2015 Season Countdown: #75 Alex Malzone

Tag: Alex Malzone


16Jun 2015
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2015 Season Countdown: #75 Alex Malzone

Alex Malzone

Name: Alex Malzone
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 218 lbs.
High school: Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice
Position: Quarterback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #12
Last year: Malzone was a senior in high school. He was 211/325 for 2,998 yards and 38 touchdowns. He was a 247 Composite 4-star, the #13 pro-style quarterback, and #295 overall.

Malzone committed to Michigan in the spring of 2014, and it was a source of some consternation for Michigan fans. Also an accomplished baseball player, he was not extremely well regarded as a quarterback recruit and had a hitch in his throwing motion that worried some analysts. Many Michigan fans thought Brady Hoke and his staff should have waited longer on some of the big fish instead of offering Malzone, who was a shoo-in to commit. Brother Rice fell short of a state championship, but he had a stellar season throwing to eventual Michigan-bound receiver Grant Perry.

Malzone skipped his senior year of baseball to enroll at Michigan in January. He received some mixed reviews during spring practice, but Jim Harbaugh supposedly warmed up to him because of how quickly he picked up the offense and the dedication he showed. When Michigan held an intrasquad scrimmage for the spring game, Malzone headed up one of the squads. The defense is always ahead of the offensie in the spring, so it was tough to glean much. However, things moved a little too quickly for Malzone, and he currently lacks the arm strength to push the ball down the field or fit it into tight spaces. Not only did he look to be behind junior Shane Morris, but freshman Zach Gentry is on his way into town, and fifth year Iowa transfer Jake Rudock will likely be the starter. It seems that Malzone will be no higher than third on the depth chart, and with both Rudock and Morris available, it would make sense to redshirt the freshman.

Prediction: Redshirt if possible

5Apr 2015
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2015 Spring Game: Blue 7, Maize 0

After watching the spring game on Saturday, here are some thoughts on each position group:

QUARTERBACKS: With Wilton Speight nursing a slight injury, this was a game between Alex Malzone and Shane Morris. Malzone had the superior completion percentage, but Morris looked like the better quarterback. Malzone still has an ugly, baseball-pitcher delivery that needs to be shortened up. He looks okay on quick throws (bubble screens, etc.), but any time he has to drop back and set up, the ball drops down to waist level and takes forever to come out. That is not something that gets fixed quickly. He made some good decisions but just doesn’t have the ability to get the ball there quick enough (from a mechanical standpoint and an arm strength standpoint). Morris, meanwhile, also made some good decisions, showed nice touch on some throws we haven’t seen him make before, and generally looked calmer in the pocket. His Blue team picked on “cornerback” Dennis Norfleet a bunch, which I thought was a bit unfair. Norfleet has been practicing mostly at wide receiver, but he was playing corner due to a lack of depth with the split squads. Morris and the Blue team sent Amara Darboh and Jaron Dukes deep on him several times, both of whom are significantly taller and veteran receivers. If the season were to start today, I think Morris is definitely the guy . . . but Jake Rudock is on his way from Iowa.

Hit the jump for some feedback on the rest of the position groups.

RUNNING BACKS: De’Veon Smith had a very nice run on the first play of the scrimmage, although it was a play set up to succeed by personnel. The Maize team had Mason Cole, Blake Bars, Patrick Kugler, Kyle Kalis, and A.J. Williams at the point of attack against a front seven that included Royce Jenkins-Stone at DE, Allen Gant at SAM, and walk-on Dan Liesman at weakside linebacker. Regardless, Smith broke a tackle and got into the secondary for a 34-yard gain before getting pushed out of bounds. Otherwise, the running game was pretty paltry. Derrick Green and Ty Isaac were both limited by injuries, and fullback-ish Wyatt Shallman got a bunch of carries. Even Ross Taylor-Douglas – who has been practicing at corner – got to carry the ball. (This somehow stumped announcer Marcus Ray, who started complimenting #18 Antonio Whitfield on the run, even though Ray is a defensive backs analyst for Michigan and Taylor-Douglas wears #29.) Anyway, Smith looked the best on this day, but I still think Isaac is the best option on the team. Unfortunately, he has been nursing various injuries this spring, including a hand injury and a hamstring problem, which he tweaked on Saturday.

