Tag: Jibreel Black

2012 Season Countdown: #17 Jibreel Black

Jibreel Black (#55)

Name: Jibreel Black
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 279 lbs.
High school: Cincinnati (OH) Wyoming
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #55
Last year: I ranked Black #23 and said he would be a backup defensive end.  He made 18 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble as a backup defensive end.

Black had a decent season in 2011, but has yet to have a breakout year.  Ideally, he would have redshirted as a freshman in 2010, but a shortage of defensive linemen forced him into action that year.  Michigan’s coaching staff reportedly wanted him to bulk up prior to spring 2011, but he came in weighing around 260, anyway; it seems he balked at playing too heavy in hopes of retaining some athleticism.  That got him off on the wrong foot a little bit, which helped solidify Craig Roh as the starting weakside end last season.  Black saw his fair share of snaps in 2011, and even had a signature play when he helped sack Braxton Miller on a key goal-line play late against Ohio State.  But in general, he was a little too stiff and slow at that WDE position and the coaches asked him to bulk up even more for a move to 3-tech defensive tackle.

It’s quite a leap from weakside end to 3-tech tackle.  He should be familiar with the position, having played next to Will Heininger last year.  But a normal progression would be to strongside end, but Roh already took that spot.  The hope is that Black can use his quickness to outmaneuver some offensive guards, which he’ll have to do if he wants to make an impact as a 279 lb. tackle.  Black’s size doesn’t really concern me, because plenty of 3-techs have been just fine around 280 lbs.  The biggest thing that concerns me about Black is the technique; he’ll have to get better at using his hands inside to get rid of blocks.  Options are limited for quality play at the 3-tech.  There aren’t really any quality backups at the position, but I don’t know that Black will be a quality starter this year, either.  He’s essentially playing his third position in three years (SDE as a freshman, WDE as a sophomore, and now DT), so it might take him another year to get comfortable on the interior.  Quinton Washington, Richard Ash, and Ken Wilkins might also see some time there, but all three are very unproven as even part-time contributors.

Prediction: Starting defensive tackle; 25 tackles, 3 sacks

Spring Practice Thoughts and Rumors – Defense

Cameron Gordon has impressed the coaches again this spring

If you missed yesterday’s discussion of the offense, here it is.  And now for the defense:

Defensive end: As we know by now, Craig Roh has switched to strongside end.  He has done fairly well at the position, but he’ll need to spend the next several months eating a ton and bulking up.  The coaches want him in the low 280s and right now he’s about 270.  Insiders say Frank Clark looks like the starter at weakside end for the upcoming season.  Brennen Beyer, who switched from SAM linebacker this offseason, also has reportedly fared well but looks to be a step behind Clark at the position.  Beyer’s a thicker, run-stopping sort and Clark will have to work on that aspect of his game.  Nathan Brink is the presumed backup at the 5-tech position but has been limited due to his late-season broken leg.  Keith Heitzman is also in the mix, which would be great for depth at the position.  I would not be surprised to see one or two of the freshman defensive ends get some action, such as Matt Godin at 5-tech and Mario Ojemudia on the weakside, although Heitzman’s emergence might preclude Godin from having to burn a redshirt.

Defensive tackle: The first team defensive tackles appear to be Will Campbell at nose tackle and Jibreel Black at the 3-tech.  Campbell looks fit and is being more consistent with his technique, but the coaches continue to work on that aspect.  Black needs to add weight, but he’s more athletic than most 3-techs (especially compared to Will Heininger), so he adds a different dimension.  Richard Ash appears to be the backup nose tackle.  Meanwhile, Ken Wilkins has supposedly taken a leap forward this spring.  He was mired on the bench last season and there were a lot of questions swirling about him, but it seems the light has gone on.  He could be the #2 defensive tackle going into the season.  Chris Rock has also earned a tiny bit of buzz and has put on a significant amount of weight to play the 3-tech.

