00:00:02
What's up everyone? Majeski here back
00:00:04
again talking college football and today
00:00:06
we're breaking down the Michigan
00:00:08
Wolverines 2025 roster and what to
00:00:11
expect. Before we get started, make sure
00:00:13
to hit that thumbs up button, subscribe
00:00:15
to the channel. That helps us a ton. A
00:00:17
small channel like this, you'd be
00:00:19
shocked how much all of that goes in
00:00:22
supporting a channel like this. If
00:00:24
you've done that, thank you. Usual
00:00:26
disclaimer, recording this in early May.
00:00:28
The portal just closed the spring window
00:00:31
that is not sure if all of these teams
00:00:33
are done adding. Michigan is a candidate
00:00:36
to take on some players at a few
00:00:38
positions. Maybe a wide receiver. We'll
00:00:39
see what they do. There's also a couple
00:00:41
battles that will be decided in the
00:00:43
summer. So, if there's something you
00:00:45
disagree with, please let me know in the
00:00:47
comments section and why. Always trying
00:00:49
to get better and sometimes there might
00:00:51
be a new piece of information that will
00:00:53
help with the overall analysis of a
00:00:55
team. With that said, let's dive in and
00:00:57
look at what Michigan accomplished last
00:00:59
year. Here are their efficiency
00:01:01
metrics. First and foremost, what stands
00:01:04
out is this team was pretty bad
00:01:07
offensively. A lot of that stem from the
00:01:09
quarterback position. They were 123rd in
00:01:11
QB efficiency. Receiving game didn't
00:01:14
give them a ton of help. Part of the
00:01:17
issue there was injuries. Coloulston
00:01:18
Lovelin missed a portion of the season.
00:01:20
The run game was surprisingly a little
00:01:23
worse than expected as well. Lot of high
00:01:26
expectations for Donovan Edwards that he
00:01:28
didn't quite live up to. So they were
00:01:30
62nd in rushing efficiency and the O
00:01:33
line was replacing almost everything. So
00:01:36
a step back was to be expected. I don't
00:01:38
know if outside the top half of the
00:01:40
country in run blocking and pass
00:01:42
blocking efficiency was quite expected,
00:01:44
but that's what we got. Conversely,
00:01:46
defense was absolutely electric. The
00:01:49
only thing that held them back at times
00:01:51
was their pass coverage unit. Another
00:01:53
area decimated by injury highlighted by
00:01:57
Will Johnson. There's a couple guys that
00:01:58
are actually back this year who missed
00:02:00
all of last season which initially would
00:02:03
have been maybe starters for this team.
00:02:05
Overall, they were a very runheavy team,
00:02:08
only a 40% pass rate, and they were
00:02:10
super slow offensively, too. But they
00:02:13
were coming off a national championship.
00:02:14
They had to replace a ton. injuries did
00:02:16
them no favors and they had a new
00:02:18
coaching staff and still I think you
00:02:20
could argue the season was a success.
00:02:22
They go eight and five. They beat Ohio
00:02:25
State to end the season. They beat
00:02:27
Alabama in the bowl game. Their only
00:02:29
losses basically were to playoff teams.
00:02:32
They lost to Indiana, Oregon, and then
00:02:35
Texas. The only nonplayoff losses they
00:02:37
had were to Illinois and Washington.
