Tag: 2017 season countdown

2017 Season Countdown: #36 Karan Higdon

Karan Higdon (image via 247 Sports)

Name: Karan Higdon
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 189 lbs.
High school: Sarasota (FL) Riverview
Position: Running back
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #22
Last year: I ranked Higdon #72 and said he would be a backup running back. He had 72 carries for 425 yards (5.9 YPC) and 6 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 73

Higdon was not very productive in limited time as a true freshman (1.7 YPC), so his 2016 season could be considered a bit of a breakout. He averaged 5.9 yards/carry and moved up the depth chart to #3, behind De’Veon Smith and Chris Evans. He had his first career 100-yard game against Rutgers (108 yards, 2 TDs), and followed that up with a 106-yard effort (1 TD) against Illinois the following week. In fact, in a string of three consecutive games in which he participated, he totaled 295 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns, with that third game coming against Penn State. Unfortunately, his production dropped off during the second half of the season, when he averaged just 2.2 yards/carry over the final six contests.

There have been rumblings that he was not 100% healthy going into the 2016 season, and maybe that explains the fact that he was lingering below 190 lbs. He showed an improved burst in 2016, but he still needs to break more tackles. With Smith graduated and Drake Johnson out of the picture, the depth chart seems to have cleared up a little bit and now it seems likely that Higdon will be the #2 guy going into the season. With Chris Evans slotted to be the starter, Higdon will be the second back in at times (with Ty Isaac likely rotating in regularly, too). If the offensive line can open holes for the running game, then Higdon has enough burst to make some chunk plays.

Prediction: Backup running back; 80 carries, 440 yards, 5 TDs

2017 Season Countdown: #37 Noah Furbush

Noah Furbush (image via Twitter)

Name: Noah Furbush
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 238 lbs.
High school: Kenton (OH) Kenton
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #59
Last year: I ranked Furbush #39 and said he would be the backup SAM linebacker. He made 15 tackles and 1 tackle for loss.
TTB Rating: 64

Furbush did a good job on special teams in 2015 and worked his way into the good graces of the coaching staff. Going into 2016 he was in line for a more prominent role. He was slated to be the backup SAM linebacker, with Jabrill Peppers as the starter. After missing the first few games due to injury, he returned to make 15 total tackles throughout the year. In Don Brown’s defensive scheme, he’s not the type of player who gets a ton of snaps at SAM unless a team is using a tight end and fullback regularly.

This year there are rumors that Brown might line up Furbush as a weakside end, along with having him play SAM. The depth at weakside end is thin, with Chase Winovich being the only player with any noteworthy experience. Jabrill Peppers is gone, but a similar player in Khaleke Hudson has been inserted in his place. Furbush is still the best option as a traditional SAM linebacker, but Brown’s blitz-heavy scheme may lean more toward fellow backup Joshua Uche on passing downs. Furbush has several roles he can fill – SAM, WDE, special teams – but he’s unlikely to break out at any spot.

Prediction: Backup SAM linebacker, backup WDE, special teamer

2017 Season Countdown: #38 Eddie McDoom

Eddie McDoom (image via The Michigan Daily)

Name: Eddie McDoom
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 180 lbs.
High school: Winter Garden (FL) West Orange
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #13
Last year: I ranked McDoom #60 and said he would be a backup receiver. He caught 5 passes for 59 yards and ran 16 times for 160 yards.
TTB Rating: 89

McDoom entered 2016 with some uncertainty surround his utilization. Was he a slot receiver? Was he an outside guy? Was he big enough? Could he return kicks or punts? Yes, no, I guess, I guess not. Michigan tricked everyone by turning a bunch of Jehu Chesson jet sweeps into Eddie McDoom jet sweeps, and the only thing missing was, sadly, a reverse from one to the other. Alas, we had to settle for McDoom averaging over 10 yards per touch, and the jet sweeps opened up some things in the run game. He had 33- and 20-yard rushes against Michigan State, but his usefulness waned late in the season when he had just 3 carries for 10 yards and zero catches over the final four games. Michigan’s coaching staff did not seem to trust his involvement in the passing game, and it showed.

The buzz about McDoom has been somewhat reserved, and I don’t think he’s taken the steps forward that perhaps I expected in the 2016-2017 off-season. With Michigan losing two starters on the outside, that should free up some room for some playing time. He played some outside receiver in the spring, and he also has the ability to play in the slot. The only catch he made in the spring game was a 31-yarder on a fade route over the head of freshman Benjamin St-Juste. He did hurt his ankle on that play, but he is expected to be full go for fall practices. I think McDoom can continue his jet sweep duty, and I think he will expand on those 5 catches from last season. I do believe he’s the most talented “slot receiver” on the roster overall, but I’m not expecting a step forward to stardom just yet. Maybe he can build on his rapport with Wilton Speight for next year.

