A.J. Henning, Ex-Wolverine

Tag: Ex-Wolverines


24Apr 2023
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A.J. Henning, Ex-Wolverine

A.J. Henning

Rising senior wide receiver A.J. Henning is entering the transfer portal. A class of 2020 signee, he still has two years of eligibility remaining.

I missed on Henning when I gave him a TTB Rating of 89 (LINK), making a comparison to Jeremy Gallon. The recruiting services also seem to have missed on him so far, ranking him as a 4-star, the #18 wide receiver, and #102 overall in the 247 Composite. He still has a couple seasons to reach that level, but he hasn’t shown a ton so far outside of a couple big plays against MAC-level teams. In fact, I wrote about him back in December as someone to look out for as a potential early departure (LINK).

Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, and others pursued Henning out of Frankfort (IL) Lincoln-Way East, but the Wolverines won that recruiting battle. He made a minimal impact in 2020 with just 9 touches, but he showed promise in 2021 when he ran 9 times for 162 yards and 2 touchdowns – including a memorable end around for a TD against Ohio State – and caught 10 passes for 79 yards. But his offensive usage tailed off in 2022, when he tallied just 12 offensive touches (9 catches, 3 carries); his most memorable moment of his final season was a punt return touchdown against UConn.

Where Henning’s departure will be felt most is on special teams, where he returned 28 punts for 201 yards (7.2 yards/return) and the 1 touchdown; he also returned 11 kickoffs for 241 yards (21.9 yards/return). But in general, that type of production is replaceable. In fact, no leading kick returner in the Jim Harbaugh era has had a lower average except Ambry Thomas in 2017-2018, and Henning had the lowest punt return average of anyone in that span, too.

So, in other words, I don’t think Henning is a terrible player . . . but this might end up being addition by subtraction overall. All other punt returners (Ronnie Bell, D.J. Turner II) are headed to the NFL, so somebody brand new will be returning punts. Meanwhile, Roman Wilson averaged 22.8 yards/return on kickoff returns, so he might be a candidate to return kicks, along with freshman running back Cole Cabana, sophomore running back C.J. Stokes, and others.

Henning is the ninth member of the 2020 class to depart, joining CB Darion Green-Warren (Nevada), DE Aaron Lewis (Rutgers), LB William Mohan (Tennessee), S Jordan Morant (Mississippi State), LB Osman Savage (Alabama A&M), CB Andre Seldon, Jr. (New Mexico State), QB Dan Villari (Syracuse), and LB Cornell Wheeler (Kansas)

29Mar 2023
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Ex-Wolverine Coach Updates: Post-season 2022

Biff Poggi (image via Pressboxonline)

During the season, I like to keep readers updated on what’s happening with former commits, players, and head coaches. But there’s not enough time – and it’s frankly not interesting enough – to keep up with all the former assistant coaches who are assistants elsewhere. So in the off-season, I like to do a little catching up on where former coaches are now. I am also including in this rundown a look at where some former Michigan players are now coaching, mostly in the college and professional ranks.

FORMER COACHES

Joe Bolden (Special Teams Coordinator/Defensive Assistant, Tulsa): Bolden spent one year as OLB coach and special teams coordinator for the Nevada Wolfpack and is now in a similar role at Tulsa, though he’s only listed as a “defensive assistant” and special teams coordinator.

Don Brown (Head Coach, UMass): Brown went 1-11 in the first season of his second stint as the head coach at UMass.

Anthony Campanile (Linebackers Coach, Miami Dolphins): Campanile is heading into his fourth year as the Dolphins’ linebackers coach.

Ross Douglas (Assistant Wide Receivers Coach, New England Patriots): Douglas is going into his second year as an assistant wide receivers coach for the Patriots.

Hit the jump for more updates.

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12Jan 2023
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Eyabi Okie, Ex-Wolverine

Eyabi Okie (image via On3)

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).

6Jan 2023
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Ex-Wolverine Player Updates: Post-Season 2022

Zach Charbonnet

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.

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5Jan 2023
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Andrel Anthony, Ex-Wolverine

Andrel Anthony

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).