Earlier: 2010 Official Depth Chart Breakdown: The Offense

While the offensive side of the official depth chart lacked many unexpected moves, its defensive counterpart has some very intriguing — and unforeseen — twists:

The first thing that jumps out to me on the defensive line is the placement of sophomore Will Campbell — third string, a disappointing spot to be in for the former five-star recruit, who showed up to camp overweight at 333 pounds. He is stick behind senior Adam Patterson, who has all of eight career tackles in 25 appearances.

True freshman Jibreel Black earned a spot on the two-deep behind Ryan Van Bergen at defensive end, a very good sign from a player many thought would contribute immediately. The absence of redshirt freshman Anthony LaLota — especially in lieu of redshirt junior Steve Watson, who is on his third position in four years as a Wolverine — might not be a good sign for the former four-star prospect.

Your starting defensive line is redshirt junior Ryan Van Bergen at defensive end, junior Mike Martin at nose tackle, and redshirt senior Greg Banks defensive tackle. That’s a lot of experience along the line — this should be a strong unit up front.

They weren’t kidding about redshirt senior Mark Moundros making a serious run at Obi Ezeh for the middle linebacker spot — the former fullback is listed as a co-starter with Ezeh, who was benched late last season despite making 31 career starts in three seasons. This is a position battle that could very easily continue into the season, especially as Moundros becomes more accustomed to the defensive side of the ball. Sophomore Craig Roh and redshirt senior Jonas Mouton are your other starters. Roh is finally at the proper weight for a player who will spend the majority of his time blitzing, while Mouton has been impressive in fall practices after a disappointing 2009 season.

At cornerback, senior James Rogers gets the nod for now to start across from redshirt sophomore J.T. Floyd. As expected, the backups at corner are all true freshmen — Terrence Talbott and Cullen Christian back up Rogers, and Courtney Avery sits behind Floyd.

The biggest surprise on the depth chart is true freshman Carvin Johnson’s rise to the top of the depth chart at spur. Johnson was an unranked recruit when he first committed to Michigan, but finished as a high-ranked three-star who was creating a lot of buzz on blogs and message boards. He moves ahead of redshirt freshman Thomas Gordon, who most projected as the starter, and walk-on Floyd Simmons. Another true freshman safety, Marvin Robinson, has also landed on the two-deep — he sits behind Jordan Kovacs at bandit.

Redshirt freshman Cameron Gordon stays atop the two-deep at free safety, where is he backed up by another walk-on, redshirt junior Jared Van Slyke. Redshirt freshman Vlad Emilien, who many presumed would at the very least challenge for the starting job, is stuck at third string.

Special Teams:

The battle at placekicker is still ongoing between Brendan Gibbons, Rivals.com’s No. 8 kicker in the class of 2009, and walk-on Seth Broekhuizen, a fellow redshirt freshman. True freshman and Army All-American Will Hagerup will start at punter, with Broekhuizen at backup. It could be an up-and-down year in the kicking department with two freshman handling the specialist duties — keep in mind the team will also have to find a replacement for kickoff specialist Bryan Wright, who transferred to Bowling Green for his fifth year.

Darryl Stonum will once again be Michigan’s top kickoff returner after he averaged 25.7 yards per return in 2009 and set the school record for single-season kickoff return yards with 1,001. He will be backed up by Martavious Odoms, who is one of three receivers vying for the punt return job, along with redshirt freshman Jeremy Gallon and redshirt sophomore Terrence Robinson. Stonum should once again be an excellent return man, and Michigan should at least have a sure-handed player handling punts among the three candidates.

