Deron Irving-Bey, Ex-Wolverine

Tag: attrition


20Aug 2018
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Deron Irving-Bey, Ex-Wolverine

Deron Irving-Bey

Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Deron Irving-Bey is transferring out of the program and is headed to Central Michigan. Irving-Bey is a 6’5″, 274-pounder who was a 4-star, the #9 strongside end, and #249 overall in the class of 2017. He will join fellow 2017 recruit Ja’Raymond Hall, an offensive guard, at CMU.

I gave Irving-Bey a TTB Rating of 59 when he committed (LINK) and parked him at #69 in this year’s countdown (LINK). This transfer is not at all surprising, though I thought he would stick around for a couple years before transferring. Despite playing in the 2017 Army All-American Bowl, I thought he was overrated by the recruiting sites.

Michigan has now lost three commits from that 2017 class, including Hall, Irving-Bey, and defensive end Corey Malone-Hatcher, who medically retired.

8Aug 2018
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Eddie McDoom, Ex-Wolverine

Eddie McDoom

Junior wide receiver Eddie McDoom has decided to transfer. His current destination is unknown.

McDoom has 24 rushes for 203 yards (8.5 yards/carry), along with 16 catches for 140 yards (8.8 yards/catch), during his two years on campus. He was mostly a jet sweep guy but hasn’t had a big impact in the passing game. I ranked him #38 in this year’s countdown (LINK).

Personally, I do not feel Michigan has done a great job of utilizing him over the past couple seasons. I think he would be a good returner, but Michigan hasn’t used him in the return game. He’s a jet sweep and bubble screen guy, but Michigan hasn’t used much of the bubble screen half of that equation. The unfortunate thing is that this offense with Shea Patterson probably fits McDoom better than Wilton Speight- and Brandon Peters-style offenses over the past two seasons, but we won’t get a chance to see it.

Michigan now has a relatively thin depth chart at wide receiver with just the following scholarship options:

  • Grant Perry (Sr.)
  • Tarik Black (So.)
  • Nico Collins (So.)
  • Donovan Peoples-Jones (So.)
  • Oliver Martin (RS Fr.)
  • Ronnie Bell (Fr.)

Nate Schoenle and Jake McCurry are two walk-on receivers who have earned a little bit of hype.

Michigan now has just 84 scholarship players on the roster for 2018 (LINK).

2Aug 2018
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Tyrone Wheatley, Jr., Ex-Wolverine

Tight end Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. has left the Michigan football program. Wheatley, Jr. is the son of a Michigan all-timer, and he was a part of the small 2015 class that represented the transition year from Brady Hoke to Jim Harbaugh.

Wheatley, Jr. redshirted in 2015 and has made 6 catches for 61 yards over the past two seasons. He was likely slated to be a backup once again in 2018, playing behind junior Sean McKeon and redshirt junior Zach Gentry. I put him at #49 in the 2018 Season Countdown (LINK) and did not expect much from him. Coming out of high school, I thought Wheatley would make a better defensive end than tight end, but he has not taken a shot at defense so far in his career. His future destination is unknown at this point.

There were only 14 players in the class of 2015, and now six have left (S Brian Cole, K Andrew David, DE Shelton Johnson, QB Alex Malzone, CB Keith Washington, Wheatley) and a seventh, Grant Newsome, may have suffered a career-ending injury.

30Jan 2018
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Ian Bunting, Ex-Wolverine

Tight end Ian Bunting, who just finished his redshirt junior season, announced that he intends to transfer for his fifth and final season of college football.

Bunting committed to Michigan in April of 2013 as a part of the 2014 recruiting class (LINK). I gave him a final TTB Rating of 75 (LINK). After redshirting initially, he caught 5 passes for 72 yards in 2015. He followed that up with 5 receptions for 46 yards in 2016 and 1 catch for 6 yards in 2017. Altogether, he totaled 11 catches for 124 yards during his time in Ann Arbor.

Following a year behind Jake Butt, he was always expected to take some time to get a featured spot. He also played a lot of wide receiver in high school, which probably slowed his development a bit. Regardless, I predicted in the off-season that he would have a breakout season this year and lead Michigan’s tight ends in production. Obviously, that never materialized. After a career-best game in the Orange Bowl against Florida State (3 catches, 40 yards), he fell off the map to the point where he was behind several younger guys.

Bunting’s departure had been expected for a while, and I had heard this would happen during the end of the fall semester. Redshirt sophomore Zach Gentry and true sophomore Sean McKeon had moved past him as receiving targets, and redshirt sophomore Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. was used in a blocking role. I am a bit puzzled at the playing time allotted, because I think Bunting is a superior player to Wheatley at the least. For whatever reason, it seemed like Bunting found himself in the doghouse a little bit. It may (or may not) be a coincidence that his place on the depth chart changed for the worse when Jay Harbaugh moved to coaching the running backs, while a new face in Greg Frey came in to coach the tight ends.

Michigan now goes into 2018 with Zach Gentry (RS Jr.), Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. (RS Jr.), Sean McKeon (Jr.), Nick Eubanks (RS So.), Mustapha Muhammad (Fr.), and Luke Schoonmaker (Fr.) on the roster. Here’s a look at the roster numbers for 2018 (LINK).

31Dec 2017
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Ja’Raymond Hall, Ex-Wolverine

Ja’Raymond Hall (image via 247 Sports)

Freshman offensive lineman Ja’Raymond Hall has elected to transfer. A graduate of Oak Park (MI) Oak Park, he enrolled early but did not play at all during this season. He will have to sit out the 2018 season due to NCAA transfer rules, and he will be a redshirt sophomore when he’s finally eligible to play in a college game in 2019.

Hall was an early addition to the 2017 class, committing in December of 2015. I gave him a final TTB Rating of 77. As an offensive tackle/offensive guard tweener, I thought he was a solid developmental piece, but there are other guys in the class ahead of him and in his class who have higher potential. I also thought Hall lost a little of his athleticism as he added weight during his senior year, and obviously tackles are at a higher premium than guards. This does hurt overall depth on the offensive line, however, a position that Michigan has struggled to recruit as effectively as I expected under Jim Harbaugh.

Hall is the first member of the 30-man class of 2017 to depart. Here’s a look at Michigan’s 2018 scholarship chart with Hall removed (LINK).