Linebacker: I don’t mean to overstate things, but the competition between Jake Ryan and Cam Gordon appears to be neck-and-neck for the SAM position.  The coaches really like Gordon’s athleticism, and he’s done a good job in pass coverage, which makes sense because he’s a converted safety.  Ryan has continued to progress after having a solid redshirt freshman season.  There was a huge dropoff last season between Ryan and Beyer, but that won’t be the case this year (if Cam Gordon can stay healthy).  At the MIKE spot, Kenny Demens hasn’t necessarily taken the forward steps that the coaches want.  He has been hampered by a thumb injury, and the #1 middle linebacker in his absence has been freshman Joe Bolden.  Mike Jones is buried at the #3 spot.  The best linebacker this spring has been Desmond Morgan, according to several accounts.  He’s put on a decent amount of weight after playing at 225 last season, and insiders suggest he’s probably close to 240 now.  The backup to Morgan at WILL has been Antonio Poole, who redshirted last season.

Cornerback: Blake Countess has one cornerback position locked down.  At the boundary corner position, Terrence Talbott has stepped up to challenge J.T. Floyd.  Insiders say that Floyd’s “benching” is partly due to him underperforming and partly due to rewarding Talbott for hard work in the offseason.  It might be unlikely that Talbott takes a job from a fifth year senior, but the possibility exists.  He’s made his move not by being a great coverage guy but by supporting the run and turning into a very good tackler.  Those are the top three corners right there.  Raymon Taylor continues to earn buzz as perhaps the secondary’s best athlete, but he’s still not ready mentally and physically.  Courtney Avery is the nickel corner, where he did a great job last season and doesn’t seem to getting challenged this spring.

Safety: The starters here are pretty clear with Thomas Gordon at free safety and Jordan Kovacs at strong.  Freshman Jarrod Wilson has picked things up quickly, and he might be the #2 free safety.  Marvin Robinson has returned to the practice field this spring after disappearing last year with some legal issues.  Despite his absence, Robinson appears to have taken another step forward and should be the heir apparent to Kovacs. A couple backup safeties have been absent from practices so far this spring: Tamani Carter and Josh Furman.  I would have to assume that they will be buried a little bit if/when they return.  These coaches do not like guys who miss practice.

Position Changes: Beyer, Roh, Black, and Paskorz

Brennen Beyer is headed to new position, along with a few other Wolverines (image via AnnArbor.com)

Last week I reported that sophomore Brennen Beyer (SAM to WDE), senior Craig Roh (WDE to SDE), junior Jibreel Black (WDE to 3-tech), and redshirt sophomore Jordan Paskorz (SAM to TE) would be changing positions this spring.

Here are my summative thoughts on these things:

Beyer has always looked to me more like a defensive end than an outside linebacker.  When I found out last fall that he and Frank Clark (who had flipped from outside linebacker to defensive end) had exchanged positions, it seemed strange to me that Beyer would move away from the defensive line.  Although the SAM linebacker in this defense is mostly a pass rusher, he still has some coverage responsibilities.  Beyer has always reminded me of Craig Roh, and while Roh was fairly lithe as a 235-240 lb. freshman, he’s lost some of that agility with added weight.  I’m not suggesting that Beyer will eventually be a strongside end, too, but he seemed out of place at linebacker.  And despite the fact that he ascended to Jake Ryan’s primary backup at SAM, that was at least partly because Cam Gordon suffered through a back injury for much of the season.

Beyer will be fighting with sophomore Frank Clark for the starting weakside end position.  Clark ended the 2011 season on a high note with some stellar play in the Sugar Bowl.  That end position has, of course, been vacated by Roh.  When he was younger, I assumed that Roh would settle in around 255 lbs. or so and remain at weakside end.  However, the coaches wanted him up around 270 lbs. this past season, and he just can’t maintain his old speed at that weight.  With the graduation of Ryan Van Bergen, the strongside end position needed an influx of talent (and I have yet to join the Nathan Brink bandwagon).  Roh will be the likely starter at SDE with guys like redshirt freshman Keith Heitzman and redshirt sophomore Brink battling there, too.