Similar Posts:

• 2010 Official Depth Chart Breakdown: Offense
• An Early Stab at the 2010 Depth Chart: Defense
• Early Guess at the Football Depth Chart: Now Updated for Spring
• Position Threat Levels: Severe
• A (Very) Early Look at the 2010 Defense

Today the position previews continue with a look at Michigan’s defensive ends, as well as the rush linebacker-ish position (honestly, we’ve changed defensive formations/schemes enough where I’m not overly concerned with getting all the terminology right) spearheaded by Craig Roh:

Returning Contributors: Ryan Van Bergen (RS Jr.), Adam Patterson (RS Sr.), Steve Watson (RS Jr.), Craig Roh (So.), Brandon Herron (RS Jr.)
Ready to Contribute: Anthony LaLota (RS Fr.)
Incoming Freshmen: Jibreel Black, Jordan Paskorz, Davion Rogers, Kenny Wilkins
Key Departures: Brandon Graham

Returning Player Stats:

The Projected Starters: After playing at defensive tackle in 2009, redshirt junior Ryan Van Bergen will slide back over to his natural defensive end position after Brandon Graham’s graduation. Van Bergen recorded five sacks in his first season as a starter, and he will be relied upon to pick up some of the pass rushing slack left by Graham’s departure. At 6-6, 283 pounds, Van Bergen has the size and strength to hold up against the run, and he is a solid all-around player at defensive end. He won’t put up Graham-like numbers, but Graham was a one-of-a-kind player.

At rush linebacker, sophomore Craig Roh will once again be the starter, and he should have a breakout year after adding 30 much-needed pounds since the 2009 season. Roh managed to put up decent numbers as a freshman despite being undersized and inexperienced, and his stats should see a big jump now that he can shed blocks and hold up better against the run game. Roh is a former four-star and Under Armour All-American, and his strong play early in his career indicated he will live up to that potential — he should be a dangerous threat as a pass-rusher and all-around playmaker in 2010.

The Competition: The Wolverines will be without one of their primary backups for the foreseeable future as defensive end Will Heininger recovers from a torn ACL suffered in spring practice. In his stead, true freshman Jibreel Black has made a very strong push to be Van Bergen’s primary backup, displaying a great ability to make plays in the backfield so far in fall camp. Former four-star Anthony LaLota should also push for playing time after adding 35 pounds since arriving on campus last year — he is still a very raw prospect, but he has all the physical tools to be an impact player. Redshirt senior Adam Patterson is listed at defensive end on the official roster, but recently has seen more time at nose tackle. He could back up a number of positions along the defensive line for the team this fall.

At rush linebacker, redshirt junior Brandon Herron will likely reprise his role as Roh’s backup — he is also a good pass-rusher, although at just 220 pounds he has had difficulties holding up against the run. Herron managed to record 20 tackles last season, but with Roh’s added weight he might not see the field as much in relief in 2010.

Others: Redshirt junior Steve Watson switched over to defense from tight end in 2009, playing mostly special teams while practicing at Roh’s hybrid position. Watson has moved down to defensive end this season, and should once again see most of his time on special teams while playing behind Black and Patterson on the depth chart. True freshman Kenny Wilkins arrived on campus with great size at 6-3, 262 pounds, but with Black’s emergence as a freshman who can play immediately he will likely take a redshirt year in 2010.

Michigan brought in two other true freshmen who project to play Roh’s hybrid spot down the road in Jordan Paskorz and Davion Rogers. Both will likely redshirt, as Paskorz is still a bit of a project at linebacker and Rogers — who at 6-6, 200 pounds closely resembles a broomstick in pads — will spend at least the next year packing on pounds before he can get in the mix for playing time.

Outlook: Although it’s impossible to replace a player with the talent and leadership of Brandon Graham, Michigan has a very capable and promising player in Ryan Van Bergen taking over at defensive end. He should see a spike in production this season after spending 2009 at defensive tackle, as should Craig Roh, who is much more prepared to handle the pounding of Big Ten football after adding 30 pounds of muscle to his frame. Jibreel Black has the chance to be an impact player right away as a situational pass-rusher, and the depth at both DE and rush linebacker is solid. While there will inevitably be a drop-off from the outstanding play of Graham, the team is still in good shape at the positions tasked with getting to the quarterback.

Previous Position Previews: Quarterback, Running Back, Outside Receiver, Slot Receiver, Tight End, Offensive Tackle, Interior Offensive Line, Defensive Tackle

For every position preview, click here or hit the “2010 Position Previews” tag at the bottom of the post.

