Tag: 2022 season countdown

2022 Season Countdown: #120 Peter Simmons III

Name: Peter Simmons III
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 291 lbs.
High school: Bonita Springs (FL) Bishop Verot
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #75
Last year: I ranked Simmons #129 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: N/A

Simmons moves up a little bit from last year, largely based on the departure of guys ahead of him. I mentioned in last year’s introduction to him that he is limited athletically, and he doesn’t have overwhelming size at 6’3″. Of course former starting center Andrew Vastardis was also 6’3″, but I don’t think Simmons is on the same level athletically. Simmons is probably a career backup, but those guys can be valuable on the scout team.

Prediction: Backup offensive lineman

2022 Season Countdown: #121 Josh Nichols

Name: Josh Nichols
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 165 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) Loyola
Position: Safety
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Nichols was a senior in high school.
TTB Rating: N/A

Air Force and Navy both gave Nichols opportunities to play for them, but he decided to stay home and play for the Wolverines. He was a 247 Sports 2-star and the #255 athlete in the country. I really do think Nichols is one of the top few walk-ons Michigan has brought in over the past several years. The only limiting factor for him is a lack of size if he is indeed only 5’10” (or perhaps even shorter if 5’10” is a stretch). Otherwise, Nichols would be a 3-star recruit or higher.

He’s a heat-seeking missile who’s not afraid of contact despite his lack of bulk, and he’s not slow, either. At the very least, he should be a very good special teams player. I think he’s a better player than Caden Kolesar, who’s a special teams stalwart and has worked himself up to the periphery of the safety depth chart. Nichols has to add some size and has a bunch of players ahead of him, so he will have to bide his time. I expect him to redshirt this fall.

Prediction: Redshirt

2022 Season Countdown: #122 Noah Howes

Name: Noah Howes
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 234 lbs.
High school: Rochester (MI) Rochester
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #45
Last year: I ranked Howes #131 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: N/A

Howes was listed at 6’4″ and 250 lbs. when he entered Michigan a year ago, which is borderline freshman offensive lineman size – especially if you’re headed to a military academy to play football, which was an option. Now an inch taller and down 16 pounds – at least according to published measurements – he looks more like a viable tight end.

I like Howes and think he might have a future as a blocking tight end down the road, but Michigan’s tight end room is pretty solid with a full complement of scholarship tight ends and even a playable walk-on in Carter Selzer. If Howes continues to add size and strength, he may become the Carter Selzer of the future. For now he’s probably just a scout team guy.

Prediction: Backup tight end

2022 Season Countdown: #123 Jesse Madden

Name: Jesse Madden
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 198 lbs.
High school: Oakland (CA) Bishop O’Dowd
Position: Quarterback
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #18
Last year: I did not rank Madden. He played in one game.
TTB Rating: N/A

Madden, who is the grandson of the late John Madden, joined Michigan’s program in 2021 with relatively little fanfare. One would think a bigger deal would have been made about the grandson of a Hall of Fame coach joining the team, but I guess everyone was so excited about 5-star freshman quarterback J.J. McCarthy that they forgot about Madden.

Madden got a bit of playing time last season in the blowout win over Northern Illinois, but it was just a chance to hand off the ball during a 53-point win. I remember watching his high school highlights and thinking he would be unlikely to threaten the depth chart at quarterback very much. Now during the spring, we know that he has been passed up by freshman Alex Orji and redshirt freshman Davis Warren at the very least, not to mention Cade McNamara, McCarthy, and Alan Bowman.

Prediction: Backup quarterback

2022 Season Countdown: #124 Trevor Andrews

Name: Trevor Andrews
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 218 lbs.
High school: Brentwood (TN) Ravenwood
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #42
Last year: I did not rank Andrews. He redshirted.
TTB Rating: N/A

Andrews was a solid high school quarterback who threw for 28 touchdowns as a senior. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he was playing with talent around him, including Michigan linebacker Junior Colson and cornerback Myles Pollard. Instead of continuing on offense, Andrews has made the transition to the other side of the ball, where he’s undersized and inexperienced at linebacker. He’s unlikely to get on the field this fall.

Prediction: Backup linebacker