Tag: Taco Charlton

2014 Season Countdown: #38 Taco Charlton

Taco Charlton and Mario Ojemudia

Name: Taco Charlton
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 275 lbs.
High school: Pickerington (OH) Central
Position: Defensive end
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #33
Last year: I ranked Charlton #46 and said he would be a backup weakside end. He played in ten games and made 2 tackles with .5 tackles for loss.

Charlton was a bit player last season when Michigan had pretty solid depth at weakside end. He found himself behind Frank Clark – a second team all-conference player – and an experienced backup in Mario Ojemudia. The big question mark about Charlton has always been his technical refinement, but his athleticism is enough to make up for some of his deficiencies. This spring he moved to strongside end, which is more fitting of a guy who’s 6’6″ and 275 lbs.

Unfortunately for Charlton, he’s still behind senior Brennen Beyer, who moved from the weak side to the strong side late last year. Michigan’s move to the 4-3 Over means the strongside end is more of an edge guy than an end/tackle hybrid, and that fits Michigan’s defensive end personnel, which consists of a bunch of semi-proven weakside ends and a handful of (unproven) end/tackle hybrids. Consequently, the Wolverines’ top four defensive ends are all current or former weakside guys. Charlton should get plenty of run as a second-stringer this year; he has a higher upside than Beyer, but the coaching staff is partial to seniors, so the younger man’s superiority must be blatantly obvious before he can supplant Beyer.

Prediction: Backup strongside end; 20 tackles, 2 sacks

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl Preview: Defensive Line

Defensive end Ryan Mueller had 18.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks during the regular season.

MICHIGAN
Starters: Junior weakside end Frank Clark (6’2″, 273 lbs.) is the headliner of the group. As a Second Team all-conference selection, he started the season a little slowly but ended with 12 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. The other defensive end will likely be junior Brennen Beyer (6’3″, 250 lbs.), who has bounced from SAM linebacker to weakside end to SAM linebacker and now to strongside end. Despite starting every game this season, he has just 25 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks, so his playmaking skills are somewhat lacking. Fifth year senior Quinton Washington (6’4″, 301 lbs.) is the nose tackle, and he holds the point of attack fairly well but has made just 19 tackles while being hampered by a nagging back injury. Senior Jibreel Black (6’2″, 278 lbs.) is the 3-tech tackle and can give interior linemen trouble with his quickness, but generally, he lacks the bulk to hold up in the power run game, which could very well be an issue against Kansas State.
Backups: Redshirt sophomore Keith Heitzman (6’3″, 280 lbs.) began the season as the strongside end but is more of a stopgap player with 8 tackles and .5 tackles for loss. Redshirt freshman Chris Wormley (6’4″, 289 lbs.) has played end and 3-tech tackle, and while not a dominant player, he has flashed potential with 17 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. Redshirt freshman Ryan Glasgow (6’4″, 300 lbs.) has played a fair amount at defensive tackle but has just 2 total tackles to show for it, and redshirt junior Richard Ash (6’3″, 314 lbs.) has 3 tackles on the season. The backup weakside ends are sophomore Mario Ojemudia (6’3″, 250 lbs.) with 20 tackles and 1.5 sacks and freshman Taco Charlton (6’6″, 270 lbs.) with 2 tackles and .5 tackles for loss.

KANSAS STATE
Starters: Redshirt junior left end Ryan Mueller (6’2″, 245 lbs.) is the star of KSU’s defensive front, racking up 61 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, 3 quarterback hurries, and 4 forced fumbles this year. That performance earned him first team all-conference honors and mention on some All-America teams. On the other end is senior Alauna Finau (6’1″, 258 lbs.), who has 20 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and .5 sacks on the year. Sophomore left defensive tackle Travis Britz (6’4″, 293 lbs.) has 33 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks. Senior right defensive tackle Chaquil Reed (6’3″, 309 lbs.) has 33 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks, and he runs pretty well for a big guy.
Key backups: Redshirt sophomore defensive end Marquel Bryant (6’3″, 241 lbs.) has 13 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks, and junior defensive tackle Valentino Coleman (6’3″, 285 lbs.) has 4 tackles as Britz’s backup. The only other defensive lineman to play in even half of the Wildcats’ games is redshirt junior defensive end Laton Dowling (6’3″, 254 lbs.), who has just 3 tackles on the year, but that includes 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

