Mailbag: Roster Questions for Next Year

Tag: Mailbag


12Dec 2011
Uncategorized 11 comments

Mailbag: Roster Questions for Next Year

Michael Schofield (#75) celebrates with Devin Gardner

I was going through the could be depth chart for next year and I have a ton of questions for you.

Cox stays or goes?? I’m thinking he doesn’t come back

TE is going to be a mess next year. Your thoughts??

Does Schofield move back to OT?

What side will Magnuson, Braden and Williams play?

Is Justice Hayes a WR or RB?

Reading the Jerry Montgomery article scares me about Brink. Can he put on 20 lbs or so and be half effective??

Thanks, love the blog.

Thanks for the e-mail, Randy.  I’ll do my best to answer your questions.

My gut tells me that redshirt junior running back Michael Cox will not return in 2012.  He was limited to special teams this season and did not see a single snap on offense.  While I think he has the talent to play at Michigan, he obviously hasn’t done what it takes to get on the field more consistently, whether it’s in the classroom or on the practice field.  It’s somewhat rare that a guy who plays that little as a redshirt junior gets a scholarship for a fifth year.  If Cox gets his degree, though, I would not be surprised to see him transfer to a MAC-level school and play somewhere next season.  The kid has talent, whether people see it or not.

I’m not too worried about Michigan’s tight end situation.  An elite tight end can be a great weapon, but you can still have a decent team without a great tight end.  Kevin Koger is not as good as most Michigan fans think he is; he’s above average but that’s about it.  Michigan will almost surely take a step back at the position, but I don’t think it will affect the team greatly.  As a blocker he’ll be missed, but he’s only caught 21 passes for 235 yards and 4 touchdowns.  That production is roughly par for the course ever since Bennie Joppru suited up in 2002.  With players like Tyler Ecker, Tim Massaquoi, and Carson Butler in between, the performance of Michigan’s offense suffered little – and neither Massaquoi or Butler was a great blocker, either.  The combination of fifth year senior Brandon Moore, redshirt sophomore Ricardo Miller, freshman Devin Funchess, and freshman A.J. Williams should be fine.

I do think redshirt sophomore Michael Schofield will move back to offensive tackle in 2012.  Michigan has lots of options on the interior between Ricky Barnum, Rocko Khoury, Patrick Omameh, Jack Miller, Chris Bryant, and Elliott Mealer.  At the tackle positions, it’s just Taylor Lewan, Schofield, and freshmen, unless the coaches want to shake things up and move Omameh to tackle.

Incoming freshman Erik Magnuson looks like a future right tackle to me, but based on the available talent, he will probably play on the left side at Michigan.  Ben Braden looks like a prototypical right tackle.  A.J. Williams is being recruited as a tight end, so he’ll play on whichever side the formation requires.

Freshman Justice Hayes has been playing running back in practice.  Some insiders suggest that he will end up at slot receiver sometime in the future.  Personally, I have never been high on Hayes as a running back.  He’s a slightly bigger version of Vincent Smith, someone who can catch passes and do okay when put in open space.

Can Nathan Brink put on 20 lbs.?  Sure.  That’s not an unbelievable amount of weight to add in an off-season.  Craig Roh has put on about 20 pounds in each of the past two off-seasons.  Can Brink be effective once he puts on that weight?  I don’t know.  He has been manhandled this year, and it’s hard to predict good things when he’s been pushed backward with consistency.  I hope he can turn into all the good things that Jerry Montgomery and Greg Mattison have predicted for him, but that’s a prediction I’m not willing to make.

7Dec 2011
Uncategorized 7 comments

Mailbag: How do you want the class to finish?

Stefon Diggs is the top overall player left on Michigan’s radar


I am an avid reader of your blog and also enjoy most of your comments on MGoBlog. I was hoping you could comment on your site about how you would like to see the recruiting class finish up. It is commonly believed that there are four spots left, and here’s what I’m wondering: 

RB – Being held for Dunn, unlikely to take another RB otherwise. Do you think there’s another candidate? 

OL – There are several OL still high on Michigan (Banner, Diamond, Garnett, etc.) Could you provide your rankings of those players, which you’d want to see in a M uniform the most, and any thoughts about which makes a better fit based on the rest of the roster? 

