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. So far, I’ve examined the classes of 2006, 2007, and 2008. Today, I move on to this year’s sophomores and redshirt freshmen from the class of 2009:

Class of 2009 (Sorted by Rivals.com Rating):

The Upshot:

I’ve been doing “Who’s Left” and “Who’s Gone” for the last few classes, but in this case that seems unnecessary. So far the 2009 class has had just one loss: Adrian Witty, who couldn’t get academically qualified. So, let’s go straight to the analysis.

It goes without saying that it is far too early to evaluate a class that has all of one collegiate season under their belts, but the class of 2009 has already had a large impact on the field. That impact, of course, starts with the two quarterbacks, Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson — both saw the field last year as true freshmen, and both showed flashes of brilliance while experiencing the expected freshman growing pains. Craig Roh stepped onto campus in the fall and immediately took over the starting quick end position, and is making the transition to outside linebacker this year. He looks like an all-conference candidate, and should be a leader on the defense for the next few years. Vincent Smith, surprisingly, was the other true freshman to have a major impact, filling in admirably when Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown were injured and putting himself in position to start at tailback in 2010. Will Campbell, Je’Ron Stokes, Vlad Emilien, Brandin Hawthorne, Teric Jones, and Mike Jones all saw the field in some capacity last season as well — Campbell should start at nose tackle this season, and the other five will all battle for starting spots as well.

Several other players from this class will compete for snaps this fall after taking a redshirt year in 2009. Jeremy Gallon looked solid in the spring game and should have an impact in the slot and as a returner. Taylor Lewan has emerged as the leading candidate to take over the left tackle position, despite not playing on the offensive line until his senior year of high school — he could be a very special player with his huge frame and potential. Fitzgerald Toussaint is in the mix in a crowded offensive backfield, and Thomas Gordon has been a spring surprise at one of the strong safety positions in the new 3-3-5 defense — both could conceivably start, though Gordon has a better chance of doing so than Toussaint. Isaiah Bell has bulked up to 237 pounds and is fighting for playing time at linebacker, while Anthony LaLota is now a solid 263 pounds and could be in the rotation along the defensive line. Quinton Washington and Michael Schofield are both battling for playing time on the offensive line, but they’re each probably a year or two away from taking over a starting job. Brendan Gibbons will likely be the starting kicker in the fall, as he is the only scholarship kicker on the roster. Finally, Cameron Gordon has been the breakout player of the spring after moving over to the defense from wide receiver — he appears to have solidified himself as the starter at free safety, and could be the type of ball-hawking, hard-hitting player Michigan has sorely lacked at the position.

The jury is still out on one player in particular: Justin Turner, who has just as much recruiting hype as Will Campbell, didn’t see the field last year after arriving late and out of shape in the fall after struggling to qualify, and this spring has not been able to seize the open cornerback job over J.T. Floyd and James Rogers. Turner looks like he has outgrown the cornerback position, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him end up at safety when this year’s crop of freshmen, which includes several cornerback prospects, hits campus.

Overall, this class has been a very solid one — Forcier, Robinson, and Roh provided early impact, several players will see the field in major roles this fall, and there is great potential for the future in players like Campbell, Lewan, Cameron Gordon, Vincent Smith, and more. After a three-year run of disappointing recruiting classes, the class of 2009 should be the one to lead the turnaround this program desperately needs.

Similar Posts:

• The Foundation: A Look at the 2006 Recruiting Class
• Position Preview: Defensive Tackle
• Position Preview: Safety
• An Early Stab at the 2010 Depth Chart: Defense
• Early Guess at the Football Depth Chart: Now Updated for Spring

Despite returning 18 players who saw time as a starter last season, Michigan heads into the spring with a lot of uncertainty throughout their depth chart. Here are five players who I think stand to gain the most if they can perform well in spring ball:

