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| Jim Harbaugh |
Michigan fans are buying the hype – almost 50% of them think Jim Harbaugh will be the next Michigan head coach. Greg Schiano is ranked too high at 2%, though, people.
Other: 41%
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| De’Veon Smith was Michigan’s leading rusher in 2014 |
I meant to post this a few months ago, but somehow it got lost in the shuffle. Here are the results of the poll posted over the summer. (Caveat: This poll closed on September 4, which was several days after Michigan’s opening victory over Appalachian State.)
Derrick Green: 59%
Green ended up with 471 yards in half a season, which was 48 fewer than Smith’s total for twelve games. (Green was my pick in the preseason, too.)
De’Veon Smith: 35%
Smith led the team with 519 yards but did not surpass Green until well after Green was lost for the season with a broken collarbone. Green averaged 78.5 yards/game, and Smith’s only two games over 78.5 yards were the opener against Appalachian State (115 yards) and week 10 against Northwestern (121). Smith averaged 43.25 yards/game for the whole season.
Devin Gardner: 4%
Gardner finished fourth on the team with 258 yards. He undoubtedly would have gone for more, but an ankle injury slowed him down for much of the year.
Drake Johnson: 1%
Johnson was the team’s best back for the last third of the season, rushing for an average of 80 yards/game against Indiana, Northwestern, Maryland, and Ohio State. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL in the season finale.
Other: 0% (0 votes)
The only other tailback to get a shot was Justice Hayes, who averaged 4.4 yards/carry and ended up with 213 rushing yards on the season.
Michigan’s leading rusher total of 519 yards is the lowest since Brandon Minor led the team with 502 yards in 2009, a year in which Michigan also went 5-7.
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| Southfield (MI) Southfield defensive end Malik McDowell |
Last week I asked readers what position they thought Michigan should recruit hardest for the 2014 class. Here are the results:
Defensive line: 57%
The coaches are still recruiting Southfield (MI) Southfield defensive end Malik McDowell, but it appears to be McDowell or bust. The only other uncommitted players are two southern kids who are going to stay down south.
Running back: 16%
Sarasota (FL) Booker’s Marlon Mack committed to Louisville yesterday, and the coaches have stopped recruiting Minneapolis (MN) Washburn’s Jeff Jones. Jones apparently does not plan to take his qualifying standardized test until March, which makes signing in February questionable. All other options are off the table unless the coaches offer someone new.
Safety: 9%
The program just lost fifth year senior Josh Furman to a transfer, and I wanted Mack in the class partly for his abilities on the defensive side of the ball. However, Michigan has some cornerbacks who can potentially switch positions.
Offensive line: 8%
Michigan is only bringing in two offensive linemen in this class, but with zero linemen scheduled to graduate in 2014 and a 2013 class that included six linemen, this isn’t a big spot of need.
Wide receiver: 2%
The Wolverines already have three commitments in this class, and while new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier might spread it out a little more than Al Borges did, they’ll still use tight ends and H-backs, so there’s not a big need for more receivers.
Quarterback, tight end, linebacker (tie): 1%
I would have moved quarterback up on this list if I were prioritizing, because I’m not sold on Wilton Speight as a future starter. The Wolverines have recruited a ton of tight ends and linebackers in recent years, so they’re fine there.
Cornerback, punter/kicker (tie): 0%
Cornerback is another position that has been recruited a great deal in recent years, and along with scholarship specialists Matt Wile and Will Hagerup, the Wolverines have brought in some quality walk-ons in the form of Kenny Allen and J.J. McGrath.
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| New Michigan offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier |
This post doesn’t really need much commentary on my end. I asked readers what grade they would give Michigan’s hiring of Doug Nussmeier, and the vast majority give the hire an “A.” For what it’s worth, there were zero votes for “D” and then four votes for “F,” so I have to imagine that a few Buckeye or Spartan trolls stumbled across the site. If those votes were from legitimate Michigan fans, I would be curious to know the reasoning.
A: 79%
B: 18%
C: 1%
D: 0%
F: 0%
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| According to readers, Derrick Green is the leading candidate for the starting running back job in 2014 |
I may present this poll again closer to the season, because a new offensive coordinator will mean a different philosophy and perhaps some different personnel. But in the meantime, before Al Borges was let go, I asked which running back would get the most carries in 2014. What you said:
Derrick Green (So.): 60%
Green had 83 carries for 270 yards (3.3 yards/carry) and 2 touchdowns in 2013. Green showed pretty good speed and fell forward after contact, but he didn’t break many tackles or show a lot of wiggle. Of course, nobody should have expected a 6’0″, 230 lb. running back to show much wiggle. He did start off the year heavier than he should have been, which may have diminished his effectiveness. New offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier and his fellow Alabama staff members recruited Green to Tuscaloosa, so it would make sense that Nussmeier has an eye toward Green being his horse.
De’Veon Smith (So.): 30%
Smith had 26 carries for 117 yards (4.5 yards/carry) as a freshman. After not playing much early in the year, something got sparked in him during the last few weeks of the regular season, when he totaled 15 carries for 98 yards (6.5 yards/carry) against Northwestern and Ohio State. Smith is a more violent runner than Green, but his speed leaves something to be desired.
Drake Johnson (RS So.): 3%
Johnson had 2 carries for 9 yards before tearing his ACL in the season opener against Central Michigan. Up until that point, he had been listed as Michigan’s #2 tailback. An accomplished high school track athlete, Johnson’s main claim for playing time was based on his speed. The fact that he tore the ACL in late August means he should be almost back to full speed by the time the 2014 season rolls around, but sometimes it takes a couple years for guys to totally recover.
Other: 2%
This could refer to junior Dennis Norfleet, who moved to slot receiver; or redshirt freshman tailback/fullback Wyatt Shallman, who looks like an H-back to me; a freshman like Jeff Jones or Vic Enwere, neither of whom have committed to Michigan; or perhaps quarterback Devin Gardner. If you gave me all of their carries combined, I would still bet on one of the other guys.
Justice Hayes (RS Jr.): 1%
Hayes had 2 carries for 6 yards on the season, but by golly, he was the starting running back against Kansas State in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. The best thing Hayes has going for him is some decent speed, but he doesn’t have the greatest vision or tackle breaking ability. He was even reported to be moving to slot receiver before injuries and ineffectiveness forced him back to running back.
Thomas Rawls (Sr.): 0%
Rawls had 3 carries for 12 yards and 1 touchdown, all of which came against Central Michigan in the season opener. He played some special teams after that, but you wouldn’t really have known he played at all unless you checked the participation reports after the games. There have been rumors that he will not return to the football team in 2014.