FULLBACKS: Michigan doesn’t have a whole lot right now outside of senior Joe Kerridge. With Sione Houma injured, the other guys don’t look effective. Shallman whiffed badly on at least one blown pass protection.

WIDE RECEIVERS: The Maize team was trying hard to get the ball to Jehu Chesson early on in the scrimmage, and the new coaching staff seems to like his abilities. They also called for him to throw two passes on trick plays, one of which he completed. Amara Darboh was the leading receiver for the Blue team, but again, he was largely picking on Norfleet. Freshman Brian Cole looked the part of a freshman at times, and it does not appear that he was called on to block much in high school; on one screen play, Cole was knocked on his butt by Blake Countess, who then made the tackle. Redshirt freshman Maurice Ways also looks the part, but he has an issue with drops, which is consistent with his high school scouting reports. Aside from redshirt freshman Drake Harris, the receiving corps was mostly intact, so Michigan’s lack of noteworthy talents at receiver is a bit concerning. This is a team that is going to have to find success on the ground and take advantage of some play action through the air. As of right now, I don’t think any of these receivers will surpass 800 yards, but there will be a few in the 400-700 yard range.

TIGHT END: Jake Butt was hampered by the lack of a running threat, so he got hit on some short throws pretty quickly. We know what we have in him. I thought A.J. Williams did a better job as a blocker than we have seen him do in the past, which is a good thing. Ian Bunting and Chase Winovich are both thin right now, and Winovich had an ugly drop on a drag route. Bunting can be a receiving threat this year, though, and should be a pretty good weapon once he packs on a few more pounds. I think he can help out this year as a move tight end, but not with his hand in the dirt.

OFFENSIVE LINE: I have heard good things about Logan Tuley-Tillman this spring, but he seemed to be making lots of mental mistakes. Juwann Bushell-Beatty looked very slow off the line. This is a group that I think has a pretty solid core, but ability drops off rather quickly. Mason Cole, Ben Braden, Graham Glasgow, Kyle Kalis, and Erik Magnuson look like the best five. Kugler looked better than I expected, based on scouting reports, and I thought David Dawson and Blake Bars looked just okay.

DEFENSIVE LINE: We generally know what we have here, but the one guy I really liked was Lawrence Marshall. He’s still a little bit on the thin side, but he has the length and the explosiveness to be an asset on the edge for a team that is lacking pass rushers. Willie Henry did not seem to be giving 100%, which is one of his struggles. But when game time comes around, he’s bound to be a good one. Jenkins-Stone is pretty undersized and seems to be playing defensive end out of necessity. His presence on the line reminds me of the Rich Rodriguez years, when a guy like Adam Patterson was playing nose tackle. Things aren’t that  bad, but Michigan needs defensive ends. Luckily, they’ll get a bit of help in the fall from freshmen Shelton Johnson and Reuben Jones, plus Taco Charlton should be healthy by the fall.

LINEBACKER: Michigan had several injuries at the linebacker positions, including James Ross and Mike McCray. That allowed players like Gant and Liesman to get more playing time. Generally, Michigan has four seniors and should be in good shape with five starter-quality guys. Desmond Morgan made an interception, and both he and Joe Bolden were giving the offensive line fits. Noah Furbush has also missed the spring with an injury. Mario Ojemudia is a defensive end/outside linebacker hybrid, depending on the front, but he missed the last couple weeks of spring practice with a leg injury.

CORNERBACK: Despite an overall lack of depth, I was very encouraged by the play of the cornerbacks. Blake Countess and Jourdan Lewis both look good, and Countess looks more physical at the line of scrimmage, which was an issue last year. Brandon Watson also made an outstanding interception on a Malzone-to-Ways pass in which Watson raked the ball out and possessed it before rolling out of bounds. Watson might not be the fastest guy around, but he is known for physicality and has long arms that can help him on plays exactly like what he showed.

