Tag: 2020 season countdown

2020 Season Countdown: #74 Christian Turner

Name: Christian Turner
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 200 lbs.
High school: Buford (GA) Buford
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #32
Last year: I ranked Turner #34 and said he would be a backup running back (LINK). He ran the ball 44 times for 171 yards (3.9 yards/carry) and 1 touchdown.
TTB Rating: 78

Turner showed a couple flashes of excitement in 2018 and then had a very ho-hum second year on campus. Despite a much improved offensive line over recent years, he finished two games with negative rushing yards, and his best days were 49 and 48 yards against Middle Tennessee and Rutgers, respectively, each on 11 carries.

This season there aren’t many carries up for grabs, as sophomore Zach Charbonnet and redshirt sophomore Hassan Haskins return. Oh, and so does fifth year senior Chris Evans (5.7 career yards/carry) after a one-year suspension for some academic issues. That’s not to mention Under Armour All-American freshman Blake Corum. Whether Turner is ahead of Corum on the depth chart or not, neither one appears likely to be higher than #4 on the depth chart. While the #3/#4 guys tied with 44 carries each in 2019 (Turner and Tru Wilson), the next highest total for a running back was Ben Van Sumeren with 9 attempts.

Prediction: Backup running back

2020 Season Countdown: #75 Matthew Hibner

Name: Matthew Hibner
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 230 lbs.
High school: Burke (VA) Lake Braddock
Position: Tight end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Hibner was a senior in high school (LINK). He caught 42 passes for 940 yards and 12 touchdowns, along with making 96 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 8 pass breakups on defense.
TTB Rating: 72

I guess I must have gone crazy for a while, because I don’t think I realized that Matthew Hibner – a little known recruit before committing to Michigan – finished up as the #12 tight end and #396 overall player in the 2020 class. It doesn’t surprise me so much from a talent standpoint, but it does represent a giant leap in the rankings.

Josh Gattis has mentioned that he likes guys with athleticism and basketball-type skills at tight end, and Hibner seems to have some of those talents. Lake Braddock split him out wide quite a bit, had him running deep routes, and even threw some quick screens to him. To average over 20 yards per reception on 42 catches is pretty impressive. Hibner is a natural athlete who can do a lot of different things. That doesn’t mean he will get on the field much in 2020, but he does have future potential. I think Michigan will be a little more spread-heavy in 2020 and de-emphasize the tight ends a little bit. Hibner should be the fourth tight end, but the #4 tight end isn’t critical.

Prediction: Backup tight end

Hit the jump for his senior highlights.

2020 Season Countdown: #76 Mike Morris

Name: Mike Morris
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 262 lbs.
High school: Belle Glade (FL) American Heritage
Position: Defensive end
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #80
Last year: I ranked Morris #74 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: 81

Morris had a pretty predictable freshman year as a 6’6″, 258 lb. defensive lineman: he redshirted. Michigan could have used some help along the defensive interior, but the end position had a pretty good rotation. But a 6’6″, 258-pounder isn’t going to help inside.

Morris is listed four pounds heavier on Michigan’s roster than he was last year, but hopefully he has added even more weight than that. He should probably be up in the 270 lb. range for defensive end and even higher if he moves inside to the 3-tech defensive tackle position. There wasn’t much buzz about him as a freshman, and the defensive line rotation once again seems to be pretty set with at least three playable guys on the inside and three more outside. Morris should spend most of 2020 watching, but he will probably get a few snaps here or there.

Prediction: Backup defensive end

2020 Season Countdown: #77 Jake McCurry

Name: Jake McCurry
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 192 lbs.
High school: Solon (OH) Solon
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #43
Last year: I ranked McCurry #63 and said he would be a backup wide receiver and special teamer (LINK). He made 7 tackles and recovered 1 punt.
TTB Rating: N/A

McCurry has been on the fringe of significant playing time for the past couple seasons. He caught a couple passes back in 2018 – and even garnered an ill-advised crunch-time target in The Game – but the 2019 season saw him relegated to special teams almost exclusively. New offensive coordinator Josh Gattis and a new class of recruits seemed to push McCurry to afterthought status when it comes to offense.

I expect more of the same in 2020 with a class of speedy recruits joining the team. Even though Donovan Peoples-Jones and Tarik Black have departed since last season, incoming players like Roman Wilson and A.J. Henning should gobble up some snaps. Meanwhile, second-year players Mike Sainristil and Giles Jackson should be more ready to play. So it looks like another year of special teaming for McCurry.

Prediction: Backup wide receiver, special teamer

2020 Season Countdown: #78 Joey Velazquez

Name: Joey Velazquez
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 213 lbs.
High school: Columbus (OH) St. Francis De Sales
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #9
Last year: I ranked Velazquez #89 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in one game.
TTB Rating: 82

So far Velazquez’s Michigan career is going as expected:

Start career off redshirting at Viper? Check.

Bulk up and move to WILL linebacker? Check.

It’s year two in Michigan’s system, and the only thing that hasn’t gone according to plan is when his freshman baseball season was canceled due to coronavirus.

The two-sport athlete goes into his redshirt freshman season as a potential role player on defense, mainly due to the departure of some key backups (Jordan Anthony, Devin Gil). While Joshua Ross is likely to start at WILL, the backup situation is in flux. Velazquez will be in a battle with sophomore Anthony Solomon, redshirt freshman Charles Thomas, and a few freshmen to get on the field. I expect Velazquez’s primary contribution to come on special teams.

Prediction: Backup linebacker, special teamer