The Michigan students (and football players) are currently on spring break for the next week. But once they return the players will be able to hit the pads for their annual 15 spring practices. This spring is going to be HUGE if Rich Rodriguez and his staff want to survive to coach another year. The offense will be fine, there is no doubt in my mind. But defensively, the staff need to get more players to step up, especially in the secondary. The only problem is.. well, there aren't a whole lot of players (with experience) there just yet. But that's what the spring is for.
Anyways, here's an early spring-ball defensive lineup, (I'll get to offense later).
DE: Ryan Van Bergen, Adam Patterson, Will Heininger
DT: Mike Martin [Injured for spring], Greg Banks
NT: William Campbell, Renaldo Sagesse
Quick: Craig Roh, Brandon Herron, Steve Watson
Mike: Obi Ezeh, J.B. Fitzgerald, Isiah Bell
Will: Jonas Mouton, Kevin Leach, Kenny Demens
Sam: Mike Jones / Brandon Hawthorne,
CB: J.T. Floyd,
SS: Vlad Emilien (hurt), Cameron Gordon
FS: Jordan Kovacs, Mike Williams, Thomas Gordon
CB: Troy Woofolk
As you can see... there aren't a whole lot of cornerbacks (scholarship corners at least) on the roster right now. That will change when Demar Dorsey, Cullen Christian, Terrance Talbott, and Courtney Avery arrive in the fall. I really, really wish Michigan could've gotten at least 1 or 2 defensive players in early for the spring, but it happens. The coaches will have much more to work with this year than last year.
I think Troy Woofolk will move back to the strong safety position (remember the safeties in this defense are reversed) because that's where he's most needed. Once Woofolk moved to corner and Kovacs/Williams played the deep safety, Michigan got bombed for the rest of the year in the secondary. If another corner or two can step up and JT Turner proves to the "the man", I think Michigan can field a much better, much more athletic secondary this year. But we're all going to have to wait to see who gets in during fall camp and impressed (or like Turner.. comes in out of shape).
The biggest position that needs to step up is obviously the linebackers. In 2008 it seemed like they improved a little bit, at least by the end of the season. But in 2009 Obi Ezeh and Jonas Mouton just seemed totally lost on the field at times. Hopefully that will change with Greg Robinson now coaching them. Greg coached the "hybrids" (Quick/SAM) last season and both Craig Roh and Stevie Brown played solid throughout the year. I'm hoping that Robinson can work his magic with Ezeh and Mouton, two fifth-year seniors with all the talent, they just need some good quality coaching.
Another thing to watch is who will replace Brandon Graham? Some players have said Ryan Van Bergen will slide over from Defensive Tackle and take his spot. This makes the most sense to me, as Van Bergen was kind of playing out of place as the defensive tackle in this defense and will be suited better as a defensive end. Also, with Mike Martin out for the spring, it will be a battle between Will Campbell and Renaldo Sagesse for the Nose Tackle position. Martin is better suited for the Defensive Tackle spot anyways, so hopefully Campbell and/or Sagesse will step up. If one of them does, that will allow the defensive line to add some much needed size, and Martin and Van Bergen can actually play their natural positions.
Offense will be up tomorrow.
Shawn Conway goes blue
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2011 recruiting
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Shawn Conway, a receiver from Birmingham, Michigan, was on very few people's recruiting radars before last night. Rich Rodriguez and his staff were able to evaluate Conway at the 7-on-7 camps last summer, and after viewing his film they offered him last night at Michigan's Junior Day. Conway accepted immediately, and becomes the third commitment in the 2011 class.
Conway plays receiver and defensive back at Birmingham Seaholm High School, and also is a kick/punt return specialist for his team. He's got great size at 6"4, and you can see in his highlight films that Shawn is great at going up and getting the ball out of the air, whether it's on a route or in traffic. This is going to be pivotal for Conway in his future at Michigan, because the last two season's very few receivers have been able to go up and get the ball and adjust well to it in the air.
Some might say Conway is a little slow, but I think he's actually got solid speed. And that can be worked on as well. Of the four recently committed receivers (Miller, Jackson, Robinson, and now Conway), I'd say Shawn is faster than all of them, and if you combine that with his hands and catching abilities, I think he's got a very high ceiling once he gets to Michigan.