Prediction: Backup wide receiver; 12 catches, 150 yards, 1 TD

2017 Season Countdown: #39 Juwann Bushell-Beatty

Juwann Bushell-Beatty (#76, with high school teammate Jabrill Peppers taking a snap; image via Michigan Daily)

Name: Juwann Bushell-Beatty
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 311 lbs.
High school: Paramus (NJ) Catholic
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #76
Last year: I ranked Bushell-Beatty #64 and said he would be a backup offensive tackle. He made one start and played in eight total games.
TTB Rating: 68

Bushell-Beatty went into the 2016 season with a prime opportunity to win a starting position, and he lost out in that competition to Grant Newsome to begin the year. Furthermore, he appeared to be third, behind freshman Ben Bredeson as well. Bredeson went on to establish himself at left guard, but Bushell-Beatty drew into the lineup after Newsome suffered a horrific knee injury against Wisconsin. (Newsome missed the rest of 2016 and will also miss 2017.) Bushell-Beatty struggled but earned his first start the next week against his home-state Rutgers Scarlet Knights . . . and struggled some more, at which point he was permanently replaced by Ben Braden.

This spring wasn’t any more positive for Bushell-Beatty. On the plus side, he has lost some weight from his earlier days in a Michigan uniform, but some minor injuries hampered him and he was passed by 6’4″ Jon Runyan, Jr., a guy almost everyone pegged as a center or guard. Some reinforcements are enrolled for the fall, though the Wolverines were unable to snag any grad transfer offensive linemen to ramp up the competition. Bushell-Beatty appears to be in a backup role for 2017, and while he has some value as a seasoned backup, he probably won’t be a starter again at Michigan unless injuries occur. Perhaps new offensive tackles coach Greg Frey can work some magic, but Frey generally goes for different body types than Bushell-Beatty’s. Ultimately, it looks like Bushell-Beatty will be a backup in 2017 and perhaps looking for a grad transfer opportunity elsewhere in 2018.

Prediction: Backup offensive tackle

2017 Season Countdown: #40 Ty Isaac

Ty Isaac (image via Zimbio)

Name: Ty Isaac
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 230 lbs.
High school: Chicago (IL) Joliet
Position: Running back
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #32
Last year: I ranked Isaac #34 and said he would be a backup running back with 60 carries for 300 yards and 3 TDs. He ran 74 times for 417 yards (5.6 yards/carry) and 5 TDs; he also caught 2 passes for 42 yards.
TTB Rating: N/A

Coming off a 2015 season where he averaged 6.8 yards/carry and broke off a 76-yard touchdown run, I thought Isaac should take a step forward on the depth chart. But that doesn’t mean I thought it would happen. The coaching staff did not appear to be as enamored with Isaac as I am, and while he did get more attempts, he was still not relied upon heavily in crunch time. Despite averaging 5.6 yards/carry, he had just 11 carries in the final six games – including the bowl game, in which he did not play for an undisclosed reason. Meanwhile, Karan Higdon had 29 carries for 66 yards over that same stretch, which is a little more than 2 yards/carry. Isaac’s yards per carry in that time? He ran for 85 yards, almost 8 yards/carry.

So. I know nothing. It doesn’t make sense unless former running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley and/or other guys on the coaching staff didn’t like Isaac, for whatever reason. I’m a numbers guy, and the numbers don’t support the playing time decisions.

It happened again in the spring game, to a lesser extent. Isaac (5 carries, 47 yards, 9.4 yards/carry, 1 TD) got fewer carries than Higdon (12 carries, 81 yards, 6.8 yards/carry, 2 TDs). I’ve learned over the years not to put too much stock in running back carries in the spring game (look out for Wyatt Shallman, everyone!), but I have resigned myself to the idea that Isaac is a backup. The coaches have their eyes on Chris Evans – who admittedly seems to be a more productive back – and Higdon, and they might even see Kareem Walker as a guy worth getting more carries. Wheatley has departed for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and in his place is former tight ends coach Jay Harbaugh, so a fresh start may be a good thing. I like Isaac and think he might be very underutilized, but there’s nothing I can do about it from my computer.

Prediction: Backup running back; 70 carries, 400 yards, 4 TDs