Tag: 2021 season countdown

2021 Season Countdown: #36a J.J. McCarthy

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Name: J.J. McCarthy
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 195 lbs.
High school: Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy
Position: Quarterback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #9
Last year: McCarthy was a senior in high school (LINK). He completed 92/165 passes for 1,392 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions.
TTB Rating: 89

McCarthy was Michigan’s second commitment in the 2021 class after only offensive lineman Giovanni El-Hadi. McCarthy was a standout player early in his career at La Grange Park (IL) Nazareth Academy before finishing his career at IMG Academy in Florida. The decision to transfer came when football in the state of Illinois came into question during the pandemic.

McCarthy is known as a great leader with a rocket arm and solid mobility. He’s not the biggest or fastest quarterback, but he’s in the range of a lot of mobile quarterbacks who are taking college and NFL quarterbacking by storm. At 6’2″ and 195 lbs., he looks more like Mac Jones (6’2″, 180 in high school), Baker Mayfield (6’1″, 190), Sam Howell (6’0″, 225), etc. than the 6’5″ statue quarterbacks of yesteryear. I think his size, athleticism, and skills match the offense better than anyone Michigan has had since Jake Rudock in 2015.

Will he take over in 2021? That is the huge question. McCarthy graduated in December and participated in spring practice, but Jim Harbaugh came out of the spring naming Cade McNamara the starter. At Big Ten Media Days, Harbaugh reiterated that McNamara was #1, McCarthy was #2, Dan Villari was #3, and transfer newcomer Alan Bowman would slot in there somewhere, depending on how August practice goes.

Right now my guess is that McNamara is truly #1, and Bowman would be the second-best quarterback option to start the year. But I think it’s important for McCarthy to get snaps this season and prepare for the future. He has more upside than McNamara or Bowman, and the offense can be more dynamic with him, since he can push the ball downfield better and he moves better than both. I also think it’s important for the state of the program right now to get a 5-star player to come in and perform like a 5-star, because fans and possibly recruits might be wondering at this point whether Michigan can develop its offensive skill players to the level they should. Shea Patterson, Dylan McCaffrey, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and Zach Charbonnet are all recent high-level recruits who have somewhat fizzled during their time in a winged helmet.

Prediction: Backup quarterback

2021 Season Countdown: #36b Donovan Edwards

Name: Donovan Edwards
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield
Position: Running back
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #7
Last year: Edwards was a senior in high school (LINK). He rushes for 1,021 yards and 17 touchdowns, adding 153 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 90

Edwards had long been considered “The One” within the state, the guy that Michigan needed to land in 2021. There was a lot of pressure for the staff to sign him, and he made everyone sweat until National Signing Day in December. After flirting with Georgia, Michigan State, and Oklahoma, among others, he finally signed with the good guys. Considered to be a borderline 5-star prospect (247 Composite 4-star and #41 overall) at a position of need, Michigan fans let out a big sigh of relief.

I debated for a long time about how high to place Edwards in the countdown. Michigan needs help at running back after Zach Charbonnet (UCLA) and Christian Turner (Wake Forest) transferred, and while Charbonnet had one of the best freshman years for a running back a couple years ago, it can be a tough transition from high school to college. Edwards has good physical skills, but he also has some bad habits, such as carrying the ball too loosely and celebrating a little too early and too much on some of his big plays.

Michigan rotates heavily at running back, and Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum appear to be 1-2 at the position. The Wolverines only have four scholarship running backs (Haskins, Corum, Edwards, and Tavierre Dunlap), and they don’t even have quasi-running backs like Ben Mason and Ben VanSumeren anymore to fill in for a spell if necessary. The last time Michigan had a full season in 2019, Tru Wilson and Christian Turner tied for #3 on the team in carries with 44 each. I’m not sure that Michigan will be able to redshirt Dunlap, but if they tried, that might mean 60+ carries for Edwards. Michigan also sold Edwards on a plan to use him in the passing game, although I’ll buy into that when I see it.

Overall, Edwards will certainly play quite a bit and he will probably make some flashy plays when he does. But Haskins is reliable and steady, and Corum is a weight room warrior with some quickness. When it gets down to crunch time, Haskins and Corum will probably be on the field.

