Tag: 2024 season countdown

2024 Season Countdown: #113 Stone Anderson

Name: Stone Anderson
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Deerfield (MA) Deerfield Academy
Position: Kicker
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #92
Last year: I did not rank Anderson. He redshirted.
TTB Rating: N/A

At one time Michigan had a pretty great defense led by guys with awesome names – like Sam Sword and Glen Steele and Rob Swett. Even names like Ian Gold and Andrew Weathers lent a feeling that these were men. And they were doing manly things. Like winning a national championship and stuff.

And now were have more manly men doing manly things with manly names, such as Shomari Stone and Stone Anderson. Surely, it’s not a coincidence that they are a part of the program that is coming off a national championship and will likely be contending for a playoff spot in 2024.

As for Stone Anderson himself . . . his chance to play probably dropped off significantly when Michigan landed Arkansas State transfer kicker Dominic Zvada. Otherwise, it seemed like a wide-open kicking job with redshirt freshman Adam Samaha looking like the primary competition for place kicking duties. But now with Zvada in the fold, along with potential kickoff specialist Hudson Hollenbeck, Anderson might once again have to watch from the sideline in 2024.

Prediction: Backup kicker

2024 Season Countdown: #114 Luke Hamilton

Name: Luke Hamilton
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 290 lbs.
High school: Avon (OH) Avon
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Hamilton was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 49

Hamilton committed to Michigan back in November of 2022, right around when Michigan beat Ohio State for the second time in a row. His pledge came the day after the victory over the Buckeyes, which was probably a little extra special for him since his home state team did not offer, but the rivals Wolverines did. He finished the cycle ranked as a 3-star, the #26 interior offensive lineman, and #406 overall.

As a freshman offensive lineman, it’s difficult to get on the field, anyway. And even though Michigan is replacing its top six linemen, there are a lot of guys in the stable. Additionally, Hamilton was not an early enrollee . . . and furthermore, I’m not convinced that Hamilton has the requisite athleticism to play for what has turned out to be a very solid offensive line-producing program. He plays somewhat high with a narrow base, and those guys tend to struggle. I expect him to redshirt a freshman and maybe we’ll see in the 2025 spring game how much he has come along.

Prediction: Redshirt

2024 Season Countdown: #120 Anthony Arnou

Name: Anthony Arnou
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 226 lbs.
High school: Santa Monica (CA) Santa Monica
Position: Quarterback
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #15
Last year: Arnou was at Pasadena City College and completed 58/98 passes for 620 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. He also ran 20 times for 101 yards and 2 touchdown.
TTB Rating: N/A

Arnou is in his first year at Michigan after transferring in as a walk-on. The fall of 2024 will be his third season of college football after walking on at Fresno State in 2021, where he redshirted behind Jake Haener . . . and played for Kalen DeBoer, who went on to be Washington’s head coach in 2022-2023 and whom Michigan beat for the national championship back in January.

Arnou then went on to play for Pasadena City College in 2022, where he played a fair amount. Watching his highlights from that season, he looks like a fine lower level college prospect. He looks like a Division II potential starter to me. But he’s a little heavy-footed even at that level, and his arm strength and throwing mechanics leave something to be desired.

It’s nice to have a player like Arnou on the roster for the scout team, but Michigan already has depth – not proven depth, but depth – at the quarterback position. There are about three guys vying for the starting quarterback job, and another couple with higher upside, including freshman Jadyn Davis. Other than the outstanding education, the awesome city that is Ann Arbor, and a chance to have some team success, I’m not really sure why a player like Arnou would transfer to Michigan if he’s looking for playing time.

Prediction: Backup quarterback

2024 Season Countdown: #121 Jack MacKinnon

Name: Jack MacKinnon
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 244 lbs.
High school: Sarasota (FL) Cardinal Moooney
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #39
Last year: I did not rank MacKinnon. He redshirted.
TTB Rating: N/A

MacKinnon was a preferred walk-on in the class of 2023. A high school defensive end (he had 58 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, and 13 sacks as a senior in 2022), he was originally committed to play baseball at USF. But according to this article (LINK), Jack Harbaugh saw him play football and recommended him to the Michigan coaching staff as a PWO.

I like MacKinnon’s high school film, but he’s now listed as a linebacker. Can he be a true linebacker at 6’4″ and 244 pounds? Or would he potentially be better off trying to grow into a stand-up edge player like Jaylen Harrell? Either way, he’s unlikely to play this early in his career at Michigan. I could potentially see him playing in Ann Arbor down the road, but he also seems like a prime candidate to transfer at some point for a clearer path to playing time. Regardless, he’s on Michigan’s roster for now and should be a solid scout team player for the time being.

Prediction: Backup linebacker

2024 Season Countdown: #122 Shomari Stone II

Name: Shomari Stone II
Height: 5’8″
Weight: 198 lbs.
High school: Washington (DC) St. John’s
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #37
Last year: I ranked Stone #140 and said he would be a backup defensive back (LINK). He was not on the roster during the season.
TTB Rating: N/A

One of the problems with counting down such a deep dive into the roster for any season is we have no idea what the roster will look like in the fall. Sometimes there are roster casualties of some sort, and Stone was one of those. A member of the team in 2022, he left the program for the 2023 season and missed the national championship run. Now he’s back for a team that probably won’t win the natty.

Stone was a solid high school player who’s probably more known for being the son of D.C.-area media personality Shomari Stone. At 5’8″ and at a position where it’s tough to get on the field to play defense, he’s unlikely to play much of a role this fall. Perhaps some special teams might be in order, but it will be an uphill battle for Stone to see the field much this fall.

Prediction: Backup defensive back