Tag: 2023 season countdown

2023 Season Countdown: #19 Makari Paige

Name: Makari Paige
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 208 lbs.
High school: West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield
Position: Safety
Class: Senior
Jersey number: #7
Last year: I ranked Paige #38 and said he would be a backup safety and special teamer (LINK). He started five games and made 41 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception, 3 pass breakups, and 1 quarterback hurry.
TTB Rating: 79

Paige had an uphill climb to play safety last year. Not only was fellow safety Rod Moore a fixture in the starting lineup, but R.J. Moten also had played significant time and began the year as Michigan’s strong safety. Paige played quite a bit in 2020, but he disappeared a little bit in 2021.

But that uphill climb? Paige climbed it. He started five of the games down the stretch, including against Purdue in the Big Ten championship game. Perhaps his most noteworthy play was the tipped, juggling interception he notched against Ohio State in the waning moments of last season’s 45-23 win. Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud tried to float the ball in to a fairly well covered tight end in Cade Stover, and Stover’s leaping attempt tipped the ball in the air, leaving it to be corralled by Paige. It snuffed out any hopes Ohio State had of coming back against the Wolverines.

This year Moten saw the writing on the wall and transferred to Florida, even though it looks like he’ll be a backup this year for the Gators. That leaves Moore and Paige as the seemingly unquestioned leaders to start at safety, with guys like Quinten Johnson, Zeke Berry, and Keon Sabb backing them up. Johnson is experienced and both Berry and Sabb come with some excitement about their athleticism, so it’s a fairly solid situation for the Wolverines. Paige added about eight pounds in the off-season and should be ready to be a little more physical, even though physicality has never really been a problem. He should have a good season and could get drafted after the year if he chooses to leave.

Prediction: Starting strong safety; 60 tackles, 1 interception

2023 Season Countdown: #20a Tommy Doman

Name: Tommy Doman
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 215 lbs.
High school: Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s
Position: Kicker/Punter
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #19
Last year: I ranked Doman #44 and said he would be a backup kicker/punter (LINK). He was 2/2 on extra points and punted 1 time for 41 yards.
TTB Rating: N/A

Michigan has mostly been very good on special teams since Jim Harbaugh was hired in 2015.

Going into the 2023 season, there are more questions on special teams than in any other year.

Jake Moody and Brad Robbins were selected by the 49ers and the Bengals, respectively, and returner A.J. Henning transferred to Northwestern. That leaves the unproven Doman, freshman Adam Samaha, Louisville transfer James Turner, and redshirt freshman transfer Hudson Hollenbeck to duke it out for kicking duties.

Doman was a highly valued kicking prospect coming out of high school, but he hasn’t had much of a shot to show his stuff at the college level. He kicked a couple extra points during blowouts last year, and he punted once, too. The hope is that he can step up rather seamlessly, but Moody and Robbins were both pretty dang good, which is why they both got drafted. My feel is that Doman will end up serving as the punter, and perhaps Hollenbeck can push him a little bit. Doman averaged 44.8 yards per punt as a high school senior, but sometimes those averages are fortified by high school punt returners who are too afraid to touch the ball, so they just let it bounce and roll. If he can replicate that number as a redshirt sophomore in 2023, Michigan should be in decent shape.

Prediction: Starting punter

2023 Season Countdown: #20b La’Darius Henderson

Name: La’Darius Henderson
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 315 lbs.
High school: Waxahachie (TX) Waxahachie
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #73
Last year: Henderson played at Arizona State. He started six games at left guard.
TTB Rating: N/A

Henderson started ten games at Arizona State as a freshman, thirteen in 2021, and another six in 2022. He didn’t start in 2020 and ended up the 2022 season injured, but otherwise, he’s been a starter for his entire career. As a senior in 2022, he was named a team captain but unfortunately got injured. There was some talk that he could have been a first round pick in the NFL Draft, and he was invited to the East West Shrine Game, but he turned it down to spend a year being tutored by Sherrone Moore at Michigan.

