Tag: 2024 season countdown

2024 Season Countdown: #43 Enow Etta

Name: Enow Etta
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 308 lbs.
High school: Colleyville (TX) Covenant Christian Academy
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #96
Last year: I ranked Etta #82 and said he would be a backup defensive end (LINK). He played in three games and made 1 tackle.
TTB Rating: 87

Etta was an intriguing edge prospect in the 2023 class, and at 270 pounds coming into college, the coaching staff really needed to figure out what to do with his body type. They could lean him out a little bit and play him off the edge. Or they could bulk him up and play him inside. He maintained his redshirt by playing in fewer than four games, and the coaches saw him play a little bit in the non-conference schedule to begin the year.

This spring he was up in the 290s, and on the fall roster, Etta was up to 308. It’s no longer a question about what they want to do with him, at least not for 2024: he’s a tackle. This is probably a good thing for the team, because depth on the interior is a question mark. Some other options, like Cameron Brandt (edge) and Brooks Bahr (offensive line), have changed positions. Defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny is back to practicing and should be in the mix to back up Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, but the interior unit needs about five guys to rotate, and Etta should be in that rotation this fall. He still maintains some plus athleticism with his added weight, so the key is whether he can hold up at the point of attack.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle

2024 Season Countdown: #44a Hudson Hollenbeck

Name: Hudson Hollenbeck
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 206 lbs.
High school: Collierville (TN) Collierville
Position: Punter
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #90
Last year: I ranked Hollenbeck #45b and said he would be the starting kickoff specialist. He played in one game.
TTB Rating: N/A

Hollenbeck transferred to Michigan last season after spending his true freshman year redshirting at Mississippi State. Known for his strong leg, I thought he would be the kickoff guy, but he ended up being the holder in just one game. It was an uneventful season, which happens sometimes for backup specialists.

This year could be more of the same, or perhaps he’ll achieve what I expected from him in 2023. Hollenbeck, starting punter Tommy Doman, and redshirt freshman Adam Samaha were all mentioned recently as being in the running for handling kickoffs. Additionally, Hollenbeck was the backup holder in 2023 and his position changed on MGoBlue.com from “kicker/punter” to just “punter,” so he appears to be focusing on kickoffs and punting but no placekicking this year. While Doman probably has the strongest overall leg, he will be Michigan’s starting punter, and the coaching staff probably doesn’t want to wear out his leg. It’s not the game days that wear out kickers/punters, but the practices throughout the week that don’t allow for rest. If the coaching staff thinks Hollenbeck can approximate Doman’s success rate – mainly by getting touchbacks – then I think Hollenbeck will be the starting kickoff guy.

The initials are “HH” and I’m doubling down.

Hopefully I don’t take an “LL.”

Prediction: Starting kickoff specialist and backup punter

2024 Season Countdown: #44b Adam Samaha

Name: Adam Samaha
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 195 lbs.
High school: Ann Arbor (MI) Huron
Position: Kicker
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #99
Last year: I ranked Samaha #62 and said he would be a backup kicker (LINK). He played in one game and went 1/1 on extra points.
TTB Rating: N/A

Samaha might have been set to be Michigan’s starting kicker in 2023 if not for the transfer of James Turner from Louisville to Ann Arbor. Samaha’s only chance to get on the field was in a 52-7 blowout of Indiana, which he took advantage of and made his only attempt of the year. Turner had a great season and might end up being someone’s kicker in the NFL this fall.

So now it’s Samaha’s turn, right?

Okay, maybe not. Instead of looking to the left-footed Samaha, Michigan brought in Arkansas State transfer Dominic Zvada to handle placekicking duties. Zvada will probably end up being the guy in 2024, so Samaha will have to wait at least one more season to be Michigan’s primary kicker. Samaha’s best chance to see the field may be if he earns kickoff duties, which is coming down to him, Hudson Hollenbeck, and starting punter Tommy Doman. I think Doman probably has the strongest leg of them all, but Samaha or Hollenbeck may win the job just to keep Doman fresh.

Prediction: Backup kicker

2024 Season Countdown: #45 Deakon Tonielli

Name: Deakon Tonielli
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 238 lbs.
High school: Oswego (IL) Oswego
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #43
Last year: I ranked Tonielli #90 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: 76

Tonielli was a 230 pound freshman last year, and at that size, you’re probably not going to play at Michigan as a true freshman. It was a pretty easy guess that he would redshirt, and he did. Of course, it helped that Michigan had Colston Loveland and Indiana transfer A.J. Barner, so the Wolverines had their one-two punch at tight end. They played other guys like Matt Hibner, Josh Beetham, and Zack Marshall, but those weren’t vital cogs in the offense.

Aside from Max Bredeson, who’s essentially a fullback, Michigan seems to have its one-two punch again (Loveland and Marlin Klein), but the guy who plays the role of Hibner could very well be Tonielli. He’s not generating the practice buzz that Klein is, but he is on that next tier – perhaps on the level that Hibner and Klein were generating at one point. The excitement about Hibner (one of the best overall athletes) and Klein (one of the fastest overall players) was about their physical skill sets, while Tonielli seems appreciated for his route running and soft hands. I don’t expect Klein to suddenly jump to the same amount of playing time as, say, Barner, who was #8 on the team with 620 snaps last year, so I think the #3 tight end will get a little more run than last year’s #3 guy (Beetham). I also think the #3 tight end will probably play more snaps in 2024 because I expect some closer games, so Michigan will have to play its top few guys a little more rather than giving garbage time snaps to a bunch of players.

Prediction: Backup tight end; 3 catches for 40 yards

2024 Season Countdown: #46 C.J. Charleston

Name: C.J. Charleston
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Gates Mill (OH) Gilmour Academy
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Sixth year senior
Jersey number: #5
Last year: Charleston was a fifth year senior at Youngstown State (LINK). He caught 33 passes for 467 yards and 4 touchdowns while starting all thirteen games.
TTB Rating: N/A

Charleston entered Youngstown State’s program in 2019 and has started 23 games since then, including all thirteen as a fifth year senior in 2023. Last year he set all his career records, including catches (6 against Robert Morris), yards (119 yards against Robert Morris), and longest catch (72 yards against Illinois State). Michigan was in desperate need of receivers who could contribute right now after Cornelius Johnson and Roman Wilson went to the NFL and Darrius Clemons transferred to Oregon State. It was a good match between a team that needs receivers and a player who doesn’t really warrant getting ten targets a game.

As for Charleston’s impact this year, he should be a piece of the on-field puzzle. It’s unlikely that he will be a star or the leading receiver, but he’s a former high school running back who should value things like blocking and gaining some tough yards. With Tyler Morris and Semaj Morgan the top two returning receivers, and the super-athletic Amorion Walker moving over from cornerback (and coming back from Ole Miss), Charleston should be a good backup or occasional starter. Last year Michigan’s fourth receiver (Morris) caught 13 passes for 197 yards and 1 touchdown. I think that’s a good approximation of my expectations for Charleston in 2024.

Prediction: Part-time starting wide receiver; 15 catches for 165 yards and 1 touchdown