18Mar 2019
2019 Spring Practice Roundup
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Jim Harbaugh met with the media Monday, after Michigan’s first spring practice.
Here are a few updates on players and positions:
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You can follow TTB on Twitter here (LINK).
Jim Harbaugh met with the media Monday, after Michigan’s first spring practice.
Here are a few updates on players and positions:
read more
With spring practice beginning in Ann Arbor, there will be lots of positive talk and fluff around the program. Every position will be better than last year, and every newcomer will be compared to a past standout at his position.
And there are often position changes from season to season, so here are some switches that the players and coaches might consider.
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Aidan Hutchinson (image via Hudl)
Thanks to Bryan and Keith for the recent, generous donations through Paypal!
It’s been a long time coming because I’ve been so busy, but here are the final TTB Ratings for the class of 2018.
A note on the ratings: These are Michigan-specific ratings, so a guy who would be an instant starter at Eastern Michigan might not be quite so much of an individual standout playing against Michigan’s opponents . . . and he might even have a hard time getting on the field over some other Wolverines. It’s tricky trying to determine how the depth chart will shake out over the next three to five years, but I’m here for the heavy lifting. For more of an explanation, check out this page here (LINK).
Hit the jump for the final rankings.
Michael Barrett (image via Valdosta Daily Times)
Name: Michael Barrett
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 215 lbs.
High school: Valdosta (GA) Lowndes
Position: Running back/Slot receiver/Offensive weapon
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Barrett was a senior in high school (LINK). He completed 111/174 passes (63.8%) for 1,705 yards, 16 TDs, and 2 INTs; he also ran for 1,195 yards and 13 TDs.
TTB Rating: 82
Barrett was the subject of much consternation for Michigan fans, for one reason or another. One reason was that he was not highly rated (3-star, #61 ATH, #753 overall). Another was that some teams were recruiting him as an option quarterback. You can see from his stats above that he wasn’t a bad QB in high school. Barrett didn’t end up committing to Michigan until late in January, and he was a nice consolation prize from the state of Georgia once the dust settled from Otis Reese’s flipping to Georgia.
I don’t know what to think of Barrett, exactly. He’s a wild card. Michigan reportedly plans to start him out at slot receiver, but you don’t often see 6’0″, 215 lb. slot receivers. I wouldn’t mind if the staff got creative (for them) and used him on bubble screens to get him going downhill against smaller defensive backs, but this coaching staff hasn’t used a ton of bubble screens during its tenure. Maybe the presence of Patterson with his running capability will open up some more zone read/bubble opportunities. There’s also the chance that Barrett could be used as a “wildcat” quarterback, but that’s not as much of a change-up with Patterson under center than it would be if, say, Brandon Peters or Dylan McCaffrey is the starting QB. I like Barrett as a player, but it’s unclear right now where he’ll play.
Prediction: Backup slot receiver
(image via MGoBlue)
The 2018 recruiting class has wrapped up, and it ended with a resounding thud. While I have yet to assign final TTB Ratings for the class, I will dare to give a grade for the position groups.