We’ll see if it pays off for him. He’s reportedly in a four-way battle start at tackle, along with Karsen Barnhart, Myles Hinton, and Trente Jones. My assumption all along has been that he will end up starting at left tackle, but Michigan has four starters for two spots. It’s odd to think that a potential first round draft pick isn’t even really in the top twenty of the most important players at Michigan for the upcoming season, but with the depth the Wolverines have, there are other solid options. Even the fifth offensive tackle – Jeffrey Persi – would probably be starting at several Big Ten schools.

I expect Henderson to win the job at left tackle, and I think the battle will really come down to the right tackle position. Henderson is smart, light on his feet, and can move people. He may not have ideal length for the tackle position – and he’s probably a guard at the next level – but we’ve seen NFL guard types have very good seasons playing tackle for Michigan in recent years, such as Jon Runyan, Jr., Jalen Mayfield, and Ryan Hayes.

Prediction: Starting left tackle

2023 Season Countdown: #21 Jaylen Harrell

Name: Jaylen Harrell
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 242 lbs.
High school: Tampa (FL) Berkeley
Position: Defensive end
Class: Senior
Jersey number: #32
Last year: I ranked Harrell #31 and said he would be a part-time starting edge (LINK). He started twelve games and made 30 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups, and 5 quarterback hurries.
TTB Rating: 84

Instead of being a part-time starter, Harrell was essentially a full-time starter in 2022, starting twelve out of fourteen games. He was a pretty consistent player, even though he’s not flashy. In a bit of an oddity for his body type, he seems to be better at the run at 242 lbs. and not anything special as a pass rusher. He does occasionally come through with some pressure on the quarterback, and perhaps his best game was the 2-sack performance against Purdue in the Big Ten Championship game.

This year Michigan is down a couple decent pass rushers in Mike Morris (7.5 sacks in 2022) and Eyabi Okie (4.0), who moved on to the Seattle Seahawks and the Charlotte 49ers, respectively. Okie was a pass rush specialist and a backup, but he still played a good-sized role, especially down the stretch. Harrell has a chance to step up his game, but getting after the quarterback is not really his forte. The pass rush will likely come from elsewhere, including defensive end Braiden McGregor and Coastal Carolina transfer Josaiah Stewart. There has been some talk out of camp that Harrell has improved his game this off-season, so we’ll see whether he continues to be a steady player or can take the next step.

Prediction: Starting defensive end; 35 tackles, 5 sacks

2023 Season Countdown: #22 A.J. Barner

Name: A.J. Barner
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 251 lbs.
High school: Aurora (OH) Aurora
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #89
Last year: Barner played at Indiana. He had 28 catches for 199 yards and 3 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: N/A

Somewhat ridiculously, Michigan lost four tight ends from last year who played regularly: Erick All (transfer to Iowa), Luke Schoonmaker (drafted by the Cowboys), Joel Honigford (undrafted free agent signed by the Arizona Cardinals), and walk-on Carter Selzer (graduation), the last of whom played in 28 games over the past couple seasons. That doesn’t include Louis Hansen, who transferred to UConn.

Also somewhat ridiculously, tight end is still a position of strength for the Wolverines. The top guy is Colston Loveland, but Barner is pushing him, and they should make a good duo. Matt Hibner and Max Bredeson have also played quite a bit, and the fifth guy is 4-star Marlin Klein, whom everyone around the program thinks is a freak athlete.

The interesting thing about Barner is that he’s a guy who can play both on and off the line – along with Loveland – so they can be used interchangeably, they can shift and trade, and it won’t necessarily tip off defenses. Barner had a decent season for a struggling Indiana Hoosiers team last year and was named a team captain, so the leadership is there. I think it will be tough for any individual receiver (wideout or tight end) to put up great numbers because of the dominant running game that exists, but I think both Barner and Loveland will have some big plays this season because of their length and athleticism. They should be fun to watch.

Prediction: Part-time starting tight end; 20 catches for 230 yards and 3 touchdowns