WR – Now that we have one already in the fold, of the remaining options left who would you most want to see sign with M and why? 

Other – This had hoped to be Yuri Wright, but that hasn’t developed much. Who else would you consider here? A TE? Thanks for your insight! 

AC1997

Thanks for the e-mail, AC.

Regarding running backs, I don’t think there are any other candidates right now.  Drake Johnson is a bit of an insurance policy in case Canton (OH) Glenoak’s Bri’onte Dunn doesn’t come over to the good side, but I don’t know that there’s a pressing need to find an elite running back in this class.  There’s an outside shot that Greg Garmon could come to Michigan, but I don’t foresee that coming to fruition.  Michigan has Fitzgerald Toussaint for another couple years and the coaches seem to like Thomas Rawls, who’s the heir apparent to Toussaint.  I don’t think it would kill Michigan to lose out on Dunn, but they must  get an elite running back in 2013 if that happens.

As for the offensive linemen, here are some thoughts about the linemen still high on Michigan:

  1. Puyallup (WA) Puyallup OG Joshua Garnett is the most athletic and most versatile lineman on the board.  His technique isn’t quite as solid as that of Michigan commit Kyle Kalis, but Garnett is the better athlete. Garnett could play tackle as well, but putting Kalis at strongside guard and having Garnett as the pulling guard could be a seriously powerful combination.  Aside from Stefon Diggs, Garnett is probably the best player left on Michigan’s board.
  2. Lakewood (WA) Lakes OT Zach Banner is a potentially dynamic offensive tackle.  He’s not the best prospect, but a 6’9″ guy with his athleticism is extremely intriguing.  His bloodlines are a positive, too (his father is former NFL offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy).  With those long arms, Banner could be an ideal blind-side protector.  I think 2012 commit Blake Bars is a future offensive guard, so Michigan could use another tackle in this class.
  3. Chicago (IL) Simeon OT Jordan Diamond is a notch down from the other two prospects, in my opinion.  He has decent size, decent athleticism, and decent technique, but he doesn’t have the All-American potential of the above two players.
  4. Lakeland (FL) Lakeland OT Evan Goodman has popped up on Michigan’s radar recently.  It’s unclear whether the Wolverines have offered Goodman, although he has plenty of other good offers.  He’s currently committed to Arizona State, but the coaching uncertainty has caused him to reconsider.  I’m not a huge fan of Goodman.  He’s certainly athletic – probably the second-most athletic kid in this grouping – but he lacks a punch and is a real project.  His technique will have to be overhauled completely before he can play at the next level, and even then, I’m not sure he has the requisite aggression to be successful.
Olney (MD) Good Counsel wide receiver Stefon Diggs is the best player left on Michigan’s board, slightly ahead of the aforementioned Garnett.  Michigan could use a big-play wide receiver and Diggs has the potential to be a game-breaker.  Diggs has the potential to develop into a first round draft pick if he can keep his head on straight.  He’s Mario Manningham or better.  Unfortunately, Diggs is unlikely to come to Michigan.
I would really like to see Michigan pursue a quarterback with one of these scholarships.  It doesn’t seem like the coaches will do so, but Michigan is quite thin at the position.  When 2013 commit Shane Morris arrives on campus, he will be behind a senior/redshirt junior Devin Gardner and a redshirt sophomore Russell Bellomy.  That’s it.  I think a school should always have at least four scholarship quarterbacks, and unless the coaches get someone in 2012 or an additional QB in 2013, Michigan will have only three scholarship quarterbacks for each season under Hoke.  Outside of a quarterback, I would like to see Michigan grab San Diego (CA) Westview tight end Taylor McNamara.  He reminds me of former Notre Dame tight end (and current Minnesota Viking) Kyle Rudolph.
25May 2011
Uncategorized 12 comments

Mailbag: Why so little love for Funchess?

