Tag: 2024 season countdown

2024 Season Countdown: #95 Chibi Anwunah

Name: Chibi Anwunah
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 268 lbs.
High school: Canton (MI) Plymouth Christian
Position: Edge
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #95 #97
Last year: I ranked Anwunah #121 and said he would be a backup defensive end (LINK). He did not play.
TTB Rating: N/A

Anwunah has had a little bit of a ride during his college career so far, bouncing back and forth between the tight end and edge positions. Last year he was listed at 6’5″ and 242 pounds, so he has put on 26 pounds since the previous weight update. That’s a significant change and may indicate a little more readiness to play. At his height, it might be kind of difficult to see the field at 242, but 268 is a much more playable size.

The edge positions appear to be pretty set for this fall with Derrick Moore and Josaiah Stewart looking like the starters, and with people like Enow Etta, T.J. Guy, Cameron Brandt, and Kechaun Bennett all vying for playing time. Anwunah is unlikely to beat out many – if any – of those guys, but it’s possible that he could get a few snaps if there are some blowout opportunities.

Prediction: Backup defensive end

2024 Season Countdown: #96 Joshua Nichols

Name: Joshua Nichols
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 196 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) Loyola
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #29
Last year: I ranked Nichols #102 and said he would be a backup safety and special teamer (LINK). He did not play.
TTB Rating: N/A

Nichols came in as a decently talented safety, but he has yet to see the field at Michigan. Over two seasons on campus, he has been unable to crack the rotation or even end up on special teams, the latter of which I thought was pretty likely in 2023. This spring he got a bit of a bad rap when he was beaten for a long touchdown by redshirt freshman wide receiver Kendrick Bell, but that was a case where Nichols was forced into action at cornerback due to the split squad setup of the spring game.

Michigan has faced some departures at safety this off-season with guys like Keon Sabb transferring to Alabama and Rod Moore heading off to ACL rehab land. But they brought in reinforcements like Wesley Walker and Jaden Mangham, so Nichols isn’t any further up the depth chart. His best bet is still getting on the field as a special teams guy. We’ll see if year three pays off for him.

Prediction: Backup safety and special teamer

2024 Season Countdown: #97 Jadyn Davis

Name: Jadyn Davis
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 203 lbs.
High school: Charlotte (NC) Providence Day
Position: Quarterback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #2
Last year: Davis was a senior in high school (LINK). He completed 204/288 (70.8%) of his passes for 3,370 yards, 43 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions, while also rushing for 3 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 68

Davis was one of the highest profile commitments in Michigan’s 2024 class. He finished the cycle ranked as a 4-star, the #9 quarterback, and #112 overall in the 247 Composite. Throwing the ball to Michigan commit and legacy Channing Goodwin – along with other elite players – Davis led his high school team to a state championship and put up great numbers, especially with completing 70.8% of his throws, which is superb for a high schooler.

Davis joins a team that is unlikely to use him this season. He enrolled early, but at a listed 6’1″ and 203 pounds, he has some physical limitations. After considering what else Michigan has in the pipeline, I dropped his TTB Rating pretty precipitously from an 87 to a 68; with the transfer portal the way it is, I’m not sure Davis will hang around long enough to be a starter. Furthermore, Michigan has very little history of playing quarterbacks who are so slight but somewhat lacking in mobility; Denard Robinson was 6’1″ but super fast and Shea Patterson (6’2″, 202) was known for making plays with his legs. I see Davis as a 6’1″ (but probably shorter) pocket quarterback, and that’s just a tough thing to do at a place like Michigan with a bunch of 6’6″ linemen.

Additionally, Michigan seems to have a three-way battle for the starting quarterback position, including Alex Orji, Jack Tuttle, and Davis Warren. Jadyn Davis would be a great scout team quarterback during the week, but if he gets on the field, it will likely only be in mop-up duty during a blowout or two. And considering that Orji and Warren both have eligibility into 2025 and beyond, Davis would likely have to bide his time for two or three years before having a legitimate shot to play.

Prediction: Redshirt

2024 Season Countdown: #98 Micah Davis

Name: Micah Davis
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 199 lbs.
High school: Dexter (MI) Dexter
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #37
Last year: I did not rank Davis. He redshirted.
TTB Rating: N/A

Davis was a high school teammate of running back Cole Cabana and had quite a standout high school career. Some Michigan fans may not have heard of him, but over his final two seasons at Dexter, he made 200 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 12 interceptions, 16 pass breakups, and 5 forced fumbles. He was named all-state as a senior and was ranked as a 2-star prospect by 247 Sports. Upon joining the program in 2023, he was named Scout Team Defensive Player of the Week three times and earned the same honor for special teams once. For a walk-on freshman, that’s a pretty solid start.

When I originally did this ranking, Michigan had lost Keon Sabb to the transfer portal and had not yet landed Wesley Walker and Jaden Mangham to replace Sabb and the injured Rod Moore, so I had bumped up Davis. Considering the transfer portal replacements, maybe Davis shouldn’t be in the top-100 just yet, but oh well. I think he does have a chance to be a solid special teams player and perhaps play a role in the defensive rotation sometime down the road.

Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer

2024 Season Countdown: #99 Max Reyes

Name: Max Reyes
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 206 lbs.
High school: Southlake (TX) Carroll
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #31
Last year: Reyes was not on the football team.
TTB Rating: N/A

There’s not a lot of information out there about Max Reyes, who was a pleasant surprise in the spring game, leading the team with 6 tackles. Due to some injuries and departures, Reyes actually started for one of the teams at safety. But as far as I can tell, Reyes has not played college football until the spring of 2024 despite being an academic junior. He wasn’t on the roster in 2022 or 2023, and I can’t find evidence of his having transferred from another program. It does appear that he was a decent baseball player and may have been pursuing baseball opportunities, and he has put on about 30-35 pounds in the past couple years, so perhaps he’s just kind of a late bloomer physically who has recently changed his sports focus.

I did go back and watch his high school Hudl highlights, where he played cornerback in a primarily cover 2 system. He was also listed as a quarterback, but his time coincided with current Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers (who quarterbacked the team when Reyes was a junior); in fact, Southlake Carroll has also produced the likes of former Alabama/NFL quarterback Greg McElroy and former Missouri/NFL quarterback Chase Daniel. But the fact that he was a quarterback – even as a backup – might hint at some quality football knowledge and processing ability.

Michigan did get reinforcements through the transfer portal in the form of Jaden Mangham and Wesley Walker, so we can be pretty sure that Reyes won’t be a primary factor in the safety rotation this fall. But if he started for one team and led all players in tackles, that might be an indication that he could be in line for some backup snaps or special teams time.

Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer