Tag: 2019 season countdown

2019 Season Countdown: #61 Giles Jackson

Name: Giles Jackson
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 179 lbs.
High school: Oakley (CA) Freedom
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Jackson was a senior in high school (LINK). He caught 63 passes for 1,254 yards and 13 touchdowns, along with 38 carries for 207 yards and three TDs, and adding a 65-yard punt return for a score.
TTB Rating: 76

Jackson committed to Michigan in September of 2018. There was some talk about him being a running back at the time, perhaps spurred by his high school career:

• Caught 63 passes for 1,254 yards and 13 touchdowns senior year; had 38 carries for 207 yards and three TDs, and added a 65-yard punt return for a score
• Rushed 221 times for 1,586 yards and 22 touchdowns as a junior, while adding 21 catches for 324 yards and five touchdowns
• Carried the ball only five times for 24 yards as a sophomore, but added 47 receptions for 842 yards and 13 touchdowns

From his sophomore year onward, his carries went from 5 to 221 to 38. His receptions went from 47 to 21 to 63. Perhaps his junior season position move to running back was a team personnel necessity, or maybe the coaching staff thought he could play running back before deciding that he needed to get ready to play receiver in college.

Either way, Jackson goes into the 2019 season with a chance to play wide receiver at Michigan. The departure of Oliver Martin might open some doors in that area, but the complexity and speed of the college game might hinder his immediate development as a summer enrollee. Ultimately, I think Jackson will end up redshirting, but he has the playmaking potential to work his way onto the field this fall.

Prediction: Redshirt

2019 Season Countdown: #62 Erick All

Name: Erick All
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 216 lbs.
High school: Fairfield (OH) Fairfield
Position: Tight end/wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #83
Last year: All was a senior in high school (LINK). He caught 30 passes for 465 yards and 4 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 75

All has had a very interesting trajectory so far during his short Michigan career. When he first committed, I assumed – along with others – that he would be a redshirt lock as a true freshman due to his size (216 lbs. as of this spring). Then when the spring rolled around, he was the most hyped early enrollee outside of Mike Sainristil.

Word coming out of Ann Arbor is that the coaches love All for his attitude and work ethic, and I can’t help thinking of Sean McKeon when I hear stuff like that. McKeon played in four games as a true freshman (2 catches for 10 yards), even though he was the #5 tight end in receptions (six tight ends caught passes but walk-on Michael Jocz only caught one). I don’t see All as being a size or speed mismatch, but the reward for being someone the coaches like could be some playing time in certain situations. I don’t see him being a standout at any point, but sometimes consistency is key.

Prediction: Backup tight end

2019 Season Countdown: #63 Jake McCurry

Name: Jake McCurry
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 185 lbs.
High school: Solon (OH) Solon
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #43
Last year: I ranked McCurry #97 and said he would be a backup wide receiver and special teamer (LINK). He caught 2 passes for 33 yards and 1 touchdown, along with making 10 tackles.
TTB Rating: N/A

On September 25, 2010, Michigan fullback John McColgan caught a pass from quarterback Tate Forcier that put the Wolverines up 36-14 over Bowling Green State University.

And until September 8, 2018, against Western Michigan University, no other Michigan walk-on caught a touchdown pass until Jake McCurry did when he scurried into the endzone from 18 yards away.

McCurry didn’t exactly burst onto the scene in 2018, but he did come out of nowhere. A nondescript preferred walk-on in 2017, he won the Scout Team Player of the Year as a true freshman and found his way onto the field in some key moments in 2018. Not just for the touchdown against the Broncos, but for a much maligned slot fade target against Ohio State. While that slot fade target did not work out well (it fell incomplete but should have been flagged for defensive pass interference), it did indicate how much confidence the coaching staff was placing in McCurry.

This season McCurry is not going to be a target hog, but he has shown that he can contribute effectively on special teams. And on certain occasions, Shea Patterson (or others) will probably try to get him the ball through the air. McCurry is someone who can fill in the cracks and do some dirty work on special teams, and those guys are valuable.

And maybe there won’t be another eight-year window between walk-on touchdown receptions.

Prediction: Backup wide receiver, special teamer

2019 Season Countdown: #64 Hassan Haskins

Name: Hassan Haskins
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 212 lbs.
High school: Eureka (MO) Eureka
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #25
Last year: I ranked Haskins #89 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in three games.
TTB Rating: 74

Haskins spent the 2018 season bouncing back and forth between running back and linebacker. It seemed like he was bound for linebacker until the great mass exodus of running backs hit, removing Karan Higdon (senior), Chris Evans (dumb mistake), and O’Maury Samuels (allegedly really dumb mistake) from the roster. Now the dearth of running backs creates a need for someone like Haskins to be ready to contribute, especially because true freshman Zach Charbonnet had knee surgery in the spring.

All that being said, Haskins is still probably buried on the depth chart at running back. If Charbonnet comes back healthy, the trio of Charbonnet, Tru Wilson, and Christian Turner seem likely to eat up most of the carries. But injuries happen, so maybe Haskins slips into a contributing role at some point. He will be battling against the likes of redshirt freshman fullback/tailback Ben Van Sumeren, who played quite a bit in the spring with the absence of Charbonnet.

Prediction: Backup running back, special teamer

2019 Season Countdown: #65 Quintel Kent

Name: Quintel Kent
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 172 lbs.
High school: Lakewood (OH) St. Edward
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Kent was a senior in high school (LINK). He caught 59 passes for 924 yards and 12 touchdowns, along with returning 2 kickoffs for touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 59

Kent committed to Michigan in August of 2018 as the Wolverines fended off several MAC programs for his services. He had a solid senior season and did seem to make some improvements in his strength and speed from his junior year. I originally gave him a TTB Rating of 49, which I have since upgraded to the 59 above. His TTB Rating is less indicative of his talent than it is simply the talent surrounding him. Michigan has been bringing in a lot of good receivers over the past few years.

So how does a guy with a 59 TTB Rating get ranked at #65 as a true freshman? It’s pretty simple. There aren’t a ton of experienced bodies at wide receiver, and that number has even dropped by one (Oliver Martin) since I put together the countdown list. Kent could end up with a Grant Perry-like career, where he plays a good bit as a freshman but just kind of consistently hangs out as a “contributor” for four years.

Prediction: Backup wide receiver