I was kind of surprised Rivals didn’t give Devin Funchess a fourth star. Which isn’t to say I think they SHOULD have, since I know very little about recruiting and try not to be an “OMG They Didn’t Give Ricardo Miller Nine Stars” guy. But he looked to demonstrate some acrobatic receiving ability in his video, while also being a good prototypical size. What do you think held him back?                – Ben 

Tight end/wide receiver/H-back Devin Funchess committed to Michigan a little over a month ago.  So far Rivals hasn’t given Funchess a star rating.  For comparison’s sake, Scout gave him 4 stars and ranked him as the #6 tight end in the country.  247 Sports gives him 4 stars and rates him a 90 overall.

I’ve been a member of Rivals for a few years, and they often downgrade players without clearly defined positions.  At 6’4″ and 215 lbs. (or lighter), Funchess’ future position is a little murky.  Some think he’ll develop into a full-fledged tight end, some think he might have the speed to play wideout, and some think he’ll be an Aaron Shea-like fullback/tight end.  Without knowing what position a certain player might occupy at the next level, it’s difficult to say that he’ll be a high-impact guy.

Also, keep in mind that the recruiting services figure in NFL potential with their ratings.  Especially at Rivals, 5-star players are considered to be potential first rounders, 4-stars are thought to have good potential to be drafted, etc.  Tight end isn’t a premium position for the NFL, and H-back is even less so.  Since 2004 the only two tight ends to receive 5 stars from Rivals were Martellus Bennett (2005) and Kyle Rudolph (2008).  Consider that there were five 5-star running backs and nineteen 4-star running backs in the class of 2011.  Meanwhile, there were zero 5-star tight ends and only sixteen 4-star tight ends in the same class.  If the NFL doesn’t value tight ends as highly as other positions, high school recruits are going to be slightly downgraded as a result.

So this is probably what Rivals is thinking:

a) What’s his position at the next level?
b) Does he have a lot of potential to get to the NFL?

Personally, I think Scout and 247 Sports have it right.  Putting on weight should never be a problem for a player who desires to do it, and I have heard no questions about Funchess’ work ethic or coachability.  I would rather take a good athlete and bulk him up than a take a big guy and try to make him more athletic.  In my experience, the latter tactic will rarely pan out.  Funchess can run, jump, catch, and adjust to the ball in the air.  Michigan just saw a 2007 recruit who had similar size coming out of high school leave as a 6’4″, 268 lb. tight end who excelled at blocking.  But Martell Webb was a 4-star and the #29 wide receiver in his class, so you can see that the ratings aren’t consistent.  (I will admit, though, that Webb was probably a slightly better athlete coming out of high school than Funchess is today.)

Don’t be too surprised if Funchess works his way up to 4-star status with a solid senior season.  He has plenty of athleticism to move up to that next step, and if he remains on the 3-star level at Rivals, I think he’ll outplay that rating by the time all is said and done.

9Feb 2011
Uncategorized 18 comments

Mailbag: Where will Woolfolk play?



The demise of Troy Woolfolk’s ankle crippled Michigan’s defense in 2010.



Since we won’t have a chance to discuss this ad nauseum for the next eight months (sarcasm), I was wondering where you come down on Troy Woolfolk. Assuming he’s back in more or less the same shape, do you see him as a FS or CB? Last year he was playing CB seemingly out of depth concerns, but next year they’ll at the very least have a lot of bodies to throw out there, and FS would seem to be a role where his experience/leadership might be better leveraged. On the same front, do you think Marvin has the speed to play back there? We know he has the abs.

The deployment of Woolfolk has long been a hot topic with me because I don’t think a lot of people respect the role and importance of a free safety.  With a lot of coaches I know, they take their best overall athlete and put him at free safety.  That’s one reason why you see a lot of college cornerbacks who played free safety in high school, because they can make more plays from the middle of the field.  Who is Michigan’s best overall athlete (speed, size, coverage, tackling ability, and awareness) in the secondary?  I would say it’s Woolfolk.  He’s 6′ tall and 195 lbs. with high level Big Ten track speed (6.86 seconds in the 60 meters); a solid tackler; and the most experienced defensive back on the team. 