00:02:40
Both competitive games, close games. And
00:02:43
that was the story with Michigan. They
00:02:44
basically played close games across the
00:02:47
board and they were able to come out on
00:02:49
top of of a lot of these, especially as
00:02:51
they sort of figured out who they were,
00:02:53
a team that needed to rely on defense
00:02:55
and rely on running the ball as much as
00:02:57
they possibly could. Heading into this
00:02:59
year, we get year two of Chiron Moore,
00:03:02
previously the OC of this team, coached
00:03:04
tight ends before that. He does have a
00:03:06
suspension. We don't know exactly what
00:03:09
games. There's been a bunch of rumors on
00:03:11
this that they're going to select the
00:03:12
games that are most advantageous for
00:03:15
them to try to get ahead of this, but
00:03:16
they'll be without him for at least part
00:03:18
of the season. Offensive coordinator
00:03:21
Chip Lindsay is going to take over this
00:03:23
position after they were dreadful last
00:03:25
year. He was the North Carolina
00:03:27
offensive coordinator from 2023 to
00:03:30
24. He's a good OC. There's no way to
00:03:33
describe this any other way. I mean,
00:03:35
he's been with multiple offensive
00:03:38
philosophies. He had Drake May in 2023,
00:03:40
led them to success. They lose Drake
00:03:42
May. Quarterback goes down in week one
00:03:44
last year. So, then they need to be a
00:03:46
run centric team. They were successful
00:03:47
under Omari and Hampton as the
00:03:49
centerpiece of that offense. So, he's
00:03:51
made it work in multiple ways. And he's
00:03:53
worked with some highle QBs. Defensive
00:03:55
coordinator Wink Martindale enters his
00:03:57
second season. He was previously in the
00:04:00
NFL, the Giants defensive coordinator
00:04:02
from 2022 to 2023. Everything looked
00:04:05
great with that unit last year. So, no
00:04:06
real concerns as they head into year
00:04:08
two. They'll replace some positions, but
00:04:10
that's kind of just what you get when
00:04:12
you have a team that's perennially
00:04:14
contending and will be looking at
00:04:16
getting players drafted every single
00:04:17
year. Let's look at their retention and
00:04:20
their
00:04:22
recruiting. They took a big step this
00:04:24
year. It's a freshman class, but this
00:04:26
team has been recruiting kind of around
00:04:28
that 15 mark for a few years now. 2024,
00:04:31
they were 16th. 23 they were 17th. This
00:04:34
year their incoming class jumped to
00:04:36
sixth which is a trend in the positive
00:04:38
direction because historically they've
00:04:40
trailed Ohio State. They I guess if you
00:04:42
want to include Oregon going back beyond
00:04:43
their addition to the Big 10, they've
00:04:45
trailed there as well. So this is a
00:04:47
positive step for this Michigan team.
00:04:50
Retention's been great for them for the
00:04:52
most part. They lost some kids from the
00:04:53
23 class but returned almost everyone
00:04:55
from 2024. And historically, if you want
00:04:58
to go back even beyond 23 to 22 and 21,
00:05:01
some of the players that were on the
00:05:02
national championship roster, they were
00:05:05
holdovers from previous recruiting
00:05:06
classes, they have not been very heavy
00:05:08
in the portal historically because they
00:05:10
don't need to. This year's portal class
00:05:12
is 34th. Last year's was 57th. 23s was
00:05:15
15th. So, they're sort of a situational
00:05:18
portal class. It's more quality over
00:05:20
quantity for Michigan for the most part.
00:05:23
But let's dive into the 2D roster for
00:05:26
this upcoming season and what to expect.
00:05:29
Here is what we are looking at. This
00:05:31
tool is available in
00:05:34
Discord. If you want that, the link will
00:05:36
be will be below. Basically, what we're
00:05:38
trying to do is take a look at the team
00:05:41
on the 2D project players that'll
00:05:44
actually see the field. Transfers are in
00:05:46
yellow. We have experience in these
00:05:48
three columns. It'll give you the year
00:05:50
they are with the system and how many
00:05:52
snaps they played the last two years.
00:05:54
From there, their recruiting ranking in
00:05:55
terms of stars. And then there's a value
00:05:57
score in the offense that basically
00:06:00
takes your recruiting ranking first and
00:06:02
foremost. And then from there, if you're
00:06:06
playing snaps, the more snaps you play,
00:06:08
the less it factors in recruiting
00:06:09
ranking and looks at more onfield
00:06:11
performance for these players. So, it's
00:06:14
good roster with Michigan right away.
00:06:17
the places that have the most concern. I
00:06:20
think you begin with QB for the second
00:06:21
straight year. The only difference is
00:06:23
it's unproven. Whereas last year was
00:06:26
unproven, but there were talent
00:06:27
questions with Alex Orgy at the helm and
00:06:29
then obviously they pingponged around
00:06:31
starters for most of the season. This
00:06:33
year they have two options and the first
00:06:36
one is a graduate transfer and Mikey
00:06:38
Keane. He's sort of your back stop to
00:06:40
the offense. If Bryce Underwood, who
00:06:42
we'll discuss in a second, can't be
00:06:44
ready right away for week one, you have
00:06:46
Mikey Keane, who's a multi-year starter.
