Tag: 2019 season countdown

2019 Season Countdown: #106 Brandon Peters

I swear this was already in the works prior to the announcement yesterday that Brandon Peters entered the transfer portal. Due to the probability of Peters’s transferring after being dropped to at least fifth on the quarterback depth chart, I initially put Peters at #107 in the countdown before bumping him up to #106 while doing some revising.

Rather than reiterating what I already wrote in the Ex-Wolverine post, I’ll just link that post here if you want to check it out (LINK).

One thing I forgot to mention in yesterday’s post is that Peters is the tenth member of the 2016 class to leave due to transfers or off-the-field issues. Of the 28 signees in 2016, the only offensive skill players remaining on the roster are tight ends Sean McKeon and Nick Eubanks.

2019 Season Countdown: #107 Kyle Grady

Name: Kyle Grady
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 178 lbs.
High school: San Diego (CA) Point Loma
Position: Quarterback
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #14
Last year: I did not rank Grady. He redshirted.
TTB Rating: N/A

Grady committed to Michigan in 2018 as a preferred walk-on. Like most freshman walk-ons, he did not see action last year. This season Grady is once again buried on the depth chart, but he could be a good player for Michigan’s scout team offense. He looks like a decent walk-on guy with a decent arm and a bit of athleticism, but he’s not a standout athlete.

Prediction: Backup, scout team quarterback

2019 Season Countdown: #108 Lucas Andrighetto

This is the first of 108 installments, running down the least to most important football players for the Michigan football program in 2019. I look forward to writing them and reading your comments. As always, please feel free to send donations my way via Paypal or by using the Amazon LINKS:

Name: Lucas Andrighetto
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 180 lbs.
High school: Mountain View (CA) St. Francis
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #49
Last year: I did not rank Andrighetto. He won Scout Team Defense Player of the Week during Northwestern week.
TTB Rating: N/A

Andrighetto was not a highly touted recruit, not even a highly touted walk-on. He played safety on the scout team last year, earning one Scout Team Defense Player of the Week.

This spring, with depth issues at the running back position, Andrighetto made the switch to offense. Head coach Jim Harbaugh gave him some publicity this spring, compliment his vision and quickness. Unfortunately, Andrighetto tore his ACL shortly after Harbaugh jinxed him, leaving the running back spot even thinner to finish out spring practice. Andrighetto would not have seen the field this fall, but scout team guys are still valuable. Andrighetto will probably miss a good chunk of the season, if not the whole thing, so it’s hard not to feel bad for the guy.

Prediction: Missed season due to injury

The 2019 Season Countdown is Coming!

If you’re a regular here at Touch the Banner, you probably know what begins in the month of May. Every year since 2009, I have counted down from the least important player on that year’s roster to the most important player, including starters, scholarship players, preferred walk-ons, special teams players, student body walk-ons, and everyone in between. That’s right, this is the eleventh (11th!) annual season countdown.

In case you want a look back at last year’s countdown, here it is (LINK).

YEARLY DISCLAIMER: The countdown is by the player’s importance to the team, not his overall talent. A talented player at a deep position won’t necessarily be missed a lot if he gets injured, but an injury to a moderately talented player at a thin position could be devastating. For example, former Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight wasn’t supremely talented, but backups John O’Korn and Brandon Peters mostly struggled in his absence, resulting in a dropoff from 10-3 to 8-5 from 2016 to 2017.

Be ready for the countdown to begin on May 1.