22Aug 2020
All-Time Season Tackle for Loss Leaders
Last week I posted about the career TFL leaders (LINK).
This week is the top TFL seasons in Michigan history:
read more
Last week I posted about the career TFL leaders (LINK).
This week is the top TFL seasons in Michigan history:
read more94 total offers
QUARTERBACK (6)
Clayton Richard – Lafayette, IN (Michigan)
Sam Keller – San Ramon, CA (Arizona State)
Marcus Stone – Harrisburg, PA (North Carolina State)
Brady Quinn – Dublin, OH (Notre Dame)
John David Booty – Shreveport, LA (USC)
Kevin McCabe – Wexford, PA (Virginia)
RUNNING BACK (12)
Anton Campbell – O’Fallon, MO (Michigan)
Jerome Jackson – Saginaw, MI (Michigan)
Ervin Battle-Baldwin – Richmond, VA
Carl Stewart – Maryville, TN (Auburn)
Lennox Whitworth – Milton, MA (Boston College)
Terry Arnold – Tallahassee, FL (Cincinnati)
Kregg Lumpkin – Stone Mountain, GA (Georgia)
Michael Bush – Louisville, KY (Louisville)
Barrington Edwards – Bowie, MD (LSU)
Lynell Hamilton – Stockton, CA (San Diego State)
Erik Hardeman – Pflugerville, TX (Texas)
LenDale White – Littleton, CO (USC)
WIDE RECEIVER (13)
Antowan Bell – Baltimore, MD
Genoa Dill – Compton, CA
Dorien Bryant – Swedesboro, NJ (Boston College)
John Logan – Lexington, KY (Kentucky)
Greg Bracey – Milwaukee, WI (Missouri)
Jesse Holley – Roselle, NJ (North Carolina)
Chris Hawkins – Henderson, NC (North Carolina State)
Tristen Ross – Shreveport, LA (Oklahoma)
Jayson Swain – Huntsville, AL (Tennessee)
Brandon Allen – Atlanta, GA (Troy)
Steve Smith – Woodland Hills, CA (USC)
Shannon Lane – Virginia Beach, VA (Virginia)
Charles Smith – San Diego, CA (Washington)
TIGHT END (7)
Will Paul – St. Louis, MO (Michigan)
Vernon Davis – Washington, DC (Maryland)
Greg Olsen – Wayne Hills, NJ (Miami)
Marcel Frost – Lyndhurst, OH (Ohio State)
Louis Irizarry – Youngstown, OH (Ohio State)
Chris Barrett – Tustin, CA (USC)
Danny Kaye – New Berlin, WI (Wisconsin)
OFFENSIVE TACKLE (4)
Adam Kraus – New Orleans, LA (Michigan)
Jake Long – Lapeer, MI (Michigan)
Mike Jones – Oak Lawn, IL (Iowa)
Ryan Harris – St. Paul, MN (Notre Dame)
OFFENSIVE GUARD (3)
Pat Sharrow – Monroe, MI (Michigan)
Jeff Zuttah – Princeton, NJ (Michigan)
Martin O’Donnell – Downers Grove, IL (Illinois)
CENTER (1)
John Sullivan – Greenwich, CT (Notre Dame)
DEFENSIVE END (9)
LaMarr Woodley – Saginaw, MI (Michigan)
Joe Cohen – Palm Bay, FL (Florida)
Tim Washington – Sugar Land, TX (LSU)
Victor Abiamiri – Baltimore, MD (Notre Dame)
Doug Van Dyke – Marshall, MI (Purdue)
Claude McBride – Camden, NJ (Tennessee)
Lawrence Jackson – Inglewood, CA (USC)
Allen Billyk – New Castle, PA (Virginia)
Jermaine Dias – Hackensack, NJ (Virginia)
DEFENSIVE TACKLE (7)
Luis Hernandez – Metarie, LA (Indiana)
Carnell Stewart – River Ridge, LA (LSU)
Conrad Bolston – Washington, DC (Maryland)
Isaiah Thomas – Winston-Salem, NC (North Carolina State)
Trevor Laws – Apple Valley, MN (Notre Dame)
David Patterson – Warrensville Heights, OH (Ohio State)