As for the move of Black to 3-tech defensive tackle, I will say that I’ve been slightly underwhelmed by his play so far.  He should have been redshirted as a freshman in 2010 so he could add bulk, but unfortunately he was needed immediately.  Now he’s entering his junior year when he should be just a redshirt sophomore.  Black made a couple solid plays (most notably against Ohio State) from the weakside end position, but he’s a liability in open space.  The SDE and 3-tech positions are somewhat interchangeable, and since Roh will presumably be starting at SDE, then it makes sense that the shorter, more powerfully built Black will likely be settling in at 3-tech.  Not only does this make room for Clark, Beyer, and freshmen to contribute at weakside end, but it also provides competition at defensive tackle, where Michigan is somewhat undermanned.

The move of Paskorz to tight end is probably the least controversial of the changes.  Paskorz played tight end in high school, and he was buried on the depth chart at outside linebacker.  Steve Watson proved to us that mediocre athletes can get on the field as a second or third tight end and make an impact, so there’s a very good chance that he’ll see the field in the fall.  Will he ever be a starter quality tight end?  My guess is no, but at least he provides depth.

Overall, I think these moves will serve the team well.  And with Michigan’s lack of depth and experience along the defensive line, several of these moves are almost out of necessity.  This is simply the natural evolution of a college football team.

Defensive Line Preview: Michigan vs. Virginia Tech

Defensive end James Gayle was Second Team All-ACC for the Hokies

MICHIGAN
Starters: Fifth year senior strongside end Ryan Van Bergen (6’6″, 288 lbs.) is a three-year starter and All-Big Ten Honorable Mention this past season; he finished the year with 41 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 3 fumble recoveries.  Senior nose tackle Mike Martin (6’2″, 304 lbs.) is also a three-year starter and has been Second Team All-Big Ten the past two seasons; he ended the regular season with 54 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks.  Fifth year senior defensive tackle Will Heininger (6’6″, 295 lbs.) is a former walk-on who started for the first time this season; he has 23 tackles and 1 sack.  Junior weakside end Craig Roh (6’5″, 269 lbs.) is a three-year starter; he currently has 29 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, and 1 forced fumble.
Backups: The key backups are junior defensive tackle William Campbell (6’5″, 322 lbs.), sophomore defensive end Jibreel Black (6’2″, 260 lbs.), and freshman defensive end Frank Clark (6’2″, 228 lbs.).  Campbell mostly plays behind Martin and has 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks on the season; there is a good chance Campbell will start due to a lower leg injury to Heininger.  Black is Roh’s platoon mate at weakside end and finished the regular season with 17 tackles and 1.5 sacks.  Clark also plays weakside end and plays situationally, but provides a speedy matchup and made 5 tackles on the season.  If Campbell does indeed start against Virginia Tech, that will increase playing time for redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Quinton Washington (6’4″, 302 lbs.), who has made just 1 tackle this season.

VIRGINIA TECH
Starters: Redshirt junior Antoine Hopkins began the year as a starting defensive tackle but tore his ACL halfway through the season.  His sophomore brother Derrick (6’0″, 301 lbs.) started every game at DT and finished with 50 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery.  Freshman defensive tackle Luther Maddy (6’1″, 283 lbs.) picked up for the elder Hopkins, notching 17 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 fumble recovery.  Redshirt sophomore defensive end James Gayle (6’4″, 257 lbs.) was named Second Team All-ACC after making 34 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, and 7 sacks.  Redshirt sophomore J.R. Collins (6’2″, 240 lbs.) made 50 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, and 1 interception on the year and earned All-ACC Honorable Mention.
Backups: Redshirt freshman defensive end Zack McCray (6’4″, 264 lbs.) made 14 tackles and 1 tackle for loss on the year.  Freshman defensive tackle Corey Marshall (6’1″, 253 lbs.) has made 12 tackles and 2 sacks as a frequently used reserve.  Redshirt junior defensive tackle Isaiah Hamlette (6’5″, 291 lbs.) has made 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack on the year.

