Tag: Will Hart

2018 Season Countdown: #45 Will Hart

Will Hart (image via Twitter)

Name: Will Hart
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 196 lbs.
High school: Hunting Valley (OH) University School
Position: Punter
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #17
Last year: I ranked Hart #84 and said he would be a backup punter. He punted 13 times for 490 yards (37.7 yards/punt) with 1 touchback, 5 fair catches, and 6 punts inside the 20-yard line.
TTB Rating: N/A

Last season was an odd year for punters at Michigan. Michigan brought in freshman Brad Robbins late in the recruiting cycle, and he was expected to be the guy. However, Robbins struggled. Michigan didn’t let strong-legged Quinn Nordin pull double-duty as the kicker and punter. So they turned to Hart, who was very inconsistent. At times he hit some decent punts, but he never averaged over 40 yards/punt in any contest throughout the year, and his 37.7 yards/punt average for the entire season was less than stellar. (It would have been last in the Big Ten if he had enough punts to qualify.)

This year I expect Robbins to be the guy, and he averaged 40.4 yards/punt (#11 in the Big Ten). However, he has not proven to be consistent enough to ward off Hart permanently, and it might be important for Hart to give Robbins competition and keep him on his toes. There’s a chance Hart won’t punt a single ball this year, but based on last season, this is still a question mark for the Wolverines.

Prediction: Backup punter

Michigan vs. Cincinnati Awards

Lavert Hill (image via the Journal Gazette)

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Ty Isaac. I hit on it last week when Isaac had 114 yards, and the Michigan coaching staff listened. Can you guys believe Jay Harbaugh reads this blog? I’m honored and humbled . . .  Really, though, Isaac ran 20 times for 133 yards in this one and is averaging 8.0 yards a carry this year. So far he has been the best back on the team, and Michigan should continue riding him until Chris Evans and/or Karan Higdon step up their performances.

Hit the jump for more awards.

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2017 Season Countdown: #80 Will Hart

Name: Will Hart
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Hunting Valley (OH) University School
Position: Punter
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #17
Last year: I did not rank Hart. He redshirted.

Michigan is in a unique position going into 2017. It’s not often that your kickoff guy, your punter, and your placekicker are the same guy, but that was the situation in Ann Arbor last year. Now Kenny Allen is gone, and Michigan needs to start fresh everywhere.  Will Hart might be the answer at punter, but reports from this spring were not overly positive, and true freshman Brad Robbins is expected to win the job when he arrives this fall. But you never know what might happen. Last year people expected Quinn Nordin to come in and win one of the kicking jobs, and injury prevented him from playing at all. Michigan does have options – Robbins, Hart, Nordin, Ryan Tice – so Hart himself isn’t very high on this list.

Prediction: Backup punter