Similar Posts:

• Position Preview: Defensive Tackle
• 2010 Official Depth Chart Breakdown: Defense/Special Teams
• An Early Stab at the 2010 Depth Chart: Defense
• Position Threat Levels: Guarded
• A (Very) Early Look at the 2010 Defense

Remember the Homeland Security Department’s biggest PR move, the terrorist threat level indicator? You know, this thing. Well, I decided — in a desperate attempt to figure out what type of content to post during the slow summer months — to apply these threat levels (minus the whole, you know, terrorist thing) to Michigan’s position groups. In other words, which groups are the Wolverines comfortably stocked at, and which ones have you buying mass quantities of bottled water and canned foods to prepare for the football apocalypse? Over the next week, I’ll be placing each of the position groups into one of the above categories. Yesterday, I started with the spots that Michigan fans have the least to worry about — the “Low” threat category. Today, we move on to the positions I’m “Guarded” about:

Offensive Tackle: This may be somewhat surprising, considering Michigan has to replace a senior left tackle in Mark Ortmann, but I feel really good about the combination of talent and experience at the position. Redshirt junior Mark Huyge should hold down the right tackle position, and while he isn’t Michigan’s most talented offensive lineman, he’s a big (6-6, 305 lbs.) guy who can be a solid road-grater on the right side.

At left tackle, redshirt freshman Taylor Lewan has emerged in a big way this spring, and he will likely be the man defending the blind side of Denard Robinson or Tate Forcier (or both) this fall. Lewan is young and inexperienced, having not played on the offensive side of the ball until his senior year of high school, but coaches, scouts, and practice observers have raved about his talent. If he can add a few more pounds to his massive 6-8 frame by the fall, he could be a real force — Lewan hasn’t shied away from the Jake Long comparisons, choosing #77 at Michigan, and the similarities between the two are too striking to dismiss. I’m not saying Lewan will be the #1 pick in the NFL draft, but he has All-American level talent, and should be a four-year starter for the Wolverines.

Backing up Huyge and Lewan will be redshirt senior Perry Dorrestein, who provides starting experience and more great size (6-7, 305), and redshirt freshman Michael Schofield, a former four-star recruit who has also impressed this spring. I don’t expect the tackle play to be spectacular this season, but I think Michigan fans can expect solid play from the bookends of the O-line — combined with the strong interior line, the Wolverines should have their best unit up front since Rich Rodriguez took over.

DE/Quick: I realize Michigan doesn’t have a “quick” anymore with the move to the 3-3-5, but I thought it made sense to lump Craig Roh’s outside linebacker spot (which will blitz far more often than not) with the defensive ends (just Ryan Van Bergen’s position, not the DT/DE spot that Mike Martin will likely play).

Speaking of Roh, he could be poised for a breakout sophomore season now that he has had a full fall and spring under his belt in Ann Arbor, especially with the freedom to blitz he should enjoy in the new defense. After getting overpowered at times against the run as a freshman, Roh is now up to a solid 249 pounds, and should be a much better all-around defender who can hold at the point of attack.

At DE, Ryan Van Bergen will be charged with the unenviable task of replacing Brandon Graham. While nobody will expect him to replace Graham’s outrageous production, Van Bergen should benefit from a move back to DE after logging time at tackle last year, and he looked impressive rushing the passer in the spring game. The redshirt junior could also be poised for a breakout year, and should at the very least be a solid defender against the run after spending a season on the interior of the line.

Depth could be an issue among the pass-rushers, as most of Michigan’s backups fall squarely in the “unproven” category. Redshirt junior Brandon Herron should once again back up Roh — he is a solid option off the bench if Roh needs a breather or goes down with an injury, but he doesn’t have the sky-high potential that Roh has at the position. At defensive end, redshirt senior Adam Patterson and redshirt freshman Anthony LaLota should battle for playing time behind Van Bergen. Patterson has had little impact on the field in his four years at Michigan, while LaLota was a four-star prospect in the class of 2009 and an early enrollee — if he is physically ready for Big Ten football, he could be the guy who steps up and finds a spot in the rotation.

