Hello, J.J. McCarthy. Well, McCarthy didn’t wait too long to stake his claim for the starting quarterback job. He completed 11/12 passes for 229 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions while rushing 1 time for 16 yards. His first pass was a 42-yard bomb to Roman Wilson for a touchdown, and he didn’t really slow down after that. Every pass was accurate, even a crisp RPO slant to Ronnie Bell that accounted for McCarthy’s lone incompletion. It was an excellent starting debut against an atrocious team.
Name: Mason Graham Height: 6’3″ Weight: 292 lbs. High school: Anaheim (CA) Servite Position: Defensive tackle Class: Freshman Jersey number: #55 Last year: Graham was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 60 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, and 14 sacks. TTB Rating: 84
Graham made perhaps the biggest leap (for me) from his junior year to his senior year. Watching his junior film, I thought he was a slightly undersized, try-hard player who was a decent prospect. He was committed to Boise State at one point, and I thought that was appropriate. But the more I watched him as a senior, I thought he made great strides with his technique. And his high effort continued to be there, despite putting on some weight and starting both ways.
I’m leery of placing him too high in the countdown based on the spring, but I think it’s clear that he’s ready to play. He got a good number of reps in the spring game and didn’t look out of place. Here at #63 is a good place for a rotational player, but he has older, more experienced guys in front of him, such as Mazi Smith, Cam Goode, and Kris Jenkins, Jr. I think 2022 will be a developmental year for him, and by his sophomore season, he could be a starter if Smith and Goode move on.
Is Mason Graham the next Maurice Hurst, Jr.? (image via Twitter)
Thanks to Ashley, Eric, Joe, and Stephen for the recent Paypal donations.
As much as we like to get excited about every single Michigan recruit, it’s important to keep perspective and realize that not every one of these players will be destined for stardom. This exercise can give us a range of what to expect from some of these players, even though star rankings can be very wrong.
Will Johnson – CB – Grosse Pointe (MI) South 2022 ranking: #14 Historical ranking: tied for #9 all-time at Michigan Tied with: S Daxton Hill (2019) and DE LaMarr Woodley (2003) Closest positional comparisons: Jabrill Peppers (#3 in 2014) and Donovan Warren (#27 in 2007)
Derrick Moore – DE – Baltimore (MD) St. Francis 2022 ranking: #49 Historical ranking: tied for #37 all-time at Michigan Tied with: OG Kyle Kalis (2012) and RB Ty Isaac (2013) Closest positional comparisons: Pierre Woods (#43 in 2001) and Luiji Vilain (#56 in 2017)
Keon Sabb – S – Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy 2022 ranking: #84 Historical ranking: #64 all-time at Michigan Flanked by: OT Cory Zirbel (#83 in 2005) and #87 Kyle Bosch (2013) Closest positional comparisons: Michael Williams (#72 in 2007) and Demar Dorsey (#87 in 2010)
Even though jersey numbers don’t matter much – there is plenty of time for them to change – it’s always interesting to see what jerseys the freshmen wear. Here’s a rundown of the newcomers:
#0: WR Darrius Clemons
#2: CB Will Johnson (I saw a rumor that he switched to #4, but #2 is on the roster)
#3: S Keon Sabb
#4: WR Amorion Walker
#8: DE Derrick Moore
#10: QB Alex Orji
#12: S Kody Jones
#13: WR Tyler Morris
#16: QB Jayden Denegal
#24: CB Myles Pollard
#55: DT Mason Graham
#55: C Olu Oluwatimi
#60: OL Connor Jones
On another note, Eamonn Dennis has officially switched from cornerback to wide receiver on the roster. Meanwhile, Mike Sainristil is still listed at wide receiver even though he’s getting practice reps at nickel corner.
Since Graham’s commitment came in the middle of my football season, I got behind and never posted about his commitment.
Anaheim (MI) Servite defensive tackle Mason Graham committed to Michigan back in September 2021. He had previously been committed to Boise State since June 2021.