00:06:48
Originally, he played with UCF. Last two
00:06:51
years he's been with Fresno State.
00:06:52
Completed 70% of his passes for 2,800
00:06:56
yards over that mark. 7.4 yards per
00:06:59
attempt, 18 scores, 11 interceptions.
00:07:01
Turnovers have been a problem at times.
00:07:03
Last year, he had 14 big time throws, 15
00:07:06
turnover worthy plays, and he's a
00:07:08
complete zero on the ground. Cannot run
00:07:10
whatsoever. We're talking negative
00:07:12
3779 career rushing yards. That's
00:07:14
negative 3.1 yards per carry. But we
00:07:17
call them a backs stop for a reason.
00:07:20
They bring in the number one player in
00:07:22
the 2025 class. That is QB Bryce
00:07:24
Underwood. Not just number one QB,
00:07:26
number one player, five-star, of course.
00:07:29
He's 6'3, 215. All the arm mobility in
00:07:32
the world. He does have actual mobility
00:07:35
too with his legs. as a high school
00:07:37
player. If you look at all the
00:07:38
recruiting services, he's described as
00:07:40
more of a functional passer and with
00:07:42
functional mobility. So, not someone
00:07:44
who's going to run like Lamar Jackson,
00:07:46
but somebody who will use his legs to
00:07:48
pick up first downs, extend plays in the
00:07:50
pocket. Obviously, there's a higher
00:07:52
ceiling with him under center. Just not
00:07:54
sure when that's going to be, if it's
00:07:55
week one or if it's sometime like week
00:07:58
eight. For the record, I do think they
00:08:00
can win games with Mikey Keane. I just
00:08:02
don't think they have a playoff ceiling
00:08:04
with him. With Bryce Underwood, I think
00:08:06
they have the potential to win a lot of
00:08:08
games, including playoff ones, if they
00:08:11
can actually maximize his talent. It's a
00:08:13
deeper quarterback room than you might
00:08:14
think. 2024 fourstar Jaden Davis is
00:08:17
still on the team. He doesn't really
00:08:18
project to play a role in this
00:08:20
quarterback battle. I imagine he'll
00:08:22
transfer at some point just with the air
00:08:23
apparent Bryce Underwood already being
00:08:25
there. Running back, they lose Khalil
00:08:27
Mullings and Donovan Edwards. That unit
00:08:30
I don't think quite lived up to
00:08:31
expectations last year. They have some
00:08:33
new faces. First of all, they added
00:08:35
Alabama transfer Justice Haynes, a
00:08:37
former five-star. He only rushed 79
00:08:40
times for 448 yards last year, but that
00:08:42
was still 5.7 yards per carrying, 17
00:08:45
catches for him. 5'11, 210 lbs. So, he's
00:08:48
a great place to start. Couple four-star
00:08:50
sophomores are back. Jordan Marshall,
00:08:53
Marshall, Micah Kapana. Marshall did
00:08:56
rush 31 times for 120 yards. He's 5'11,
00:08:58
210 as well. Another incoming fourstar,
00:09:02
Jasper Parker is a freshman, so he maybe
00:09:04
functions as a rotational back. They did
00:09:07
have a couple other transfers. CJ Hester
00:09:09
from UMass and John Vulkar from
00:09:11
Princeton. Hester maybe plays a
00:09:13
rotational role. He was originally with
00:09:14
Western Michigan in 2023, then with
00:09:17
UMass last year, 529 yards on 119
00:09:20
carries. That was just 4.4 yards per
00:09:23
carry, 14 catches. Vulkar from
00:09:26
Princeton, I don't think he plays at all
00:09:28
this year. I'm not sure why he came in.
