Tag: Jaydon Hood

2024 Spring Football Preview: Linebacker

2023 Starters: MLB Junior Colson, WLB Michael Barrett
Losses: Colson (NFL), Barrett (NFL)
Returning players: Jaydon Hood (RS Jr.), Ernest Hausmann (Jr.), Micah Pollard (Jr.), Jimmy Rolder (RS So.), Semaj Bridgeman (RS Fr.), Jason Hewlett (RS Fr.), Hayden Moore (RS Fr.)
Newcomers: Jaishawn Barham (Jr.), Jeremiah Beasley (Fr.), Cole Sullivan (Fr.)
Projected starters: MLB Barham, WLB Hausmann

With the prevalence of the nickel position, linebacker has been somewhat de-emphasized in recent years. A position group that used to play three guys is now primarily whittled down to two. Michigan had a very good two in 2023 in Junior Colson and Michael Barrett, but both are off to the NFL. Both have had very different paths, with Colson playing three years – two as a starter – and Barrett bouncing around between running back, slot receiver, Viper, and weakside linebacker.

Michigan will have two new starting faces at linebacker in 2024, and both of them are transfers who previously wore red. Barham is a two-year starter at Maryland whom the Wolverines poached this off-season. Hausmann started as a freshman at Nebraska in 2022 before joining the Wolverines in 2023, rotating heavily with Colson and Barrett as basically a third starter. So while both will be new starters at Michigan, they have three combined years of starting and another year of heavily involvement out of four college seasons. That’s a ton of experience for two “new” starters and should help Michigan’s defense succeed in 2024.

The backup situation is a little murkier, especially with a new defensive coordinator (Wink Martindale) and a new linebackers coach (Brian Jean-Mary). Jimmy Rolder got a lot of experience in 2022 before playing sparingly in 2023 in the hopes of preserving his redshirt, which was a successful endeavor. Rolder seems like the most likely guy to emerge as a rotational guy or primary backup in 2024. Meanwhile, Jaydon Hood is a fourth-year player who was recruited by Jean-Mary to Michigan out of high school; some suspected Hood would have left by now with no clear path to playing time, but he’s still wearing a winged helmet.

Junior Micah Pollard has played a ton of special teams and some in a backup role, but the rest of the guys are total unknowns on the college level. Semaj Bridgeman, Jason Hewlett, and Hayden Moore all redshirted in 2023, and Michigan gets two early enrollees involved this spring with in-state product Jeremiah Beasley and Pennsylvanian Cole Sullivan. There are way too many players (10) in the linebacker room to support just two starting spots, so this is a position group that will certainly be thinned out by transfers within the next couple years. But for now, it will be interesting to see who could eventually step in, because both Barham and Hausmann could conceivably jump to the NFL with solid seasons in 2024.

2023 Season Countdown: #74 Jaydon Hood

Name: Jaydon Hood
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 217 lbs.
High school: Fort Lauderdale (FL) Saint Thomas Aquinas
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #34
Last year: I ranked Hood #45 and said he would be a backup linebacker and special teamer (LINK). He made 3 tackles and 1 pass breakup.
TTB Rating: 72

Hood had a prime opportunity in 2022 to take advantage of some open snaps at inside linebacker. Josh Ross had departed after the 2021 season, and returning starter Nikhai Hill-Green missed the entire year with an injury. Junior Colson was basically assured a starting spot, but there was one position open and Hood failed to seize it. In fact, he barely laid claim to any snaps, playing in just three games.

I have heard some mildly positive things about Hood from practice, but the buzz about other players has been more significant. At this point he appears to be looking up at Colson, Michael Barrett, Ernest Hausmann, Jimmy Rolder, and possibly others, especially if Kalel Mullings is still taking snaps on defense. So at best Hood is still the fifth linebacker going into his third season on campus. Hood is a good athlete and known for his hitting ability, but his best chance in 2023 might be to carve out a role on special teams.

Prediction: Backup linebacker and special teamer

Potential Early Departures: Defense

With the onslaught of transfer portal entries in college football, it’s inevitable that Michigan will face some more departures this off-season. Four players have already announced their intentions to transfer, and two (Cade McNamara and Erick All to Iowa) have already found a landing spot. Quarterback Alan Bowman and tight end Louis Hansen are both headed for, ahem, greener pastures.

McNamara and All are both somewhat unique cases of players who played a lot but felt slighted in some way, but Bowman and Hansen are more typical cases of players buried on the depth chart who want to see some light at the end of the tunnel. This post explores several players in similar situations who may find better situations elsewhere.

You can find the version for the offensive side of the ball here (LINK).

DISCLAIMER: This post is speculative in nature and not intended to encourage/discourage any player from leaving Michigan’s program. The reality is that college football is now a lot like unrestricted free agency from year to year.

LB JOEY VELAZQUEZ
Why he should stay: Velazquez is a solid two-sport athlete who’s having a decent impact on the baseball field with Michigan’s baseball team. His playing time on the field has increased yearly from one game in 2020 to seven games in 2021 to eleven games so far in the 2022 season. He is a steady contributor on special teams and has made a career-high 6 tackles.
Why he might leave: Playing time has been difficult to find on defense, and he has never risen above third string on defense. He was immediately passed by freshman Jimmy Rolder this fall, and the commitment of Ernest Hausmann probably does not bode well for the staff’s faith in Velazquez contributing on defense in 2023. Velazquez only has one season of eligibility remaining, and he may want to go somewhere he can compete for a starting job, which is extremely unlikely in Ann Arbor.

Hit the jump for more.

Michigan vs. Hawaii Awards

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Roman Wilson. It’s only on three total receptions, but this guy has 107 yards and 2 touchdowns. One touchdown was a 61-yard catch-and-run bubble screen against Colorado State, and the other was a 42-yard bomb against Hawaii. Good things happen when you run a 4.37 forty and have ball skills. He’s already playing quite a bit, but the speed and big play ability are really enticing.

Hit the jump for more.

2022 Season Countdown: #46 Jaydon Hood

Name: Jaydon Hood
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 212 lbs.
High school: Fort Lauderdale (FL) Saint Thomas Aquinas
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #34
Last year: I ranked Hood #68 and said he would be a backup linebacker and special teamer (LINK). He played in one game.
TTB Rating: 72

Hood came to Michigan last year looking a little too undersized to be a linebacker. His height has always been a bit of a question mark, but a lack of height needs to be supplemented by bulk (he was only listed at 215) and/or excellent quickness (which is yet to be determined). Hood obviously didn’t display enough of those traits to get on the field much, which was acceptable in 2021 when considering his youth and the presence of Josh Ross, Nikhai Hill-Green, Junior Colson, Kalel Mullings, and others.

However, 2022 is a different story. Ross is gone and Mullings is dabbling at running back, meaning that #3 linebacker spot is open for the taking. It could be Mullings or Mike Barrett or Joey Velazquez or a freshman, but there’s a chance for everyone. I’ve heard mildly positive things about Hood to make me think he might still be another year away. Unfortunately, his listed weight dropped from 215 last year to 212 this year, but 2022 should see him take on an increased role on special teams and perhaps a few snaps at inside linebacker.

Prediction: Backup linebacker, special teamer