Lawrence Dampeer – Decatur, IL (Oklahoma)
LINEBACKER (13)
Prescott Burgess – Warren, OH (Michigan)
Shawn Crable – Massillon, OH (Michigan)
Jim Presley – Highland, MI (Michigan)
Anthony Rogers – Saginaw, MI (Central Michigan)
Ernie Sims – Tallahassee, FL (Florida State)
Kirston Pittman – Reserve, LA (LSU)
Wesley Jefferson – Brandywine, MD (Maryland)
Fred Sparkman – Columbia, TN (North Carolina)
Joe Brockington – Palmyra, PA (Notre Dame)
Victor DeGrate, Jr. – DeSoto, TX (Oklahoma State)
H.B. Blades – Plantation, FL (Pittsburgh)
Marcus Lawrence – El Dorado, KS (South Carolina)
Mike Brown – Palm Beach Gardens, FL (Virginia Tech)
CORNERBACK (9)
Leon Hall – Vista, CA (Michigan)
Antonio Cromartie – Tallahassee, FL (Florida State)
Paul Oliver – Kennesaw, GA (Georgia)
William Cooper – Flint, MI (Michigan State)
Jeramie Johnson – Atlanta, GA (Mississippi State)
Isaiah Gardner – Salem, VA (Notre Dame)
Freddie Parish – Long Beach, CA (Notre Dame)
Dareus Hiley – Cleveland, OH (Ohio State)
Donte Whitner – Cleveland, OH (Ohio State)
SAFETY (9)
Brandent Englemon – Covington, KY (Michigan)
Quinton McCoy – Waterford, MI (Michigan)
Ryan Mundy – Pittsburgh, PA (Michigan)
Ryan Patterson – Tucson, AZ (Arizona)
Avery Roberson – Atlanta, GA (Georgia Tech)
Alan Ball – Detroit, MI (Illinois)
Ashton Youboty – Klein, TX (Ohio State)
Bernard Pollard – Fort Wayne, IN (Purdue)
Robbie Catterton – Virginia Beach, VA (Virginia)
KICKER (1)
Garrett Rivas – Tampa, FL (Michigan)
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| Shawn Crable would be ideal for the new regime |
Last week I put up a post explaining how Michigan’s defense will look in the coming years under new defensive coordinator Greg Mattison. Today we’ll take a look at the linebackers.
STRONGSIDE LINEBACKER (SAM)
Alignment: 9-technique, which is on the outside shoulder of the tight end
Gap responsibility: D gap, which is outside the tight end
What should he look like? If you’re building a team, this guy should be your best overall athlete with the best combination of size, strength, and speed. He resides on the strong side of the formation and holds the point of attack on most run plays. He will be blocked on every running play and take on blocks from fullbacks, tight ends, and pulling guards. He also needs to cover running backs out of the backfield, drop into flat or hook zones, or occasionally slide inside and blitz the interior line. These varied responsibilities require unique overall athleticism. Shawn Crable, who was about 6’5″ and 245 lbs. and could run like a deer, would be the prototype.The physical freak you create in NCAA Football who’s 6’6″, 260 lbs., and runs a 4.3 forty . . . he’s a SAM.
Best physical fit: Jake Ryan (6’3″, 224 lbs.). Keep in mind that Ryan is just a freshman and probably weighs more than 224 at this point, but all these players are coming from a defense that didn’t recruit players for the SAM position.