Prediction: Backup running back

2021 Season Countdown: #37 Joel Honigford

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Name: Joel Honigford
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 305 lbs.
High school: Sugarcreek (OH) Garaway
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #85
Last year: I ranked Honigford #50 and said he would be a backup offensive guard (LINK). He played tight end and on special teams in six games.
TTB Rating: 84

Honigford has had a bit of an odd career over his four-plus years at Michigan. I thought he would develop into a starting offensive tackle by the time his career ended, but instead, he has floated around from tackle to guard to tight end in 2020. After spending his first three years at offensive line exclusively, he changed his number from 59 to 85 and played as a tight end (basically an extra offensive lineman). Jim Harbaugh has done that kind of thing numerous times over his career.

The most surprising part to me is that Honigford is returning for a fifth year. With no clear path to playing offensive line, Honigford is the type of player who would normally take a grad transfer exception to go play somewhere else. I think it’s pretty obvious that he could go play offensive tackle in the MAC or elsewhere, probably start for a year or two, and then see what happens. Maybe he just loves Michigan or thinks he can beat out someone for playing time, but most guys don’t stick around for five years to play his role.

What is that role? Well, starting tight end Nick Eubanks and starting fullback/H-back Ben Mason are gone, which sort of bumps everyone else up a notch or two. While junior Erick All will presumably take Eubanks’s role, it’s unclear how Michigan will use personnel to replace Mason or fill in for the roles that All and Luke Schoonmaker held. Redshirt freshman Matt Hibner and true freshman Louis Hansen are also in the mix to play, but I have to think Honigford will reprise and perhaps expand upon his role as a blocking tight end in 2021.

Prediction: Backup tight end

2021 Season Countdown: #38 Gabe Newburg

Name: Gabe Newburg
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 265 lbs.
High school: Clayton (OH) Northmont
Position: Defensive end
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #99
Last year: I ranked Newburg #60 and said he would be a backup defensive end (LINK). He made 3 tackles.
TTB Rating: 72

Newburg redshirted in 2019 and spent the first two games of 2020 on the bench before moving into the rotation for the final four games. That playing time coincided with the injury to Aidan Hutchinson, who left early in game three against Indiana and did not return for the remainder of the season. Newburg looked physically underdeveloped to be playing the role he was, but that seemed to be the case with a number of players who were thrown into the fire too early due to injuries, opt-outs, etc.

With the new defensive system brought by Mike Macdonald and the graduation of Kwity Paye, I expect Newburg to move up in the pecking order a little bit this year. There is stiff competition for playing time in the front seven, but other guys would need to leapfrog him, at least with respect to last year’s depth chart. Hopefully with another year of lifting under his belt, he’s a little more physically ready. He is an adequate defensive lineman with limited upside who should be a solid backup.

Prediction: Backup defensive end

2021 Season Countdown: #39 Anthony Solomon

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Name: Anthony Solomon
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 212 lbs.
High school: Fort Lauderdale (FL) Saint Thomas Aquinas
Position: Linebacker
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #10
Last year: I ranked Solomon #37 and said he would be a backup linebacker (LINK). He made 5 tackles.
TTB Rating: 84

Going into the 2020 season, Solomon was considered to be the top backup at two different linebacker positions: WILL and Viper. I always thought he was too light to play an inside linebacker position like WILL, and he never got on the field there. But still, I think it was significant that he was thought to be the do-everything linebacker, which seems to be a sign that the coaches see a future for him.

Now that the 2021 season is almost here, I’m not sure where Solomon fits, if at all. He has struggled to put on weight, and if Michigan is going to play a 3-4, the inside linebackers need to be pretty stout. At the same time, the outside linebackers probably need to be taller and longer. This might be a Frankenstein year for the defense as the coaching staff takes disparate pieces to try to mold what they want, so while I don’t think Solomon will start, he must be capable of doing some things that would keep him near the top of the depth chart. Considering the injury potential at linebacker (Cam McGrone, Josh Ross, and Devin Bush have each suffered season-ending injuries the past three years), Solomon may be forced into a bigger role as the year goes along.

Prediction: Backup linebacker