SAFETY: The safeties weren’t tested much in the game, but they generally fared well. Jabrill Peppers batted a pass, Delano Hill made an interception, and Jeremy Clark looked physical as a defender in tight spaces. Michigan’s combination of quarterbacks and receivers was bound to put more pressure on short areas and the corners than the safeties.

OVERALL
It was fun to watch some actual competition going on in the spring game. It was difficult to gauge units, because both teams were split up between starters and backups. Also, Michigan had numerous injuries, but some of those guys probably would have been available if it were a game and not a spring scrimmage. Even so, it was a physical game and even the quarterbacks had to scramble for safety since they were live. Previously, Brady Hoke had the referees blow a quick whistle when a defender got within arm’s reach of the QB.

Michigan will not be an elite team this year, and I don’t think many people expect they will be. There aren’t enough playmakers, especially as pass rushers and wide receivers. I think the offensive line will be above average, and Michigan has a few quality running backs. Whoever the quarterback will be has to make sure to minimize mistakes. The defense is pretty good from top to bottom, and I would guess they’ll be a top-25 unit this coming season. If the Wolverines can stay healthy on the offensive line and at running back, a game manager at quarterback (probably Jake Rudock) can get this team to 8 or 9 wins.

21Mar 2015
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Poll results: Who will start at quarterback in 2015?

Shane Morris wasn’t smiling very often during the 2014 season.

Thanks to Jerry, Jonathan, and Keith for your very generous donations to the TTB redesign drive! If anyone else would like to chip in to the $3,000 goal, you can use Paypal (LINK, or on the left sidebar) or go shopping at Amazon (LINK). Thanks!
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Last week I posed the question: Who will start at quarterback in 2015?

I’ll start off by saying that I don’t really care who the starter is. What matters most to me is that the starter is good, or at least the best man for the job.

Shane Morris (Jr.): 31%
The junior Morris is the most experienced guy currently on Michigan’s roster, although a transfer in from Jake Rudock (below) would change that immediately. Unfortunately, Morris has a 0-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio and completed just 35% of his passes last year. The highly touted recruited has a cannon for an arm and some decent wheels, but his decision-making has left a lot to be desired.

Wilton Speight (RS Fr.): 30%
Speight has earned some momentum in spring practices, according to some observers. He’s a big guy who can move a little bit. Despite being a redshirt freshman, he will turn 21 in December of this year after taking an extra year of high school due to a broken collarbone.

Alex Malzone (Fr.): 21%
Malzone has earned some praise this spring from some observers, and the occasional report says he’s the leading candidate for the job right now. However, I have not heard as many positive reports on him as the former two. Malzone is reportedly struggling with mechanics, arm strength, and the speed of the game right now.

Jake Rudock (5th): 16%
Rudock, who is visiting Michigan this weekend, has not been offered by the Wolverines yet. And in order to come to Michigan, he would need to jump through some hoops with the Big Ten, since he’s a fifth year transfer candidate from the University of Iowa. I imagine that 16% number here has more to do with whether he’ll actually choose/be allowed to play for Michigan, since his starting experience, 61.7% completions, and 16-to-5 interception ratio last year would almost certainly vault him to the top of this list.

Zach Gentry (Fr.): 0% (2 votes)
Gentry is a true freshman who will not arrive on campus until this summer. While he might have the highest ceiling of everyone on this list (he’s 6’7″, has a strong arm, and a good runner), he will also be the newest to the college game.

10Mar 2015
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Michigan’s Quarterback Situation

You want Wilton Speight to be Michigan’s starter, don’t you?