1. Je’Ron Stokes, Soph. WR: Michigan may have a logjam at slot receiver, but on the outside the competitions is wide open. With the departure of Greg Mathews and the disappointing production last year from returners Junior Hemingway and Darryl Stonum, there will be ample opportunity for the younger wideouts on the Wolverines to earn playing time, and possibly even a starting role, this season. Stokes may be the most likely of Michigan’s underclassmen receivers to take advantage of that opportunity — he saw sporadic playing time as a true freshman last season and was Rivals.com’s 104th-ranked player overall in the class of 2009. Stokes has the speed to be the deep threat Michigan has been missing since the departure of Mario Manningham, and if he can live up to his blue-chip recruit status, he could be a three-year starter for the Wolverines.
2. Brandin Hawthorne, Soph. LB/S: With Michigan moving to more of a 4-2-5 look on defense this season, Hawthorne could be the guy to replace Stevie Brown at a linebacker/safety hybrid position. Hawthorne played linebacker in high school, but came into Michigan last season undersized even by safety standards. Now, at 6-0, 202 pounds, Hawthorne can play the boundary safety role, and will most likely compete with Mike Williams and Jordan Kovacs at the position. Williams was perhaps the biggest disappointment on a very disappointing defense last year, and Kovacs is still limited athletically, so there is definitely an opportunity for Hawthorne to step in and take a starting spot with a strong spring performance.
3. Michael Cox, RS Soph. RB: With Vincent Smith sitting out spring practice while he recovers from a torn ACL, the running back position is wide open. Junior Michael Shaw, redshirt freshman Fitzgerald Toussaint, and early enrollees Austin White and Stephen Hopkins will all compete for playing time, but don’t overlook the potential for Cox to see ample snaps with the first team this spring. At 6-0, 210 pounds and with ideal athleticism for a running back (and without the injury history of Shaw or Toussaint), the former three-star prospect could vault himself from seldom-used backup to starting tailback if he can translate that athleticism and size to the football field.
4. J.B. Fitzgerald, Jr. LB: Even though Michigan returns two fifth-year seniors at inside linebacker, the position is far from stable — Obi Ezeh and Jonas Mouton both struggled mightily last season, opening up the possibility for one of Michigan’s younger linebackers to prove themselves worthy of a starting spot. Fitzgerald showed flashes of potential last season when filling in for Ezeh, displaying an aggression that the Wolverines have lacked with Ezeh at middle linebacker. If he can harness that aggression and cut down on his mistakes, Fitzgerald could leave Michigan with little choice but to unseat Ezeh and give the junior a shot to solidify Michigan’s linebacker group.
5. Greg Banks, RS Sr. DT/DE: With the departure of Brandon Graham, playing time has opened up along the defensive line as well. Banks has yet to capitalize on his chances to see extended snaps in his Michigan career, but at 6-4, 274 pounds, he could add a lot of versatility to the line this year. Rich Rodriguez mentioned Banks as a candidate to see time at Graham’s vacated end spot, and Banks is already listed on the roster as a defensive tackle, where he could see time at Ryan Van Bergen’s old position (assuming that Van Bergen slides over to DE) as well. I still expect Michigan to roll out a starting line of Mike Martin, Will Campbell, and Van Bergen, but Banks could earn himself a role as a valuable contributor if he proves himself in his final season.

I should mention a few guys who could just as easily have made this list: Toussaint, Mike Jones, Isaiah Bell, Vlad Emilien, Justin Turner, J.T. Floyd, Cameron Gordon, Quinton Washington, Ricky Barnum, Patrick Omameh, and Taylor Lewan are all fighting for their first shot to become full-time starters, and players like White, Hopkins, Jeremy Gallon, and Anthony LaLota are looking to contribute in the fall as well.

Tomorrow, I’ll look at the five players who have the most to lose this spring. With so many position battles and fresh faces, it should be a very interesting spring.

Similar Posts:

• The Foundation: A Look at the 2009 Recruiting Class
• An Early Stab at the 2010 Depth Chart: Defense
• Spring Football: Five Players I’ll Be Watching
• Five Players With the Most to Lose in Spring Practice
• Early Guess at the Football Depth Chart: Now Updated for Spring

With the recruiting class of 2010 signed, Michigan football fans can officially turn their attention to spring practice, and ultimately how the team will look come fall. With some assistance from MGoBlog’s depth chart by class and the resources available at The Wolverine (including Michael Spath’s very early look at the 2011 depth chart and Matt Pargoff’s in-depth look at this year’s recruiting class), I’ve done my best to project how the depth chart will look like this fall. Yesterday, I took a look at the offense. Today, it’s the defense’s turn.

