Tag: Ex-Wolverines

Eyabi Okie, Ex-Wolverine

Michigan outside linebacker Eyabi Okie is entering the transfer portal. He has one more year of eligibility remaining and has also spent time at Alabama, Houston, and UT-Martin.

Okie was a 5-star recruit to Alabama in the class of 2018. But off-the-field issues led to him transferring multiple times. He seemed to sort things out at UT-Martin in 2021, and he was a late addition to Michigan’s program in August, even after camp began.

Early in the 2022 season, Okie was a situational pass rusher, but he earned more playing time as the season went along, especially once Mike Morris got hurt a couple weeks before the end of the season. Okie made 18 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups, and 4 quarterback hurries during his one year in Ann Arbor.

I would not be surprised to see Okie follow his high school coach, former Michigan staffer Biff Poggi, to Charlotte, where Poggi is now the head coach.

Here’s a look at what’s remaining at the EDGE positions for 2023:

EDGE: Braiden McGregor (RS Jr.), Derrick Moore (So.), Kechaun Bennett (RS So.), Enow Etta (Fr.)
Rush LB: Jaylen Harrell (RS Jr.), Josaiah Stewart (Jr.), Tyler McLaurin (RS So.), Aymeric Koumba (Fr.)

You can also view the 2023 scholarship count (LINK).

Ex-Wolverine Player Updates: Post-Season 2022

FORMER PLAYERS

P George Caratan (UConn): Caratan punted 5 times for 201 yards in a 28-14 loss to Marshall in the bowl game. Caratan finished the season with 67 attempts for 2,704 yards (40.36 yards per attempt). He also kicked off 1 time for 65 yards. UConn went 6-7.

C Zach Carpenter (Indiana): Carpenter started eight games, mostly at left guard due to a hand injury that prevented him from playing center. Indiana went 4-8.

RB Zach Charbonnet (UCLA): Charbonnet ran 195 times for 1,359 yards (6.97 yards/carry) and 14 touchdowns, and also caught 37 passes for 321 yards.

S Sammy Faustin (UMass): Faustin made 3 tackles while playing in eleven games this season. UMass went 1-11.

OG Chuck Filiaga (Minnesota): Filiaga is leaving Minnesota after being a 3rd Team All-Big Ten offensive guard in 2022.

CB Darion Green-Warren (Nevada): Green-Warren made 5 tackles and 1 pass breakup this season. Nevada went 2-10.

Hit the jump for more.

Andrel Anthony, Ex-Wolverine

Rising junior wide receiver Andrel Anthony has decided to take his talents elsewhere, announcing an entrance into the transfer portal on Wednesday.

Anthony was a 3-star, the #81 wide receiver, and #526 in the recruiting class in 2021, according to the 247 Composite. Here’s what I said about Anthony during his recruitment, before I gave him a TTB Rating of 67 (LINK):

Overall, Anthony is a so-so prospect. When I watch him, I see Ronnie Bell minus the YAC. I like Bell as a player, but if you took away his ability to run through tackles and maintain his balance, whatever remained would be nothing special. With the talent Michigan is bringing in at receiver, I picture Anthony getting lost in the shuffle.

I did bump him up to a 73 after his senior film.

Anthony played in all fourteen games in 2022, but he made just 7 catches for 80 yards and 1 touchdown. That was a significant drop-off from his freshman year, when he made 12 catches for 248 yards and 3 touchdowns, including a 6-catch, 155-yard, 2-touchdown effort against Michigan State in 2021. That one game appeared to be a breakout, but the 2021 season was played without leading receiver Ronnie Bell, so other players had to step up. With the return of Bell – and every other significant receiving target – in 2022, Anthony was pushed down a rung in the pecking order.

Here’s a look at the potential depth chart for 2023, assuming Bell and Cornelius Johnson are both going to move on to the NFL:

WR1: Darrius Clemons (So.), Cristian Dixon (RS So.), Karmello English (Fr.)
WR2: Roman Wilson (Sr.), Amorion Walker (So.), Fredrick Moore (Fr.)
WR3: A.J. Henning (Sr.), Tyler Morris (So.), Eamonn Dennis (RS Jr.), Semaj Morgan (Fr.)

