Michigan at Northwestern Awards

Tag: Desmond Morgan

11Oct 2011
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Michigan at Northwestern Awards

Does cringing when I see Denard throw the ball make me a bad person?
(image via TheWolverine.com)

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Michael Shaw.  Shaw clearly isn’t the most decisive running back in the world.  But he is very fast and, despite some people’s opinions, will lower his shoulder and run through people when cornered.  I agreed with the way Al Borges used him on Saturday, which was to outrun the Wildcats’ defense to the edge.  I won’t be clamoring for Shaw to start anytime soon, but he can serve a role on this team.  Oh, and I wouldn’t mind seeing him return kickoffs along with Jeremy Gallon.  Give Shaw an alley and you never know what could happen.

Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . opposing defenders running the other way with the football.  Denard’s interceptions are maddening.  It’s not like he’s trying to fit passes into tight windows and defenders are making nice plays on the ball.  Nor is it that his passes are bouncing off the hands of his receivers into the grips of defensive backs.  Denard is just flat-out throwing bad passes, whether because of bad mechanics, bad reads, or both.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . William Campbell.  I think it’s near time that Campbell gets a start.  Starting defensive end Will Heininger is just a guy.  It would be nice to see Ryan Van Bergen bump from 3-tech tackle to 5-tech end.  To me that puts the best four defensive linemen on the field at once, with Craig Roh and Mike Martin the other two linemen.

Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . Desmond Morgan.  I’m not really sure why Morgan is playing so much.  I’ve always maintained that I think he will be a solid player in the future, but he got more playing time on Saturday than I would expect in a fairly tough game.  Brandin Hawthorne is a better player overall and a bigger playmaker.  If and when Brandon Herron returns to action, I think he deserves another shot, too.

Play of the game . . . Thomas Gordon’s strip and recovery.  When Gordon stripped the ball away from Northwestern wide receiver Jeremy Ebert, I thought that sealed the game for Michigan.  As the second man in, I thought Gordon did a tremendous job of raking at the ball immediately before Ebert could get to the ground.

MVP of the Northwestern game . . . Denard Robinson.  Even though Robinson threw some maddening interceptions and incompletions in the first half, he once again turned on the jets when the Wolverines needed it in the second half.  He finished the game completing 17/26 passes for 337 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions; he also had 25 carries for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns.  It’s been said elsewhere, but it’s pretty ridiculous that a 454-yard, 4-touchdown performance can seem pretty ho-hum after all of his heroics.  We’re going to see 100-yard rushers and 300-yard passers and 100-yard receivers in the future, but it will be a long, long time before Michigan fans ever get to root for a player like him again.

30Jun 2011
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Getting to Know — Desmond Morgan

Desmond Morgan had his sights set on Michigan during the recruiting process. Originally committing under the Rodriguez regime, Desmond remained firm in his pledge to the university from the beginning to the end of the coaching change. “I committed to the school, not just the coaching staff,” he stated. And although Morgan is currently undecided about his college major, he is a 4.0 student who should fit in nicely with his chosen school’s academia.
Desmond grew up in Holland, Michigan, which is located on the far west side of the state. Taking advantage of his surroundings, Morgan often enjoyed going to the beach with friends and listening to music while playing a pick-up game. Rap/Hip-Hop is his preferred style of music, and although I don’t listen to a lot of that genre, I do have the internet, so I know what it’s about.
When I caught up with Desmond, he was preparing for the 2011 Michigan High School Football East West All Star Game and also getting interviewed by people other than me. He performed well in the contest, tallying six tackles. But it’s clear that Desmond isn’t complacent about his football capabilities:

“What are my greatest weaknesses? I’ll be honest; I have quite a few of them. I’d say my biggest one would be my pass coverage and recognizing when two receivers are crossing, which one is the biggest threat, and [recognizing] which DB needs the most help picking up a guy coming across, things like that. So I’m working on that, getting depth and recognizing the different routes and being able to get underneath, making a play on the ball. In high school, we didn’t have to do that as much, especially with all of the man coverage that we ran. And with line backing, I’d say we were usually more focused on the run. So the biggest thing I’m working on is helping my pass coverage game out.”

With his intelligence, work ethic and willingness to look in the mirror, Desmond sounds like a coach’s dream. It’s just not yet completely clear which coaches will get the opportunity to work with Morgan. Although Desmond was definitely recruited as a linebacker, it has been speculated on this blog that Morgan’s skill set could lead to playing time at another position, such as fullback or upback. We are not alone: Desmond and his dad see that as a possibility too.

“Most of the talks [with the coaching staff] have been playing linebacker. To be honest, I don’t even know which position, as far as one of the linebackers, it will be. But my junior year I played fullback as well; I actually started at fullback. So I kind of understand the fullback position a little bit. But I’m open to anything. At this point, the way I look at it – any position that they need me to play that will allow me to help the team and see the field, I’ll do….My dad had read some of the online stuff, and I think that planted the idea in his mind too, and he said, ‘What do you think about fullback?’ And I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ And he said, ‘With the new staff, they might be looking for fullbacks – would you be open to that?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, sure, whatever it takes to get on the field, I’ll do it.'”

During Desmond’s senior year, he didn’t see much/any time at fullback because he was too busy playing quarterback. Yep, if you didn’t already know, he played middle linebacker and quarterback. That’s quite the unusual pairing, but as unusual as it may be, Thunder often writes that playing QB in HS contributes to a player’s overall development and understanding of the game. So I asked Morgan about it.