Conway plays receiver and defensive back at Birmingham Seaholm High School, and also is a kick/punt return specialist for his team. He's got great size at 6"4, and you can see in his highlight films that Shawn is great at going up and getting the ball out of the air, whether it's on a route or in traffic. This is going to be pivotal for Conway in his future at Michigan, because the last two season's very few receivers have been able to go up and get the ball and adjust well to it in the air.
Some might say Conway is a little slow, but I think he's actually got solid speed. And that can be worked on as well. Of the four recently committed receivers (Miller, Jackson, Robinson, and now Conway), I'd say Shawn is faster than all of them, and if you combine that with his hands and catching abilities, I think he's got a very high ceiling once he gets to Michigan.
Spring Battles
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2011,
spring battles
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Vincent Smith is out for the spring, and many are looking to take his placeSpring ball is right around the corner. Players have been working out in the weight room and conditioning three times a week, and very soon they'll be able to participate in the 15 (legal) spring practices.
Michigan's offense experienced a major jump in production in the 2009 season. Only.. it was against poor opponents. I don't expect another significant jump this season, but they will continue to improve. Since he got here Rich Rodriguez has stressed "competition" and "starting roles never being safe" and in his third year it's finally becoming a reality, at least on offense.
I'll start off by highlighting some major spring battles. I've already done quarterbacks, and I'll be sure to revisit them plenty during the spring and summer. So we'll start off with running backs.
The Incumbents: Sophomore Vincent Smith (out for spring), RS Sophomore Michael Cox, Junior Michael Shaw, RS Freshman Fitzgerald Toussaint
The Newbies: Freshman Stephen Hopkins, Freshman Austin White
Last season Michigan possessed a very talented backfield.. the only problem was, Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown were oft-injured and never 100%. Vincent Smith came in as a diminutive true-freshman, obliterated Delaware State, and played well against Wisconsin and Ohio State before tearing his ACL. Michael Cox finally saw the field (again, Delaware State) and showed flashes of both power and speed, scoring two touchdowns. Michael Shaw battled some injuries and inconsistencies once more, and it's a wonder whether he'll ever put it together. Fitzgerald Toussaint, on the other hand, received rave reviews from many players and coaches, and probably would've played if not for a freak-collarbone break.
Stephen Hopkins is a big, big back from Texas (225+ lbs), while Austin White is more of a slasher, slot-type with good speed and quick moves. Both are enrolled early, meaning with the exception of Smith, we have a little running back battle building in the spring.
The outcome: Shaw, Cox and Toussaint perform platoon-like duties in the spring until a true starter emerges in the fall. Hopkins provides some "bulk" at the superback position and plays a little fullback, while Austin White redshirts. The talent is certainly here for this to be a great group, they're just lacking in experience and performance right now.
Look out for: Michael Cox. People are already pegging Toussaint as the future, but Cox is an excellent athlete who should finally put it together this spring and fall.
The Jump
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quarterbacks,
tate forcier
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There's an old coaching adage that says "the biggest difference is made between year one and two." Michigan fans saw that with the Wolverines offense this past season, as it performed extremely well in some games, and still not quite good enough in others.
More importantly though, this coming season will be the second season for Tate Forcier. Now, don't take this as me counting out Denard Robinson or Devin Gardner to win the quarterback job. But if everything goes as planned, Forcier should be the starter when the fall rolls around. Tate will have another full spring and fall camp to continue to work on his mechanics, the playbook, and the other nuances of the quarterback position.
So how much of a jump will he make?
First, I'm going to take a look at a few quarterbacks here in the Big Ten for comparison. The first graph is comprehensive of all the players first years starting (some redshirted or didn't play right away). The second is of course, their second year.
Nothing too surprising here. Daryll Clark have a very good year, while Juice Williams was very raw coming out of high school and basically a better runner than a passer. Pryor's rating is a little high considering he didn't throw many passes, and the low interception rate.
