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

The position previews continue with a look at Michigan’s middle and weakside linebackers:

Returning Contributors: Obi Ezeh (RS Sr.), Jonas Mouton (RS Sr.), J.B. Fitzgerald (Jr.), Kenny Demens (RS So.), Mike Jones (So.)
Ready to Contribute: Isaiah Bell (RS Fr.), Mark Moundros (RS Sr. — moved from fullback)
Incoming Freshmen: Jake Ryan
Key Departures: Stevie Brown, Brandon Smith

Returning Player Stats:

The Projected Starters: Perhaps the most embattled player on a team full of them, redshirt senior Obi Ezeh is penciled in as the starter at middle linebacker, but keep those erasers handy — Ezeh will have to hold off a strong push from fullback-turned-linebacker Mark Moundros if he wants to keep the starting job he has held for most of the last three seasons. After leading the team with 98 tackles as a sophomore in 2008, Ezeh appeared to regress last season and was benched late in the year in favor of sophomore J.B. Fitzgerald and walk-on Kevin Leach. At 6-2, 250 pounds, Ezeh has the size and physical tools needed to be a solid middle linebacker, but tentative play marred his junior season and he must now prove he’s the best option in the middle or risk riding the pine in his final year at Michigan.

At weakside linebacker, redshirt senior Jonas Mouton is also coming off a disappointing year, but unlike Ezeh he has managed to keep a strong hold on his starting job. Mouton entered Michigan as a highly-touted safety prospect, but quickly outgrew the position before having a breakout year in 2008. Like Ezeh, Mouton’s issues at linebacker seem to stem more from the mental side than the physical — he is a gifted athlete, but was caught out of position far too often last year and was the main culprit on several big plays allowed by the defense. With defensive coordinator Greg Robinson now coaching the linebackers as well, there is hope that these mental mistakes will become a thing of the past. If they do, Mouton has the potential to be an all-conference player in 2010.

The Competition: It’s hard to believe that a former walk-on fullback would push to start at middle linebacker after switching sides of the ball before his fifth year in the program, but that’s exactly what Mark Moundros has done since moving to MLB in the spring. Moundros was very impressive in last weekend’s scrimmage, diagnosing plays quickly and delivering solid hits when he got to the football. Whether it’s feasible for him to absorb the defensive playbook, not to mention the intricacies of playing middle linebacker, well enough to start this year is a question only the coaching staff can answer, but those of us who scoffed when reports of Moundros getting time with the first team first surfaced may be eating our words come September 4.

Moundros isn’t the only backup looking to unseat one of the seniors; junior J.B. Fitzgerald and redshirt sophomore Kenny Demens are both former four-star prospects who should make a push to see the field this fall. Fitzgerald saw action at middle linebacker when Ezeh was benched late last season, and although he was caught out of position at times, he also showed flashes of playmaking ability in recording four tackles for loss (for comparison, Ezeh had five all season, while Mouton recorded just three). Fitzgerald has seen time at both inside linebacker positions and Craig Roh’s hybrid spot, and could be the team’s top backup at all three positions this fall. Demens, meanwhile, is a very solid athlete and hard hitter who has thus far only seen special teams action as a Wolverine — he appears to be behind Fitzgerald and Moundros in the linebacker pecking order, and might reprise his special teams role for another season before Ezeh and Mouton graduate in 2011.

Others: Sophomore Mike Jones enrolled early last season and proceeded to burn his redshirt for seven games of special teams action. At 6-2, 208 pounds, Jones still needs to add some size before he competes for time at linebacker, and he’ll likely see more time on special teams this year while he waits his turn.

Redshirt freshman Isaiah Bell went from high school safety to 6-1, 245-pound inside linebacker in his time at Michigan — like Jones, he will probably play mostly on special teams until the logjam ahead of him at linebacker clears up next season. True freshman Jake Ryan is an intriguing prospect with one of the best highlight tapes in the 2010 class, but he is a lock to redshirt unless the coaches want to make his this year’s version of Mike Jones.

It is worth noting that while Kevin Leach filled in at middle linebacker last year, the 6-1, 205-pound former walk-on is now practicing at spur and is unlikely to see time at his old position.

Outlook: Linebacker was the team’s most disappointing position group in 2009, but with Greg Robinson taking over coaching the position and with two redshirt seniors (tentatively) holding down starting spots, we should see improvement from this group in 2010. How much the unit improves will likely hinge on the progression of Ezeh and the coaching of Robinson — if he can get the linebackers to be in the right place at the right time, they have all the physical tools needed to make plays.

