Please, real-life football news begin soon.

MGoBlue covers pretty much all the bases, except mentioning that the award goes to the best offensive or defensive lineman… or linebacker?

Woodley won the award last year, and Jake looks to make it a repeat for the maize and blue.

Posted under Personnel

Just a couple of (as yet unconfirmed) things that have been coming out of spring practice.

1) Kevin Grady has suffered a fairly severe knee injury, and will be out for the rest of the spring, maybe even longer.
2) Carlos Brown is as good as gone.

This leaves the team in the precarious position of having only one backup running back on scholarship at this time. It’ll be interesting to see if the Grady injury is enough to convince Brown to stay, since it would mean a lot more playing time for him.

Posted under Personnel

The loss of Germany hurts DE depth, but the Wolverines are strong in the middle, and have some real potential in guys coming off the edge. Taylor seems poised to have a good year stopping the run up the middle. There is 2 or 3-deep depth at every position, but the real question is how much quality there is at each of these positions. Sagesse will redshirt unless there is a huge depth problem.

Nobody will be lost to graduation, but Terrance Taylor MAY be able to make the jump if he has a really good year. Still, with depth as poor as it is on the defensive line, expect the staff to go for a couple of defensive ends (including one top guy) and a defensive tackle, maybe two. This year will be a time for the staff to improve the depth, especially losing a couple of guys after the next season.

This is a definite rebuilding year for a linebacker corps losing two of three starters. The depth chart will probably not be completely set until after fall camp. Fortunately, the Wolverines are 2-deep at every position. Some of these guys need to improve, and expect both freshmen to take a redshirt. I am surprised to hear that Panter is not practicing all that well, as I didn’t think Michigan would bother with a JuCo unless they thought he’d be able to contribute right away. There’s the off chance that he takes a redshirt (he has 3 years to play two) as well.

Shawn Crable is graduating after this season, as is Chris Graham. If Graham wins the starting job this year, the team will again have to replace at least two starters. The MLB position seems fairly strong as far as depth, even if Cobrani Mixon transfers to Cincinnati, as has been rumored. A couple of OLBers should come in this class, as well as maybe one MLB to build further depth, since Thompson and Panter both have junior eligibility (unless Panter redshirts).

This position, long a subject of much bitching for Michigan fans, looks to be relatively strong this year. If Trent and Sears can continue to improve (reports from spring camp indicate that Sears is looking very good), the corners should be adequate, though still the weakness of the position group. New coach Vance Bedford has helped this position a lot. The nickel back position is a new one for Ron English’s defensive scheme, and Brandon Harrison looks to fill that role, with freshman Michael Williams backing him up. Expect redshirts for Babb, Rogers, and Woolfolk, though nothing is guaranteed.

To graduation, Michigan loses Anton Campbell, a career special teamer (who actually impressed in spring practice), Jamar Adams, a three-year starter at SS, Brandent Englemon, and undistinguished safety. With a bunch of safeties in the past couple classes, Michigan will probably only need to take one or two. At the CB position, nobody is lost to graduation, but Doug Dutch
(unrenewed 5th year candidate) is unproven at the position, as is sophomore Carlos Brown. Expect a couple of CBs to be taken, including at least one super (I’m going out on a limb here by saying they’ll land one – wait a minute, they already got U.S. Army combine MVP Boubacar Cissoko).

Posted under Personnel, Recruiting

Looks at all position groups, how they’ll be in the fall, and what recruiting needs will arise.

Others unaccounted for:
DeBenedictis
Huyge
Molk

The starting line seems to be pretty well-set, going Long-Kraus-Boren-Mitchell from left to right. The only question is at right tackle, where RS frosh Steve Schilling, Perry Dorrestein, and RS Soph Mark Ortmann battling for the starting job. Ortmann is really the future LT, so I’m not sure they want im starting at RT. The OL seems to be at least 2-deep at every position.

Michigan will lose Jake Long and Adam Kraus to graduation, and will probably not renew the scholarship of Grant DeBenedictis for a 5th year. The last couple of OL classes have been pretty small. Huyge and Molk will probably redshirt. Michigan needs at least 2 OTs (they already have one commitment from Dan O’Neill), incluing one more top guy. A couple interior linemen wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

Next year’s starting OL probably looks Ortmann-Ciulla or Schifano-Boren-Mitchell-Schilling or Zirbel.

Henne is entrenched as the starter. Forcier is gone to Stanford, leaving Mallett as the backup. David Cone is still developing, and is likely to play the career backup role.

Henne graduates after this season, and there is huge need for at least one non-project at the quarterback position to serve as Mallett’s theoretical 2008 backup, and probably another guy to be improved over the course of his career.