I had projected Anthony as a starter in 2023 with Bell and Johnson gone, so this depth chart pushes unproven receivers like Clemons and Henning into starters’ roles. I would not be surprised to see Michigan scope out the transfer portal for a receiver to help out with depth.

Anthony is the third player from the 2021 class to enter the transfer portal, joining defensive lineman George Rooks III (Boston College) and tight end Louis Hansen (UConn).

Taylor Upshaw, Ex-Wolverine

Fifth year senior Taylor Upshaw announced yesterday that he would be entering the transfer portal. He joins classmate and position mate Julius Welschof, announcing one day after the latter.

Upshaw was a member of the class of 2018. A 247 Composite 3-star, the #25 strongside end, and #561 overall, Upshaw is the son of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Regan Upshaw. I gave him a TTB Rating of 62 (LINK) with this to say about him:

Otherwise, I expected more from an NFLer’s son. Upshaw is a little slow and tentative out of his stance. He stands up too high and is a little stiff-legged. He does not play with a sense of urgency and seems to be a split second slow to react. He also does not run through tackles, instead leaving his feet to swing ball carriers to the ground. He’s somewhat of a finesse player when he should be dominant with his size and relative athleticism.

Overall, I’m somewhat indifferent on Upshaw’s commitment. He will get top-notch coaching at Michigan from Don Brown and Greg Mattison, who have turned non-scholarship players like Ryan Glasgow into quality players. But of all the scholarship guys currently on the roster, Upshaw probably has the least impressive film. He reminds me of former Michigan defensive end/defensive tackle Greg Banks. Banks was a 2005 signee who started 9 games (all as a fifth year senior in 2009), making 56 tackles, 8.5 tackles, 3 sacks, and 2 pass breakups throughout his career.

After redshirting in 2018, Upshaw made 2 tackles in 2019 in limited playing time. Over the next three seasons, he became a rotational player, making just two starts from 2020-2022. However, he was fairly productive given his backup role, making 44 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles in his career. He also notched a memorable interception of C.J. Stroud in the 2022 Ohio State game, a play that took place right before Donovan Edwards cinched the game with a long touchdown run to make it 45-23.

Michigan has Braiden McGregor and Eyabi Okie coming back next year, along with incoming transfer Josaiah Stewart. Even though Mike Morris is expected to move on to the NFL, I think Upshaw would have been a backup piece in 2023. Even with some decent productivity as a backup, I don’t see much of a reason to stick around for year six of coming off the bench.

Julius Welschof, Ex-Wolverine

Fifth year senior Julius Welschof announced on Tuesday that he is entering the transfer portal. Welschof was a part of the class of 2018 and has the opportunity to use the 2020 COVID exemption to get a sixth year of eligibility, which he will presumably use in 2023 if he can find a new home.

Welschof was a member of the class of 2018 and I gave him a TTB Rating of 78 at the time (LINK). He was 6’6″, 248 lbs. as a recruit and earned some extra hype because he was an excellent mogul skier in Germany as a youth. He was a 247 Composite 3-star, the #28 strongside end, and #645 overall in that 2018 class.

Unfortunately, things did not play out that well at Michigan. He played some defensive end and defensive tackle, but he often played high. The one thing he did most consistently was run downfield on kickoff coverage, using the athletic skills that put him on Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List.” After playing in the 280s for a couple seasons, Welschof slimmed down to 266 pounds to play the edge rusher position under Jesse Minter, but that wasn’t enough to get him on the field defensively with any regularity. He was passed up by younger players like Derrick Moore and Braiden McGregor, as well as a transfer in Eyabi Okie.

Altogether, Welschof made just 6 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 pass breakup during his five seasons at Michigan. It will be interesting to see if perhaps Welschof rejoins Don Brown at UMass, who was Michigan’s defensive coordinator from 2016-2020.

Now five years removed from their 2018 high school recruiting class, the only players remaining on the roster (for now) are linebacker Michael Barrett, defensive end Taylor Upshaw, and defensive back brothers Gemon and German Green. Other fifth year players who are entering the NFL draft include offensive tackle Ryan Hayes, kicker Jake Moody, , wide receiver Ronnie Bell, and tight end Luke Schoonmaker