THE TAKEAWAY
Michigan definitely has an advantage in the size department, where the average Wolverines starter is about 19 lbs. heavier than his Hokies counterpart.  Virginia Tech is small, quick, and relatively young, since all four starters are sophomores or freshmen; conversely, Michigan has three seniors, and the only junior starter has been starting since his true freshman season.  Although Campbell is a mammoth backup tackle, none of the backups has been exceptional for either squad.  Size is important here, since Michigan’s small-ish offensive line matches up against Virginia Tech’s small-ish defensive line, and the Wolverines’ large-ish defensive line goes up against a large-ish Hokies offensive line.

The Hokies defensive line has helped them to rank #17 against the run (107.8 yards per game) and tie for #11 in sacks (2.92 per game), so despite the lack of size and experience, they are fairly effective.  Gayle and Collins make a formidable pass rushing duo from the edges.  Meanwhile, the Wolverines are #34 in rushing defense (129.1 yards per game) and #27 in sacks (2.33 per game).  The numbers suggest the Hokies are stronger up front defensively, and the potential loss of Heininger will be a blow to a thin defensive line.

Advantage: Virginia Tech

Poll Results: Who will lead Michigan in sacks for 2011?

Craig Roh will get a chance to create deja vu on September 3rd

A couple weeks ago, I posed the question, “Who will lead Michigan’s 2011 defense in sacks?”  Here are the results of that poll:

Craig Roh: 49%
Mike Martin: 21%
Jibreel Black (tie): 10%
Ryan Van Bergen (tie): 10%
Jake Ryan: 3%
Cameron Gordon: 1%
William Campbell: 1%
Other: 0%

Junior defensive end Craig Roh won the vote in a landslide victory.  I can’t tell if that’s good or bad.  Obviously, Michigan fans have high hopes for a coaching staff that features three current or former defensive line coaches in head coach Brady Hoke, defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, and defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery.  Roh was miscast as a linebacker last season and garnered only 1/2 a sack, which means that backup safety Thomas Gordon had 1.5 more sacks.  Yikes.  Still, Roh ought to be the starter at weakside end, which should create plenty of one-on-one opportunities with offensive tackles.

Senior defensive tackle Mike Martin finished second in the voting, but it surprised me that he only got 21% of the vote.  Martin had 2.5 sacks last season when he was strictly a nose tackle, and Mattison has promised to move Martin around this year – even to outside linebacker at times – to use his athleticism, strength, and quickness in various ways.  Martin will still face plenty of double teams, but if he can avoid the ankle injuries that slowed him last year, he might give Roh a run for his money.

Sophomore defensive end Jibreel Black and fifth year senior defensive end Ryan Van Bergen had exactly the same number of votes.  Black will split time between both defensive end positions, but he had zero sacks among his 7 total tackles as a freshman.  Meanwhile, Van Bergen is the active sack leader with 9 total.  He will face his share of double-teams as well, but he’s relentless and could make a run at the team lead, as well.

Redshirt freshman SAM linebacker Jake Ryan did not play at all last season.  He did have an impressive spring and earned compliments from the coaching staff, but at best, he’s expected to split time with redshirt sophomore Cam Gordon at outside linebacker.

Speaking of Gordon, he just barely beat out junior defensive tackle William Campbell (by one vote) for last place on the list.  Gordon had zero sacks among his 77 total tackles last season, although to be fair, Gordon played half the season at free safety before moving to outside linebacker.  In one-and-a-half seasons at defensive tackle, Campbell – who moved from DT to offensive guard midway through 2010 – had only 5 tackles and 1 tackle for loss.  He moved back to defensive line in the spring and at 6’5″, 333 lbs. should be a load for any offensive guard to handle one-on-one.  I do expect Campbell to break out this season, but Ndamukong Suh-like seasons are rare from defensive tackles.  Campbell will more likely end the year with 2 or 3 sacks, and hopefully a couple of his teammates will surpass that total.