00:09:30
Wide
00:09:31
receiver. This was a complete mess for
00:09:34
Michigan last year. I think they're a
00:09:35
little bit better, but I still have
00:09:37
questions with the overall ceiling. They
00:09:39
do return their third and fourth leading
00:09:41
wide receivers, Samaj Morgan and
00:09:43
Frederick Moore. Morgan in particular
00:09:45
had a much better season when he was
00:09:47
playing with JJ McCarthy. Last year, the
00:09:49
510, 174 pound slot receiver caught
00:09:53
seven 27 balls for 139 yards. That's
00:09:56
just 0.89 89 yards per hour, which is
00:09:58
pathetic. But we have another sample to
00:10:01
look at with an NFL QB. His yards per
00:10:04
out was at
00:10:05
2.72. So when we're talking about these
00:10:07
incumbent Michigan receivers, I don't
00:10:08
want to penalize them too much,
00:10:10
especially when they have a sample
00:10:12
that's much better with an NFL QB versus
00:10:14
what we saw with a player that could
00:10:16
barely handle the snap last year.
00:10:20
Anyway, Moore, Frederick Moore, that is
00:10:22
he's 6'1, 181 pounds, played on the
00:10:25
boundary 74% of the time, caught 11
00:10:27
balls, 128 yards, he was at 1.32 yards
00:10:30
per route. This isn't anything that's
00:10:33
going to blow you away. I think you can
00:10:34
get can get functional play out of both
00:10:36
of these receivers, but I'm not quite
00:10:38
sure what the ceiling is going to be.
00:10:40
They also return former walk-on Pton
00:10:42
Olri played 376 snaps. They returned
00:10:46
Kendrick Bell. He's a junior now. He
00:10:48
played 342 snaps. Essentially, no one in
00:10:51
the offense did a good job catching
00:10:52
passes outside of Coloulston Lovel. So,
00:10:55
they have a lot coming back, but they
00:10:57
also went out to the portal and added
00:10:59
Donovan McCully from Indiana, as well as
00:11:01
Anthony Simpson from UMass. Simpson
00:11:04
originally played at Arizona before he
00:11:06
went to UMass for the last two seasons.
00:11:08
Last year, he sat out after just four
00:11:10
games so he could preserve a year of
00:11:11
eligibility. So, let's look at 2023.
00:11:14
He's 5'11, 185. Caught 57 balls for 81
00:11:17
yards. That's 2.46 yards per hour. 82%
00:11:21
in the slot. McCully did the same thing.
00:11:24
He sat sat out after four games after he
00:11:26
was getting beat out by a lot of
00:11:28
transfers. He caught 48 balls for 644
00:11:31
yards in 2023. He's 6'5 203. Played out
00:11:35
wide 89% of the time, 1.83 yards per
00:11:38
hour. My biggest question with these
00:11:40
guys, first of all, with Simpson, it's
00:11:42
you're going from UMass to Michigan. The
00:11:45
jump is going to be steep. With Maui,
00:11:48
you already got beat out by players in
00:11:50
your conference that are opponents of
00:11:52
Michigan's. Is it really a good thing
00:11:55
that the rotational receiver from
00:11:57
Indiana that had to sit out to preserve
00:11:59
a year of eligibility in order to get a
00:12:01
second chance is your starter and
00:12:04
potentially your number one. I'm not
00:12:05
necessarily sure that's a good thing in
00:12:07
this offense. They also have a decent
00:12:10
amount of four stars on the roster.
00:12:12
Marian Stewart's a sophomore, couple
00:12:14
freshman in Andrew Marsh and Jacob
00:12:16
Washington. We just haven't seen
00:12:18
Michigan actually develop a receiver in
00:12:20
a while now. But I think your ceiling
00:12:23
probably lies with these young players.
00:12:25
Just not sure they're going to get on
00:12:26
the field and what the development is
00:12:28
going to be. Again, new OC, so things
00:12:30
are changing a little bit. But we need
00:12:32
to start seeing Michigan get more out of
00:12:34
these receivers, even going back all the
00:12:36
way to like a Nico Collins, and we're
00:12:38
talking a previous staff now. They
00:12:40
didn't maximize a player like that
00:12:41
either. So, we need to see some of these
00:12:43
receivers at least make a jump and play
00:12:46
functional football. Again, it's not an
00:12:47
offense, at least previously, that was
00:12:49
asking you to rely on the wide receivers
00:12:52
and pass game. It's always been a
00:12:53
runbased team, but still, you need
00:12:56
something out of the position, which
00:12:57
they haven't gotten lately. Tight end,
00:12:59
they move on from Coulson Loveland. He
00:13:01
goes to the NFL, number 10 overall pick.
