Tag: Jon Runyan Jr.

Notre Dame 24, Michigan 17

Shea Patterson (image via Maize ‘n’ Brew)

Same old, same old. From the very first offensive series, I started thinking, “Nothing has changed.” Michigan’s offense didn’t evolve over the off-season with a new offensive line coach, a new wide receivers coach, and a new quarterback. The formations are the same. The alignments are the same. The personnel is mostly the same. The lack of tempo is the same. The confusion and lack of urgency late in games is the same.

Hit the jump for a bunch of other depressing takeaways.

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2018 Season Countdown: #19 Jon Runyan, Jr.

Jon Runyan, Jr.

Name: Jon Runyan, Jr.
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 304 lbs.
High school: Philadelphia (PA) St. Joseh’s
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #75
Last year: I ranked Runyan #31 and said he would be a part-time starter at right tackle and a backup left guard (LINK). He started one game at right tackle and played in nine games.
TTB Rating: 73

Runyan almost made a liar out of me, but he sneaked in a start at right tackle in the bowl game to make me look like Nostradamus. An athletic but slightly undersized Big Ten lineman, Runyan has been looked at as a stopgap at a few different positions. He has practiced at every position on the line at one point or another. He’s one of those players that hasn’t flashed greatness, but has shown consistency.

That will likely continue to be the theme going into 2018. Runyan isn’t huge and powerful, and he doesn’t generate a lot of movement when run blocking. He doesn’t have a ton of upside, but he’s a decent player entering his fourth year. The word filtering out of spring was that he would likely start at right tackle while Juwann Bushell-Beatty and James Hudson III battle it out on the left side; the loser of that battle will likely be a backup. New offensive line coach Ed Warinner must like Runyan pretty well. The other wild card could be freshman Jalen Mayfield, but starting a true freshman who didn’t enroll early is always a tricky proposition. I’m not expecting greatness from Runyan, but I think he can do a decent job this year.

Prediction: Starting right tackle

2017 Season Countdown: #31 Jon Runyan, Jr.

Name: Jon Runyan, Jr.
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 304 lbs.
High school: Philadelphia (PA) St. Joseph’s
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #75
Last year: I ranked Runyan #52 and said he would be a backup offensive guard. He played in one game.
TTB Rating: 73

Runyan wasn’t expected to play much in 2016, and he didn’t. He was athletic but undersized, and the team had a fair number of veterans to play above him (Kyle Kalis, Ben Braden, Patrick Kugler, David Dawson, etc.). He did stand out to me in the spring of 2016 as a guy who could really move, and that skill allows him to have some positional flexibility.

This past spring he was taking reps at right tackle, in an effort to replace Erik Magnuson. Michigan isn’t sure whether Juwann Bushell-Beatty can handle the tackle position, and they have made contingency plans in order to shore up the spot. Bushell-Beatty struggled last year against Rutgers and Wisconsin, and he had injury issues this spring. Runyan was the nominal starting right tackle for the majority of spring, despite only being 6’4″. Bushell-Beatty may get a shot to claim the tackle position, but as a redshirt junior, we know that he’s limited. Runyan has the ability to start at right tackle – which I think will happen sooner or later this year – and also can fill in on the interior.

Prediction: Part-time starter at right tackle; backup offensive guard

Michigan’s 2017 Spring Combine Results

Rashan Gary (image via The Wolverine)

Jim Harbaugh tweeted out the results of Michigan’s spring combine. I won’t list all of the results (though I’m embedding the tweet below), but here are a few notable achievements and takeaways:

• Freshman WR Donovan Peoples-Jones is the fastest guy on the team with a 4.41 forty
• Peoples-Jones also has the best vertical at 39″
• Chris Evans swept the RB drills and ran a 4.62 forty
• Zach Gentry is back at TE and ran a 4.7 forty
• Jon Runyan, Jr. almost swept the OL category, with one lone loss to Cesar Ruiz in the pro shuttle
• Lavert Hill and David Long tied with a 4.52 forty
• Rashan Gary led the defensive line with a 4.57 forty, so he’s just 0.05 seconds slower than Michigan’s two presumed starting corners

Proud to announce top position performers of 2017 Michigan Football Spring Combine. Offense led by Chris Evans, defense led by Rashan Gary! pic.twitter.com/hAQKJo07Lc

— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) March 16, 2017

2016 Season Countdown: #52 Jon Runyan, Jr.

Jon Runyan, Jr. (image via Maize and Blue News)

Name: Jon Runyan, Jr.
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 304 lbs.
High school: Philadelphia (PA) St. Joseph’s
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #75
Last year: I ranked Runyan #89 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted.

Runyan was a little bit undersized when he entered college last year at 276 lbs., and he redshirted as expected. Michigan didn’t need a lot of help at offensive guard because Ben Braden and Kyle Kalis stayed healthy, and David Dawson was the first guy in at guard when someone was needed. That extra time was needed, but Runyan added weight pretty quickly. According to the spring roster, he added 28 lbs. since last year. When we saw him in the spring, he was winning sprints in the lineman group, and he held his own during the scrimmages against some pretty good defensive linemen. Runyan might end up playing some center by the time his career is finished, but for now, he appears to be the #4 guard behind Braden, Kalis, and Dawson. If that’s the case, he probably won’t be called upon for a heavy workload this year, but the coaches could get him some playing time to groom him for 2017 when there will be two open jobs at guard.

Prediction: Backup offensive guard