Tag: spring football

Spring Football Preview: Defensive Tackles and Defensive Ends

Bryan Mone (#90)

Projected DT starters: Fifth-year senior Ryan Glasgow was one of Michigan’s best starting defenders last season, and you could tell how much the defense missed him when he missed the end of the season with a pectoral injury. He finished the season with 25 tackles, 5 TFLs, and 1 sack in nine games at the nose tackle position. He is very strong, fairly quick off the ball, and uses excellent technique. Last year’s backup nose tackle Maurice Hurst, Jr. was pressed into a lot of playing time at the nose because of injuries, but his size makes him more of a 3-technique in an ideal world. Assuming Glasgow and Bryan Mone return healthy at NT, redshirt junior Hurst (35 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 3 sacks) should slide over to 3-tech and use his quickness there.

Hit the jump for the rest of the defensive line preview.

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Projected 2016 Spring Depth Chart: Defense

Jabrill Peppers

On Tuesday of last week, I posted a projected depth chart for the offense (LINK). Today I’ll take a look at the defense, which is expected to be a 4-3 with a defensive back-type player inhabiting the strongside linebacker-type role in some packages. With position previews forthcoming, I didn’t bother to elaborate on depth. Michigan is bringing in some early-impact guys on defense who should be the two-deep by the fall, but the roster is limited this spring since 22 of the incoming freshmen aren’t enrolled yet.

SDE: Chris Wormley (RS Sr.), Matt Godin (RS Sr.)

DT:

Maurice Hurst Jr. (RS Jr.), Brady Pallante (RS So.)

NT: Ryan Glasgow (RS Sr.), Bryan Mone (RS So.)

WDE: Taco Charlton (Sr.), Shelton Johnson (RS Fr.), Lawrence Marshall (RS So.)

*SAM: Jabrill Peppers (RS So.), Chase Winovich (RS So.), Carlo Kemp (Fr.)

MIKE: Ben Gedeon (Sr.), Mike McCray II (RS Jr.), Reuben Jones (RS Fr.)

WILL: Noah Furbush (RS So.), Devin Bush Jr. (Fr.), Jared Wangler (RS So.)

CB: Jourdan Lewis (Sr.), Keith Washington (RS Fr.), Freddy Canteen (RS So.), Reon Dawson (RS Jr.)

CB: Jeremy Clark (RS Sr.), Channing Stribling (Sr.), Brandon Watson (RS So.)

FS: Dymonte Thomas (Sr.), Tyree Kinnel (So.)

SS: Delano Hill (Sr.), Jordan Glasgow (RS Fr.)

*Dependent on defensive package

Spring Football Preview: Wide Receivers

Amara Darboh (image via KSL)

Projected starters: Fifth year senior Amara Darboh was Michigan’s leading receiver for most of last season, and he finished with 58 catches (#1 on the team), 727 yards (#2), and 5 TDs (#2). He returns with a spot virtually locked down, and he should be ready to go when spring begins. The latter cannot be said for fifth year senior Jehu Chesson, who had 50 catches (#3), 764 yards (#1), and 9 TDs (#1). Chesson was injured in Michigan’s bowl game and will likely miss spring ball while recovering from that undisclosed injury. Michigan did not get much production from the wide receivers behind them, but redshirt sophomore Maurice Ways, Jr. earned more playing time as the season went along, finishing with 3 catches for 40 yards total. If we’re going by trajectory, he would be the starter opposite Darboh this spring.

Hit the jump for more on the wide receiver position.

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Spring Football Preview: Offensive Line

Mason Cole

Projected starters: LT Grant Newsome (So.), LG Ben Braden (RS Sr.), C Mason Cole

(Jr.), RG Kyle Kalis (RS Sr.), RT Erik Magnuson (RS Sr.). Newsome was the sixth lineman by the end of the season. Jim Harbaugh said recently that Cole would start getting snaps at center as soon as spring practices starts, those two developments seem to be related. Braden, Kalis, and Magnuson all started at those respective positions for the entirety of 2015.

Hit the jump for the rest of the offensive line preview.

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Spring Football Preview: Tight Ends

Jake Butt

Projected starter: Senior Jake Butt. Butt (51 catches, 654 yards, 3 TDs) has been Michigan’s leading tight end for the past two seasons, and last year he was in the running for the Mackey Award, which is given to the nation’s top tight end. He should once again be in the running for the Mackey Award and an All-America nod.

Departures: A.J. Williams (12 catches, 129 yards), who was mainly a blocking tight end, graduated. Meanwhile, redshirt junior backup Khalid Hill is moving to fullback this spring (LINK) and redshirt sophomore Chase Winovich is moving back to linebacker after spending one season at fullback/tight end.

Hit the jump for more on the tight end situation.

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