When Woolfolk moved from cornerback to free safety in the spring of 2009, his teammates nicknamed him “The Eraser” for how he cleaned up his defensive teammates’ mistakes.  When that season began, he and cornerback J.T. Floyd were burned for a long touchdown pass in the opener against Western Michigan.  After that Woolfolk was solid at free safety.  (Ed: And don’t even bother bringing up the missed tackle late in the 2009 Michigan State game.  Woolfolk suffered a sprained shoulder earlier in the game but stayed out there, only to have his bum shoulder fail him when trying to tackle Edwin Baker Larry Caper at a crucial point in the game.)  As the season wore on and the defense struggled, Michigan’s coaches moved him back to cornerback during Iowa week and kept him there for the remainder of the season.  While playing free safety, Michigan gave up 23 points per game.  Once he moved to cornerback, Michigan gave up 37 per game (minus the Delaware State drubbing).  Woolfolk was still playing cornerback during August practices in 2010 when he dislocated his ankle, despite the fact that Michigan had virtually no experience, athleticism, or depth – and not much talent – to play the free safety position behind him.

Michigan’s free safety depth chart at the beginning of 2010 looked like this:
1. Cameron Gordon (RS freshman), a 6’3″, 207 lb. converted wide receiver who many projected to be a linebacker in college
2. Jared Van Slyke (RS junior), a 6’2″, 196 lb. walk-on who transferred from Southeast Missouri State
3. Ray Vinopal (freshman), a 5’10”, 197 lb. borderline 3-star recruit straight out of high school
4. Vladimir Emilien (sophomore), a 6’1″, 204 lb. high school star who was hampered by knee problems since prior to his senior year of high school
5. Brandin Hawthorne (sophomore), a 6′, 205 lb. special teamer who most projected as a linebacker

We all know how that turned out – Gordon got burned repeatedly and became an outside linebacker, Van Slyke missed the season due to injury, Vinopal was elevated to starter, Emilien transferred, and Hawthorne contributed on special teams and at linebacker.

I can understand why some might feel that Woolfolk was needed at cornerback in 2010, because the cornerback depth chart was arguably worse than at free safety.  But Michigan suffered from horrible defensive back play all season long (outside of Jordan Kovacs), and the poor free safety play hurt Michigan more than the play of its cornerbacks.  Vinopal was an upgrade from Gordon at the deep safety position, but I’m not convinced that he’s the immediate or long-term answer.

As for what I would do with Woolfolk, I would put him back at . . . cornerback.  Yep, I said it.  I know this is a reversal of my previous stance, but it comes from a change in defensive philosophy.  Former defensive coordinator Greg Robinson ran a lot of Cover 3 out of the 3-3-5 defensive set, which meant that his cornerbacks didn’t need to be in man coverage often.  That’s why it would have been nice for Woolfolk to play centerfield, because he could have backed up his cornerbacks and made some plays on throws over the middle.

But go back and watch some film from the second half of the 2009 season.  Woolfolk was largely untested in those games, and opponents picked on then-junior cornerback Donovan Warren.  Woolfolk’s speed and hip swivel allowed him to stick closely to wide receivers in a defense that was geared more toward man coverage than the 2010 philosophy.  New defensive coordinator Greg Mattison is going to run more man coverage than we saw in 2010, which means cornerback play will be emphasized.  The Wolverines have stocked cornerbacks in the past couple classes (Cullen Christian, Courtney Avery, and Terrence Talbott; plus the load of incoming 2011 freshmen), but none are ready at this point.  Avery looks to be the best of the returning sophomores, and a redshirt junior J.T. Floyd should return in the fall from his own ankle injury.  Woolfolk could team with Floyd (whose talent leaves something to be desired but now has the experience of being the #1 guy) or Avery (who has good coverage skills but needs to get in the weight room) for a solid cornerback combination.

Who’s going to play free safety?  My guess would be either sophomore Marvin Robinson or the incumbent in Vinopal.  Vinopal won’t wow anybody with his speed or physicality, but he’s essentially a second helping of Jordan Kovacs.  I don’t think Vinopal can be your free safety if you want to have an elite defense, but he’s not a disaster, either.  Robinson is the wild card.  Last summer he was reportedly wowing fellow players with his exploits as a free safety in voluntary 7-on-7s.  When the season rolled around, he was backing up Jordan Kovacs, playing defense sparingly, and covering kicks.  There were questions about his speed coming out of high school, but as I watched him chase down some plays on special teams this year, I don’t have serious questions about his speed.  Neither Vinopal or Robinson is Ed Reed, but Robinson’s closer.

