Tag: Polls

Poll Results: Who will be the offensive captain?

Okay, the results aren’t going to surprise anyone, but I thought I would toss out the question, anyway.  Who’s going to be the offensive captain in 2012?  I only selected seniors with starting experience, so guys like Elliott Mealer and Brandon Moore were left off the poll.

QB Denard Robinson: 91%
This was the obvious selection.  The fans love Denard, and his teammates seem to love Denard.  If he’s not a captain in the fall, I’ll be very surprised.

WR Roy Roundtree: 4%
Roundtree might be good captain material if not for the presence of Denard.  He always seems to be in a positive mood, has a smile on his face, and seems to be a hard worker.

OG Patrick Omameh: 2%
Well, at least he got a few votes.

OC Ricky Barnum: 0%
So much for that idea.

Poll Results: Which school will E.J. Levenberry choose?

We know the answer to the above question now, but when Woodbridge (VA) C.D. Hylton linebacker E.J. Levenberry set his announcement date for last Tuesday, things weren’t so clear.  Obviously, Michigan fans visit this site more than any other team’s fans, so it’s somewhat expected that the results would be as follows:

Poll results: Who will be Michigan’s starting WDE against Alabama?

Rising sophomore defensive end Brennen Beyer (image via MGoBlog)

This question was asked prior to the spring game, but the last poll question was: Who will be Michigan’s starter at weakside end against Alabama?

Frank Clark: 62%
The 6’2″, 228 lb. sophomore played well in limited time last season, but at the end of spring practice, it seems he’s #2 on the depth chart.  He had 10 tackles, 1/2 a tackle for loss, and 1 interception.  He will surely compete into the fall, and barring an outstanding fall camp from a true freshman, the choice is going to come down to Clark or . . .

Brennen Beyer: 19%
Beyer, pictured above, got the start in last Saturday’s spring game.  He’s listed at 6’3″, 225 lbs. but he seems quite a bit bigger than last year.  Last season he had 11 tackles but seemed slightly miscast as the backup SAM linebacker.  Weakside end seems like a more natural position, but it’s a position change nonetheless.

Jake Ryan: 14%
Redshirt sophomore Jake Ryan, who is 6’3″ and 230 lbs., started at SAM linebacker in 2011.  He proved to be a playmaker by making 37 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 2 fumble recoveries.  He started at SAM once again in the spring game.  Some people are clamoring for him to play defensive end in an effort to get backup SAM Cameron Gordon on the field at the same time, but since Ryan and Gordon are literally the only two strongside linebackers on the roster, that seems unlikely.

Mario Ojemudia: 1% (tie)
Incoming freshman Ojemudia is the only one of the four freshman defensive ends who seems to be slotted for weakside end.  The other three ends seem destined for strongside end or even defensive tackle.  He played defensive tackle at Farmington Hills Harrison and struggled a little bit playing defensive end in the Semper Fi All American Bowl, so I think he’s a long shot to be an immediate starter at the position.

Other: 1% (tie)
I don’t know who else would have earned a vote.  The only other possibility would seem to be incoming freshman Tom Strobel, who might be a weakside end right now but looks like he’ll eventually develop into a strongside end.

Poll Results: Who will be Michigan’s starting WLB against Alabama?

Desmond Morgan (#44) played extensively as a true freshman last season

A couple weeks ago, I posted a poll asking who the starting weakside linebacker will be against Alabama in September.  Michigan has two returning starters at the position, but both have some deficiencies and some Michigan fans have made noise about wanting them to be surpassed.  Here are the results of the poll:

Desmond Morgan: 64%
The sophomore Morgan appears to be the starting weakside linebacker going into the spring, which continues his reign on the spot from last season.  Last year he made 63 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 1 sack while playing in twelve of the thirteen games.  He has added some weight during the off-season, so we’ll see if that affects his speed in a significant way.

Joe Bolden: 17%
Bolden is a 6’3″, 230 lb. true freshman who enrolled early and has been practicing with the team throughout the spring.  He earned rave reviews at the Under Armour All American Game practices, and so far this spring, practice observers have been impressed, too.  According to several accounts, he has passed all but Kenny Demens for middle linebacker reps this spring.

Brandin Hawthorne: 5%
Hawthorne is a 6’0″, 214 lb. senior who played pretty extensively last season.  He made 43 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 1 sack while starting five of the twelve games in which he played.  He lost playing time in the second half of the season to Morgan, though, and this spring he has still been a backup.

Antonio Poole: 5%
Poole is a 6’2″, 212 lb. redshirt freshman who has yet to see the field for the Wolverines.  Some rumors have suggested that he’s the #2 weakside linebacker this spring, but he has also seen some reps behind Demens and Bolden at the MIKE position.

James Ross: 4%
Ross will be a true freshman in the fall and has yet to enroll at Michigan.  As far as recruiting hype goes, he’s the most touted linebacker of the entire group.  But he’s also probably the smallest and he has the least experience, so it will be an uphill battle for him to get on the field this fall.

Kaleb Ringer: 0%
Ringer is one of three true freshmen to enroll early in January (Bolden, safety Jarrod Wilson).  He has been practicing this spring, but generally seems to be the least mentioned of the three.  And with the depth at inside linebacker, he seems to be way down the list.  He has also been getting limited reps at middle linebacker.

Other: 0%

Poll Results: Who will be Michigan’s starting left guard?

Fifth year senior offensive lineman Elliott Mealer

This comes on the heels of Rocko Khoury’s departure, who was presumed to be in the running to play center.  Now that it seems Ricky Barnum is destined to be the starting center this fall, that leaves an opening at left guard.  So I posed the question (for a second time): Who will be Michigan’s starting left guard against Alabama?

Chris Bryant: 58%
Bryant is only a redshirt freshman but has earned praise from coaches and practice observers alike.  So far in spring practices, it has been reported that Bryant is playing behind Patrick Omameh at right guard.  This could be to give Omameh some competition, but Bryant has always seemed like more of a strongside guard to me.  When a kid is 6’4″, 341 lbs., the coaches probably want him to do more bulldozing and less pulling.

Kyle Kalis: 16%
I still have doubts that a true freshman will start the first game of the season.  Kalis is good, but he won’t get to campus until June.

Patrick Omameh: 12%
Omameh has been the starting right guard for parts or all of the last three seasons.  I’m not sure why he would flip to the left side at this point, although I wouldn’t say it’s impossible.  If the other guard isn’t adept at pulling, Omameh (who isn’t great at pulling, either) might be an upgrade in that department.

Elliott Mealer: 11%
At least in the early going of spring, Mealer seems to be the frontrunner for the left guard position.  The fifth year senior has been running with the first team, and his only serious competition would seem to be Bryant. 

Other: 1%
It was recently reported that redshirt freshman walk-on Graham Glasgow has been the #2 left guard in spring ball, but keep in mind that a couple walk-ons are bound to be on the second team due to a lack of depth.  Without Khoury, David Molk, and Mark Huyge (all of them graduated) and without the four freshman linemen on campus, numbers dictate walk-ons will get a chance to see some time.  The only “backup” scholarship players available are Bryant and redshirt freshman center Jack Miller.