Tag: Brandon Moore

2011 Countdown: #44 Brandon Moore

Brandon Moore (#88)

Name: Brandon Moore
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 250 lbs.
High school: Trotwood-Madison High School in Trotwood, OH
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #89
Last year: I ranked Moore #66 and said he would see limited time on special teams and at tight end.  In a disappointingly accurate prediction, he played in only two games . . . one on special teams and one at tight end.

Moore has got his chance for a breakout season in 2011.  He hasn’t played much in the past couple years, but he was blocked for playing time by three-year starter Kevin Koger and a pretty good upperclassman in Martell Webb, who has since graduated.  Now Moore presumably moves up to the #2 tight end spot behind Koger.  The 250-pounder has dropped ten pounds since last season, and he did appear a little bit quicker in the spring.  So far in his career, he has been limited to 1 catch for 19 yards, which came against Delaware State back in 2009.  But Webb didn’t make his first career catch until his junior season, so there’s still hope.

Even though Moore’s production has been next to nothing so far, I’m counting on him to be a serviceable backup to Koger this season.  The options at tight end are limited with position-switcher Steve Watson and the undersized Ricardo Miller the only choices, unless you want to dig into the freshman reserves with Chris Barnett.  And while Barnett has a good future, he won’t physically be ready to play in crunch time in 2011.  That leaves Moore with every opportunity to get on the field.  I’m slightly concerned with what I saw from him during the spring, especially one particular play where he caught the ball on a crossing pattern, turned upfield . . . and not only held the ball in his inside hand, but held it loosely away from his body like an oversized Deion Sanders.  Redshirt junior tight ends ought to have better fundamentals than that, especially when they’re fighting to see the field.  Logic tells me that Moore just isn’t going to reach the promise that his high school ratings suggested, but I’m hoping and wishing that logic is wrong.

Prediction: Backup tight end

2010 Countdown: #63 Steve Watson

Name: Steve Watson
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 257 lbs.
High school: Mullen High School in Cherry Hills Village, CO
Position: Defensive end
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #81
Last year: I ranked Watson #64 and said he’d contribute on special teams and see spot duty on defense. He was mainly a special teams player and made 5 tackles.

Having been buried on the depth chart behind Kevin Koger, Martell Webb, and Brandon Moore, Watson switched to defense during the spring of 2009. Greg Robinson was a new defensive coordinator then and needed a few players to play the defensive end/outside linebacker hybrid role that was eventually locked down by freshman Craig Roh. Brandon Herron was Roh’s primary backup, and Watson settled for mop-up duty against teams like Delaware State and Illinois. He finished the season with 5 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 pass breakup as the third-string OLB. He was also a part-time contributor on special teams, but only against the B-list teams on Michigan’s roster.

For spring of 2010, Watson switched roles again to 5-tech defensive end. Assuming no further position changes, he’ll be playing exclusively with his hand on the ground. Despite the position change, Watson will probably still be no higher than third on the depth chart. The starter will likely be Ryan Van Bergen with Anthony Lalota as the primary backup. A freshman like Jibreel Black could also work himself into the mix. Buried on the depth chart at yet another position, I expect 2010 to be Watson’s final campaign as a Wolverine. He probably won’t be offered a fifth year of eligibility by the coaching staff.

Prediction for 2010: Special teams contributor, spot duty on defense

2010 Countdown: #66 Brandon Moore

Spring Roster Tidbits

Ryan Van Bergen: Breakout year coming?

MGoBlog and The Wolverine have done a good job of breaking down the spring roster, so I won’t waste your time or mine in parsing the roster much further.

There are a few noteworthy bits from today’s press conference and the roster that I would like to highlight, however.

– Regarding the quarterback position, Rodriguez admitted that Denard Robinson is going to start seeing reps at wide receiver. While he stressed that Robinson is still going to compete at the quarterback position, this seems to be the beginning of the transition from the quarterback position to receiver that many of us have been expecting. I expect Robinson to be a full-time receiver by 2011.

– The popular number of pounds to gain this offseason was 17. Linebacker Isaiah Bell (237), offensive tackle Mark Huyge (305), tight end Brandon Moore (260), and offensive guard Patrick Omameh (293) all gained this amount.

– It seems apparent that the rumor we heard about the offensive and defensive lines is true: Rodriguez wants them to be bigger than they have been for the past two seasons. There’s really no other way to explain the fact that there are now five (5!) offensive linemen over 300 lbs. when last year’s only 300 pounder was freshman Quinton Washington. With almost six months left until the season, a couple other guys might get there before September, too.

– Tight ends Kevin Koger (251), Martell Webb (257), and Brandon Moore (260) are all getting in the “hefty” range for tight ends. There were a lot of people who thought Rodriguez was moving toward using tight ends heavily. This is significant evidence to the contrary. These guys seem to be blocking tight ends in the making.

– Ryan Van Bergen and Steve Watson are both listed as defensive ends. Van Bergen was a DT last year, and Watson was the third-string Quick end behind Craig Roh and Brandon Herron. Watson is likely to ride the bench once again, but as I expected, Van Bergen seems to be Brandon Graham’s replacement at DE.

– Junior Hemingway is 227 lbs. That’s too heavy for a receiver who wasn’t that fast to begin with. If he continues to play at 220+ pounds, he won’t be any kind of deep threat. This bodes unwell for Michigan’s downfield passing game.

Recruiting Roundup: Tight Ends

Alex Smith wrinkles his nose as he watches Mike Barwis eat an opposing band member whole.