If Roh and Van Bergen can stay healthy, Michigan should get some very good production out of their pass-rushers, and Roh really has superstar potential as a pass-rushing terror. If Michigan is forced to play their backups extensively, however, they could be in some trouble.

Defensive Tackle: Michigan should be much-improved along the interior of the defensive line, with the emergence of former five-star recruit Will Campbell and Mike Martin no longer having to battle double-teams as an undersized nose tackle. Those two should be your starters inside, with the mountainous Campbell (6-5, 324 lbs.) over the ball at nose tackle and Martin playing the DT/DE spot across from Van Bergen. If Campbell can keep his motor going for every snap he’s on the field, he could be a brick wall that will be difficult to run against up the middle. Martin, who was out of position at nose tackle all of last season, should be better than ever at the DT/DE spot, where he can do what he does best: use his strength and quickness to penetrate into the backfield. Those two both have all-conference (maybe even All-American) potential, and should provide the Wolverines with a strong starting unit on the defensive line.

The primary backup at nose tackle will be senior Renaldo Sagesse, who has challenged Campbell for the starting job and really progressed as a player in the past couple years. He is a very solid option, and should see ample playing time as Michigan tries to keep Big Will fresh. At DT, Greg Banks has seen the majority of the first-team snaps while Martin recovered from a shoulder injury this spring, and he has stepped up and staked his claim to playing time with a very good spring performance. With Sagesse and Banks, Michigan will likely redshirt both Terry Talbott and Richard Ash — it would be very disconcerting if the Wolverines had to play their true freshmen extensively in the fall. This unit should be one of the best on the team, and the defensive line as a whole should lead the charge for the Wolverine defense.

Similar Posts:

• Position Preview: Offensive Tackle
• Position Preview: Defensive Tackle
• Position Preview: Defensive End
• Early Guess at the Football Depth Chart: Now Updated for Spring
• A (Very) Early Look at the 2010 Defense

Over the next couple weeks, I’ll be examining the foundation for the 2010 Michigan Wolverines: the five recruiting classes, from 2006 to 2010, that comprise the team. First, let’s look at the players from the class of 2006, some of whom have fifth-year eligibility for the fall:

Class of 2006 (Sorted by Rivals.com Ranking):

Who’s Left?

A relatively small class to begin with (just 19 players), the class of 2006 was hit hard by departures (Boren, Kates, Mixon, Patilla, and Woods) and players not living up to their potential. Just seven players — Stephen Schilling, Jonas Mouton, Adam Patterson, Greg Banks, Perry Dorrestein, Obi Ezeh, and John Ferrara — are still on Michigan’s roster, and the career performance of those players has been somewhat disappointing considering the lofty recruiting rankings they arrived on campus with. Schilling has been a solid starter at left guard, but hasn’t been the game-changing force expected from a player with a  five-star ranking. Mouton has had an up-and-down career after outgrowing the safety position and moving to linebacker, while Patterson and Banks have languished on the bench despite ample opportunity to step into a larger role. Like Mouton, Ezeh has had a rocky career at linebacker after a position switch from high school, but expectations were much lower for the three-star in-state running back. Dorrestein and Ferrara have both stepped into occasional starting roles, but while Ferrara appears destined to end his career as a backup offensive lineman, Dorrestein is competing for a starting tackle spot.

Who’s Gone?

In short, almost everyone, which isn’t exactly a surprise five years down the line. I don’t need to explain how big a loss Brandon Graham is from this Michigan defense, nor do I need to rehash the tale of Justin Boren, Dirty Buckeye Traitor. Of the other departed players who did manage to see the field at Michigan, few lived up to expectations: Carlos Brown and Brandon Minor could never stay healthy enough to consistently play at an all-conference level, Greg Mathews was a solid but unspectacular possession receiver, and Stevie Brown was a disaster at safety before becoming a solid linebacker in his final season. The rest of the class either remained buried on the bench, left the program, or handled kickoff duties (hello, Bryan Wright).

