Tag: 2024 season countdown

2024 Season Countdown: #100 Nico Andrighetto

Name: Nico Andrighetto
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Mountain View (CA) St. Francis
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #31
Last year: I ranked Andrighetto #136 and said he would be a backup defensive back (LINK). He played in one game on special teams.
TTB Rating: N/A

Andrighetto entered his third season on campus having played in two career contests, one in each previous season. He has been named Scout Team Special Teams Player of the Week four times over his two seasons, including three weeks in 2023. That would seem to bode well for him getting a chance to play a little bit on special teams as his career progresses. At 5’9″ and 190 pounds, he’s unlikely to ever be a serious option on defense, but special teams could be a different story.

With the likes of Caden Kolesar and other walk-ons moving past their football careers, there may be room for Andrighetto to play a little more in 2024. Punt and kickoff coverage units can be good spots to get your scholarship guys a break and let some fresh bodies sprint downfield at full speed.

Prediction: Backup safety and special teamer

2024 Season Countdown: #101 Daniel Taraboi

Name: Daniel Taraboi
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 326 lbs.
High school: Cedarburg (WI) Cedarburg
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #66
Last year: I ranked Taraboi #138 and said he would be a backup offensive tackle (LINK). He did not play.
TTB Rating: N/A

Taraboi is a ginormous human being who has played in one game through two seasons on campus. That one game was the blowout of UConn in 2022 when Jack Harbaugh and Tom Brady’s youngest son both got a few snaps. Michigan’s veteran offensive line leadership got thinned out by the 2024 NFL Draft, but Taraboi still isn’t in danger of playing much. He may slip into a few games late after outcomes are decided, and he could perhaps even work his way onto the extra point/field goal protection unit if he can maintain his leverage. At 6’7″ it might be easy for opponents to get under him, but it still might be hard to push past a 326-pounder.

Prediction: Backup offensive tackle

2024 Season Countdown: #102 Jake Guarnera

Name: Jake Guarnera
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 308 lbs.
High school: Ponte Vedra Beach (FL) Ponte Vedra
Position: Center
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #53
Last year: Guarnera was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 80

Guarnera was a somewhat anonymous recruit when he committed to the Wolverines. His father Jim played defensive line at Rutgers, but Jake wasn’t getting a ton of recruiting attention. He committed to Michigan in April of 2023 with the belief that he was headed for center after playing offensive tackle, and his high school coaching staff transitioned him to center to help him get a jump start on his college career. I think that was a positive thing for Guarnera to get used to snapping the ball, as he now has almost a full season of playing in the middle (he still played some occasional tackle as a senior when the team needed him there).

Guarnera enrolled early and is up to 308 pounds, which is 20+ pounds heavier than he was as a recruit. There are still a lot of things to work on as a center, such as speeding up his initial step and being quicker with his off (non-snapping) hand. I like the way he gets all his cleats in the ground to make contact, but the initial movements are just a hare slow right now. I’m guessing those traits will get markedly improved as he gets more and more practice playing the center position. But for the 2024 season, Michigan has Greg Crippen slated to be the starter and Raheem Anderson II penciled in as his primary backup. Guarnera may get a few snaps in four games to get him some experience while preserving his redshirt, but he’s probably headed for a season of watching from the sideline.

Prediction: Redshirt

2024 Season Countdown: #103 Bryce Wilcox

Name: Bryce Wilcox
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 188 lbs.
High school: Sharpsburg (GA) Trinity Christian
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #38
Last year: I ranked Wilcox #131 and said he would be a backup safety (LINK). He did not play.
TTB Rating: N/A

This is the year.

I’m going to stand on the table for my guy Bryce Wilcox. He turned down an offer from Navy to walk on at Michigan, and he has spent the past two seasons biding his time on the sideline. He came in scrawny at just over 170 pounds, but has since added about 17 pounds to his frame. Now he’s at a respectable 188 pounds for a guy who’s probably just a special teams player, at least for right now.

So going into 2024, I think Wilcox might finally be ready for some special teams action.

This is the year.

(Unless it’s not.)

Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer

2024 Season Countdown: #104 Noah Howes

Name: Noah Howes
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 242 lbs.
High school: Rochester (MI) Rochester
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #45
Last year: I ranked Howes #124 and said he would be a backup tight end (LINK). He played in three games.
TTB Rating: N/A

Howes was a high school offensive lineman who has since transitioned to tight end. After playing in one game as a redshirt freshman, he has since played in three games last year. He’s two pounds heavier than last season, which is a pretty inconsequential gain, but his past history as a lineman may help him play a blocking role for a team that lost a pretty solid blocking tight end in A.J. Barner. He will likely be a pretty deep backup, but some snaps may be available now that Barner (NFL), Matt Hibner (transfer to SMU), and walk-on Josh Beetham (transfer to Georgia Tech) have moved on.

Prediction: Backup tight end