Now taking a look at the second graph, we see widespread improvement in a lot of areas. Every player listed increased their total completions, attempts, and yards thrown. There were touchdown jumps for a number of players, with Ben Chappel tacking on 13 to his past season's work. The only concerning thing as a fan for me is the number of interceptions. Stanzi, Chappel, and Pryor all made big jumps in throwing picks.
Stanzi and Pryor were the only ones who didn't increase their passer rating. That doesn't meant they didn't advance as quarterbacks.. that just means their coaches opened the playbook more and they threw more passes, (and in the case of Stanzi.. a lot more intercepted passes).
So what does this mean for Tate? Last season he completed 58.7% of his passes for 2,005 yards, with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, with a 128.5 QB rating. Overall, pretty consistent with the numbers we've seen from Big Ten quarterbacks. With another year in the system under his belt though, Tate should experience a solid jump in accuracy, yards, and touchdowns. With more of the playbook open to him, don't be surprised to see him throw the ball a little more often, and hopefully that will include more of the vertical passing game.
With steady improvement at the quarterback position, that could mean the difference between 5 wins and 7 or 8 wins for Michigan this coming season. The pieces are finally there on offense, for the most part. And with quarterback being such a vital position, it's going to be the last piece of the puzzle (aside from the defense) for Michigan to go bowling once more.
I wouldn't be surprised if Forcier ends up in the top 3-4 quarterbacks in the league, considering Daryll Clark and Mike Kafka both graduate. If Ricky Stanzi can lower his interceptions, I'd say Scott Tolzien, Stanzi, maybe Kirk Cousins, and Tate Forcier are the top 4 quarterbacks in the Big Ten. But that day is still far away.. so we'll have to wait and see!
More importantly though, this coming season will be the second season for Tate Forcier. Now, don't take this as me counting out Denard Robinson or Devin Gardner to win the quarterback job. But if everything goes as planned, Forcier should be the starter when the fall rolls around. Tate will have another full spring and fall camp to continue to work on his mechanics, the playbook, and the other nuances of the quarterback position.
So how much of a jump will he make?
First, I'm going to take a look at a few quarterbacks here in the Big Ten for comparison. The first graph is comprehensive of all the players first years starting (some redshirted or didn't play right away). The second is of course, their second year.
Nothing too surprising here. Daryll Clark have a very good year, while Juice Williams was very raw coming out of high school and basically a better runner than a passer. Pryor's rating is a little high considering he didn't throw many passes, and the low interception rate.
Now taking a look at the second graph, we see widespread improvement in a lot of areas. Every player listed increased their total completions, attempts, and yards thrown. There were touchdown jumps for a number of players, with Ben Chappel tacking on 13 to his past season's work. The only concerning thing as a fan for me is the number of interceptions. Stanzi, Chappel, and Pryor all made big jumps in throwing picks.
Stanzi and Pryor were the only ones who didn't increase their passer rating. That doesn't meant they didn't advance as quarterbacks.. that just means their coaches opened the playbook more and they threw more passes, (and in the case of Stanzi.. a lot more intercepted passes).
So what does this mean for Tate? Last season he completed 58.7% of his passes for 2,005 yards, with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, with a 128.5 QB rating. Overall, pretty consistent with the numbers we've seen from Big Ten quarterbacks. With another year in the system under his belt though, Tate should experience a solid jump in accuracy, yards, and touchdowns. With more of the playbook open to him, don't be surprised to see him throw the ball a little more often, and hopefully that will include more of the vertical passing game.
With steady improvement at the quarterback position, that could mean the difference between 5 wins and 7 or 8 wins for Michigan this coming season. The pieces are finally there on offense, for the most part. And with quarterback being such a vital position, it's going to be the last piece of the puzzle (aside from the defense) for Michigan to go bowling once more.
I wouldn't be surprised if Forcier ends up in the top 3-4 quarterbacks in the league, considering Daryll Clark and Mike Kafka both graduate. If Ricky Stanzi can lower his interceptions, I'd say Scott Tolzien, Stanzi, maybe Kirk Cousins, and Tate Forcier are the top 4 quarterbacks in the Big Ten. But that day is still far away.. so we'll have to wait and see!
From within
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position coaches
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Today Michigan fans finally found out about their new Safeties/Outside Linebackers coach. The response wasn't very positive.