00:13:03
They have a couple experienced players.
00:13:05
This was a heavy 12 team last year.
00:13:08
Marlon Klein is back. He's 66, 247. He
00:13:11
was mostly a blocker, only caught 13
00:13:13
passes for 108 yards. Shockingly, those
00:13:15
108 yards were good for fifth on the
00:13:17
team in receiving. It shows you how bad
00:13:19
this pass game actually was. But they
00:13:21
also returned Max Bredesen. He plays all
00:13:24
over the formation. He's 6'4, 240. Of
00:13:27
his 356 offensive snaps, he played 82 at
00:13:30
fullback, 178 in line, and another 82 in
00:13:34
the slot. Vast majority of his snaps
00:13:36
were blocking as well. From there, they
00:13:39
have a 2024 Forstar Hogan Hansen. He
00:13:43
actually profiles more as a receiver.
00:13:44
Caught seven balls for 78 yards. Couple
00:13:47
of four stars. Brady PCorn is a
00:13:50
sophomore, freshman fourstar. Deacon
00:13:52
Tanelli is on the team now. So, tight
00:13:54
end's a deep position. Certainly deeper
00:13:56
than receiver and one they actually have
00:13:58
developed pretty well
00:14:00
year-over-year. The offensive line, they
00:14:02
lose the left side. Miles Hinton and
00:14:04
Josh Pber gone. There's a little bit of
00:14:07
uncertainty with the line. They've been
00:14:09
moving some players around in the
00:14:10
spring. So, this is just a projection. I
00:14:13
thought the logical replacement for left
00:14:14
tackle was going to be four-star junior
00:14:16
Evan Link, who played most of the year
00:14:18
at right tackle, but then they moved him
00:14:20
over to left tackle for the bowl game.
00:14:22
He was the worst offensive lineman on
00:14:24
the team by a wide margin. He allowed 30
00:14:27
QB pressures, but then in the spring
00:14:29
they moved him inside, at least for part
00:14:31
of workouts. So, I'm not quite sure
00:14:34
where Evan Link is going to play, if
00:14:36
he's going to be a starter, but he's
00:14:38
highc caliber recruit, so I think there
00:14:40
will be a place for him somewhere. I'm
00:14:42
just not sure if that's at tackle,
00:14:43
inside or out, because they there are a
00:14:46
couple other options. They added a Cal
00:14:48
Poly transfer, Brady Norton. He seems
00:14:51
more of an interior player to me because
00:14:53
of size. He's only 6'3,
00:14:55
275. He played in the FCS, was pretty
00:14:58
good as a run blocker. Now, obviously,
00:15:00
they'll probably try to put weight on
00:15:01
him, but at 63, you're looking just from
00:15:04
his frame more of an interior player, so
00:15:07
I'm not sure what to do with him. He
00:15:08
played tackle in the FCS. They also have
00:15:11
a five-star freshman in Andrew
00:15:14
Babalola. He's been somebody who's
00:15:16
already received a lot of hype. And
00:15:18
Babalola came in at 66, 300 pounds. So,
00:15:22
this isn't your typical developmental
00:15:24
offensive lineman. We got to get him in
00:15:26
the weight room. Got to fill out a
00:15:27
spring. He's already 300 lb and he's
00:15:30
6'6. So, I don't think it's crazy to see
00:15:33
Babalola play for this team in some
00:15:35
capacity this season. Left guard, you're
00:15:38
looking at Giovanni Elhadi. He returns
00:15:40
to his natural position. Last year, he
00:15:42
played at right guard. He was the best
00:15:44
pass blocker on the entire team, which
00:15:45
is 10 pressures allowed. So, he's moving
00:15:48
over to the left side. Center should be
00:15:50
Greg Krippen. Played 558 snaps last
00:15:53
year. Only allowed 10 10 pressures. He
00:15:55
was the second best pass blocker on the
00:15:57
team. Trailed a little bit in the run
00:15:58
game, but you still have an experience
00:16:00
option there. Right guard, I think, is
00:16:02
Nathan Ephobe because of Link's movement
00:16:06
around the offensive line. This may
00:16:07
change, but if Phobe is a four-star
00:16:09
junior, he played just two snaps last
00:16:11
year. He's just been working at the head
00:16:12
of the offensive line in camp, spring
00:16:15
camp, that is. And then right tackle,
00:16:19
Andrew Sprog should be the current
00:16:20
favorite. He was the starter in the bowl
00:16:22
game against Alabama. He's had solid
00:16:23
showings when he's been on the field so
00:16:26
far for the former fourstar. There's
00:16:29
also a lot of depth. Four stars Tai
00:16:31
Haywood, Luke Hamilton, Blake Frasier
00:16:33
are still with the team. They bring in
00:16:34
freshman. Avery Gotch Fair State
00:16:37
transfer. Lawrence Hatter comes in.
