Tag: 2022 season countdown

25Jun 2022

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2022 Season Countdown: #83 C.J. Stokes

Name: C.J. Stokes
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Columbia (SC) Hammond
Position: Running back
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Stokes was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 59 71

Michigan beat out Louisville, Minnesota, Missouri, Penn State, and South Carolina for South Carolina native C.J. Stokes. Stokes ended up ranked as a 3-star, the #63 running back, and #798 overall. Playing in a small school league, he dusted the competition on his way to 1,000+ yards in each of his final three seasons and a 13-0 record as a senior.

I have no real reason to distrust Michigan’s running back evaluations. Jim Harbaugh has a track record of production there, even with guys whose talent I didn’t love, such as Karan Higdon and De’Veon Smith. I think Stokes can be a solid college running back. He’s built low to the ground, has some decent agility, and seems to have a good, hard-nosed attitude. Sometimes he seems a little slow to find holes and accelerate through them, and his top-end speed is a little questionable. But Hassan Haskins had some of the same issues, and he turned out just fine. Even so, Michigan has a great 1-2 punch at running back with Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, and the big back role seems to be a battle between Tavierre Dunlap and Kalel Mullings. Add in walk-on Leon Franklin, who got a decent number of carries last year, and Stokes is going to be fighting for scraps or redshirting.

Prediction: Redshirt

23Jun 2022

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2022 Season Countdown: #84 Kody Jones

Name: Kody Jones
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 175 lbs.
High school: Memphis (TN) Germantown
Position: Cornerback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #12
Last year: Jones was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 80

There were some tense moments as Michigan tried to hold onto the 4-star, #13 athlete, and #311 overall player in the country, according to the 247 Composite. Despite a steady push from the home state Tennessee Volunteers, Jones chose the Wolverines and eventually decided to stick with the Wolverines. Despite being recruited as a defensive player, Jones played a lot of offense in 2021 as he stepped in to be a dynamic running back.

Jones could play a few positions in college. Originally thought to be a safety, Michigan employed him as a cornerback during the spring after he enrolled early. Jones held up fairly well, and unlike fellow freshman corner Myles Pollard, he did not look overmatched as an athlete. Jones will need to get bigger and work on his technique, but he looks like a young Blake Countess to me. Jones may need to wait a bit to get on the field, and he’s probably not ready as a true freshman. I could see him getting his feet wet this season and maybe playing in just a few games to maintain his redshirt.

Prediction: Redshirt

21Jun 2022

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2022 Season Countdown: #85 Dominick Giudice

Name: Dominick Giudice
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 275 lbs.
High school: Freehold (NJ) Mater Dei
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #56
Last year: I ranked Giudice #122 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in two games.
TTB Rating: 58

Giudice has already exceeded my expectations in a way. Last year I did not expect him to see the field, and he did. Of course, the way Michigan was playing, a ton of players saw the field in blowouts. But still, Giudice could have remained on the bench all year long, and he played against Northern Illinois and Northwestern.

Coming into his second year on campus, it seems once again that Giudice will be languishing on the sideline most of the time. Along with a couple solid returning players, some of Giudice’s classmates – Rayshaun Benny and George Rooks – have earned practice buzz from the spring. Add in a monster freshman nose tackle in Kenneth Grant and an early enrollee with some buzz in Mason Graham, and it’s an uphill climb for Giudice to earn playing time. I do not expect him to factor much into the rotation in 2022.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle

19Jun 2022

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2022 Season Countdown: #86 Max Bredeson

Name: Max Bredeson
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 222 lbs.
High school: Hartland (WI) Arrowhead
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #82
Last year: I ranked Bredeson #127 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in one game.
TTB Rating: N/A

Bredeson is the younger brother of former Michigan offensive guard Ben Bredeson, who was a 4th round draft pick of the Ravens and is now with the Giants. Max came to Michigan as a preferred walk-on, and to get on the field as a true freshman walk-on – even though it was in a blowout against Northern Illinois – is a pretty cool feat.

Max caught a couple passes in the spring game, and he looks like a decent athlete. The tough part for him is that Michigan has a bunch of quality tight ends, including three seniors (Erick All, Joel Honigford, Luke Schoonmaker) who are going to get a ton of reps. Perhaps the roster will shake out over the next couple years where Bredeson might get more of an opportunity, for right now, he will probably have to just accept the leftover snaps in blowouts.

Prediction: Backup tight end

15Jun 2022

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2022 Season Countdown: #87 Kenneth Grant

Name: Kenneth Grant
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 335 lbs.
High school: Merrillville (IN) Merrillville
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Grant was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 38 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups, 12 quarterback hurries, 4 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 8 blocked kicks (4 field goals, 2 extra points, 2 punts).
TTB Rating: 85

Grant is a high quality prospect. He moves with a lot of fluidity for a guy who’s 335 lbs. I’m surprised that he only ended up ranked as a 3-star, the #59 defensive lineman, and #444 overall in the 247 Composite. While he didn’t have a great offer list, some schools with pretty good pedigrees were after him, like Ohio State and Wisconsin.

My biggest concern with guys who enter college at 330+ pounds is their conditioning. You can no longer take any plays off in college like you did in high school. Furthermore, Michigan has a few guys they can plug into the middle of the defense, such as Mazi Smith, Cam Goode, and Rayshaun Benny. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Grant play some as a freshman – in fact, I fully expect him to appear in some games – but it takes a lot of big guys at least one year before they can adjust to the speed of the college game.

Prediction: Redshirt