Tag: 2020 season countdown

2020 Season Countdown: #44 Ben VanSumeren

Name: Ben VanSumeren
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 244 lbs.
High school: Essexville (MI) Garber
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #40
Last year: I ranked VanSumeren #48 and said he would be a backup running back (LINK). He played in five games and ran the ball 6 times for 20 yards.
TTB Rating: 78

Michigan’s transition to the Josh Gattis offense was a positive for a lot of people, but probably not someone like VanSumeren. Brought in as more of a traditional fullback, he was left without a real position on offense. At 6’2″ and 236 pounds, his speed and quickness were lacking as a runner. Though he spent the spring of 2019 getting a lot of reps due to injuries, the season itself saw him finish as the #5 tailback.

The outlook has not changed much going into 2020, and VanSumeren has reportedly made another position switch, this time to linebacker. It’s not clear exactly what role he would fill on defense, but he was rumored to potentially become a pass rusher off the edge, a role that Josh Uche previously inhabited. I do not see VanSumeren having a lot of success in that type of role, but like fellow fullback/linebacker recruit Ben Mason (who has also spent time at defensive tackle), it appears the coaching staff will try to shoehorn him into a role. I would not be surprised to see him line up at linebacker, defensive end, fullback, and/or tailback in 2020, but I would be surprised to see him become a standout at any one of those spots.

Prediction: Backup linebacker

2020 Season Countdown: #45 Jess Speight

Name: Jess Speight
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 288 lbs.
High school: Richmond (VA) Collegiate
Position: Center
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #67
Last year: I ranked Speight #90 and said he would be a backup center (LINK). He played in seven games and made 7 tackles.
TTB Rating: N/A

Speight has slowly climbed the ranks of Michigan football over the past few years. He came in as a preferred walk-on and the brother of quarterback Wilton Speight, who transferred from Michigan to UCLA. I liked him as a recruit and thought he might be able to work his way onto the field on the offensive line. After spending his first couple seasons on campus playing center, he switched to defensive tackle last fall when there was a need for depth. By the end of the season, he was playing some key minutes.

While Speight is not expected to start in 2020, there is once again an opportunity for him to play. Part-time starter Michael Dwumfour transferred to Rutgers, but sophomore Chris Hinton is expected to step into the starting lineup alongside nose tackle Carlo Kemp. Other players involved in the competition include Speight, Donovan Jeter, and Mazi Smith, among others. Hinton’s parents have been pretty vocal about being opposed to playing due to COVID-19, so there’s a chance that he will opt out of the season. That could elevate Speight’s importance for 2020, but I’m operating under the assumption that Hinton will play (NOTE: No Michigan players have opted out for 2020 as of this writing). I don’t think Speight will be a difference maker, but he’s an okay role player.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle

2020 Season Countdown: #46 Gemon Green

Name: Gemon Green
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 180 lbs.
High school: DeSoto (TX) DeSoto
Position: Cornerback
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #22
Last year: I ranked Green #43 and said he would be a backup cornerback. (LINK). He made 5 tackles.
TTB Rating: 82

Green had a momentary uptick in expectations during the pre-season leading up to 2019 when it came out that Ambry Thomas was suffering from an illness. That left Thomas’s availability for the season up in the air, and maybe backup corners like Green were licking their chops at the chance to play. Luckily for Michigan, Thomas made a pretty miraculous recovery to be ready for game one and he stayed healthy throughout the year. Green was limited to special teams as Thomas, Lavert Hill, and Vincent Gray took the vast majority of snaps at corner.

This year Green is in the hot seat. With Hill having graduated, Michigan needs to find a third corner. Green is in his third year on campus and has the most experience of any of the backups, but he hasn’t separated himself from the pack. In fact, word on the street is that D.J. Turner II has been the most impressive of the backup corners. Green needs to stake his claim to playing time here in 2020 or else Gray, Turner, Darion Green-Warren, and/or others might make him irrelevant going into 2021.

Prediction: Backup cornerback

2020 Season Countdown: #47 Taylor Upshaw

Name: Taylor Upshaw
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 240 lbs.
High school: Bradenton (FL) Braden River
Position: Defensive end
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #91
Last year: I ranked Upshaw #72 and said he would be a backup defensive end (LINK). He played in six games and made 2 tackles.
TTB Rating: 73

Last year Michigan needed some help at defensive end after a bunch of departures from the 2018 season. Upshaw took probably as much advantage as he could with future NFLer Mike Danna taking most of the backup defensive end snaps. When Upshaw got on the field, he looked a little thin after being listed at 246 pounds.

One year later he is now listed at 240 pounds, which is probably not a good thing. That’s not even a good weight for a shorter weakside end, let alone a guy who’s 6’4″ and probably headed for the strong side. At the same time, Upshaw actually saw playing time, unlike some of the other options (Gabe Newburg, Mike Morris). I’ve heard a little buzz about Newburg, but Upshaw might be in the race to make the two-deep with Luiji Vilain, Braiden McGregor, Newburg, and others.

Prediction: Backup defensive end

2020 Season Countdown: #48 Andrew Vastardis

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Name: Andrew Vastardis
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 319 lbs.
High school: Ashburn (VA) Stone Bridge
Position: Offensive guard/center
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #68
Last year: I ranked Vastardis #79 and said he would be a backup center/guard (LINK). He played in five games.
TTB Rating: N/A

A good number of walk-ons end up on Michigan’s football team, and the vast majority of them remain unknowns to casual fans. Vastardis started off his career at Michigan as a preferred walk-on. While Michigan does have a fair number of walk-on success stories – many of them Glasgows – Vastardis has an opportunity to add his name to that list. In the past two seasons, he has played in six and five games, respectively, while playing behind Cesar Ruiz.

Ruiz is off to the NFL, which opens a spot at center. Word is that the coaches really like redshirt freshman Zach Carpenter, who seems to be penciled in at the position. But Vastardis offers a great veteran backup option. This will be his fifth year in the program, and he appears to be very strong while lacking a little bit of agility. We probably won’t see much of him as long as everyone stays healthy up front, but the backup center is fairly valuable, considering he’s the one who makes the protection calls for the whole line.

Prediction: Backup center