2011 Countdown: #60 Brandon Herron

Tag: Brandon Herron


2Jul 2011
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2011 Countdown: #60 Brandon Herron

Brandon Herron



Name: Brandon Herron
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 220 lbs.
High school: Dulles High School in Stafford, TX
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #58
Last year: I ranked Herron #43 and said he would be a backup OLB.  He had 7 tackles and 1 pass breakup.

Let me start off by saying that when Herron was recruited, not many Michigan fans expected much.  He was a 3-star to the recruiting sites and generally viewed as an undersized project.  With that disclaimer out of the way, he was 199 lbs. as a freshman, 218 lbs. as a sophomore . . . and has been 220 lbs. for the past three years.  At some point it seems a coach would have pulled him aside and said, “You’re a linebacker, not a strong safety!”  Herron was the backup OLB to Craig Roh back in 2009 when he played a defensive end-ish position, and last year he was a 3-3-5 OLB.  This spring he was the backup middle linebacker.  And he’s still only 220.

Linebackers can be successful in college at 220 lbs. or so, but not very often.  And when you get trucked by Michael Cox (on Cox’s 68-yard TD run in the spring game) without even seeming to think about trying to wrap him up and take him down, then maybe you’re too small.  I don’t think Herron is in any danger of playing much this year, although with his speed and strength, he should be a special teams demon.  We’ll see whether the new coaching staff can find a way to use his skills, but the influx of freshman linebackers puts him in a precarious position.

Prediction: Special teams contributor; third string linebacker

25Apr 2011
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Snapshots: How to Give Up 68-yard Touchdown Runs

With a couple exceptions, the spring game was largely devoid of big plays for the offense.  This was the longest play from the line of scrimmage.  It’s the second team offense vs. the second team defense, but it gives us a good look at what the defense will be trying to do in 2011.

ABOVE: Prior to the snap, the defense is in a standard 4-3 under look.  FS Marvin Robinson is shifted over to cover the slot receiver, while SS Josh Furman is about 12 yards directly off the ball.  CB Terrence Talbott is walked off the line of scrimmage with only TE Mike Kwiatkowski on his side.  Meanwhile, H-back Ricardo Miller has motioned across the offensive formation and is now offset between the strongside OG and OT.

ABOVE: Initial action suggests it’s a power run.  LG Rocko Khoury is pulling across the formation; Kwiatkowski and RT Erik Gunderson are double-teaming LDE Ken Wilkins, who has stood straight up.  Meanwhile, MLB Brandon Herron reads run and immediately steps up to fill the hole.  NT Will Heininger gets outmuscled and collapsed away from the play.

ABOVE: As RB Michael Cox gets the handoff, LT Kristian Mateus whiffs on DE Jibreel Black, who’s totally and completely screwed if this is a rollout pass.  HB Ricardo Miller impacts SAM Jake Ryan with LG Rocko Khoury coming to help, while DE Ken Wilkins gets driven off the ball.  MIKE Brandon Herron steps up into the developing hole and WILL Brandin Hawthorne (?) flows to the ball.  CB Terrence Talbott has started to come up and support while FS Marvin Robinson follows his receiver across the field.

ABOVE: SAM Jake Ryan completely stones both blockers and stands his ground, while MIKE Brandon Herron meets RB Michael Cox about a half yard beyond the line of scrimmage; this should be stopped for a gain of a yard or two.  DE Jibreel Black missed Cox in the backfield and has run himself out of the play.  CB Terrence Talbott has stepped up in run support, and FS Marvin Robinson appears to see the ballcarrier and can presumably fight through a block to help make the tackle.

ABOVE: Oops.  MIKE Brandon Herron tackles like a middle schooler.  WILL Brandin Hawthorne (?) lies prone on the ground from just being in the general vicinity of football player-sized football players.  Meanwhile, FS Marvin Robinson has completely overrun the play and lost his leverage on the ballcarrier.  And because of his careless positioning, he flummoxes SS Josh Furman, who has finally stepped up to support only to be thwarted by a teammate.  RB Michael Cox sees the cutback and engages afterburners.

ABOVE: WR Martavious Odoms (?) has good position on CB Greg Brown (?) and walls him off.  As RB Michael Cox hits the 45-yard line, he’s a half step in front of FS Marvin Robinson and a half step behind SS Josh Furman.  Speed has always been a question for Robinson, but Furman is a supposed burner who ran a supposed 4.37 in high school.

ABOVE: As RB Michael Cox crosses the goal line with a 68-yard touchdown run, FS Marvin Robinson has gone from half a yard behind Cox to about 9 yards.  SS Josh Furman has lost about 4 yards on Cox.  Of course, both were chasing Cox at an angle as he veered toward the left sideline, but neither ever seemed in danger of catching Cox once he turned on the jets.

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?