00:16:38
Don't think he plays much. Basically, I
00:16:41
think there's probably seven or eight
00:16:43
legitimate candid candidates to start on
00:16:45
the offensive line, which is a positive
00:16:47
for Michigan. Now, it's basically just
00:16:49
how can we configure this unit to get
00:16:51
our best five on the field. I would be
00:16:53
shocked if they're worse than last year.
00:16:55
I think this is almost certainly going
00:16:56
to be a better unit, which should help
00:16:58
everything from the run game, protecting
00:17:00
your quarterbacks, which they'll need to
00:17:02
do. Again, Keen can't run and then you
00:17:04
always want to prot protect your young
00:17:06
QBs if Underwood gets out there
00:17:08
immediately. Defense, they're losing a
00:17:10
lot, especially up front, but they have
00:17:12
stacked this position year-over-year, so
00:17:14
I don't think we're going to see too
00:17:16
much of a drop off. Josiah Stewart, the
00:17:18
former Coastal Carolina transfer, is now
00:17:20
in the NFL, but they returned Derek
00:17:22
Moore, TJ Guy, and Cameron Brandt from
00:17:24
this position. Moore is a former
00:17:27
four-star. He started the last two
00:17:28
years. Last year, 37 pressures. That was
00:17:31
the exact same number as Stuart, so
00:17:32
you're looking at a stud immediately. TJ
00:17:36
Guy, 419 snaps. He's a former three
00:17:39
star, but he had 29 25 pressures right
00:17:41
away. Good run defense numbers. BR
00:17:44
Brandt played 301 snaps, 14 pressures.
00:17:47
It's a very good place to start. They
00:17:49
also have some sophomores excelling in
00:17:51
spring. Dominic Nicholls, he's been
00:17:54
playing a fair amount already. They also
00:17:56
have Lugard Adapai, he's another player
00:17:59
who's seen his name called a lot in the
00:18:01
spring. Devin Baxter still there. That
00:18:03
doesn't even include freshman's
00:18:05
Nathaniel Marshall and Julius Holly.
00:18:07
They've been stacking the edge for years
00:18:09
now. Most of those players are good
00:18:11
recruits, if not elite recruits, and
00:18:13
there's actually more experience than
00:18:15
you'd expect considering they lost a
00:18:16
high draft pick in Josiah Stewart.
00:18:19
Inside, the shoes are a little bigger to
00:18:21
fill. Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant
00:18:23
were both elite players and very high
00:18:25
NFL draft picks, but they still do get
00:18:28
back 327 snaps from Raan Benny. He was
00:18:31
awesome. Fourstar, he had 20 QB
00:18:33
pressures from the interior, and he was
00:18:35
even better against the run. The only
00:18:37
question you can really raise is, yeah,
00:18:39
you're going to play well when most of
00:18:40
the attention's on Mason Graham and
00:18:41
Kenneth Grant, but still, you'd rather
00:18:44
have the experience and production than
00:18:46
not. The second most experienced
00:18:48
defensive tackle is Trey Pierce with 153
00:18:50
snaps, but this is where Michigan went
00:18:53
out and attacked the portal with the
00:18:55
quality over quantity. They bring in
00:18:57
Deont Payne from Alabama and Trey
00:18:59
Williams from Clemson. Payne's a former
00:19:01
five-star. He's been in the Alabama
00:19:03
rotation. He's not the face of it, but
00:19:05
he's been playing. And Williams got 3003
00:19:08
snaps for Clemson. Last year, he's a
00:19:09
former fourstar. They're going to work
00:19:11
in rotation with Benny and maybe a
00:19:13
couple other guys get involved in this
00:19:14
like Pierce. They have a ton of depth.
