Tag: Dan Villari

Dan Villari, Ex-Wolverine

Quarterback Dan Villari has entered the transfer portal after redshirting and then playing mop-up duty. Villari was a 3-star, the #42 pro-style quarterback, and #1225 overall out of Massapequa (NY) Plainedge in 2020. I gave him a TTB Rating of 69 and suggested he would finish his career playing a position other than quarterback (LINK).

Villari redshirted in 2020. This past season he played in four games toward the end of blowouts, appearing mostly as a runner (9 carries, 35 yards). He did throw 3 passes against Maryland in extended blowout time, completing just 1 for 26 yards. He was the #3 quarterback behind Cade McNamara and J.J. McCarthy, and the only reason that might change is if McNamara or McCarthy leaves.

Villari’s departure does not concern me much, considering I don’t see him as a quarterback, or at least not a Michigan-caliber one. The one potential problem might perhaps come from additional attrition, such as if McNamara/McCarthy transfers and/or if Alan Bowman transfers. As good as this season was for Michigan, players want to go where they’re going to play. There’s at least a chance that the loser of the McNamara/McCarthy derby leaves town, along with former Texas Tech starter Bowman, who’s on the outside looking in. It would not be too surprising to have Michigan go into the fall of 2022 with the winner of the McNamara/McCarthy duo and the two true freshmen, Jayden Denegal and Alex Orji.

Michigan 29, Indiana 7

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Eat your vitamins. My biggest takeaway from this game is that Michigan needs to get healthy. Going into the game, Michigan was missing RB Donovan Edwards and TE Erick All. And here are the players who got injured during the game: QB Cade McNamara (lower body), RB Blake Corum (lower leg), CB Gemon Green (shoulder), WR Andrel Anthony (unknown). Luckily, the Wolverines had a big enough advantage in this game that it ended up not affecting the outcome, but the toughest stretch of the schedule is coming up, with Penn State next week and Ohio State in three weeks.

Hit the jump for more.

Michigan 38, Wisconsin 17

Michigan’s defense won the day. The scoreboard says 38 points for Michigan, which is a good amount of points, but the Wolverines won the game with their defense. They held the Badgers to 43 total rushing yards, which is their lowest total since they had -26 yards against Northwestern in November 2015. Wisconsin’s leading rusher was freshman Braelon Allen, who ran 5 times for 19 yards. Those overall numbers were aided by -13 yards from backup quarterback Chase Wolf and -21 yards from starting quarterback Graham Mertz, who were sacked a total of 5 times. Wisconsin’s only real sustained success was a drive near the end of the first half when Mertz was 5/5 and threw a touchdown to wide receiver Chimere Dike.

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2021 Season Countdown: #76 Dan Villari

Name: Dan Villari
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 227 lbs.
High school: Massapequa (NY) Plainedge
Position: Quarterback
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #4
Last year: I ranked Villari #98 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: 69

Villari was a late addition to the 2020 class after Michigan lost its 4-star quarterback commitment to a health issue. He was a project then, and I have no reason to believe he’s much less of a project now. As expected he spent the 2020 season redshirting, and word is that if Michigan had been forced to play its final couple games of the season (which were mercifully canceled due to COVID), the Wolverines would have split time with Hassan Haskins in the Wildcat and Villari in the . . . Wildkitten. It would have been ugly, especially against Ohio State.

Jim Harbaugh raised some eyebrows this off-season when he suggested Villari could be used in a Taysom Hill type of role. Despite that somewhat lofty praise, I’m not sure if Villari is ready for that type of role. Furthermore, who would be coming off the field to put Villari on it? It’s one thing to put him on the field if you’re lacking playmakers, but with three game-ready running backs and a good group of speedy receivers, I don’t know how much it helps to throw out a 6’4″, 227 lb. redshirt freshman quarterback in various spots. Plus Michigan has been prone to offering up a fair amount of off-season hype that never materializes during games. So Villari could prove to deserve a higher spot in the ranking, but I’ll believe it when I see it.

Prediction: Backup quarterback

2020 Recruiting Awards

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You can take a look back at the awards for the 2019 class if you want (LINK).

Best Overall Recruit: DE Braiden McGregor
McGregor lost a little bit of steam in the recruiting world when his senior season ended in a fizzle after a knee injury. That doesn’t put a damper on my excitement for him, though. Michigan does a good job of developing defensive talent – particularly defensive ends – and I expect that to continue with McGregor.

Hit the jump for the rest of the awards.