Tag: 2019 season countdown

2019 Season Countdown: #29 Andrew Stueber

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Name: Andrew Stueber
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 334 lbs.
High school: Darien (CT) Darien
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #71
Last year: I ranked Stueber #52 and said he would be a backup offensive tackle (LINK). He played in all thirteen games and started two at right tackle.
TTB Rating: 82

Stueber had a solid redshirt freshman season for a guy who didn’t get a ton of recruiting attention coming out of high school. He was mostly a special teams guy and backup. It’s easy to play special teams on the field goal unit when you weight 330 pounds or so. But he ascended to the starting right tackle job late in the year after Juwann Bushell-Beatty’s injury, and Michigan didn’t really seem to miss a beat. (Bushell-Beatty skipped the bowl game to prepare for the NFL, which didn’t help him much, but that’s a complaint for another time.)

Michigan is in a pretty good situation, in my opinion, if Stueber is the backup offensive tackle. Or even if he’s the starter. I liked what I saw out of him last year in the run game, and while his pass protection is a little shaky from a technique standpoint, he has the size and strength that will prevent him from getting bull rushed back into the quarterback. He might get beat by speed rushers, but those guys are usually on the offense’s left side. Right now I think Stueber will be the Wolverines’ starting right tackle, but overall, this is Michigan’s deepest and most talented offensive line since at least the early 2000s.

Prediction: Starting right tackle

2019 Season Countdown: #30 Jalen Mayfield

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Name: Jalen Mayfield
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 296 lbs.
High school: Grand Rapids (MI) Catholic Central
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #73
Last year: I ranked Mayfield #78 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in three games.
TTB Rating: 87

Mayfield had an outside shot to win an offensive tackle position in 2018. Michigan made a somewhat surprising personnel decision when they moved offensive guard Jon Runyan, Jr. to left tackle, and that move stuck. Mayfield played in three games as a backup, but he was not needed in a major role and preserved his redshirt.

This off-season there has been additional hype about Mayfield. Jim Harbaugh himself has discussed how much he likes Mayfield’s athleticism. Will that translate to winning the tackle position vacated by Juwann Bushell-Beatty? That has yet to be seen. Andrew Stueber was the guy who stepped in for Bushell-Beatty at the end of 2018, so I give Stueber a slight edge. This might end up like the 2017 season when Nolan Ulizio started a few games before giving way to Bushell-Beatty, but on the plus side for Michigan’s future, I think both Stueber and Mayfield are better than both Ulizio (who is now at Pitt) and Bushell-Beatty (who is not in the NFL). I think Mayfield will be the guy who steps in at either tackle position if either Runyan or Stueber gets injured, but he could very well win the right tackle job.

Prediction: Backup offensive tackle

2019 Season Countdown: #31 Nick Eubanks

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Name: Nick Eubanks
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 252 lbs.
High school: Plantation (FL) American Heritage
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #82
Last year: I ranked Eubanks #54 and said he would be a backup tight end (LINK). He started four games and made 8 catches for 157 yards and 1 touchdown.
TTB Rating: 44

Going into his redshirt sophomore year, Eubanks looked destined to be the third tight end in an offense that might be de-emphasizing the tight end position altogether. With a new, more spread-oriented quarterback, along with the return of a third talented receiver (Tarik Black), it made sense to put more receivers on the field and lessen the reliance on multiple tight end sets.

A funny thing happened with the #3 tight end, though: He became the big-play guy.

Hit the jump for more.

2019 Season Countdown: #32 J’Marick Woods

Name: J’Marick Woods
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 210 lbs.
High school: Florence (AL) Florence
Position: Safety
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #26
Last year: I ranked Woods #42 and said he would be a backup safety and special teamer (LINK). He made 13 tackles and 1 blocked punt.
TTB Rating: 80

Woods came into the 2018 season as a guy with a reputation for being a heavy hitter and run supporter, but a guy who couldn’t be trusted a ton in coverage. Tyree Kinnel and Josh Metellus handled most of the safety snaps, with Brad Hawkins stepping in to handle most of the coverage duties when necessary. We always knew Woods was a bit of a project when it came to being an all-around safety. Woods had a big punt block against Florida, but otherwise he didn’t accomplish a lot of noteworthy achievements as a sophomore.

J'Marick Woods (@WoodsJmarick) blocks the punt and Jordan Glasgow recovers. Michigan has the ball at the Florida 30-yard line with 7:54 left in the first half. pic.twitter.com/yz1XqvgNbx

— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) December 29, 2018

The 2019 story might be different. With Kinnel having graduated, there’s an open safety spot. Freshman safeties are dodgy, so Woods and Hawkins seem to be in a race for that starting position. Based on practice reports and coach talk, it seems like they want to give Woods every opportunity to be the guy. I would not be surprised to see the two play a pretty equal number of snaps, because they offer different strengths. That’s why they’re ranked back-to-back here in the countdown. Safeties seem to really come into their own as junior and seniors, so this competition ought to breed some pretty good play.

Prediction: Starting safety; 45 tackles

2019 Season Countdown: #33 Brad Hawkins

Name: Brad Hawkins
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 213 lbs.
High school: Suffield (CT) Suffield Academy
Position: Safety
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #20
Last year: I ranked Hawkins #57 and said he would be a backup safety/Viper (LINK). He made 24 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 1 pass breakup.
TTB Rating: 78

Hawkins played a little more than I expected in 2018, likely in part due to the absence of Jaylen Kelly-Powell for a chunk of the year. Tyree Kinnel and Josh Metellus were slated to be the starters, with J’Marick Woods, Kelly-Powell, and Hawkins vying for backup snaps. However, Kelly-Powell suffered an injury that caused him to miss half the season, increasing the opportunities for Hawkins. Hawkins struggled at times but came up with some solid plays, which seems about on par for a sophomore safety.

After losing Kinnel to graduation, there’s room to step up for someone at the safety spot. The options there include Kelly-Powell (who has reportedly been spending much of his time time at nickel corner), but mostly the coaching staff seems to be looking at Woods, Hawkins, and freshman Daxton Hill. I get the sense that the coaching staff wants Woods to get first crack at the starting gig so Hawkins is free to play the nickel spot. There are rumors about next year seeing a position switch for either or both of Hawkins and Woods to end up at the Viper position once Khaleke Hudson and Jordan Glasgow graduate.

Prediction: Nickel safety, backup safety