The Upshot:

It’s tough to call this class anything but a disappointment after four years — by my count, only eight players from Rivals.com’s #13 recruiting class have had a major impact as a player at Michigan and stuck out their time in Ann Arbor. The reputation of this class could very well hinge on the 2010 performances of Ezeh and Mouton — if they play like they did last year, or lose their starting jobs (more likely for Ezeh than Mouton), this class will have far underperformed expectations. The fact that so much of this class has already left without making much of a positive impact (besides, of course, Graham, who may be the only player in the class who played above his recruiting hype) helps show why this team has struggled so much the past two years.

Similar Posts:

• Position Preview: Linebacker
• 2010 Official Depth Chart Breakdown: Defense/Special Teams
• Early Guess at the Football Depth Chart: Now Updated for Spring
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• A (Very) Early Look at the 2010 Defense

Yesterday I took my (very) early look at the 2010 offense. Today, we take a look at the dark side of the moon defense, which should return nine starters from a unit that, well, stunk in 2009. [Note: I will be referring to players by what class they will be in for 2010. For example, Donovan Warren will be referred to as a senior.]

Defensive End: Might as well get this out of the way — Brandon Graham will be sorely missed, no matter how good his replacements are. It’s tough to replace 10.5 sacks and 26 tackles for loss with three guys (which may be what Michigan tries to do), let alone expecting just one player to step and come close to replicating that type of production. Michigan does return starter Ryan Van Bergen, who put up a solid season and could slide over into Graham’s vacated spot. He’s got the size to hold down the strong side of the line, and his five sacks show he has the ability to get to the quarterback. The other DE spot is very much up for grabs — Greg Banks and Adam Patterson are both redshirt seniors who have failed to make much of an impact in their four years in the program, while redshirt freshman Anthony LaLota was an Army All-American who could vault ahead of both seniors based on his prodigious talent. Incoming freshman Ken Wilkins has the frame to be a DE down the road, but at 6-4, 244, he’ll probably take a redshirt year. The hybrid LB/DE spot has a lot fewer questions, as Craig Roh came in the fall and locked down the starting role as a true freshman. If he adds some bulk, he could become a real force as a pass-rusher and speedy playmaker on the edge. Junior Brandon Herron will return as his backup, and incoming freshman Jordan Paskorz will provide depth, although he will likely redshirt as well given the returning players at the positon.

Defensive Tackle: There’s a lot of promise at DT for the Wolverines, with talented junior Mike Martin returning along with senior Renaldo Sagesse and sophomore (and former five-star recruit) Will Campbell. Martin struggled a bit as he adapted to playing the nose tackle in Greg Robinson’s hybrid defense, but was still one of the Wolverines’ most consistent performers on defense. Both Sagesse and Campbell showed solid improvement as the season wore on, and should get solid playing time in 2010. One possibility that has been thrown around by Michigan fans is for Martin to slide over to Van Bergen’s position, with Van Bergen taking Graham’s DE spot and Sagesse or Campbell taking over at nose tackle. If Sagesse or Campbell can hold their ground at nose tackle, I like this possibility, as it frees up Martin to be more of a threat to penetrate into the backfield (something he did with regularity as a freshman) and gives Michigan more size up front to stop the running game. We’ll have to wait until the spring, at the earliest, to see if this is an option. Michigan has also secured a commitment from DT Terry Talbott, but at 6-4, 255, he’ll probably take a redshirt year to add some weight before he sees the field.