THE TAKEAWAY
Michigan is #27 in the country in rush defense with 139 yards allowed/game, and Kansas State is #40 giving up 145 yards/game. Against the pass, Michigan is #68 with 23 sacks, and Kansas State is #48 with 27 quarterback takedowns. Statistically, there’s not a ton that separates these two teams. In watching Oklahoma’s 41-31 win over the Wildcats in game 11, I was not impressed with the defensive line. Granted, Oklahoma was the #11 team in the country, but Finau and Coleman looked particularly vulnerable in the running game. They don’t flip their defensive line much, so Mueller has been able to rack up a lot of his numbers against teams’ right tackles, who are generally inferior to the left tackles. Against Michigan, Mueller will face likely one of his best opponents this year in Michael Schofield. Britz and Reed might be able to get a little bit of penetration, but Michigan’s improved offensive line play in the last couple weeks of the season should be sufficient to have a decent day. The Wildcats have the better individual statistics and perhaps the best overall player in Mueller, but with the way Clark, Ojemudia, Beyer, Wormley, Henry, Washington, and Black work together to funnel things to the inside linebackers, I think the advantage right here goes to . . .

ADVANTAGE: Michigan

Class of 2013 Redshirts

Derrick Green (#27) carries the ball against Central Michigan

Here’s an updated list of the freshmen who have played thus far in 2013 and the freshmen who are on pace to redshirt. Offensive guard Kyle Bosch, who is expected to start at left guard against Michigan State, is the most recent addition to the first list.

FRESHMEN WHO HAVE PLAYED
OG Kyle Bosch
TE Jake Butt
DE Taco Charlton
LB Ben Gedeon
RB Derrick Green
S Delano Hill
WR Da’Mario Jones
CB Jourdan Lewis
QB Shane Morris
RB De’Veon Smith
CB Channing Stribling
S Dymonte Thomas
WR Csont’e York

FRESHMEN WHO ARE REDSHIRTING (SO FAR)
OG David Dawson
FS Reon Dawson
CB Ross Douglas
WR Jaron Dukes
OT Chris Fox
TE Khalid Hill
DT Maurice Hurst, Jr.
C Patrick Kugler
LB Mike McCray
DT Henry Poggi
OG Dan Samuelson
FB Wyatt Shallman
LS Scott Sypniewski
OT Logan Tuley-Tillman

2013 Season Countdown: #46 Taco Charlton

Taco Charlton

Name: Taco Charlton
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 265 lbs.
High school: Pickerington (OH) Central
Position: Defensive end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #33
Last year: Charlton was a senior in high school. He had 116 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, and 19 sacks.

Charlton committed to Michigan in February 2012. He was never offered by the home state Buckeyes, but we never saw him waver in his commitment to Michigan. Charlton impressed enough people to get invited to the inaugural The Opening last summer, where he impressed observers further. Analysts praised his athleticism and length while noting that he struggled when he couldn’t beat blockers with his initial speed rush. Then he went on to have a monster senior season with those 19 sacks. He enrolled early at Michigan in January and played fairly well in the spring game, albeit against backup offensive linemen.

While Charlton passes the eye test, his technique – especially against the run – will be a question. The starter at weakside end will likely be junior Frank Clark, and the other competitor for that starting spot moved to strongside linebacker. That means Charlton will be fighting for playing time with sophomore Mario Ojemudia, an undersized but athletic player. I would not be surprised if a couple of these weakside ends get on the field at the same time in obvious passing situations. Michigan will have to manufacture a pass rush with Jake Ryan injured and subpar pass rusher Brennen Beyer perhaps taking his place at SAM. I think Charlton will be third on the depth chart at weakside end, but defensive coordinator Greg Mattison likes to rotate defensive linemen, so he should see a fair amount of time.

Prediction: Backup weakside end

Poll results: Who will be the best defensive lineman in the 2013 class?

Taco Charlton (left, with Shane Morris) has Michigan fans excited

Taco Charlton: 55%
The only early enrollee of the group, defensive end Charlton was listed on the spring roster at 6’6″ and 265 lbs.  Technique was a bit of an issue in high school, but he used his hands better in the spring game and notched a couple sacks against the offense’s backups.  Not bad for a kid who should be dealing with a bout of senioritis.  The physical attributes are present; his success depends on his work ethic and attention to improving his technique.

Henry Poggi: 32%
Poggi is almost the opposite of Charlton, although he’s not a bad athlete.  Poggi plays defensive tackle and has great technique for an incoming freshman, but he’s only listed at about 6’4″ and 265 lbs.  He probably won’t ever be a mammoth defensive lineman, but he’s athletic enough and stout enough to be a productive player at Michigan.

Maurice Hurst, Jr.: 12%
Hurst is a 6’2″, 305-pounder who also played running back in high school.  The lowest rated player of the trio, he played well in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl and showed some impressive quickness.  He could play nose tackle or 3-tech defensive tackle.