Grant Newsome (image via Detroit News)
Hi Thunder,
Could you address the offensive line situation and how likely you think it is to take a step forward next year? I find it hard to be confident unless one of the redshirts turns out to be a special player or Grant Newsome comes back 100%.
Thanks to Julian for the mailbag question.
My response is after the jump.
James Hudson III (image via The Wolverine Daily)
Name: James Hudson III
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 294 lbs.
High school: Toledo (OH) Central Catholic
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Hudson was a senior in high school. He made 80 tackles, 34 tackles for loss, and 8 sacks.
TTB Rating: 85
I’ve gone back and forth on whether Hudson should play offensive tackle or defensive tackle in college. Some people compare him to Willie Henry, but he’s a little bit taller and longer. Due to a need for numbers at defensive tackle – and, of course, the words of Hudson himself – I think he’ll at least start out at 3-tech on defense, but I wouldn’t rule out a move to offense at some point.
Regardless, I saw Hudson make some significant improvements mentally and physically from his junior to senior years, and I believe he’ll be a high-impact player at Michigan. The Wolverines have a starter (Maurice Hurst, Jr.) and a backup (Michael Dwumfour) at 3-tech, but both of those guys can be used at nose tackle, and there’s not much else behind them. Lawrence Marshall and walk-on Carl Myers can both play 3-tech, but neither has the athleticism or upside of Hudson. I think Hudson will get his feet wet this year so he can be primed to start or backup Dwumfour in 2018.
Prediction: Backup defensive tackle
Aubrey Solomon (image via Scout)
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I posted the 2017 offensive recruiting grades last week (LINK), so here are my thoughts on the defensive side of the ball. Click on the player names below for their commitment posts.
DEFENSIVE END: B+
Commits (4): Deron Irving-Bey, Donovan Jeter, Corey Malone-Hatcher, Kwity Paye, Luiji Vilain
Decommits (0): N/A
Why? Michigan went after some elite rush ends (Jaelan Phillips, K’Lavon Chaisson, etc.) in this cycle, but none showed much interest. Instead, Michigan got home-stater Malone-Hatcher, Boston College decommit Paye, and Canada native Vilain as weakside end types. I thought Vilain improved significantly over the last couple years since moving from Ontario to Virginia. On the strong side, Michigan got Irving-Bey and Jeter, both of whom could end up as a 3-technique tackles. I don’t see dominant players here, but it is a solid group and they’ll get high-quality coaching.
Dylan McCaffrey
Yesterday I put up a post about the final Rivals 100 (LINK). Today the final Rivals 250 was released (LINK). Here’s a link to the initial Rivals 100 (LINK) and 250 (LINK) for a reference point. Movement for Michigan commits:
Hit the jump for the rest of Michigan’s targets.
Tarik Black (image via Eleven Warriors)
Tarik Black – WR – Cheshire (CT) Cheshire Academy: Black is a 6’3″, 204 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Stanford, and UCLA, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #17 wide receiver, and #131 overall. The U.S. Army All-American will be taking his official visit this weekend. Michigan held a camp at Cheshire Academy this summer, and Black is one of a few targets Michigan is heavily in the mix for right now. As of Wednesday night, the Crystal Ball is 62% in favor of the Wolverines for Black.
Corey Bolds – DT – Paramus (NJ) Catholic: Bolds is a 6’3″, 276 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, and Rutgers, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #38 defensive tackle, and #462 overall. He’s a teammate of 2017 linebacker Drew Singleton (see below).
Carter Dunaway – TE – Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice: Dunaway is committed to Michigan (LINK).
Ja’Raymond Hall – OT – Oak Park (MI) Oak Park: Hall is committed to Michigan (LINK).
Brad Hawkins, Jr. – WR – Suffield (CT) Suffield Academy: Hawkins is a 6’1″, 202 lb. prospect who signed with Michigan in the 2016 class. He was an NCAA non-qualifier and is now headed to Suffield Academy for a prep year. He graduated from Camden (NJ) Camden, where he was a teammate with freshman defensive end Ron Johnson, Jr. Here’s Hawkins’s commitment profile from the summer of 2015 (LINK).
Hit the jump for more visitors.