In case you’ve been under a rock for the past several months, you realize by now that Michigan is in a pretty undesirable position when it comes to the quarterback . . . position. The Wolverines lost a 2.5-year starter in the form of Devin Gardner, who is pursuing a career as an NFL wide receiver. Meanwhile, one experienced backup has struggled greatly, the other experienced backup transferred to the University of Texas at San Antonio, and the other guys available are freshmen of differing sorts. Nobody really knows how this will shake out, but here are some thoughts and rumors.

THE FRONT-RUNNER: Shane Morris (Jr.)
2014 stats:
14/40 (35%), 128 yards, 0 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
It’s hard to believe that someone with those statistics could be the front-runner for any job, but Morris is the aforementioned experienced backup. He backed up Gardner in 2013 as a freshman when Russell Bellomy had a torn ACL. He did not fare well, but there were glimpses against a pretty good Kansas State defense in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. Then 2014 came along, and there were no more glimpses. Morris threw an ugly late-game interception in a blowout win over Appalachian State, and he also threw picks against Utah and Minnesota; meanwhile, despite some decent running skills, Morris has yet to account for any kind of touchdown during his college career. That’s 87 career passing attempts and 15 carries without a score. This spring he has reportedly been splitting snaps pretty evenly with the other scholarship quarterbacks available, but nobody has separated himself. Morris has a strong arm, decent accuracy, and those running skills, but his decision-making has generally been terrible.

Hit the jump for the rest of Michigan’s options under center.

THE FAN FAVORITE: Wilton Speight (RS Fr.)
2014 stats:
 Did not play while redshirting
I call Speight the “fan favorite” because, like just about any fan base, Michigan’s seems to think the backup is better than the starter. I use those terms loosely, of course, because neither slot is filled, but it’s only natural to think that the experienced junior would start while the inexperienced redshirt freshman bides his time. Speight is bigger (6’6″, 235 lbs.) than Morris and not quite as mobile, but the buzz is that he has more leadership qualities and has been picking up the offense quicker. Speight is not exactly a statue in the pocket, but him winning the job would largely negate the threat of designed runs for the quarterback. I was higher on Morris than Speight coming out of high school, although I did have some questions about Morris’s decision-making. Now that it appears Morris will not fill his borderline 5-star potential, it does seem intriguing to see what Speight can do.

THE DARK HORSE: Alex Malzone (Fr.)
2014 stats:
 211/325 (64.9%), 2998 yards, 38 touchdowns, 5 interceptions as a senior in high school
Malzone passed up a couple mediocre Power Five conference schools and some MAC offers to stay home and play for the Wolverines. He enrolled early this past January and is currently in the midst of his first spring practice session. One thing I noted when he was in high school was that he seemed to be totally in command of his team’s offense. Nothing really stands out about his high school film other than that – he’s not particularly big, strong-armed, fast, etc. – but sometimes that can be enough. He played in a pro-style offense in high school that should mesh fairly well with what he is learning from Jim Harbaugh, although surely at a more complicated level. The coaches have reportedly been impressed with his ability to learn the playbook quickly, and I should note that I don’t believe I’ve ever heard that reported about Morris. While Speight and Malzone have been noted for their football aptitude, Morris has been more of the best overall athlete of the bunch.

THE ROOKIE GUNSLINGER: Zach Gentry (Fr.)
2014 stats:
 Unavailable
The 6’7″, 230 lb. freshman won’t arrive at Michigan until the summer, so all we have to go on is his high school film. It’s impressive high school film, but it also shows him playing against a bunch of New Mexicans, who are not regarded for their football abilities. Gentry is a one-time Texas commit, and while he may not have been ranked as high as Morris, he might have been more coveted by other programs; Morris stopped reporting new offers after he committed to Michigan very early in the process. Regardless, Gentry is very tall, has excellent speed for someone his size, and has a pretty strong arm. He might rival Morris for being the best athlete at the quarterback position, but these two will be on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to experience. After Michigan hired Harbaugh, Gentry became a prime target, so it’s comforting to think that the quarterback guru we hired really wanted this guy. At the same time, freshmen generally play like freshmen, which is not a compliment.