MIDDLE LINEBACKER (MIKE)
Alignment: 3-off, which is on the outside shoulder of the strongside guard and off the line of scrimmage
Gap responsibility: B gap, which is between the strongside tackle and guard
What should he look like? Your middle linebacker should be the tackling machine. As opposed to the middle linebacker in the 3-3-5 (who lines up directly over the center), the MIKE in a 4-3 Under aligns himself on the strong side of the formation. The formation of the defense funnels most running plays to the MIKE’s vicinity. He often has to defeat blocks from fullbacks, which means he has to have a sturdy frame. He also needs to have a nose for the ball and roam sideline to sideline. Unlike the 4-3 Tampa Cover Two defense, though, the MIKE in the 4-3 Under is somewhat protected in the passing game. He needs to be able to cover crossing routes and hook zones, but the deep middle of the field will be covered by one of the safeties. Obviously, everyone would like to have a great athlete at every position, but the MIKE can afford to be a little stiffer in pass coverage. The ideal size for a middle linebacker would be about 6’2″ and 245 lbs.
Best physical fit: Isaiah Bell (6’1″, 245 lbs.)
WEAKSIDE LINEBACKER (WILL)
Alignment: 1-off, which is on the inside shoulder of the weakside guard and off the line of scrimmage
Gap responsibility: Flow to the ball
What should he look like? Michigan had a great deal of success with smaller weakside linebackers when Hoke and Mattison were in Ann Arbor earlier in their careers, and I see no reason why that philosophy would change in the near future. Guys like Larry Foote and Ian Gold were both very effective while being a shade over 6′ tall and 205-225 lbs. The WILL rarely needs to take on a fullback because of the defense’s alignment; with a NT over the center and a DT over the weakside guard, it’s difficult to create enough space in that A gap to send a big fullback leading up through the hole. That means the WILL often gets a chance to flow to the ball and make things happen. He will blitz often and pick up running backs or slot receivers on rare occasions, so he needs to be somewhat more agile than the MIKE. So despite technically being an inside linebacker (aligned between the tackles), he can get away with being smaller.
Best physical fit: Antonio Poole (6’1″, 210 lbs.)
Davion Rogers shares a story about a fishing tripRogers is a 3-star linebacker to both Rivals and Scout, ranked as the #26 outside linebacker to Rivals and the #96 player at his position on Scout. Along with being a former Mountaineer commit, Rogers had also been reported to have interest in his Michigan State offer.
Michigan’s coaches recruited Rogers for the Quick end position, currently manned by Craig Roh. When Roh arrived in the summer of 2009, he was 238 lbs. Rogers is currently 6’6″, 210 lbs. and needs to bulk up before he can expect to contribute. Physically, he’s very reminiscent of former Michigan outside linebacker Shawn Crable; Crable was listed at 6’6″, 230 lbs. coming out of high school, but he ended up around 245.
Watching film of him, Rogers has incredible physical talent. The most impressive thing about him is his speed. He’s able to catch up to skill players from behind. His wingspan also helps him latch onto and wrap up players who might be out of a shorter player’s reach. Once he gains strength, that wingspan should also afford him the ability to keep offensive tackles out of his chest.
Unfortunately, one of the reasons that Rogers gets to show off his speed so much is that he tends to take poor pursuit angles. That’s typical for many talented athletes, but it’s something that will have to be corrected. Hopefully, his speed will result in a similar awesome play to Crable running down Michigan State’s A.J. Jimmerson from the opposite side of the field a few years ago. Rogers also tends to reach when tackling. He leaves his feet or stops his feet in order to reach out and tackle, which will be a problem against stronger, faster players.
Rogers is a few years away from contributing. Craig Roh has a similar skill set and his backup, Brandon Herron, offers a different type of skills. It should take a year or two for Rogers to gain enough strength to contribute, and his techniques will have to develop and mature as his strength does. Considering Brandon Herron will be a redshirt junior in 2010, I expect Rogers to redshirt as a freshman and then compete for playing time in 2012 when Roh is a senior and the whole world is wiped off the planet except John Cusack.
There’s no excuse for the #2 hit on this video not being #1.
The reason I like this video so much, though, is that it includes the only good play Chris Graham ever made for Michigan. Which is exactly one more good play than I made for the Wolverines, so good for him.