Tag: 2020 season countdown

2020 Season Countdown: #79 Zak Zinter

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Name: Zak Zinter
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 300 lbs.
High school: North Andover (MA) Buckingham Browne & Nichols
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Zinter was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 76 80

Zinter finished the 2020 recruiting class as a 4-star, the #10 offensive guard, and #264 overall. I’m glad he was finally rated as a guard, because early on in his recruitment, he was pegged as a tackle. Zinter graduated in December and enrolled in January, but obviously his time at Michigan was cut short due to COVID-19.

I may have moved him slightly up in the countdown if he had had a full spring session of football practice, but he will come in as basically a summer enrollee. And while he has had time with the playbook and contact with the coaches since he’s officially a college student, that’s not the same as getting reps on the field. I am as impressed by Zinter’s senior film as anyone’s, but I do have concerns about his ability to stay healthy. It seems that guys who are jumbo-sized entering college (Chris Fox, Chris Bryant, etc.) have a harder time staying healthy than the guys who grow into the position, and Zinter is a pretty big dude. Also, if you look at the picture at the top of this post, Zinter’s lower legs taper outward below the knee, which I have concerns about from a structural standpoint for a guy carrying around 300+ pounds.

So . . . I bumped Zinter up from a 76 to an 80 in the TTB Ratings, but my main concern is whether Zinter can hold up physically. As for this particular season, I think Zinter is strong enough that he could come in and play a few games as a garbage time backup, but he shouldn’t burn his redshirt.

Prediction: Redshirt

Hit the jump for his senior highlights.

2020 Season Countdown: #80 Carl Myers

Name: Carl Myers
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 286 lbs.
High school: Grand Rapids (MI) West Catholic
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #54
Last year: I ranked Myers #69 and said he would be a backup defensive tackle (LINK). He did not play.
TTB Rating: N/A

A few years ago, I thought Myers might be the fourth Glasgow brother. As a true freshman walk-on, he played in the very first game possible, against Hawaii in the 2016 season opener. Then he didn’t play at all in 2017, played in four games in 2018, and didn’t play at all in 2019. If Myers is alternating years of seeing playing time, then 2020 should once again be his year.

Unfortunately, I just don’t really buy it. Maybe Myers is just another above average walk-on type who just can’t really play at the scholarship guys’ level, and that’s fine. Four years into his career, he’s played in five games. While injuries have been an issue and caused him to miss some time, he’s probably still not a guy who will work heavily into the rotation.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle

2020 Season Countdown: #81 Cornell Wheeler

Name: Cornell Wheeler
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 220 lbs.
High school: West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Wheeler was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 130 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery.
TTB Rating: 73

Statistically, Wheeler had a standout season in 2019 with a whopping 130 tackles.

And yet that still paled in comparison to the 165 tackles he racked up in 2018.

My guess is those tackle numbers will drop considerably in 2020. Wheeler enters college as an inside linebacker for a team with an entrenched starter at middle linebacker (Cam McGrone) and an experienced probable starter at weakside linebacker (Josh Ross). Michigan normally rotates three inside linebackers and then just gives a smattering of snaps to anyone else. One thing to consider is if COVID-19 causes a player to be out for a couple weeks, so maybe we’ll see more players play and fewer redshirts in 2020. But aside from that possibility, I expect Wheeler to redshirt.

Prediction: Redshirt

Hit the jump for Wheeler’s senior highlights.

2020 Season Countdown: #82 Jack Stewart

Name: Jack Stewart
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 291 lbs.
High school: New Canaan (CT) New Canaan
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #70
Last year: I ranked Stewart #104 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: 74

When an offensive lineman is mired in the muck of the depth chart, there isn’t much to say. Stewart was a largely unheralded recruit coming out of high school, and he had the lowest TTB Rating. As someone who is probably a guard for his career, he has a lot of older or more talented guys ahead of him right now. He is probably looking at another redshirt year.

Prediction: Backup offensive lineman

2020 Season Countdown: #83 Greg Robinson

Name: Greg Robinson
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 306 lbs.
High school: Hudson (OH) Hudson
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #79
Last year: I ranked Robinson #73 and said he would be a backup offensive tackle (LINK). He played in one game.
TTB Rating: N/A

Robinson – like everyone on the roster – got some playing time in the blowout of Rutgers last year. That was the first game action of his career.

This year chances of his getting much time are probably pretty slim, despite the fact that Michigan lost four starters on the offensive line. I do think Robinson has a decent amount of talent for a walk-on lineman, but Michigan’s recruiting has been good enough that they probably don’t need Robinson to be in the rotation. He could work in on the field goal protection unit or to prevent a true freshman from burning his redshirt.

Prediction: Backup offensive tackle