  • Well, if nothing else, we know what Michigan’s defensive alignment looks like and how the “power play” works.
  • Ken Wilkins, who just got outmuscled by a duo of walk-ons, will probably not be ready to play this year.  There’s a reason that Jibreel Black was playing some 5-tech DT, and the above type of play might be it.
  • I like Michael Cox, but Giant Mistake #1 was Brandon Herron’s complete and utter failure to even slow down the running back.  If you’re a fifth year senior and can’t slow down a guy who runs smack into your chest, hope is all but lost.  I guess I ought to cut Herron some slack because he did get bumped by Khoury, but still.
  • Angles and positioning are of utmost importance.  It’s one thing if Wilkins lines up in the right spot and gets double-teamed out of the hole.  But Giant Mistake #2 on this play was Marvin Robinson thinking he was in a race with Je’ron Stokes to get to the sideline.  By the time Stokes said, “Aw, I was just foolin’, man, I ain’t gonna race you,” Robinson was the Tie Bomber to Cox’s Millennium Falcon.  Robinson must maintain leverage on the runner, because he doesn’t have the speed to get caught flat-footed and then make up for it.  There aren’t many Big Ten running backs who will be chased down by Robinson if he doesn’t take good angles.
  • Good linebacker play makes this a 1- or 2-yard gain.  Good safety play makes this an 8-yard gain.  Bad linebacker play combined with bad safety play makes this a 68-yard touchdown run.
Fast forward to :56 to see the above play:

22Jul 2010
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2010 Countdown: #43 Brandon Herron


Name: Brandon Herron
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 220 lbs.
High school: Dulles High School in Stafford, TX
Position: Outside linebacker
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #58
Last year: I ranked Herron #25, assuming he’d beat out freshman Craig Roh for the OLB position. Herron was Roh’s backup, making 20 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 fumble recovery.

Reports from spring 2009 indicated that Herron was a physical freak with great speed and strength for his relatively small size for a rush linebacker. Having two years of experience on Roh, Herron was the expected starter. However, Roh beat out the then-redshirt sophomore and held onto the position. Herron played occasionally, but got pushed around in the run game.

Now it’s 2010, and Herron’s spot as the primary backup at OLB has been relinquished to J.B. Fitzgerald. Spring practice ended without much of a peep from Herron, who’s still only 220 lbs. I’m not sure if the coaches have mandated that Herron maintain that weight, but it seems odd that he wouldn’t bulk up more to defend the run. Sometimes injuries or illness prevent guys from adding weight, but I haven’t heard anything to indicate such a problem for him. While Roh added approximately 15 lbs. and weighs over 250 now, Herron remains somewhat of a lightweight. He could contribute on special teams and is an adequate backup at OLB, but I would not be surprised to see Herron’s redshirt junior year be his final season at Michigan.

Prediction for 2010: Backup OLB, special teams contributor

21Jun 2010
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2010 Countdown: #84 Davion Rogers


Name: Davion Rogers
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 210 lbs.
High school: Harding High School in Warren, OH
Position: Outside linebacker/defensive end hybrid
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Prediction for 2010: Redshirt

Rogers has all kinds of athleticism paired with the bulk of a wind sock. That’s not a good combination for playing early. Recruited to play the “Quick” outside linebacker/defensive end spot, he’ll immediately be behind sophomore starter Craig Roh and redshirt junior Brandon Herron. Along with those two, a big chunk of fellow freshmen were recruited to play Quick, all of whom have more college-ready bodies: Ken Wilkins, Jordan Paskorz, and Jake Ryan.

Rogers’ best chance for contributing in 2010 is on special teams. He has the speed and athleticism to get downfield and wreak some havoc on kick coverage teams, but I still expect him to spend his practice hours in Mike Barwis’ dungeon: bench press, front squat, chocolate milk, repeat.

18Jan 2010
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Davion Rogers, Wolverine

Davion Rogers shares a story about a fishing trip
Davion Rogers, a linebacker from Harding High School in Warren, OH, committed to Michigan yesterday after an official visit. He just recently procured an offer from the Wolverines after having been committed to West Virginia. Rogers’ teammate is D.J. Williamson, a Michigan wide receiver commit.

Rogers is a 3-star linebacker to both Rivals and Scout, ranked as the #26 outside linebacker to Rivals and the #96 player at his position on Scout. Along with being a former Mountaineer commit, Rogers had also been reported to have interest in his Michigan State offer.

Michigan’s coaches recruited Rogers for the Quick end position, currently manned by Craig Roh. When Roh arrived in the summer of 2009, he was 238 lbs. Rogers is currently 6’6″, 210 lbs. and needs to bulk up before he can expect to contribute. Physically, he’s very reminiscent of former Michigan outside linebacker Shawn Crable; Crable was listed at 6’6″, 230 lbs. coming out of high school, but he ended up around 245.

Watching film of him, Rogers has incredible physical talent. The most impressive thing about him is his speed. He’s able to catch up to skill players from behind. His wingspan also helps him latch onto and wrap up players who might be out of a shorter player’s reach. Once he gains strength, that wingspan should also afford him the ability to keep offensive tackles out of his chest.

Unfortunately, one of the reasons that Rogers gets to show off his speed so much is that he tends to take poor pursuit angles. That’s typical for many talented athletes, but it’s something that will have to be corrected. Hopefully, his speed will result in a similar awesome play to Crable running down Michigan State’s A.J. Jimmerson from the opposite side of the field a few years ago. Rogers also tends to reach when tackling. He leaves his feet or stops his feet in order to reach out and tackle, which will be a problem against stronger, faster players.

Rogers is a few years away from contributing. Craig Roh has a similar skill set and his backup, Brandon Herron, offers a different type of skills. It should take a year or two for Rogers to gain enough strength to contribute, and his techniques will have to develop and mature as his strength does. Considering Brandon Herron will be a redshirt junior in 2010, I expect Rogers to redshirt as a freshman and then compete for playing time in 2012 when Roh is a senior and the whole world is wiped off the planet except John Cusack.