Junior safety J’Marick Woods has entered the transfer portal. He’s listed at 6’3″, 203 lbs. and has played in four games so far this season.
Woods signed with Michigan in the class of 2017, and I gave him a TTB Rating of 78 (LINK). He made 26 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss while playing over parts of three seasons, including one start in the Outback Bowl following the 2017 season.
Hit the jump for more.
read moreName: J’Marick Woods
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 210 lbs.
High school: Florence (AL) Florence
Position: Safety
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #26
Last year: I ranked Woods #42 and said he would be a backup safety and special teamer (LINK). He made 13 tackles and 1 blocked punt.
TTB Rating: 80
Woods came into the 2018 season as a guy with a reputation for being a heavy hitter and run supporter, but a guy who couldn’t be trusted a ton in coverage. Tyree Kinnel and Josh Metellus handled most of the safety snaps, with Brad Hawkins stepping in to handle most of the coverage duties when necessary. We always knew Woods was a bit of a project when it came to being an all-around safety. Woods had a big punt block against Florida, but otherwise he didn’t accomplish a lot of noteworthy achievements as a sophomore.
J'Marick Woods (@WoodsJmarick) blocks the punt and Jordan Glasgow recovers. Michigan has the ball at the Florida 30-yard line with 7:54 left in the first half. pic.twitter.com/yz1XqvgNbx
— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) December 29, 2018
The 2019 story might be different. With Kinnel having graduated, there’s an open safety spot. Freshman safeties are dodgy, so Woods and Hawkins seem to be in a race for that starting position. Based on practice reports and coach talk, it seems like they want to give Woods every opportunity to be the guy. I would not be surprised to see the two play a pretty equal number of snaps, because they offer different strengths. That’s why they’re ranked back-to-back here in the countdown. Safeties seem to really come into their own as junior and seniors, so this competition ought to breed some pretty good play.
Prediction: Starting safety; 45 tackles
J’Marick Woods (image via Twitter)
Name: J’Marick Woods
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 203 lbs.
High school: Florence (AL) Florence
Position: Safety
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #26
Last year: I ranked Woods #54 and said he would be a backup safety and special teamer (LINK). He made one start and totaled 9 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss for the year.
TTB Rating: 80
For a first-year safety at Michigan, Woods had a solid season. Safety is not an easy position to play as a true freshman when the game is moving quickly, the defense gets more complicated, and you have to communicate so much with your teammates while processing everything the opposing team is doing. Luckily for Woods (and Michigan), there were a couple more veteran guys to handle the majority of the snaps, while Woods was able to sit back and learn. He played spot duty before earning a start in the Outback Bowl against South Carolina.
This year Woods is roughly in the same spot as last season, but with an extra year of experience under his belt. Starting safeties Josh Metellus and Tyree Kinnel return, and so does utility man Jaylen Kelly-Powell, who has earned a lot of off-season hype. The safeties were the weak spot of the defense last season, however, and Woods could supplant someone like Metellus if he’s unable to improve on his performance from last year. Woods is known as a big hitter, but he needs to work on his coverage before becoming a full-time player. And once Kinnel graduates after the 2018 season, Woods could step into a starting role in 2019.
Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer
J’Marick Woods (image via MGoBlog)
Name: J’Marick Woods
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 205 lbs.
High school: Florence (AL) Florence
Position: Safety
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #26
Last year: Woods was a senior in high school.
TTB Rating: 80
Woods was a bit of an unknown when he suddenly popped up on Michigan’s radar, and he committed to the Wolverines just prior to the 2016 spring game. A large strong safety type, he was known more for his in-the-box play and run support than being wildly athletic. The Wolverines brought him in as an early enrollee in January, and that reputation continued in college. Reportedly referred to as “The Truth” for his hitting ability, there were some practice clips that popped up showing him supporting the run rather well. Unfortunately, an injury prevented him from playing in the spring game, so our chances to see him were limited.
This fall Michigan might need Woods, and they might not. Defensive back is not a particularly dangerous position group for severe injuries, so as long as you can find three safeties and about four cornerbacks, you should be pretty set with your rotation. The defense seems to be pretty set with Joshua Metellus and Tyree Kinnel as the starting safeties, and Jordan Glasgow appears to be the backup strong safety. Woods is probably the #3 strong safety at this point in time, but Glasgow also could play a fair amount of Viper if Khaleke Hudson falters or gets hurt. I do not see true freshman Jaylen Kelly-Powell as a viable option this year, so Woods should probably be viewed as the #4 overall safety. His size and tackling ability make him a potential contributor on special teams, and I think he will offer some value on kickoff coverage.
Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer
Aubrey Solomon (image via Scout)
Consider helping TTB by buying something via the Amazon ad below:
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.