Tag: 2024 season countdown

2024 Season Countdown: #85 Cole Sullivan

Name: Cole Sullivan
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 215 lbs.
High school: Pittsburgh (PA) Central Catholic
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #18
Last year: Sullivan was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 105 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, and 3 blocked punts; he also caught 36 passes for 450 yards and 9 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 87

Linebacker might not be the sexiest position, but Sullivan might be the most tantalizing prospect in the class of 2024. Lots of comparisons have been made between Sullivan and former Michigan linebacker/tight end/defensive end Chase Winovich, who made 44.5 tackles for loss and 18 sacks during his time in Ann Arbor before becoming a 3rd round pick of the New England Patriots. Winovich started as a linebacker, bounced to tight end, and then finally settled in at defensive end, where his non-stop motor helped him terrorize opposing quarterbacks. Sullivan is the same height (6’3″) but a little bit lighter.

That’s not to say that Sullivan will be a defensive end, though I think he could be an outside linebacker in Michigan’s defensive system. I think Sullivan is a little better of an athlete than Winovich. Whether he has the same tenacity remains to be seen. Regardless, 215 pounds is pretty light for most positions on defense. He’s probably a year away from seeing the field much because of that lack of bulk, but Michigan could potentially use his athleticism on special teams. If preserving eligibility isn’t a concern, I would love to use someone like Sullivan on kickoff or punt coverage units. Much like Jimmy Rolder last year, I would expect to see Sullivan play in up to four games while still keeping his redshirt.

Prediction: Redshirt

2024 Season Countdown: #86 Dale Chesson

Name: Dale Chesson
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: St. Louis (MO) Ladue Horton Watkins
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Sixth year senior
Jersey number: #84
Last year: I did not rank Chesson. He did not play.
TTB Rating: N/A

Chesson is one of the oddest roster additions in recent years, making an under-the-radar appearance over the summer in 2023. The younger brother of former Michigan – and NFL – receiver Jehu Chesson, I was aware of when he was coming out of high school several years ago. But his size and athleticism weren’t on the same level as Jehu’s, so Dale went to a school without much of an academic reputation called . . . Dartmouth. He had an impressive showing as a junior in 2021 with 21 catches for 259 yards and 2 touchdowns in just four games, but he barely played in 2022 and then just happened to appear on Michigan’s roster in 2023.

He didn’t get on the field during the 2023 season, but he did get a ring, so that’s nice.

Michigan needs help at receiver in 2024, but I’m not sure it will come from Chesson. For being a sixth year senior, he really doesn’t have a ton of production to his name (29 catches, 341 yards, 2 touchdowns) and he also doesn’t add much size to a receiving crew that is lacking most in the size department. The Wolverines had a bunch of small receivers, and their lone answer for adding size was a skinny, 6’3″ Amorion Walker. Chesson doesn’t really answer any questions that Michigan had going into the off-season. But he could potentially step in on some special teams units or perhaps take a few snaps that could help a freshman or two preserve a redshirt.

Prediction: Backup wide receiver

2024 Season Countdown: #87 Jacob Oden

Name: Jacob Oden
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 206 lbs.
High school: Harper Woods (MI) Harper Woods
Position: Safety
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #5
Last year: Oden was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 56 tackles, 4 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 14 pass breakups while scoring 2 defensive touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 80

Oden is the son of a former walk-on fullback at Michigan, so the recruitment did not seem to be a difficult one. He was an ardent member of the 2024 class even when Jim Harbaugh was headed to the NFL. But Oden wasn’t just a legacy recruit. He finished as a 247 Composite 4-star, the #27 safety, and #293 overall while also fielding offers from Auburn, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and others.

Oden enrolled early and could be on track to play some this season. In fact, he might have been one of the top few safeties if not for some late developments, such as landing Wesley Walker (Tennessee) and Jaden Mangham (Michigan State), while also securing the return of Quinten Johnson. That affords Oden a little more time to develop. He seems to have put on some good weight since his junior year, and Michigan now lists him at 206 pounds, which is good bulk for someone who’s 6’1″. Michigan now has the numbers to let Oden redshirt, but considering that he might be in line to start in 2025 (Makari Paige, Rod Moore, Johnson, and Walker could all move on), the coaching staff may want to get him some on-field experience.

Prediction: Backup safety

2024 Season Countdown: #88 Alessandro Lorenzetti

Name: Alessandro Lorenzetti
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 301 lbs.
High school: Windsor (CT) Loomis Chaffee
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #89
Last year: I ranked Lorenzetti #110 and said he would be a backup defensive tackle (LINK). He did not play.
TTB Rating: 85

So far in his career, Alessandro Lorenzetti has helped me look a little silly for giving him a TTB Rating of 85 as an offensive lineman. I loved the quickness and consistency of his feet as an offensive lineman, even if he was coming from Canada and Connecticut, where the competition isn’t necessarily great. By his second year on campus, he was moved to defensive tackle and has been far enough down the depth chart that he hasn’t seen the field on either side of the ball.

Now going into year three, there’s still no buzz about Lorenzetti. Michigan does need some rotational pieces after Kris Jenkins and Cam Goode both moved on, and the Wolverines tried to find defensive tackle depth in the transfer portal. Behind Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham, the depth chart gets a little fuzzy, especially if Rayshaun Benny isn’t fully recovered from his broken ankle. It would be very surprising to see Lorenzetti jump up into the second-team realm, but there’s a chance he could see some mop-up duty. On the plus side, he’s up from 289 pounds to 301, so if a lack of bulk was holding him back, perhaps he’s one step closer to getting on the field. Hopefully he can at least be helpful on the practice field, and perhaps his outlook will improve if Graham and Grant move on to the NFL after this season.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle

2024 Season Countdown: #89 Owen Wafle

Name: Owen Wafle
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 280 lbs.
High school: Princeton (NJ) The Hun School
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Wafle was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 16 tackles and 10 tackles for loss.
TTB Rating: 73

Wafle was a flip from Notre Dame and is known for his quickness and versatility. He could play defensive tackle or perhaps defensive end, and I even threw out the idea that he could end up as a fullback. He has a younger brother, Luke, who is a top-200 player being recruited by Michigan as an edge player and a tight end end by various schools for 2026. Versatility is the name of the game in the Wafle household.

Owen Wafle is one of those guys who I could see working his way into playing time as a freshman. If Greg Mattison were still the defensive line coach, I would think Wafle would play early. I’m largely unfamiliar with how new defensive line coach Lou Esposito will rotate and reward his guys, so that’s a question mark. It would be a huge surprise for Wafle to make a big impact in 2024, but he could get a little bit of playing time to prepare him for 2025, when there’s a good chance that both Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant will be in the NFL.

Prediction: Redshirt