I’ve tried to include every notable scholarship player, including all the true freshmen. Because of this, and the uncertainty of many player’s positions heading into spring practice, I recommend taking the positions listed below with a grain of salt, especially along the offensive line and defensive secondary — at this point, it’s far too early to know who will be playing where. Instead, I wanted to do this to get a feel for the talent and depth of the team, and also be able to use this as a reference for player eligibility. For player eligibility, I’m using what MGoBlog has listed, and for player heights and weights I’m referring to last year’s official roster or Rivals’ recruiting data — I’ll do my best to note if a player has made reported weight gains or losses where applicable. Without further ado, let’s check out the depth chart:

Defensive Line: Despite the loss of Brandon Graham, the defensive line should be the best unit for the Michigan defense in 2010. The key will be the development of sophomore Will Campbell, who has the size and talent to be a very good nose tackle. With Campbell eating space in the middle, junior Mike Martin can slide over the DT position played by Ryan Van Bergen last season, which is more suitable for a player of his size and skill set. Van Bergen, a natural end, should have no problem moving to Graham’s vacated DE spot. Throw in a full offseason of weight training for sophomore Craig Roh, who started at the Quick position last season despite not enrolling early, and a unit that was noticeably undersized in 2009 should be athletic and big in 2010. As for the backups, redshirt freshman Anthony LaLota will be a player to watch at defensive end, while senior Renaldo Sagesse will likely be the primary backup at both tackle positions. There is a lot of talent among the incoming freshmen, but the rotation could be tough to crack for players who are a little undersized (Wilkins, Black, Talbott) or out of shape (Ash, who is rumored to currently weigh over 300 pounds). Seniors Adam Patterson and Greg Banks will provide depth, but given their careers to date, I wouldn’t expect much more than that from them.

Linebacker: Michigan has a lot of experience at linebacker, but you could say the same about last year’s disappointing unit. Seniors Obi Ezeh and Jonas Mouton are your prohibitive favorites to start in the middle and on the weak side, respectively, but their underwhelming performances last season have opened up an opportunity for younger players to earn a starting role. Junior J.B. Fitzgerald saw playing time last season when Ezeh was benched, and with another season of experience he probably has the best shot at unseating one of the senior linebackers, although athletic redshirt sophomore Kenny Demens and former walk-on Kevin Leach will also compete for snaps. The position battle to watch may be over at spinner, where the graduation of Stevie Brown has opened a starting spot. Second-year players Isaiah Bell, Brandin Hawthorne, and Mike Jones all practiced at spinner last year, and all three should get an opportunity to see a lot of playing time in 2010 (although Bell might have grown into the WLB spot — he’s got 15-20 pounds on Hawthorne and Jones). I haven’t seen any of the three since last spring, but I like Hawthorne — the only one of the three to play linebacker in high school, and a great athlete — as the favorite for the spinner position. Of the true freshmen, Josh Furman probably has the best shot of earning playing time, also at the spinner position, while we can expect Antonio Kinard and Jake Ryan to redshirt in 2010.

Secondary: This is where things get crazy. The only guarantee for Michigan’s 2010 secondary is that Troy Woolfolk will start — only we don’t know whether he’ll be starting at cornerback or safety. I think Woolfolk will end up at safety for a couple reasons: (1) the safeties have to make pre-snap checks, something that I trust a senior to do much more than a freshman and (2) cornerback is a much easier position to come in and play immediately as a freshman. I expect Woolfolk to start at strong safety (the deep safety in Michigan’s defense) alongside redshirt freshman Vlad Emilien — a player some thought should have seen the field in 2009 — at free safety. True freshmen Marvin Robinson and Carvin Johnson, redshirt freshman Thomas Gordon, redshirt sophomore Jordan Kovacs and junior Mike Williams will also compete for a spot at safety, but I think Emilien will ultimately win the job (in this case, it might be an advantage to have not played last year).

At corner, I expect redshirt freshman J.T. Turner — one of the highest-rated prospects Michigan brought in last year and a standout on the scout team — to start, and true freshman Demar Dorsey is too talented to keep off the field next season. True freshmen Cullen Christian and Terrence Talbott, as well as redshirt sophomore J.T. Floyd, will also compete for playing time, but I think the pure talent of Turner and Dorsey will be a lot to overcome. If you’re keeping score, that means I think Michigan will start a senior, two redshirt freshmen, and a true freshman in their secondary next year. The talent level and the experience are both scary, but in very different senses of the word.

