Tag: Connor Jones

2024 Season Countdown: #66 Connor Jones

Name: Connor Jones
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 320 lbs.
High school: Monument (CO) Palmer Ridge
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #76
Last year: I ranked Jones #86 and said he would be a backup offensive guard (LINK). He played in one game.
TTB Rating: 65

Jones has played in three total games over two seasons at Michigan, including one contest in 2023. It has been a slow start to his career, but that’s to be expected when Michigan has had such a dominant, veteran offensive line for the past few seasons. The Wolverines sent six linemen to NFL camps after last year, and there are still several upperclassmen who have just been waiting in the wings for a few years to play in 2024.

I have never been the biggest fan of Jones as a player, but he has an opportunity this season to stake his claim for playing time in 2025. Michigan recruited Josh Priebe from Northwestern to start over Jones (among others), and a few other players have also been vying for playing time on the interior. Giovanni El-Hadi will start opposite Priebe, so it probably comes down to Jones, Dominick Giudice, and Raheem Anderson II for those backup roles, unless a true freshman comes in and jumps a few spots on the depth chart. Jones is probably behind all of them based on past depth charts, but he has added 22 pounds since last year’s countdown, so maybe the added bulk will help his case. At this size Jones might also be able to help on extra point/field goal protection units.

Prediction: Backup offensive guard

2023 Season Countdown: #86 Connor Jones

Name: Connor Jones
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 298 lbs.
High school: Monument (CO) Palmer Ridge
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #60 #76
Last year: I ranked Jones #99 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in two games.
TTB Rating: 65

Jones was an early enrollee in 2022 and earned playing time during the non-conference portion of the season. As most linemen should do, he was able to maintain his redshirt by playing in four games or fewer. Now going into his second year in the program, he has put on a little weight and changed jerseys from #60 to #76. Michigan is so deep on the offensive line that I don’t think Jones will see much playing time this season.

Prediction: Backup offensive guard

2022 Season Countdown: #99 Connor Jones

Name: Connor Jones
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 285 lbs.
High school: Monument (CO) Palmer Ridge
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #60
Last year: Jones was a senior in high school.
TTB Rating: 65

Jones was offered by Michigan in September of 2020 when Ed Warinner was still Michigan’s offensive line coach. Warinner put in a fair amount of work in Colorado, and that paid off with the commitment of Jones in December of 2020. After Warinner left Michigan prior to the 2021 season, I wondered if new offensive line coach Sherrone Moore would still push for Jones, but he held steadfast in his commitment, signed his National Letter of Intent in December 2021, and enrolled early at Michigan in January 2022.

My initial read on Jones from his commitment post (LINK) is still something I stand by. He can be slow to get out of his stance, doesn’t move very well, and isn’t as aggressive as I would like to see. Jones made an appearance in Michigan’s spring game, and he looked overwhelmed and slow to react. That’s not unheard of for a lineman who should be finishing up high school, but it certainly doesn’t look like he’ll be much of a factor early in his career. I think a redshirt is virtually a guarantee in 2022.

Prediction: Redshirt

How Does the 2022 Class Match Up with Michigan’s All-Time Recruits?

Thanks to Ashley, Eric, Joe, and Stephen for the recent Paypal donations.

As much as we like to get excited about every single Michigan recruit, it’s important to keep perspective and realize that not every one of these players will be destined for stardom. This exercise can give us a range of what to expect from some of these players, even though star rankings can be very wrong.

Will Johnson – CB – Grosse Pointe (MI) South
2022 ranking: #14
Historical ranking: tied for #9 all-time at Michigan
Tied with: S Daxton Hill (2019) and DE LaMarr Woodley (2003)
Closest positional comparisons: Jabrill Peppers (#3 in 2014) and Donovan Warren (#27 in 2007)

Derrick Moore – DE – Baltimore (MD) St. Francis
2022 ranking: #49
Historical ranking: tied for #37 all-time at Michigan
Tied with: OG Kyle Kalis (2012) and RB Ty Isaac (2013)
Closest positional comparisons: Pierre Woods (#43 in 2001) and Luiji Vilain (#56 in 2017)

Keon Sabb – S – Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy
2022 ranking: #84
Historical ranking: #64 all-time at Michigan
Flanked by: OT Cory Zirbel (#83 in 2005) and #87 Kyle Bosch (2013)
Closest positional comparisons: Michael Williams (#72 in 2007) and Demar Dorsey (#87 in 2010)

Hit the jump for more.

2022 Spring Roster Notes

Even though jersey numbers don’t matter much – there is plenty of time for them to change – it’s always interesting to see what jerseys the freshmen wear. Here’s a rundown of the newcomers:

• #0: WR Darrius Clemons
• #2: CB Will Johnson (I saw a rumor that he switched to #4, but #2 is on the roster)
• #3: S Keon Sabb
• #4: WR Amorion Walker
• #8: DE Derrick Moore
• #10: QB Alex Orji
• #12: S Kody Jones
• #13: WR Tyler Morris
• #16: QB Jayden Denegal
• #24: CB Myles Pollard
• #55: DT Mason Graham
• #55: C Olu Oluwatimi
• #60: OL Connor Jones

On another note, Eamonn Dennis has officially switched from cornerback to wide receiver on the roster. Meanwhile, Mike Sainristil is still listed at wide receiver even though he’s getting practice reps at nickel corner.