Joey Klunder (#93) and Daniel Taraboi (#66) (image via Twitter)
Name: Daniel Taraboi Height: 6’7″ Weight: 313 lbs. High school: Cedarburg (WI) Cedarburg Position: Offensive tackle Class: Redshirt freshman Jersey number: #66 Last year: I ranked Taraboi #127 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in one game and kept his redshirt. TTB Rating: N/A
Like everyone else without an ACL tear on Michigan’s roster, Taraboi got to play in Michigan’s 59-0 trouncing of UConn. After being listed at 6’6″ and 295 lbs. coming in, he’s now up to 6’7″ and 313 lbs. on the official roster. That’s a huge man to just be standing on the sideline during home games. Michigan is so deep on the offensive line that there’s virtually no chance of Taraboi challenging for playing time other than late in blowout games.
Name: Daniel Taraboi Height: 6’6″ Weight: 295 lbs. High school: Cedarburg (WI) Cedarburg Position: Offensive tackle Class: Freshman Jersey number: N/A Last year: Taraboi was a senior in high school. TTB Rating: N/A
Taraboi is coming to Michigan as a preferred walk-on after spurning offers from San Diego and Valparaiso. He’s a massive high schooler (listed at 6’7″ and 310 lbs. on Hudl) who is a little bit stiff and plays upright. Because of the lack of flexibility, he is probably looking at a career of being a scout team and backup player, but those guys are valuable to have on your roster.
Detroit (MI) Loyola safety Josh Nichols (image via Hudl)
At any top-tier football program, walk-ons can seem meaningless. When teams recruit 5-star and 4-star players, what are the chances that some walk-on is going to do anything significant on the field? Except in almost any year, a walk-on plays a significant role, even if it’s “only” on special teams. This past season, safety Caden Kolesar (9 tackles), defensive tackle Jess Speight (7 tackles), tight end Carter Selzer, and long snapper William Wagner all played significant snaps for the Wolverines. There’s a good chance that at least one or two of these players will end up playing a lot of minutes in a Michigan uniform.
Nico Andrighetto – S – Mountain View (CA) St. Francis Andrighetto is the 5’9″, 180 lb. brother of walk-on running back Lucas Andrighetto. He turned down offers from FCS Colgate and Columbia to walk on at Michigan. Nico had 75 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, 3 interceptions, and 1 touchdown as a senior in 2021. You can find his highlights HERE.
Chibi Anwunah – DE – Westland (MI) Lutheran Anwuna is a 6’7″, 225 lb. Nigerian immigrant who played out of position – at least for college – as a linebacker in high school. He will almost certainly move down to the defensive line, probably defensive end, for Michigan. Anwunah has good size and decent athleticism, but he plays tentatively and needs to get a lot stronger. If he does he could be a diamond in the rough in a few years. You can find his highlights HERE.
Evan Boutorwick – LS – Sterling Heights (MI) Henry Ford II Boutorwick has nice size at 6’4″ and 225 lbs. He was an Under Armour All-American and Korblue Kicking has him ranked as the #10 long snapper in the class of 2022.
Declan Byle – QB – Novi (MI) Catholic Central Byle is a 6’2″, 175 lb. prospect who looks like a walk-on quarterback. He does not have a particularly good arm or noteworthy athleticism. I do not see him factoring into Michigan’s depth chart in the future. You can find some of his highlights HERE.