It's tough to say very much about a hire from within the program.. especially when Rich Rodriguez has been discredited very often for "hiring his guys". The new guy, a young gun by the name of Adam Braithwaite, will be responsible for directing one of UM's most under-performing units of the last two seasons, the safeties (though he'll also help with the OLB's).
For those of you who haven't read the presser, here's a brief list of his past jobs:
- Michigan Quality Control Coach - 08'-09'
- Hampden-Sydney College Defensive Coordinator - 07'
- West Virginia University - Graduate Assistant - 05'-06'
- William & Mary College - Safeties Coach - 04'
- West Liberty State College - Wide Receivers and Special Teams Coach - 03'
Early Enrollees to watch
Labels:
early enrollees,
fall ball,
spring ball
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I didn't follow the early-enrolling process before Rich Rodriguez came to Michigan, but in the last two years the staff has gotten a lot of players into school early, and for some, it's paid off big time.
This season, 7 players have been able to enroll early. Anytime you can get recruits on campus early, get them acclimated to school and the climate, and get them working out with the team- that's always a positive in my book. The only negative with this current crop is, well, they're all offensive players.
Still, with that being said, here are my predictions (very early) on how the early enrollees will perform this coming season.
Devin Gardner, QB:
As mentioned before, Devin is the prototypical Rich Rod Spread QB. He's 6"4, 200 lbs, can run like a freight-train, and has a cannon of an arm. Getting him in early may prove to be huge in the fall. Gardner is already throwing with the other quarterbacks and getting used to his receivers. If he can absorb the offense, I think Gardner has a legitimate chance to be the #2 quarterback in 2010. Gardner's progression may also allow Denard Robinson to move around and experiment with different offensive positions.
If Tate is hurt, then Gardner may see some playing time when the season rolls around. But if he doesn't and Devin redshirts.. well then that is no problem either.
Stephen Hopkins, RB/FB:
From what we've heard out of the coaches so far, it sounds like Stephen Hopkins is going to be a kind of runningback/fullback combination. Coach Rodriguez called him a "bigback" multiple times, and another coach said they recruited him to be similar to Owen Schmitt at West Virginia. Hopkins has potential to be a good player though. When he's in the game, he can be a threat to both block and take the ball on a handoff as well. Combine him with a Michael Shaw, and it forces opposing defenses to consider both of them dangerous.
With that being said, I wouldn't be surprised to see Hopkins play a little in the fall in this capacity. If Mark Moundros plays both ways (as Coach Rod said in the presser) then that may force Hopkins to see a little more playing time.
Jerald Robinson, WR:
As a receiver, Robinson doesn't have real great speed, or that "next gear". However, he is excellent and adjusting on the fly and getting the ball in the air. That's going to be huge when Tate/Denard are scrambling around and looking to throw the ball. If you watched Michigan's Wide Receivers last year, most of the time when the quarterback scrambled they didn't move around. And I think that will be one of Jerald's biggest strengths in being able to play.
Receivers Coach Tony Dews said he'll play two of the freshman receivers, so don't be surprised if one of them is Robinson. Kid is a baller.
Ricardo Miller, WR:
Ricardo was probably one of the top receivers in Florida his junior year. After moving to Michigan in the fall, he saw his rankings drop as he adjusted to the weather and different climate up here. But make no mistake about it, Ricardo is a good player. He's not overly fast, but is a very strong receiver with good hands. His motivation may be his greatest tool. Miller wants that #1 jersey, and by all accounts, he has all the tools to do so.
With Robinson, I think Miller will make an impact at the outside receiver position in the fall. Book it.
Notes, changes
Now that the 2010 class is signed I will be removing the 2010 commitments (seen on the right) and adding a 2011 commitment list. Spring ball is only a little over 2 months away, so we'll still have plenty to talk about.
As for right now, here are a few links for you to read about Michigan's 2010 class.
Michigan's recruiting analysis - ESPN blogger Adam Rittenberg. A good read overall, summarizes the class and talks about who should contribute early.
Scouts Inc, Big Ten breakdown ($) - The guys at scouts inc on ESPN rank the Big Ten's classes. Michigan comes in 2nd behind Penn State, with some nice reviews.