00:19:16
Fourstar sophomore Ted Hammond's here.
00:19:19
Fourstar freshman Travis Motton and
00:19:21
Benny Patterson come in. The Dline
00:19:24
probably isn't, you know, your number
00:19:25
whatever it was, three overall unit in
00:19:27
the country. But man, I'd be shocked if
00:19:30
this team fell below top 20, top 25.
00:19:32
This is going to be an awesome Dline
00:19:34
again this year. Linebacking, they
00:19:37
returned two starters, Ernest Houseman
00:19:40
as well as Jan Barham. Houseman
00:19:44
originally came over from Nebraska. He's
00:19:46
now been with Michigan the last two
00:19:48
years. Elite run defender, led the team
00:19:49
with 89 tackles. Barm is originally a
00:19:52
Maryland transfer, former four-star. He
00:19:54
was second on Michigan in tackles last
00:19:56
year with 66. Both of them are great run
00:19:58
defenders. Barm's a little worse in
00:20:00
coverage. She'll have 26 catches and 34
00:20:03
targets for 232 yards. So yeah, you can
00:20:06
have them in the pass game eventually,
00:20:07
but elite run stuffing linebackers in a
00:20:11
conference that mainly runs the ball.
00:20:13
Defensive back, they lose Will Johnson.
00:20:17
He was out for a majority last year
00:20:18
anyway. So they have a fair amount of
00:20:20
experience back that you might not
00:20:21
expect. On the boundary, Gyer Hills
00:20:24
back. He was the team's top coverage
00:20:26
player. Seven PBUs, one pick, 58%
00:20:28
completion percentage. Zeke Barry is
00:20:31
also back. I think you probably see him
00:20:33
on the boundary this year after he split
00:20:35
his time between the slot and the
00:20:36
boundary last year. Also maybe could be
00:20:39
a safety, but they they're very deep at
00:20:41
safety. Barry was the weakest link on
00:20:44
the entire defense. He allowed 498
00:20:46
passing yards into his coverage, which
00:20:48
was the most on the team. So, you're
00:20:49
hoping for some year-over-year
00:20:50
development or just maybe someone else
00:20:52
steps up. I think Michigan's probably
00:20:55
going to play with three safeties on the
00:20:56
field, but one of them is probably going
00:20:57
to be primarily a slot. TJ Metaf, I
00:21:01
think, is the best candidate for this,
00:21:02
but still not sure how everything shakes
00:21:04
out. He's the Arkansas transfer. Played
00:21:06
730 snaps last year. Great run defender,
00:21:09
so he's also good around the line of
00:21:10
scrimmage and near the box. He was
00:21:12
fourth on Arkansas in tackles at 57.
00:21:14
Five PBUs, three INTs. If he doesn't
00:21:17
work out for whatever reason, they have
00:21:18
depth. Caleb Anderson comes in from
00:21:20
Louisiana where he was a rotational
00:21:22
boundary corner. We'll see the role for
00:21:24
him. They also have a couple DBs
00:21:27
returning from injury. Rod Moore missed
00:21:29
the whole season. Jaden Manga missed the
00:21:31
whole season. Rod Moore started in both
00:21:33
22 and 23. He had six PBUs and six INTs
00:21:37
in those seasons. Manga, it's kind of
00:21:39
the same thing. He was with Michigan
00:21:41
State and he was a starter. Played
00:21:42
really well in 2023, but then missed all
00:21:44
last year. So, what do those players
00:21:46
give you? There's also a fair amount of
00:21:48
depth. I think for the record, both of
00:21:50
them play safety. Fourstars Brandon
00:21:53
Hillman's back. Mason Curtis is back.
