2020 Season Countdown: #104 Peyton Smith

Tag: 2020 season countdown


16May 2020
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2020 Season Countdown: #104 Peyton Smith

Peyton Smith (image via 247 Sports)

Name: Peyton Smith
Height:
6’4″
Weight:
190 lbs.
High school:
Traverse City (MI) Central
Position:
Quarterback
Class:
Freshman
Jersey number:
N/A
Last year:
Smith was a senior in high school.
TTB Rating:
N/A

Smith is a very nice pickup for Michigan as a preferred walk-on in the 2020 class. He looks to me like an FCS-level quarterback who will pay his own way to Michigan. You can see some athleticism, a decent arm, and some good accuracy. He does look a little skittish in the pocket sometimes, but he looks like a true quarterback, unlike some other preferred walk-ons who are just good athletes but end up playing receiver or tight end or fullback or defensive back.

Michigan’s quarterback situation isn’t great with three scholarship returners (Dylan McCaffrey, Joe Milton, Cade McNamara) and an incoming freshman who’s more of an athlete (Dan Villari). In fact, in some ways I like Smith more than Villari when it comes to quarterback skills, though Villari is a more enticing athlete. Smith is unlikely to rise up the ranks to the point where he’s a key player, but for a preferred walk-on, he has potential.

Prediction: Redshirt

Hit the jump for his senior highlights.

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14May 2020
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2020 Season Countdown: #105 Mahdi Hazime

Mahdi Hazime (image via Canada Football Chat)

Name: Mahdi Hazime
Height:
6’2″
Weight:
319 lbs.
High school:
Dearborn (MI) Fordson
Position:
Offensive guard
Class:
Redshirt freshman
Jersey number:
#64
Last year:
Hazime was not ranked. He redshirted.

As a walk-on lineman, it’s always going to be an uphill battle to get on the field at Michigan. Hazime was raw coming out of high school, and he had some weight to shuffle around on his body. But I think he has potential as a scout team guy and maybe more down the line. Ultimately, he’s probably a little short and not quite talented enough to be a big-time walk-on success, but these types of guys are valuable to rep against the guys who might be a little taller, more advanced, or more athletic. Hazime transferred to Fordson from Canada, so his learning curve might be a little different than some others.

Prediction: Backup offensive guard

Hit the jump for his highlights from 2018.

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12May 2020
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2020 Season Countdown: #106 Sam Staruch

Sam Staruch (image via Twitter)

Name: Sam Staruch
Height:
6’3″
Weight:
185 lbs.
High school:
Lake Orion (MI) Lake Orion
Position:
Wide receiver
Class:
Freshman
Last year:
Staruch was a senior in high school.

I don’t have much background information on Staruch, but based on his senior film, I think he has the best natural receiving skills of the preferred walk-ons. He’s a lanky kid with decent speed and good ball skills. Dayton (FCS) offered, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had other FCS interest.

As a freshman preferred walk-on, he’s very unlikely to see the field. But that could be a possibility in the next few years.

Hit the jump for his senior highlights.

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9May 2020
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2020 Season Countdown: #107 Christian Bartholomew

Christian Bartholomew (image via Hudl)

Name: Christian Bartholomew
Height:
6’1″
Weight:
180 lbs.
High school:
Kalamazoo (MI) Hackett
Position:
Quarterback/wide receiver
Class:
Freshman
Jersey number:
N/A
Last year:
Bartholomew was a senior in high school.

Bartholomew committed to Michigan as a preferred walk-on. He runs a 4.5 forty and on his Hudl page, he claims a 245 lb. bench and a 385 lb. squat. Though he played quarterback as a senior, he caught 66 passes for 1,131 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior, and he made 78 catches for 1,029 yards and 9 touchdowns as a sophomore.

I’m not so sure about that 4.5 forty time, but Bartholomew looks like that kind of good all-around athlete who could eventually earn some playing time either at receiver or on special teams.

Prediction: Redshirt

Hit the jump for his senior highlights.

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5May 2020
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2020 Season Countdown: #108 Jerome Nichols

Jerome Nichols (image via Hudl)

Name: Jerome Nichols
Height:
6’1″
Weight:
215 lbs.
High school:
Detroit (MI) Renaissance
Position:
Linebacker
Class:
Freshman
Jersey number:
N/A
Last year:
Nichols was a senior in high school.

Nichols committed to Michigan as a preferred walk-on. He’s a two-year captain at Renaissance, and his Hudl video shows he claims a 3.5 GPA and a 1200 on the SAT. Nichols had some FCS offers but chose to go the Michigan route.

I don’t think Nichols is going to get on the field as a freshman, which is why he’s all the way down here at #108. But he’s a physical linebacker type that I think should be on the radar for future years. I do not believe he has the speed to become an awe-inspiring walk-on-to-NFL story like Jordan Glasgow, but this is a guy I could see playing special teams in the next few years.

Prediction: Redshirt

Hit the jump for his highlights.

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