THE CLINT EASTWOOD: Jake Rudock (RS Sr.)
2014 stats:
 213/345 (61.7%), 2436 yards, 16 touchdowns, 5 interceptions at Iowa
Who is this Jake Rudock guy and why has he not been playing here the past few years? You might not be too familiar because he’s been Iowa’s starting quarterback for the past two seasons. Reports have been bubbling below the surface for the past month or so that Rudock really wants to play for Jim Harbaugh and get out of Iowa, where ultra-conservative offensive coordinator Greg Davis had called for Rudock to dink and dunk his way to 6.9 and 7.1 yards per attempt for the past two seasons. The staff was not particularly interested to begin with, but none of the quarterbacks look great, so Harbaugh may be considering opening up the competition even further. If Michigan were to accept him, he would not arrive until the summer, but he would be eligible to play this fall due to the NCAA’s graduate transfer rules. Iowa fans do not like Rudock because he is boring, but throwing only 5 interceptions in 345 attempts looks pretty darn exciting to me. He led Iowa to a 7-6 record last year and an 8-5 record the year before, when the Hawkeyes have had a questionable offensive coordinator and debilitation injuries at the running back position. After Michigan went 5-7 last season, I think I would be satisfied with a one-year rental who could win 8 games while being “boring.” Personally, I think Michigan should throw as many darts as they can at the quarterback job, so if there’s any chance that Rudock could be the answer, then the coaching staff should make it happen.

THE UNTOUCHABLE: John O’Korn (RS So.)
2014 stats:
 90/173 (52%), 951 yards, 6 touchdowns, 8 interceptions at Houston
O’Korn visited Michigan a few weeks ago and is all but official to be transferring to Michigan. However, he’s not a fifth-year guy and therefore won’t get an exception, so he wouldn’t be available until 2016.

You can voice your opinion on the quarterback situation in the comments or by voting in the poll posted on the left sidebar.

24Feb 2015
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Michigan releases spring 2015 roster

Brady Pallante is a fullback now. Brady Pallante is not #23.

Michigan released its spring roster on Monday as the Wolverines begin spring practice on Tuesday (LINK). Here are some notable updates to the roster.

Ian Bunting: Bunting is up to 6’7″ and 243 lbs. Michigan needs help at tight end this fall, so 243 lbs. is a good sign of him developing physically. He should be up over 250 lbs. by the fall.

Brian Cole: Cole, a true freshman early enrollee, is wearing #81. He’s listed at 6’2″, 200 lbs.

Ross Douglas: Douglas was recruited as a cornerback, moved to slot receiver, moved to running back, and now is back at corner. Still wearing #29, he is now listed as Ross Taylor-Douglas.

Derrick Green: Green is listed at 5’11” and 234 lbs.

Ty Isaac: Isaac is listed at 6’3″ and 240 lbs.

Alex Malzone: Malzone, a true freshman early enrollee, is wearing #12. He’s listed at 6’2″, 218 lbs.

Brady Pallante: Pallante came to Michigan as a nose tackle prospect and is now listed as a redshirt freshman, 6’0″, 276 lb. fullback wearing #45.

Terry Richardson: Richardson is listed as a redshirt junior cornerback and is finally nearing close-to-acceptable weight at 174 lbs. at 5’9″.

Matt Thompson: Thompson is a new addition as a walk-on quarterback from Cincinnati (OH) Indian Hills. He’s listed at 6’5″, 214 lbs. as a redshirt freshman. Here are Thompson’s Hudl highlights from his senior year (LINK). His delivery is a little bit wonky, but he doesn’t look too bad for a walk-on. He’s not a bad guy to have available for running a scout team and such. It also looks like he’s hit a growth spurt since high school.

Ryan Tice: Tice is a 6’1″, 177 lb. walk-on who enrolled early out of Saline (MI) Saline. I mainly note this because Michigan graduated both their punter and kicker, so Tice might be competing for one of those jobs, along with walk-on Kenny Allen (punter) and 2015 signee Andrew David (kicker).