Tag: Josh Metellus

2018 Season Countdown: #25 Josh Metellus

Josh Metellus (#14, image via Michigan Sports Zone)

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Name: Josh Metellus
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 204 lbs.
High school: Pembroke Pines (FL) Flanagan
Position: Safety
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #14
Last year: I ranked Metellus #12 and said he would be a starting strong safety with 50 tackles and 1 interception (LINK). He made 50 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, 5 pass breakups, and 1 forced fumble.
TTB Rating: 71

Last season I ranked Metellus a good deal higher at #12. He got some experience in 2016, and Michigan was losing two safety starters going into the 2017 season. With only freshmen and walk-ons as backups, I felt Metellus needed to stay healthy and relevant. He wasn’t terrible, but the safeties were the weakest defensive position group of 2017. Metellus really maddened the fan base when he could have made an interception to snuff out a scoring drive for Ohio State, but the Buckeyes went on to score a touchdown, gain momentum, and eventually beat the Wolverines.

This year I have dropped Metellus down to the mid-twenties, but not necessarily because of a poor performance in 2017. I have never been too high on Metellus, and the additional experience behind him makes him less important. He went from having just walk-on Jordan Glasgow, freshman Jaylen Kelly-Powell, and freshman J’Marick Woods behind him in 2017 to having all those guys one year older, plus sophomore Brad Hawkins, several freshmen, and Utah transfer Casey Hughes. It’s good to have a starter back, but there don’t appear to be any stars in the making at either safety position.

Prediction: Starting strong safety; 45 tackles, 1 sack

2017 All-Big Ten Defense

Maurice Hurst, Jr. (#73)

The Big Ten released its choices for the defensive All-Big Ten teams, and there are numerous Wolverines included.

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2017 Season Countdown: #12 Joshua Metellus

Joshua Metellus (image via FanRagSports)

Name: Joshua Metellus
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 204 lbs.
High school: Pembroke Pines (FL) Flanagan
Position: Safety
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #13
Last year: I ranked Metellus #71 and said he would redshirt. He started one game and made 15 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, and 1 blocked extra point return for a 2-point conversion.
TTB Rating: 71

Metellus may have been the biggest surprise of the 2016 class. Lightly recruited and generally ignored by the recruiting services until he became a Michigan commit, many people saw Metellus as a throw-in offer with high school teammate Devin Bush, Jr. ESPN thought highly of him, but that was about it. He wasn’t much of a factor until the Rutgers game, when he led the team in tackles with 6. At the time it didn’t seem like a huge deal, since Michigan crushed the Scarlet Knights by a score of 78-0 and Metellus did all his work when the game was well in hand. He wasn’t a major factor again until Jabrill Peppers pulled his hamstring prior to the bowl game. Suddenly, Michigan didn’t have its superstar Heisman candidate at Viper, and Metellus stepped in. He made another 6 tackles and returned a blocked extra point for a 2-point conversion – something Peppers had done against MSU earlier in the year – but there were still some glitches in his game.

This spring the coaching staff moved Metellus back to safety, since Khaleke Hudson locked down the Viper position. It’s a good thing, too, because Michigan needs safeties. Both starters (Dymonte Thomas, Delano Hill) graduated, and Peppers is gone, too. In effect, Michigan lost its top three safeties and top three cornerbacks to the NFL. Now it’s up to Metellus and junior Tyree Kinnel to hold down the back end, with freshmen and redshirt sophomore walk-on Jordan Glasgow as backups. I have a thought to put Metellus higher because of the dearth of options, but to be honest, we still don’t know what we have with Metellus. He struggled a bit against FSU at Viper, and now he’ll be in even more space at strong safety. I think Don Brown and Brian Smith will have those guys ready to go, but I can’t convince myself to move up Metellus.

Prediction: Starting strong safety; 50 tackles, 1 interception

Five Things to Watch in Michigan’s Spring Game

Khaleke Hudson (image via Pinterest)

HOW DOES BRANDON PETERS LOOK?
The Maize Team will be quarterbacked by Wilton Speight and presumed #2 guy John O’Korn, which leaves redshirt freshman Brandon Peters as the signal caller for the Blue team. Did the Maize team draft two quarterbacks to prevent the Blue team from having a competent quarterback? Or did the Blue team truly rank Peters above O’Korn? O’Korn and Peters have reportedly gone back and forth at times during spring practices, but it would be a significant step forward for Peters if the coaches think he’s the #2 option. After all, O’Korn has started numerous games in his career at Houston and then against Indiana last season.

Hit the jump for four more burning questions.

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2016 Michigan at Rutgers Awards

Jabrill Peppers (image via SB Nation)

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Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Jabrill Peppers. This is a bit disingenuous, because more of Peppers against Rutgers is a bit superfluous. He’s just such a dynamic player that busted plays turn into 63-yard runs, naked bootlegs turn into 7-yard touchdown runs, and penalty-doomed punt returns still look like highlights of the year. Again, Michigan might not need him against Illinois and their ilk, but 3 carries for 74 yards and 2 touchdowns is pretty impressive production for a defensive player. The one read option play where he gave to Ty Isaac probably should have been a keep by the QB, but otherwise, he was electric as a Wildcat signal caller. This is why I’ve said in the past that Peppers needs to play more offense. He can take ignite a team immediately.

Hit the jump for the rest of the awards.

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