The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/835590
THE WOLVERINE 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 17 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL • -3.0 — "Through nine games, Michigan's offense was averaging 6.7 yards per play and 48 points per game. After that, the per play average fell 3.0 yards and U-M scored 23 points per game. No wonder the Wolverines finished 1-3." Finally, Athlon's popular "Scouting The Wol- verines" segment features anonymous opposing coaches giving their unvarnished takes on Michi- gan. "Everything Jim Harbaugh does is for a reason," these sources begin. "The media falls for his stuff, but every time he's out there in public he's commu- nicating to his team or to recruits, and maybe some- times he's sending a message to other coaches. … The team is starting to reflect Jim — you could see it more last year. They want to outwork you. That was the whole satellite camp thing last offseason. He wanted to send a message to the SEC and other schools that he will outwork you to make up for any advantage you might have over Michigan. … They're scouting opponents better than anyone in our league. They're at Alabama's level of prep and analysis, and as they've started to fit talent you're seeing the effects. It's hard to surprise them. … Let's see how they can replace that secondary. It should be interesting because now it's about how those big recruiting classes translate. Let's see how fast we notice [Jabrill] Peppers being gone. If they're going to seriously challenge Ohio State, that's how you do it — by rolling in new playmakers every single year. … How much do they trust [quarterback] Wilton Speight? He loses a lot of his targets. Are they going to ask him to do more?" Speight ranked No. 27 nationally among quarter- backs, according to the publication, behind Big Ten brethren J.T. Barrett of Ohio State (No. 4) and Trace McSorley of Penn State (No. 9). Street & Smith's Street & Smith's pegs the Wolverines one spot higher nationally, at No. 9. But the same obstacles remain to be conquered: No. 2 Ohio State and No. 7 Penn State. Of Michigan, the publication notes: "After losing three times in his final four games by a total of five points, coach Jim Harbaugh could be even more in- tense. The Wolverines will reload to replace 17 start- ers, including the entire secondary. Quarterback Wilton Speight thrived under pressure last season. After losing at Ohio State in overtime last season, Michigan hosts 'The Game' this year." Cole makes the magazine's pre- season All-America second-team offense on the line, while Gary breaks through for second-team notice on the defensive line. Street & Smith's also has Michi- gan Cotton Bowl bound, after re- maining third in the East. Cole, Hurst and Gary draw the pre- season All-Big Ten nods, with Michigan ranked No. 2 in the conference in terms of its incoming freshman class, behind Ohio State. As far as superlatives, the publication named Spei- ght "Best Under Pressure," noting: "Speight threw just seven interceptions last season and has an excel- lent pocket presence to elude the rush." Early enrollee freshman wide receiver Donovan People-Jones garnered the "Top Freshman" tag in the conference, accompanied by this observation: "The five-star receiver should get the opportunity to play right away, and he'll take advantage of it." Harbaugh earns the tag of "Best Tweeter," the mag- azine noting: "He's the Carmen Sandiego of college football, and he's