Rivals.com Top 25 Classes - Rivals has Michigan as the 20th best class in the country, which in all reality is pretty good considering what we've been through the past two seasons.
With that being said, the 2010 recruiting is pretty much at a close. There may be one academic casualty in this class in Antonio Kinnard, but he'll be working hard to qualify. Coach Rodriguez said if he doesn't make it in they'll help him get into prep school or a junior college.
As for right now, here are a few links for you to read about Michigan's 2010 class.
Michigan's recruiting analysis - ESPN blogger Adam Rittenberg. A good read overall, summarizes the class and talks about who should contribute early.
Scouts Inc, Big Ten breakdown ($) - The guys at scouts inc on ESPN rank the Big Ten's classes. Michigan comes in 2nd behind Penn State, with some nice reviews.
Rivals.com Top 25 Classes - Rivals has Michigan as the 20th best class in the country, which in all reality is pretty good considering what we've been through the past two seasons.
With that being said, the 2010 recruiting is pretty much at a close. There may be one academic casualty in this class in Antonio Kinnard, but he'll be working hard to qualify. Coach Rodriguez said if he doesn't make it in they'll help him get into prep school or a junior college.
The closer
If there's anything that can be said about Rich Rodriguez and his staff, they can definitely close with recruiting. Last season they drew a number of commitments on national signing day, and today was no different.
After hearing that California Safety Sean Parker, who actually committed to the coaches last week, was heading to Washington, Wolverine fans were dismayed. However, two hours after Parker signed with Washington, Michigan gained the commitment of one Florida Safety Demar Dorsey.
Standing at 6"1, weighing 175 lbs, and with a reported 4.35 40, Dorsey is considered a 4-star prospect by all the major recruiting services. He was originally commited to Florida, but after he decided to look around at other schools, Florida pulled his scholarship offer. It came down to Florida State, USC, and Michigan, and in the end, Dorsey chose Michigan.
Apparently the staff told Dorsey he'll have the opportunity to be like Charles Woodson, meaning he'll play defense (corner or safety) and also be able to take some snaps at Wide Receiver. Dorsey's parents were also very happy with Michigan because of their academics, so chalk another one up to the Michigan Academic's.
The rest of Michigan's previously committed recruits signed, including Terry Talbott. Dorsey gives them 27 commitments for the 2010 class.
After hearing that California Safety Sean Parker, who actually committed to the coaches last week, was heading to Washington, Wolverine fans were dismayed. However, two hours after Parker signed with Washington, Michigan gained the commitment of one Florida Safety Demar Dorsey.
Standing at 6"1, weighing 175 lbs, and with a reported 4.35 40, Dorsey is considered a 4-star prospect by all the major recruiting services. He was originally commited to Florida, but after he decided to look around at other schools, Florida pulled his scholarship offer. It came down to Florida State, USC, and Michigan, and in the end, Dorsey chose Michigan.
Apparently the staff told Dorsey he'll have the opportunity to be like Charles Woodson, meaning he'll play defense (corner or safety) and also be able to take some snaps at Wide Receiver. Dorsey's parents were also very happy with Michigan because of their academics, so chalk another one up to the Michigan Academic's.
The rest of Michigan's previously committed recruits signed, including Terry Talbott. Dorsey gives them 27 commitments for the 2010 class.
The fantastic finish
That's right ladies and gentlemen, we are t-minus 24 hours and counting down to national signing day. A few things for you all.
- Rashad Knight officially committed to Rutgers today. Knight was a four-star safety product from Florida, and though Michigan led for most of his recruitment, Rutgers pulled it out in the end. Sucks, but luckily Michigan has other safeties committed.
- The final two (at least publicly) are California Safety Sean Parker and Florida Safety/Athlete Demar Dorsey. A lot of people are feeling Parker is going to go to Michigan, but Dorsey is predicted to head to Florida State. Still, anything can happen- you may see a surprise name pop up on Michigan's list tomorrow.
As for predictions on who we get..
Sean Parker. Dorsey would be a surprise to me, but I feel best about Parker. Hopefully we take both, you never know!
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