Punter: True freshman and Army All-American Will Hagerup will have the first shot at the vacated punter position, and I expect he’ll be the guy to take over from the immortal Zoltan Mesko. Kickoff specialist Bryan Wright has a big leg and could be called upon to handle punting duties if, for some reason, Hagerup doesn’t win the job.

Similar Posts:

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

I’m pretty sure Michigan Sports Center spotted this first: MGoBlue updated the roster from just a spring roster to a full roster for the fall, and all the freshmen are now included. Here’s the full list of freshmen, courtesy of MSC:

2 – J.T. Turner
2 – Vincent Smith
4 – Je’Ron Stokes (I imagine this will be changed, as it would prevent Stokes and Brandon Minor from being on the field at the same time.  Also, Brandon Smith is listed as being #4 as well, and I doubt 3 people would have the same number.) [ed. The roster is now fixed, with Stokes listed as wearing #6]
5 – Tate Forcier
5 – Vladimir Emilien
7 – Brandin Hawthorne
13 – Adrian Witty
14 – Teric Jones
15 – Thomas Gordon
16 – Denard Robinson
26 – Isaiah Bell
27 – Mike Jones
28 – Fitzgerald Toussaint
29 – Jeremy Gallon
34 – Brendan Gibbons
73 – William Campbell
75 – Michael Schofield
76 – Quinton Washington
77 – Taylor Lewan
84 – Cameron Gordon
88 – Craig Roh
90 – Anthony LaLota

Other noteworthy numbers:

4 – Brandon Smith (as alluded to above, he switched from #28)
19 – Kelvin Grady

Now your NCAA 10 gaming experience can be even more realistic, if you ignore the fact half these guys aren’t even in the game (someday, somebody will explain to me why EA Sports insists on a 70-man roster limit with a reason beyond laziness). Interesting to see Taylor Lewan go with Jake Long’s old number and J.T. Turner take Charles Woodson’s. These guys certainly aren’t shying away from the comparisons. As for Denard Robinson taking John Navarre’s 16, well, I’ve got nothing.

Similar Posts:

• The Foundation: A Look at the 2009 Recruiting Class
• 2010 Official Depth Chart Breakdown: Offense
• Impressions from the First Spring Practice
• Five Players With the Most to Gain in Spring Practice
• Early Guess at the Football Depth Chart: Now Updated for Spring

Now that the entire class of 2009 is reportedly qualified (Justin Turner is supposedly on campus and enrolled, which would imply that he is academically eligible), I want to take a post I did on my old website and update it. Back in 2008, I went through 11 years’ worth of Michigan recruiting classes (1993-2003) to see, in the average class, what percentage of players stayed all four years, started at least 12 games, made an All-Big Ten team, etc. Then I took those numbers and used them to predict player outcomes for the Class of 2008. So, in step one of this post, I’m going to update the original numbers to include the Class of 2004, now that all of those players have played out their eligibility. To do this, I’m using Rivals.com’s recruiting data and Mike DeSimone’s recruiting outcomes page. The results:

Overall, Michigan handed out 242 scholarships from 1993-2004. Of those players:
•    117 (48%) started at least twelve games for Michigan
•    52 (21%) were taken in the NFL Draft
•    10 (4.1%) were taken in the first round of the NFL Draft
•    53 (22%) were selected All-Big Ten first-team at least once
•    19 (7.8%) made an All-American team
•    Charles Woodson (.41%) won a Heisman Trophy

As for how many players stuck it out through their four (or five) years:
•    149 (62%) played out their eligibility, meaning 93 (38%) left the team early
•    8 players (3.3%) left early for the NFL
•    3 of those players (David Terrell, Charles Woodson, and Tim Biakabutuka) were taken in the Top 8 of the Draft
•    Alan Branch went with the first pick in round 2, Adrian Arrington with the 30th pick of the 7th round
•    The other 3 (Alex Ofili, Ernest Shazor, and Shantee Orr) went undrafted
•    2 players (Clayton Richard and Drew Henson) left school early to play pro baseball (.8%)
•    9 players (3.7%) were kicked off the team for grade or disciplinary issues (I realize this is way low, but many of Michigan’s disciplinary casualties simply transferred for undisclosed reasons. Take that number with a huge grain of salt)
•    27 players (11%) transferred (not including disciplinary casualties)
•    16 players (6.6%) were not picked up for their fifth year of eligibility (Ryan “Yards After” Mundy falls in this category, since we weren’t going to bring him back before he transferred to West Virginia)
•    16 players (6.6%) had their careers cut short due to injury