Linebacker: If it wasn’t for the safeties, no position group would scare me as much as the linebackers (and it’s pretty close, anyway). Stevie Brown, who turned into Michigan’s most consistent linebacker in 2009, is gone from the weakside spot, leaving seniors Obi Ezeh and Jonas Mouton as the Wolverines’ returning starters. Ezeh and Mouton both took steps back this fall, struggling to the point of being benched multiple times in the latter half of the season. The Wolverines will need to see more aggressiveness from Ezeh, more discipline from Mouton, and a better understanding of Robinson’s schemes from both if the defense is going to improve substantially next year. Both will face competition, as redshirt junior (and former walk-on) Kevin Leach and juniors J.B. Fitzgerald and Kenny Demens all saw the field last season. Fitzgerald, a former four-star recruit, has the best change to take one of the middle linebacker spots, but don’t sleep on Demens, who saw limited action but is an athletic freak who could emerge as an upperclassman. The competition is even more open for Brown’s old spot, with sophomore Brandin Hawthorne and redshirt freshmen Isaiah Bell and Mike Jones all in the mix, potentially joined by redshirt sophomore Brandon Smith, who bounced between linebacker and safety but looks more promising (in my opinion) as a linebacker candidate. The bad news for Michigan is this position group played very poorly in 2009, and loses their best player. The good news is that there are a lot of talented players vying for just three spots. Hopefully some spirited competition, as well as a year of experience under Robinson, will fuel some better play in 2010.

Cornerback: Despite losing Boubacar Cissoko, and having a revolving door at the second cornerback spot all season, this group actually looks like it will have a lot of depth next season. Senior Donovan Warren has said that he will return next season (he will ask the NFL about his draft status, but unless he gets told he’ll be a first-rounder, he’ll likely be back), giving Michigan a lock-down cornerback on one side of the field. The status of the other corner spot will be determined by senior Troy Woolfolk, and specifically whether he’ll stay at corner or return to safety. If he does stay at corner, he’ll be the man opposite Warren, and his solid performance in 2009 — despite being moved from safety mid-season — gives Michigan a chance to have two very dependable cornerbacks in 2010. Redshirt sophomore J.T. Floyd will be back, and should provide depth or potentially start if Woolfolk is a safety, and sophomore Teric Jones should improve with a full year at cornerback under his belt. Redshirt freshman Justin Turner is the big wild card here — the highly-touted prospect was being hailed as the next great Wolverine corner before academic issues forced a redshirt. He could see the field — and start — at either corner or safety, depending on need and his ability to adapt to the college game. Michigan also has commitments from three cornerback prospects — Courtney Avery, Terrence Talbott, and Adrian Witty (who qualified after sitting out last season and enroll in January) — and are the favorites for Rivals100 prospect Cullen Christian (who will announce his decision tonight) and three-star Tony Grimes. Senior James Rodgers, who has bounced around between receiver and defensive back his whole career, will also provide depth. That’s a lot of bodies at corner, so we could (and probably will) see at least one player switch over to safety. It feels strange to say this, but I’m actually confident that the cornerbacks will be a strong point of the defense in 2010.

Safety: Oh, boy. This position was a total disaster in 2009, with Michigan trying everything from a freshman walk-on (Jordan Kovacs) to a safety-turned-linebacker-turned-safety (Brandon Smith) to just playing Donovan Warren in a deep half from the cornerback position. Michigan does return both starters, Kovacs and Mike Williams, but neither player’s job is remotely safe. Redshirt freshman Vladimir Emilien will have a shot at the starting job, and Woolfolk would be almost guaranteed a spot if he moved over. Justin Turner is also a possibility, as well as Brandon Smith and J.T. Floyd, and even redshirt freshman Thomas Gordon and walk-ons Floyd Simmons and Jared Van Slyke. In fact, you may have a shot as well. It’s that open. I’d be crazy to even begin to guess who will be playing safety when Michigan opens against UConn next fall, so the conjecture ends here. This position group could be anything from the unmitigated disaster it was in 2009 to passably competent, and anywhere in between.

Outlook: Well, the defense certainly can’t be worse than this year’s. Losing Graham will hurt tremendously, but expected improvement across the board for the rest of the defense should mean that this team will be better in 2010. How much better will depend on a wild variety of factors, especially the personnel at linebacker and in the secondary — it’s far too early to guess, and as we found out this year, even the best guesses can be horribly, horribly wrong. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Similar Posts:

• Position Preview: Cornerback
• 2010 Official Depth Chart Breakdown: Defense/Special Teams
• Brandon Smith Transferring, and Another Look at the 2010 Defense
• An Early Stab at the 2010 Depth Chart: Defense
• Early Guess at the Football Depth Chart: Now Updated for Spring