Tag: Allen Gant

Review of 2012 TTB Ratings

I did a review of my TTB Ratings from 2011 here (LINK), but it’s been a while, so it’s long past time for a look at the 2012 class.

Keep in mind that the ratings (fully explained here) are intended to project how players will fare at Michigan and, to a certain extent, in the NFL Draft. I do not take into account how players will do once they get to the NFL or how they will pan out if they transfer to other programs. I will give myself a grade of 1-5 like a 5-point grading scale (5 is best, 1 is worst) for each player; I reserve the right to give myself an incomplete if the guy never made it to his first season. I’ll work down the list from highest to lowest with a brief career recap for each player:

Allen Gant, Ex-Wolverine

Allen Gant (#12)

Rising fifth year senior linebacker Allen Gant has chosen to move on from Michigan. He will “explore other options,” which often means attempting to transfer to another school. After four years in Ann Arbor, he should be eligible to play immediately as a graduate transfer.

The son of former Michigan safety Tony Gant, Allen committed to Michigan in May 2011 (LINK) as a part of the class of 2012. He was recruited as a safety, but he never really contributed in the secondary. During his four years, he was mostly a special teamer and occasionally contributed as a backup linebacker in mop-up situations. He redshirted in 2012 and went on to make just 7 tackles in the next three seasons. He played SAM linebacker this past season, a position that was not used often since the Wolverines spent a lot of time in a nickel package. Theoretically, the SAM spot opened up with the graduation of James Ross III, but Gant probably wouldn’t have been the one filling that role, anyway.

As you can see, I was not much of a fan of Gant’s game when he committed. I gave him a TTB Rating of 58 initially and bumped that up to a 63 at the end of the recruiting cycle. Even those relatively low ratings were overestimations. He also had offers from a couple MAC schools, Cincinnati, Illinois, Kentucky, Stanford, and West Virginia. Like other former Wolverines, perhaps he can move on to the MAC and make some kind of impact. This departure had been expected for a while, and it should not hurt Michigan going forward.

2014 Season Countdown: #56 Allen Gant

Allen Gant (image via Go Blue Wolverine)

Name: Allen Gant
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 222 lbs.
High school: Sylvania (OH) Southview
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #12
Last year: I ranked Gant #63 and said he would be a backup linebacker and special teamer. He played a little on special teams.

Gant entered the 2013 season as a distant backup at the SAM linebacker position, and he remained there. He started his career as a strong safety and was only a little over 200 lbs. during his redshirt freshman year, so it was understandable that he would not be ready. Besides his physical limitations, he was behind several upperclassmen. He played a bit on special teams but did not make much of an impact.

It looks to be more of the same for Gant in 2014. Despite the switch to the 4-3 Over defense, he remains at SAM linebacker but should be behind juniors James Ross III and Royce Jenkins-Stone. He will also have to fend off freshman Jared Wangler, who is roughly the same size despite being two years younger, and perhaps others as the coaches shuffle a glut of linebackers. Gant’s best chance to get on the field once again will be on special teams, where he can use his safety/linebacker speed and decent size with some effectiveness.

Prediction: Backup SAM linebacker, special teams contributor

2013 Season Countdown: #63 Allen Gant

Allen Gant

Name: Allen Gant
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 203 lbs.
High school: Sylvania (OH) Southview
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #12
Last year: I ranked Gant #81 and said he would redshirt. He redshirted.

Gant came into school as a large strong safety, and as I mentioned during his recruitment, he was somewhat lacking in foot speed for a safety. Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison has mentioned that he wants his safeties to be interchangeable, and Gant was probably a little on the slow side to be trusted in deep coverage. He didn’t garner a ton of practice buzz, and he didn’t play much in the spring game, partially due to a nagging injury; he did, however, show a little of what he could do when he came up for support in the run game during the spring. That tackling ability – and the lack of foot speed – precipitated a move to SAM linebacker for the fall.

With junior Brennen Beyer and fifth year senior Cam Gordon locked into a battle for the starting SAM spot this fall while redshirt junior Jake Ryan recovers from a torn ACL, Gant probably won’t be counted on much this year. He will also be competing with walk-on redshirt freshman Mark Lawson and true freshman Mike McCray II, but Gant looks to be third until Ryan returns. Hopefully Michigan won’t need him much on defense this year, but Gant is the type of big safety/linebacker who could be very useful on special teams.

Prediction: Backup SAM linebacker

Position change: Allen Gant to SAM linebacker

Allen Gant looked a bit like a linebacker in high school

As you may have heard by now, redshirt freshman strong safety Allen Gant is moving to SAM linebacker. Gant was still playing safety in the spring game, so this is obviously a recent change.

Starter Jake Ryan was lost for at least half the season with an ACL injury he suffered in the spring. Michigan has already moved junior defensive end Brennen Beyer, who played SAM as a freshman in 2011, back to the position. Beyer started at the “new” position in the spring game over fifth year senior Cam Gordon. The only freshman slated to possibly play the SAM position is Mike McCray II, who may be a little small, too.

I have always thought Gant was a little too stiff to be a long-term answer at safety, so the move to linebacker makes a little bit of sense. However, he’s currently listed at 6’2″ and 203 lbs., so even if he adds 5-10 lbs. this summer, he’ll still be too light to be a viable option to replace Ryan anytime this year. Steve Brown held down a SAM-like position in 2009 at about 208 lbs., but Brown was a better athlete and playing in a different scheme.

For reasons unbeknownst to me, Beyer looks like the interim starter with Gordon a close second. Here’s how things appear to shape up until Jake Ryan returns:

SAM: Brennen Beyer (Jr.), Cameron Gordon (5th), Allen Gant (RS Fr.), Mike McCray II (Fr.), Mark Lawson (RS Fr.)

As for what this move does to the safety position, I don’t think it changes much. Fifth year senior Thomas Gordon is the likely starter at strong safety this year, and the heir apparent at the position is freshman Dymonte Thomas, who will quite possibly start at slot corner this fall. I also thought that Gant’s classmate Jeremy Clark looked like a better safety option, so Clark may be the next man in at SS this fall. Redshirt junior Josh Furman also may be a backup option there, and incoming freshman Delano Hill will likely end up as a safety before all is said and done (Hill was told he would get a shot to play corner first). Here’s what the strong safety position looks like, more or less:

SS: Thomas Gordon (5th), Jeremy Clark (RS Fr.), Josh Furman (RS Jr.), Delano Hill (Fr.)