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. On Tuesday I took a look at the class of 2006. Today, I move on to this year’s fourth-year seniors and redshirt juniors from the class of 2007:

Class of 2007 (Sorted by Rivals.com Ranking):

Who’s Left?

Boy, did this class get decimated — just 11 of the 20 recruits will be around this fall, and of those, just a select few are expected to have a major impact. Of the players still on the team, Ryan Van Bergen and David Molk are probably the standouts from the class, with each player holding down a starting role and producing well (when healthy, in the case of Molk). Michael Williams reminded Michigan fans of Stevie Brown — pre-position switch — when he saw the field at safety last year, and is now falling behind redshirt freshmen and walk-ons at the spur position this spring. Those are your only four-stars remaining on the roster (except Molk, who was a three-star, but highly touted, center).

Of the three-stars, only Molk, Troy Woolfolk, and Mark Huyge have held down a starting role with any sort of consistency — Junior Hemingway would be included in that company if he could stay healthy through a whole season. Renaldo Sagesse and Brandon Herron have both been contributors as backups, and Sagesse should have a relatively large role in 2010, but otherwise the depth in this class has either languished on the bench or left the team.

Who’s Gone?

Our one-time Quarterback of the Future, for one — Ryan Mallett high-tailed it out of here when Michigan hired Rich Rodriguez, transferring to Arkansas and developing into a top NFL prospect. It’s tough to blame anyone for Mallett’s departure, however, as I certainly don’t see him being successful running the zone-read spread offense — his transfer was the unfortunate byproduct of a fundamental change in schemes.

The other blue-chipper, Donovan Warren, chose to enter the NFL draft a year early. After him, the class has a lengthy list of players who transferred due either to lack of playing time or issues with Rich Rodriguez or his schemes: Clemons, Helmuth, Babb, Chambers, Horn, and Evans all fall into this category. None of those players had any major impact on the field. Austin Panter, as a JUCO transfer, used up his eligibility in 2008, earning a brief cameo as a starter before quickly being shuttled to the bench.

The Upshot:

I called the previous class a disappointment, but this one is tough to top: ranked as the #13 class in the country by Rivals, the class of 2007 has produced just a handful of even serviceable players. Losing Mallett was a tough break, but Warren never developed into the player his rankings suggested he would become before he departed early, and now arguably the two most important players remaining from the class (Molk and Woolfolk) are former three-stars. To say this class, on the whole, was a bust would be an understatement — any sort of resurgence that could happen this year will be as much driven by the younger players as it will this class. At least 2006 produced Brandon Graham — the class of 2007 has nothing to hang its hat on except failure to meet expectations and departures. Anyone looking to diagnose the reason for Michigan’s struggles should look no further than the failure of the 2006 and 2007 classes to produce even remotely close to their lofty rankings, and I don’t think the change in coaches had that much to do with their failures.

Similar Posts:

• The Foundation: A Look at the 2006 Recruiting Class
• The Foundation: A Look at the 2008 Recruiting Class
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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