“I grew to understand offenses a lot better. It helped me to see my keys on the other side of the ball, recognize pass coverages, see pre-snap stuff…but first and foremost I think it’s leadership. Before my junior year I played middle linebacker and was the captain of the defense, I guess, and I understood the leadership role…but I definitely gained a whole new respect for leadership by playing quarterback because I didn’t realize how close the two positions were in regards to leading their sides of the ball. And playing both of them helped me grow into more of a team leader.”

Although Desmond’s days as a QB are almost certainly finished, he should be able to peruse through the offensive playbook at his convenience since he’s rooming with 2011 QB Russell Bellomy. Here’s to Morgan’s success in the winged helmet — be it at linebacker, upback, fullback, quarterback or slot receiver.

25Jun 2011
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Freshman Numbers Revealed

A poster over at Rivals posted the following jersey numbers for the incoming freshmen.  I’m not sure how accurate they are, but here’s what he gave:

3 Russell Bellomy
5 Justice Hayes
18 Blake Countess
20 Tamani Carter
21 Raymon Taylor
24 Delonte Holowell
35 Greg Brown
38 Thomas Rawls
40 Antonio Poole
44 Desmond Morgan
45 Matt Wile
52 Kellen Jones
57 Frank Clark
58 Chris Bryant
79 Tony Posada
82 Chris Barnett
92 Keith Heitzman
95 Chris Rock
97 Brennen Beyer

Sorry, I did not get Russell Bellomy (EDIT: Bellomy is #3.  Thanks, readers!) or Jack Miller.

14Jun 2011
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2011 Countdown: #78 Desmond Morgan

Desmond Morgan

Name: Desmond Morgan
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: West Ottawa High School in Holland, MI
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #44
Last year: Morgan was a high school senior (commitment post here)

TTB Rating: 76

Morgan was a battering ram of a high school quarterback, where he didn’t really throw much . . . and didn’t really juke people . . . he just kind of ran people over.  And over and over and over.  I like high school quarterbacks at virtually any position, because those kids understand the game and usually (except in the case of Terrelle Pryor) understand leadership.

Morgan is the rare freshman who doesn’t really need to bulk up to play at the next level.  He might not be as strong as he’ll need to be, but 225 lbs. is a pretty solid build for a freshman linebacker.  Michigan is somewhat short of inside linebackers for the upcoming season, and there’s a good chance that Morgan sees some mop-up duty on defense.  He also has the build to be a blocker on kick return units and might even be able to help on kickoff coverage.

P.S. There has been some talk that Morgan could turn into a fullback, but so far that notion comes entirely from fans and not from anyone important, such as the coaches or Morgan himself.

Prediction: Special teams contributor

7Feb 2011
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2011 Recruiting Awards

Offensive guard Chris Bryant

This is something I do every year, and it’s a fun exercise for me:
2009 Recruiting Awards
2010 Recruiting Awards

Best overall recruit:  OG Chris Bryant
Bryant has the size, strength, footwork, and athleticism to be a great offensive lineman at Michigan.  As long as he can get rid of some of his bad weight and stay well conditioned throughout his career, I think he’ll be an All-Big Ten player by the end of his career.

Best offensive recruit: Bryant
See above.

Best defensive recruit: CB Blake Countess
Countess isn’t the biggest or fastest kid out there, but he’s got a good quality for a cornerback – sticky.  Receivers just don’t seem to get away from him.  He probably needs to bulk up before playing (we all saw what happened to Courtney Avery and Terrence Talbott last year), but he could be a slot corner early in his career before taking over on the outside after a year or two.

Recruit most likely to make an early impact: K Matt Wile
If former walk-on Seth Broekhuizen or redshirt sophomore Brendan Gibbons steps up his game, then Wile might not be needed as a freshman.  But those first two combined for 4-for-14 on field goals last season.  It’s also entirely possible that Wile will redshirt as a freshman, but Michigan returns the vast majority of its two-deep from last season, so a lot of these 2011 recruits will probably be redshirted.  Wile seems like the best candidate.

Fastest recruit: CB/S Raymon Taylor
Taylor reminds me of departing cornerback James Rogers in many ways.  While Taylor is probably more physical, he has good straight-line speed and a smooth stride. 

Strongest recruit: Bryant
Bryant reports a bench press of 395 pounds and a squat of 420.  Even if he couldn’t bench press Charlie Weis, all Bryant had to do with most high schoolers was get a hand on them and they fell to the ground, begging for mercy.

Best under-the-radar recruit: LB Desmond Morgan
Michigan has a good history with linebackers from western Michigan, and I like the fact that Morgan was a bulldozing quarterback in high school.  Quarterbacks just seem to understand the game better.  I think there will be a good battle for the middle linebacker job between Morgan and classmate Kellen Jones once redshirt junior Kenny Demens graduates.

Most overrated recruit: LB Frank Clark
The problem with this “award” is that nobody’s rated very highly.  And while my choice if Rich Rodriguez were here would be Justice Hayes, I actually think Hayes will fit better in Hoke’s system than that of Rodriguez.  I don’t think Hayes is a threat to start anytime soon, but he could be a very good change-of-pace back.  So I’m going to go with Clark, who is only a 3-star.  But I haven’t seen anything from Clark that shows me he’s going to be a successful college football player, especially as a linebacker.  If he were rated as a 2-star recruit, I probably wouldn’t bat an eyelash.  He has some potential with his size and speed, but he needs a lot of coaching.

Personal favorite recruit: LB Antonio Poole
This kid looks like the future at weakside linebacker.  He can run, he can hit, and best of all, he plays downhill.  He might have to bide his time for a couple years, but he might be the second coming of Larry Foote.