Tag: 2024 season countdown

2024 Season Countdown: #90 I’Marion Stewart

Name: I’Marion Stewart
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 180 lbs.
High school: Chicago (IL) Kenwood
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Stewart was a senior in high school (LINK). He caught 38 passes for 909 yards and 9 touchdowns, and he ran 14 times for 128 yards and 3 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 80

Stewart is a diminutive wide receiver prospect who shows impressive speed on his high school film. He’s listed at 5’10” and 180 pounds, which is approximately the same size as 2023 freshman contributor Semaj Morgan (5’10”, 176). The new NCAA ’25 video game (BUY IT HERE) gives Stewart a speed rating of 92, which is tied for fourth on the team. That speed shows through with numerous big plays and an average of 23.9 yards per catch. Stewart was ranked as a 4-star, the #50 wide receiver, and #309 overall in the 247 Composite.

Freshman wide receivers are perfectly capable of making an impact on the field, but the Wolverines brought in transfer portal options in the form of C.J. Charleston (Youngstown State) and Amorion Walker (Ole Miss) while also having young up-and-comers like Tyler Morris, Frederick Moore, and the aforementioned Morgan. Stewart could potentially factor in as a receiver or returner, but I’m guessing he will be similar to Karmello English, who caught 1 pass and had 1 punt return while playing in six games in 2023.

Prediction: Backup wide receiver

2024 Season Countdown: #91 Blake Frazier

Name: Blake Frazier
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 275 lbs.
High school: Austin (TX) Vandegrift
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #77
Last year: Frazier was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 89

Blake Frazier is another legacy player at Michigan, and being a Michigan legacy means you’re going to be awesome, just like Will Johnson and Aidan Hutchinson. There are absolutely no exceptions to that rule. The son of former center Steve Frazier, Blake committed in April of 2023 and remained solid through the coaching transition. Frazier ended the cycle as a 4-star, the #14 offensive tackle, and #169 overall in the 247 Composite rankings.

While he has length and athleticism, the spring game was a little bit rough. He had some flat-out whiffs and just kind of froze a couple times. I believe the recognition and reaction will speed up, but in April he was supposed to be worried about prom, not about 250 lb. 21-year-old men trying to beat him to the quarterback. This will probably be a redshirt year for Frazier. But there will be some openings along the offensive line in 2025 after Myles Hinton and Jeffrey Persi move on.

Prediction: Redshirt

2024 Season Countdown: #92 Ben Roebuck

Name: Ben Roebuck
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 330 lbs.
High school: Lakewood (OH) St. Edward’s
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Roebuck was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 64

Roebuck is a mammoth offensive lineman who committed to the Wolverines in March of 2023. He and fellow Ohioan offensive lineman Luke Hamilton had some fun exchanges about Ohio State on Twitter, ingratiating them with Michigan fans. Players from Ohio who don’t get recruited by OSU have a chip on their shoulders when it comes to the Buckeyes, which may help down the road.

Anyway, Roebuck finished the cycle as a 247 Composite 3-star, the #41 offensive tackle, and #539 overall player. I pointed out some issues in his original commitment post, and those issues still existed in his senior highlights: he’s a huge player who doesn’t really finish blocks with a lot of ferocity, and he’s limited athletically (doesn’t show a lot of foot quickness, doesn’t bend particularly well, etc.).

After having played tackle in high school, I think Roebuck will have to move inside to guard. That should help mitigate some of the above issues. I had some of the same concerns about Michael Onwenu, and Onwenu played as a freshman, so perhaps Roebuck’s size will be too overwhelming to keep off the field. Maybe he’ll get a few snaps late in games. Ultimately, I’ll think he’ll play in four games or fewer and keep his redshirt.

Prediction: Redshirt

2024 Season Countdown: #93 Lugard Edokpayi

Name: Lugard Edokpayi
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: Bowie (MD) Bishop McNamara
Position: Defensive end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Edokpayi was a senior in high school. He made 22 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, and 5 pass breakups.
TTB Rating: 84

Maybe it’s just my perception, but Edokpayi is one of the most overlooked members of the 2024 class, especially because he’s #152 overall in the 247 Composite. Michigan got a highly ranked edge rusher, and nobody seems to talk about him. And that includes me, because I never wrote a commitment post for him.

Edokpayi is a 6’6″, 225 lb. athlete who made a somewhat obvious choice to pick Michigan; other suitors included Florida State, Minnesota, Rutgers, and Tennessee, so it wasn’t exactly a who’s-who of colleges, especially for a top-200 player. He only played in six games as a senior due to injury, so his numbers don’t exactly jump out, either. Bishop McNamara also used him as a wide receiver, and while he shows decent speed, there’s not a lot of smoothness to his ability to catch the football. I don’t think he’s in danger of being moved to tight end.

But Edokpayi does have a nice, natural stance and a good get-off. His first step is very good, and he shows some nice lateral quickness to keep offensive tackles guessing. 247 mentions him having an 84″ wingspan, and when you combine that with his ability to dip his inside shoulder and use his quickness, I think Michigan has a very good prospect here. It will take some time for his strength to catch up to the rest of his attributes, so we’re probably looking at a redshirt season. But if he’s added some strength, he could be a dark horse to be one of those freshmen who makes 1 or 2 sacks and shows a glimpse of what’s to come in the future.

Prediction: Redshirt

2024 Season Countdown: #94 Micah Ka’apana

Name: Micah Ka’apana
Height: 5’11″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Las Vegas (NV) Bishop Gorman
Position: Running back
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Ka’apana was a senior in high school (LINK). He ran for 732 yards and 9 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 66

One player with a tantalizing high school highlights reel is running back Micah Ka’apana. A product of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, he plays with a lot of other star players, so it’s tough to gauge how well a player like him would produce on a more ho-hum team. But his junior highlights consist of a ton of long runs through huge holes. He averaged over 12 yards per carry that season and scored a total of 19 touchdowns on just 81 targets, which means he scored on almost 25% of his carries.

Michigan has usually been able to give at least three running backs a pretty good number of carries. With Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings likely to take a huge chunk of the touches, the real question is about who emerges as that third back. Some people are penciling in fellow freshman Jordan Marshall, while second-year player Ben Hall is also an intriguing option. Ka’apana is a speedy player with big-play potential, and he can catch the ball out of the backfield. Altogether, Michigan has a good mix of speedy players (Edwards, Ka’apana, Cole Cabana) and pound-the-rock types (Mullings, Hall, Marshall) to be able to do a variety of things with play calling and personnel. I think Ka’apana will probably get a few carries in mop-up duty if possible, but he’s likely to play in four games or fewer so he can keep his redshirt.

Prediction: Redshirt