Hart will obviously remain the starter here. Minor is the backup, with Kevin Grady out with a torn ACL. Carlos Brown is back on offesne. Avery Horn enters this fall. He will likely redshirt his freshman year. At fullback, RS Frosh preferred walk-on Mark Moundros looks like the probable starter. If this is the case, Helmuth can take a redshirt before his four years of mauling linebackers.

Hart will be lost to graduation. That will leave 4 scholarship backs after this year (assuming Horn qualifies and stays at the position). That means Michigan will probably want to take one, and maybe even two, running backs in this class. There is no need at fullback with Helmuth just a true freshman.

Others unaccounted for:
Bass

Not a ton of depth here, but the starters are pretty good. Mathews showed some flashes last year as well, and all reports indicate that he is looking good in the spring. Savoy looked really good last spring, and ended up contributing almost nothing during the course of the year. He looks good again this year (per reports), so we’ll have to see if he can translate it to the field this time. A couple of freshmen are coming in, and it looks like both might play next year for depth reasons. Will Bass ever play again? That is the million-dollar question.

Nobody is lost to graduation, but Arrington and Manningham may be able to make the jump early if they have breakout year. Manningham needs to prove he can do things with the ball, proving he’s not just a one-trick pony. Arrington has shown himself t be fairly complete, and he has size. If he has big numbers, it should be enough to vault him into potential early-entry territory. If both of these guys leave, depth is absolutely shot, and there will have to be a big WR class. It is unlikely that Bas will ever play again, but if he does, he is a tremendous athlete. Expect at least two WRs taken in this class (with maybe one as a big guy who could split out as a TE), with another taken for each guy who does not come back and exhaust his eligibility.

Losing Butler whacked depth at this position right in the face. Masse
y is the only guy who even has played in a real game scenario. Watson and Webb are both incoming freshmen who were probably going to redshirt, though one of them might have to play this year, since Criswell and McLaurin aren’t very good. Smart money is on Watson, as he is pretty much ready to play, whereas Webb would be well-served by a redshirt year. He is physically a lot like Butler was coming in, though hopefully does not share mental deficiencies.

Losing the starter, who was going to be retuning for yet another year, will force Michigan to take a tight end in this class, though I think they originally had wanted to take a WR/TE tweener. With Webb and Watson both around, they might still be able to just get by with one of those hybrid prospects.

Posted under Personnel, Recruiting

First thing’s first: the class of 2007 is tiny. There are only 9 scholarship guys in it. First indication is that Michigan will have a tiny recruiting class next year. However, my count has 8 scholarships unaccounted for (well, three are accounted for, but won’t be used by their original owners). That brings the total for the recruiting class up to seventeen, before any further attrition.

Possible early entries and big trouble, along with transfer candidates includes a sum total of 6 guys (Arrington only counted once). Thus, without any unforeseen attrition, such as some underclassman having a ridiculous year and going pro, or more Big Trouble, the recruiting class could be anywhere from 17 to 23. If it is determined that Antonio Bass can no longer play football (which would be a huge shame; he’s a great kid and tremendous athlete), his scholarship will no longer count against the 85 (see precedents of Kolodziej and Reid), making it possible for maybe one more.

In future years, the classes will likely be bigger, as the graduating classes that are currently juniors and seniors are far more sizable that their senior counterpart. Of course, they are likely to shrink with some sort of attrition. The freshman class seems huge, but remember that a good number of the incoming freshman will redshirt, counting toward the next year’s eligibility expiration, and not their own. Again, expect some sort of attrition from this class as well.

By the way, if anyone knows where I am missing 5 scholarships in the current breakdown, feel free to let me know in the comments.

Posted under Personnel

This is based on the Spring Roster with the addition of Adrian Arrington. I only accounted for 74 scholarships (out of 79). The maximum is 85, but 3 scholarships were for the players who have since been dismissed, one was for Forcier, who be wit dem Cardinal now, and one for
mixon, who be wit dem Falcons. McKinney and Schifano have both quit the team. The status of Quinton Patilla is up in the air. This discrepancy of 5 should mean that there are more scholarships for the next recruiting class than many think (for next season, they will probably be given to some senior walkons). More walkons will be added before the season.

9-17-07 Johnny ears booted for dat herb.

Current scholarship players

*Unused redshirt – Threet must use his redshirt in 2007.

Total – 59 + 17 Fall freshmen

Unused Scholarships – 10 (7 from Germany, Richards, Forcier, Mixon, McKinney, Schifano, Sears)

Possible big trouble – Arrington, as yet unforeseen misbehavers

Possible Early entry – Manningham, Arrington, Taylor

Possible Transfer Candidates – C. Brown

Unrenewed 5th Candidates – Gallimore, DeBenedictis, Dutch

Posted under Personnel

On MGoBlue now! Hurray!

Number changes:
Stevie Brown #3
Kevin Grady #24
Doug Dutch #35

New guys:
Ryan Mallett #15
Vince Helmuth #32
Artis Chambers #38
Austin Panter #54

Posted under Personnel