00:21:55
They both played a fair amount last
00:21:57
year. 234 and 101 snaps. There's a lot
00:22:00
of depth here as well. Teis Metaf, the
00:22:02
brother of Travis, is in the program
00:22:04
now. He transferred in. Forstar freshman
00:22:07
Jaden Sanders, fourstar sophomores,
00:22:09
Jacob Odowen, Kia Winston, Elijah
00:22:12
Dawson. a lot of depth with Michigan on
00:22:15
defense. Much deeper than the offensive
00:22:17
side of the ball. At kicker, they
00:22:19
returned Dominic Zavvada. He started at
00:22:22
two years with Arkansas State before he
00:22:24
came over last year and kicked with
00:22:26
Michigan. He's missed just two of 99
00:22:29
career extra points. Last year, he was
00:22:31
21 of 22 on field goals and he went
00:22:33
seven of seven from 50 plus. He was the
00:22:36
third most efficient kicker in all of
00:22:38
college football. So, your special team
00:22:39
should be awesome with Michigan again
00:22:42
this year. Let's It's a good roster. I
00:22:45
think they will be better this year and
00:22:46
show growth year-over-year, but again,
00:22:48
all of this is dependent on the
00:22:50
schedule. As we saw with Indiana last
00:22:53
year, sometimes a very good schedule can
00:22:55
make up for some roster deficiencies.
00:22:57
So, let's see what we're working with
00:22:59
this
00:23:01
year. We have a weird non-conference.
00:23:04
Oklahoma is on it. It is also a road
00:23:07
trip which is definitely not easy.
00:23:09
Otherwise, you have New Mexico and
00:23:11
Central Michigan. I think right now it's
00:23:14
going to be close to a pick them in the
00:23:16
Oklahoma game. My tentative guess right
00:23:19
now on the early season projections is
00:23:20
that Oklahoma's a slight favorite just
00:23:22
because they're the home team, but we'll
00:23:25
see on that. It's a fairly difficult
00:23:27
schedule for Michigan overall. They have
00:23:30
to play Ohio State to end the year as
00:23:34
they always do. Luckily, they are
00:23:36
dodging Penn State and Oregon. So, some
00:23:38
of the top dogs aren't on your schedule,
00:23:40
but you do play a fair amount of the
00:23:42
middle of this conference. You have to
00:23:43
go to Nebraska. Wisconsin will be a home
00:23:46
games, but you travel out west to USC.
00:23:49
Washington, you get it home. The real
00:23:52
part of the schedule that's awesome for
00:23:53
this team, it's the second half before
00:23:55
Ohio State. You go to Michigan State
00:23:57
who's still very much in a rebuild. And
00:23:59
also, that road trip's not far. You have
00:24:01
Purdue and then you have road trips to
00:24:03
Northwestern and Maryland who project to
00:24:05
be at the bottom of the conference. So,
00:24:08
it's almost an imbalanced schedule. The
00:24:09
Oklahoma non-con makes it more
00:24:11
difficult, but you do have a fair amount
00:24:13
of layups on this schedule that you're
00:24:15
you'd be shocked if Michigan's not close
00:24:17
to a double- digit favorite in the
00:24:19
Michigan State, Purdue, Northwestern,
00:24:20
and Maryland game. And even from there,
00:24:22
Wisconsin's not projected to be up as
00:24:24
high as they've been. Same with
00:24:26
Washington, who's in year two under Jed
00:24:27
Fish. This a very workable schedule for
00:24:30
Michigan. and one where they should be
00:24:32
expected to win eight to nine games
00:24:34
minimum with a playoff potentially in
00:24:37
their sights because Oregon's changing
00:24:40
QBs, ton of change. Ohio State's
00:24:42
changing QBs, ton of change. Penn
00:24:44
State's the team with a lot of
00:24:45
continuity and then you quickly run out
00:24:47
of other contenders. Indiana's changing
00:24:49
QBs with a ton of other change on the
00:24:51
roster. Everything's right in front of
00:24:53
Michigan this year. We'll see what they
00:24:55
can do. The conference is never going to
00:24:57
be easy, but with this schedule,
00:24:59
double-digit wins and a playoff
00:25:01
appearance should be the goal. That'll
00:25:03
do it for us today. Thank you guys for
00:25:04
watching. Let me know what you think.
00:25:06
We'll be back again soon with more
00:25:08
breakdowns. Until then, good luck. We'll
00:25:10
see you guys next time.