Now, I’ll adjust the above numbers for a 22-man recruiting class, which is the size of Michigan’s Class of 2009 (numbers rounded up or down where appropriate, since we’re hopefully dealing with whole football players):

14 will play out their full eligibility
10.5 (that .5 will be determined later) will start at least 12 games
5 will become All-Big Ten first-team players
2 will become All-Americans
5 will be taken in the NFL Draft

After the jump, I’ll take a look at the 2009 recruiting class and make some projections using the above data:

Similar Posts:

• The Foundation: A Look at the 2007 Recruiting Class
• The Foundation: A Look at the 2008 Recruiting Class
• The Foundation: A Look at the 2009 Recruiting Class
• An Early Stab at the 2010 Depth Chart: Offense
• The 2008 Recruiting Class, Now 17 Strong

Wolverines on the Web rounds up the day’s news on Michigan athletes from around the internet.

Football:

• 2009 Recruiting: Anthony LaLota — MGoBlog — Brian Cook at the incomparable MGoBlog takes a look at 2009 recruit — and early enrollee — Anthony LaLota. The freshman defensive end has a ton of potential, but may not be ready to contribute immediately (he came in at only 230 pounds).

Basketball:

• Wednesday Wrap: Will Beilein’s approach win titles? ($) — The Wolverine — Chris Balas discusses whether a squeaky-clean Beilein program can win big in an increasingly competitive major college basketball environment. I do know this: it is infinitely more rewarding watching this team gut its way to a NCAA Tournament appearance than it was watching the, ahem, more compensated teams of the 1990′s do the same.
• Flashback: Rumeal Robinson’s free throws win NCAA title — Detroit Free Press — The Freep reprints Mitch Albom’s original story following the Wolverines’ 1989 national championship. Regardless of what you think of Albom today, this is a great read, and if I wasn’t a year-and-a-half old when Michigan captured its last title, I’m sure it would bring the memories flooding back. Instead, my clearest pre-2009 memories of Michigan basketball involve Ed Martin, Dani Wohl, and 17 games of Jamal Crawford.
• U-M fans are indifferent to MSU’s success — Detroit News — Terry Foster makes it quite clear: the Spartan’s Final Four run is not bringing joy to the entire state of Michigan. Wolverine fans seem split between apathy and vehement animosity towards MSU. (Me? I have UNC in my bracket, so color me Tar Heel Blue this weekend)

Hockey:

• Montoya earns shutout in NHL debut — Michigan Hockey Net — Former Wolverine goalie Al Montoya stymied the Colorado Avalanche with 23 saves to lead the Calgary Flames to a 3-0 victory last night. Not a bad start in the big show for Montoya, to say the least.
• Michigan hockey team announces annual garage sale date: April 18 — MLive — Not much to add to that headline, is there? Hit the link for further details, if you are so inclined.

Other:

• Mid Week Roundup — Varsity Blue — FormerlyAnonymous of Varsity Blue takes an in-depth look at a wild pair of midweek baseball games, which the Wolverines split 1-1. It looks as though Michigan is going to have to take the Big Ten crown if they want to make the NCAA tourney field this season.
• Bacon Knocks ‘em dead — MVictors — My esteemed professor John U. Bacon was awarded U-M’s 19th annual Golden Apple Award, and MVictors has a recap and video of his speech from the March 31 ceremony. I had the pleasure of attending the lecture, as well as taking Bacon’s “History of College Athletics” course, and I can only add that I can’t think of a more deserving professor. The video is definitely worth checking out.
• Explained: Why was “The Victors” written? — Michigan Daily — Ever wonder what Louis Elbel’s muse was when he penned the greatest fight song in the land? Sarah Craig reveals it was dissatisfaction with the celebratory ditties sung by Wolverine supporters after a 13-12 football victory over the University of Chicago.