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Eat your vitamins. My biggest takeaway from this game is that Michigan needs to get healthy. Going into the game, Michigan was missing RB Donovan Edwards and TE Erick All. And here are the players who got injured during the game: QB Cade McNamara (lower body), RB Blake Corum (lower leg), CB Gemon Green (shoulder), WR Andrel Anthony (unknown). Luckily, the Wolverines had a big enough advantage in this game that it ended up not affecting the outcome, but the toughest stretch of the schedule is coming up, with Penn State next week and Ohio State in three weeks.
Name: Michael Barrett Height: 6’0″ Weight: 227 lbs. High school: Valdosta (GA) Lowndes Position: Linebacker Class: Redshirt junior Jersey number: #23 Last year: I ranked Barrett #22 and said he would be the starting Viper (LINK). He made 44 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and 1 quarterback hurry. TTB Rating: 82
Barrett has made quite a transition, going from high school quarterback to Viper (outside linebacker) for the past couple seasons at Michigan. Generally considered to be an athlete coming out of high school (he spent time at RB, slot receiver, and LB to start his college career), he eventually settled in where most people expected him, playing Viper. After watching Khaleke Hudson man the position for a couple seasons, Barrett stepped in and had a decent campaign. His Minnesota game was outstanding, including a strip sack that resulted in a Donovan Jeter touchdown and a 64-yard kickoff return. Unfortunately, his impact was somewhat negated afterward, notching just 0.5 tackles for loss for the final five games of the year. He did pile up some tackles in a couple games – making 11 twice – but those tackles were downfield for a struggling defense.
Barrett’s role in 2021 is very intriguing. Most insiders have him starting at one of the inside linebacker spots (early reports said MIKE linebacker, but more recently I have seen talk that he’s playing WILL). At the same time, there’s more buzz surrounding Nikhai Hill-Green, a second-year player. Barrett is a bit of an odd fit at inside linebacker with his (lack of) size, and the fear is that the former safety/linebacker hybrid might get run over. I have Barrett penciled in as a starter because of his experience, leadership, and athleticism, but the coaches might give Hill-Green a shot if Barrett struggles early.
Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Zach Charbonnet. Charbonnet’s first carry of the game was a 70-yard touchdown up the gut on power. He ended up with 70 yards on 4 total carries, so his other three carries netted zero yards, but I would still like to see Charbonnet touch the ball more if/when the game is on the line. Michigan did a good job of spreading out carries to keep people happy and fresh, but we know Charbonnet is tough – and that touchdown run showed more speed than what he had last year. In the 2019 season opener, he broke away against Middle Tennessee and didn’t have the same explosion he showed against the Gophers.
The elephant in the room. Joe Milton looked good. He completed 15/22 passes for 225 yards and 1 touchdown, while running 8 times for 52 yards and 1 touchdown. I thought he would look shaky, and he didn’t. Yes, there were some mistakes, but he also made some very nice plays. Obviously, the arm strength is impressive, but he didn’t really complete any deep shots. The throws he hit were in the short and intermediate areas. It was a good debut for a starting QB.
Name: Michael Barrett Height: 6’0″ Weight: 224 lbs. High school: Valdosta (GA) Lowndes Position: Viper Class: Redshirt freshman Jersey number: #6 Last year: I ranked Barrett #53 and said he would be a backup Viper (LINK). He made 7 tackles, rushed 1 time for 14 yards, and completed a 25-yard pass. TTB Rating: 82
Barrett had a very interesting 2019 season. Playing behind eventual 5th round draft pick Khaleke Hudson, Barrett did not see a lot of time on the field since it’s a position that rarely rotates. The Viper is usually one of the most versatile all-around football players on the field. It made sense in Jabrill Peppers’s case (he played QB/WR/RB/LB/CB/PR/KR) in his college career, and it made sense for Hudson (he was a standout RB/S in high school).
So whomever the coaches peg to take over for Hudson must be highly valued as an athlete. Barrett is no slouch, either, when it comes to positional versatility. He was a high school QB who has bounced between linebacker and slot receiver in college. Michigan used him as an upback on the punt team in 2019, allowing him to run a couple fake punts – one for a 14-yard rush and another for a pass that turned into a 25-yard completion to Dax Hill against Army.
On the one hand, I don’t have much tangible evidence to say that Barrett can be an impact Viper. After all, I evaluated him as an offensive player and he’s been on campus for two years without playing much defense.
On the other hand, it seems like we can trust the coaches to pick the right Viper based on the two guys who have manned the position over the past four years (along with Don Brown’s previous contributors there, including current NFLer Matt Milano).
I probably should rank Barrett higher, because the linebacker unit is very inexperienced behind the starting crew. The backup is probably either sophomore Anthony Solomon, who also plays some WILL, or a true freshman. But because Barrett has little experience, I can’t place too much faith in him just yet. Hopefully he’s a pleasant surprise this season.