30Jan 2011
Uncategorized 7 comments

Mailbag: Could Desmond Morgan play fullback?

Desmond Morgan + truck stick = fullback?

With all of the linebackers Mattison is bringing in, where does a kid like Desmond Morgan fit in?  Do you think they are going to run a 3-4 in the future or do you think he might be able to fit in as a fullback in the future?  I know it’s crazy but just think if you had a fullback who could throw the ball….. what kind of trick plays you could run…. or just having him as the protector on punt formation… Just seeing what your thoughts were on where he might end up.  Thanks, Andy

Without hearing a plan come directly out of Greg Mattison’s mouth, it’s difficult for me to say with any certainty what type of defense Michigan will run in the future.  If the rumor is true that Will Campbell has made the switch back to defense, then I would say that’s a good indicator of intentions to run a 4-3 type of defense.  After all, there wouldn’t really be a need for so many defensive linemen if Michigan were only going to use three of them at any given time.  New recruits have also reported that head coach Brady Hoke was selling a 4-3 defense.

I said in a previous post that I think Michigan will run a defense that looks an awful lot like Greg Robinson’s in 2009.  That’s with Craig Roh as a rush linebacker, plus a NT, a 3-tech DT, and a 5-tech strongside end.  The biggest difference between Michigan 2009 and Michigan 2011, I’m guessing, will be the use of a nickel corner in obvious passing situations.  Whereas Robinson used converted safety Steve Brown as a three-down linebacker, a guy like Courtney Avery might be able to play over the slot receiver, replacing a linebacker less gifted in pass coverage.

As for Morgan himself, I expect that he’ll stay at linebacker.  I think he’s perfectly suited to be a middle linebacker in a 4-3.  And as far as I know, none of the coaches have mentioned to him the possibility of moving to offense.  My assumption about why Hoke and Mattison are pursuing so many linebackers comes down to this: the linebacker play at Michigan has been quite putrid for a few years, and the fact that nobody really challenged Mouton or Ezeh for most of that time doesn’t bode well for whoever’s behind them on the depth chart.  Demens did a pretty nice job taking over at MIKE, and I’m not convinced that J.B. Fitzgerald can’t be a solid player.  But Fitzgerald is a senior and his chance to impact is dwindling.  We haven’t seen much of the guys behind them.

The fullback position might be a bit overblown by Michigan fans, too.  Al Borges has shown a propensity for using two tailbacks in the backfield at the same time.  Think Bo Jackson and Marcus Allen if you’re old enough, Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams if you’re not.  When the latter pair played for Borges at Auburn in 2004, Brown ended his season with 913 yards and 8 touchdowns.  Williams had 1,265 yards and 12 touchdowns.  This is going to be a different style of offense than we saw Michigan use in Lloyd Carr’s last few years.  Instead of big bruisers like Kevin Dudley and Obi Oluigbo, this is probably going to be more B.J. Askew.  The only fullback Michigan offered in the 2011 recruiting cycle is Trayion Durham (since committed to Kent State), who’s a pretty nifty runner.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see a kid like Stephen Hopkins or Michael Cox play “fullback” while Michael Shaw or Fitzgerald Toussaint plays tailback.  That would give Michigan’s backfield a nice combination of size and wiggle.  Additionally, John McColgan could return for a fifth year, and there’s a fullback from Traverse City named Joey Kerridge who should be coming to Ann Arbor as a walk-on.

Regarding fake punts and trick plays, I don’t think Desmond Morgan playing linebacker would preclude him from being the upback on punts.  In fact, that would probably be a great place for him.  As for running trick plays out of the regular backfield . . . it would be possible, but I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a fullback throw a pass before.  If you’re using a fullback, he’s typically about four yards behind the line of scrimmage and in a blocking position.  Handing or tossing him the ball and expecting him to get a throw off from the fullback spot would be a tall order.