not afraid to pick a fight." Gary gets pegged the "Dif- ference Maker" on Michigan's team, with this breakdown: "Michigan might have the few- est returning starters in the FBS, but the defense will be built around this former No. 1 recruit in the country. Gary's athleticism is ridiculous. He runs a 4.57 in the 40 and his technique is very advanced. He will take the next step and be a dominant force this season." Street & Smith's assessment of Michigan's chances in 2017 is as fol- lows: "If anybody can rebuild a team that must retool its offensive line, receivers and secondary, it's Harbaugh. The Wolverines open with Florida at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas … it's not going to be easy for the Wolverines to get back to 10 wins or get that long-awaited Big Ten championship, but Harbaugh will keep this team in the hunt until the end." Michigan's 2017 Opponents In 1-130 Rankings Opponent Athlon Lindy's Avg. vs. Florida* 16 16 16 Cincinnati 95 86 90.5 Air Force 77 72 74.5 at Purdue 84 89 86.5 Michigan State 49 48 48.5 at Indiana 54 81 67.5 at Penn State 6 6 6 Rutgers 91 104 97.5 Minnesota 50 40 45 at Maryland 57 63 60 at Wisconsin 12 11 11.5 Ohio State 2 3 2.5 Average 49.4 51.6 50.5 Michigan 10 14 12 * at Arlington, Texas Teams from Street & Smith's top 25 (they do not do a 1-130 ranking) — No. 2 Ohio State, No. 7 Penn State, No. 9 Michigan, No. 12 Wisconsin and No. 13 Florida. Offense Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. WR 9 Grant Perry 6-0 184 Jr. 1 Kekoa Crawford 6-2 195 So. LT 52 Mason Cole 6-5 305 Sr. 70 Nolan Ulizio 6-5 291 R-So. LG 74 Ben Bredeson 6-5 310 So. 72 Stephen Spanellis 6-6 335 R-Fr. C 57 Patrick Kugler 6-5 303 5th-Sr. 51 Cesar Ruiz 6-4 336 Fr. RG 50 Michael Onwenu 6-3 350 So. 72 Stephen Spanellis 6-6 335 R-Fr. RT 75 Jon Runyan Jr. 6-4 304 R-So. or 76 J. Bushell-Beatty 6-6 311 R-Jr. TE 17 Tyrone Wheatley Jr. 6-6 276 R-So. 89 Ian Bunting 6-7 252 R-Jr. WR 85 Maurice Ways 6-3 217 R-Jr. or 7 Tarik Black 6-4 206 Fr. QB 3 Wilton Speight 6-6 243 R-Jr. 18 Brandon Peters 6-5 216 R-Fr. FB 19 Henry Poggi 6-4 257 5th-Sr. or 80 Khalid Hill 6-2 263 5th-Sr. RB 12 Chris Evans 5-11 200 So. 32 Ty Isaac 6-3 230 5th-Sr. Defense Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. DE 15 Chase Winovich 6-3 245 R-Jr. 95 Donovan Jeter 6-3 260 Fr. DT 90 Bryan Mone 6-4 310 R-Jr. 50 Michael Dwumfour 6-2 300 R-Fr. DT 73 Maurice Hurst 6-2 282 5th-Sr. 93 Lawrence Marshall 6-4 268 R-Jr. DE 3 Rashan Gary 6-5 287 So. 2 Carlo Kemp 6-3 255 So. OLB 7 Khaleke Hudson 6-0 205 So. 59 Noah Furbush 6-5 238 R-Jr. ILB 9 Mike McCray 6-4 248 5th-Sr. 10 Devin Bush Jr. 5-11 232 So. ILB 10 Devin Bush Jr. 5-11 232 So. 46 Mike Wroblewski 6-2 242 5th-Sr. FS 23 Tyree Kinnel 5-11 206 Jr. 16 Jaylen Kelly-Powell 6-0 175 Fr. SS 14 Josh Metellus 6-0 204 So. 26 J'Marick Woods 6-3 205 Fr. CB 24 Lavert Hill 5-11 168 So. 1 Ambry Thomas 6-0 170 Fr. CB 22 David Long 5-11 187 So. 6 Keith Washington 6-2 170 R-So. THE WOLVERINE'S PROJECTED DEPTH CHART Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PK 3 Quinn Nordin 6-1 205 R-Fr. 41 Ryan Tice 6-1 170 R-So. P — Brad Robbins 6-2 180 Fr. 17 Will Hart 6-3 190 R-Fr. KO 31 James Foug 5-11 175 Jr. or 3 Quinn Nordin 6-1 205 R-Fr. H 15 Garrett Moores 6-5 217 5th-Sr. Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. LS 49 Andrew Robinson 6-0 221 R-Jr. — Matt Baldeck 6-0 220 Fr. KR 22 David Long 5-11 187 So. 12 Chris Evans 5-11 200 So. PR 25 Nate Johnson 5-11 185 So. 12 Chris Evans 5-11 200 So. Special Teams