshirt sophomore Mike Jones, sophomore Carlo Kemp, and freshman Kwity Paye, along with redshirt junior linebacker Noah Furbush, who has been rumored to be getting a chance to put his hand down. There’s some talent in there, but no one looked ready to step up and be an impact player in the spring. Paye and Vilain just arrived this summer, so we haven’t seen them in college pads yet, but the coaching staff is reportedly pleased with how Vilain has looked since hitting campus. I think he will play a fair amount this season and eventually lock down the backup WDE spot.

Prediction: Backup weakside end; 20 tackles, 2 sacks