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

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

Similar Posts:

• 2010 Official Depth Chart Breakdown: Defense/Special Teams
• An Early Stab at the 2010 Depth Chart: Defense
• Five Players With the Most to Gain in Spring Practice
• Position Threat Levels: High
• A (Very) Early Look at the 2010 Defense

Fall camp opens TODAY — hallelujah! — and Michigan has released its official roster. I’m sure you’re all curious to see what numbers the true freshmen will be wearing in the fall (as well as their official listed positions, heights, and weights), so here’s the full list, including early enrollees:

[end_columns]
Some thoughts on the freshmen and other players whose positions or weights have made big changes:

• DT Richard Ash, who weighed in at a robust 320 pounds, had better be prepared for the School of Mike Barwis’s Will Campbell Program. Reports over the summer said Ash wasn’t in the best of shape, and he was listed at 263 pounds in his Rivals profile — it’s safe to say he needs to cut a lot of weight, and I’d be very surprised if he didn’t redshirt and focus on conditioning this season.
• On the opposite end of the spectrum, CBs Courtney Avery and Terrence Talbott, LB Davion Rogers, WR D.J. Williamson, DE Jordan Paskorz, and DT Terry Talbott are all going to need to add some muscle before they see the field (especially Rogers, who at 6-6 and just 200 pounds might have the ability to slip under doorcracks). You could throw SR Drew Dileo in there too, but even at just 171 pounds I’m guessing he’ll be thrown right in the mix at punt returner — he wasn’t expected to see the field as a receiver this year regardless.
• At 6-2, 200 pounds, safety Marvin Robinson could conceivably play strong or free safety — concerns that he would blow up to linebacker size are mitigated, at least for now. With little depth and a lot of question marks in the secondary, expect Robinson to push for a starting spot and see the field in some capacity this fall.
• After enrolling early in the spring, C Christian Pace has added an impressive 21 pounds, up to 280 from a very-undersized 259. Even though he’s a lock to redshirt, it’s great to see those kind of gains in the weight room — now he can focus on learning the offense and working on technique instead of worrying about getting overpowered at the college level. Mike Barwis works wonders, people.
• Moving on to the rest of the roster: DT Will Campbell is up to 333 pounds after weighing in at 324 in the spring. Big Will made huge strides to get in shape over the course of the last year, and I’m hoping that’s more added muscle — otherwise, he might take a little while to play his way into shape. If that is in fact muscle, watch out.
• Now listed at an impressive 6-8, 294 pounds, tackle Taylor Lewan continues to morph into a prototype in the Jake Long mold. The concerns about him being physically ready to play as a redshirt freshman are likely gone, and now we’ll see if he has picked up enough technique (remember, he started playing O-line in his senior year of high school) to unseat Perry Dorrestein at left tackle. I think he’ll be protecting Denard Robinson’s blind side on September 4th.
• Fellow redshirt freshman tackle Michael Schofield also is up to a good weight, and at 6-7, 293 pounds, he should be in the mix for at least a backup spot on the depth chart. I’m excited at the potential of Lewan and Schofield bookending the Michigan line down the road — those two could be special.
• Despite rehabbing his torn ACL, Vincent Smith has managed to bulk up to a solid 180 pounds (up from 169), which sounds small for a tailback until you remember he’s only 5-6. We’ll have to wait and see if he is limited at all by the injury and the added bulk, but the weight should help him stay durable throughout the course of the season.
• Obi Ezeh and Kenny Demens, who will battle for the starting middle linebacker spot, are both up to 250 pounds. I’m not sure how this will affect Ezeh, but I like the added weight on Demens, who is a very gifted athlete and should have no problem maintaining that athleticism. This will be a very interesting competition to watch throughout the fall. The linebackers in general are big — Jonas Mouton is 240, Isaiah Bell is 245, and J.B. Fitzgerald is 244. Kevin Leach still weighs just 205 pounds, which I have to guess will hurt his chances of seeing the field.

This is the year where a few seasons under Mike Barwis really has appeared to take hold of the roster — weights are generally up across the board, especially along both lines, which should greatly benefit a team that got overpowered on both sides of the ball at times last year. With all the talk about quarterbacks, scheme changes, and personnel battles, the team’s overall fitness can easily get overlooked, but I expect we’ll see a big difference on the field this year because of the work this team has done in the weight room.

The projected football depth chart page has been updated to reflect the changes in the new roster.

Similar Posts:

• Justin Turner Leaves Michigan
• Position Preview: Defensive Tackle
• Position Preview: Defensive End
• 2010 Official Depth Chart Breakdown: Defense/Special Teams
• An Early Stab at the 2010 Depth Chart: Defense

Heading into spring practice, I took a look at the five players with the most to gain — as well as the five with the most to lose — based on their performance in spring ball. With fall practices kicking off on Monday, I thought I’d update each list to see which players have the most on the line as we approach the beginning of the 2010 season. Today, the focus is on the returning players who stand to gain the most from a strong fall camp performance:

1. Denard Robinson, Soph. QB: Robinson appears to have the inside track to the starting quarterback job after showing exponential improvement in the spring, but the race with Tate Forcier is far from over. It appears Robinson is the choice among his teammates, however, and if he continues to show the work ethic that helped him pass Forcier in the spring he should be the man taking the first Michigan snap in the newly-renovated Big House. Robinson must prove that he can be a consistent and reliable passer — something we can’t completely judge until the season starts — but if he makes enough progress in that regard, his prodigious athletic talents should make him the number one option at quarterback.
2. Will Campbell, Soph. DT: After spending his freshman year working his way into shape and learning how to play with proper technique, the former five-star recruit will see the field more this fall — the only question is, how much more? Senior Renaldo Sagesse has been impressive in practices and could very well start next to Mike Martin, but no one on the defensive line has more talent than Big Will. If he can learn how to best take advantage of his massive size and quickness, Campbell could quickly become a force in the middle of the defensive line and force defenses to carefully consider whether to double-team him or Martin. It’s too early to say that Campbell has to deliver on his sky-high recruiting expectations, but I think it would be a great sign for the team if he carves out a big role on this year’s defense.
3. Kenny Demens, RS Soph. LB: Demens could just as easily have landed on tomorrow’s list, but with Obi Ezeh’s starting middle linebacker spot still very much up for grabs, a good fall camp could quickly turn Demens from special teamer to starter. The former four-star prospect possesses more than enough athletic ability to be an impact player (just check out the football team’s performance from Mock Rock 2009, featuring Demens and Brandon Graham doing effortless standing back-flips), and as a redshirt sophomore Demens should be comfortable with the defensive playbook — now, it’s time to see if he can really play. Unseating a three-year starter is no easy task, but Demens has the talent to do so.
4. Taylor Lewan, RS Fr. OT: Michigan returns two veteran players (RS Jr. Mark Huyge and Sr. Perry Dorrestein) at offensive tackle with starting experience, but the player everyone is raving about is Lewan, whose combination of size (6-8, 283 lbs.), talent, and a nasty streak has drawn comparisons to Jake Long. If Lewan can prove he has added enough size and strength to play in the Big Ten trenches, I’d be very surprised if he can’t earn a starting spot at left tackle. While it’s normally disconcerting to have a freshman starting at a critical O-line spot, if Lewan can unseat one of the seniors (likely Dorrestein) we could see him take a very similar career path to Long — a lofty comparison indeed, but the similarities between the two are impossible to overlook.
5. Fitzgerald Toussaint, RS Fr. RB: With Vincent Smith still recovering from a torn ACL and Michael Shaw speculated to be on the edge of ineligibility, there’s a big opening for a running back to step and earn himself carries. Redshirt sophomore Michael Cox will battle Toussaint for snaps in fall camp, but Cox is in his third season under Rodriguez and has had difficulties absorbing the playbook, something which could keep him off the field if the coaches don’t trust him. Toussaint is a four-star recruit who put up absurd numbers in high school, and at 5-10, 199 pounds he has the size and frame to be an every-down back. If Toussaint can display the running ability he showed at the prep level (audio NSFW), he could take carries away from Smith and Shaw even if both are ready to play in the opener.

Tomorrow I’ll take a look at the returning players with the most to lose in fall camp, and on Monday the focus will turn to the true freshmen who could have an immediate impact in 2010.

Similar Posts:

• Five Non-Quarterbacks to Watch Tomorrow
• The Foundation: A Look at the 2009 Recruiting Class
• 2010 Roster Released: Observations and Freshman Numbers
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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. So far, I have covered the “Low”,  “Guarded”, and “Elevated” threat categories, and today, we move on to the positions that fall under the “High” category. Ladies and gentlemen, buckle your seatbelts.

Outside Receiver: Simply put, Michigan just hasn’t been getting the production it needs out of its outside receivers so far in the Rodriguez era. Some of that blame can probably be placed on the quarterback play, but it’s time for guys like Darryl Stonum and Junior Hemingway to step up, or else be replaced by younger talent. Stonum and Hemingway, your likely starters at outside receiver, combined for just 29 catches and three touchdowns last season.

Stonum, a former four-star with great athletic ability, needs to show that he can adjust to the ball in the air — he often makes what should be simple catches unnecessarily difficult on himself. If he can do that, he could break out this year and begin to live up to his lofty recruiting hype. Hemingway has burst out of the gate the past two season openers only to have his season derailed by injuries and subsequent ineffectiveness. He showed against Western Michigan that he can be a dangerous deep threat, but he’ll have to stay healthy if he wants to hold on to his starting spot.

If Stonum and Hemingway prove ineffective, there are several young players who could see the field in their place. Sophomore Je’Ron Stokes is another top-100 level recruit, and he’ll likely be the third wide receiver after playing sparingly as a freshman. Jerald Robinson, Ricardo Miller, and Jeremy Jackson all enrolled early in preparation for their true freshman seasons — Robinson appears most likely to be an immediate contributor, though Miller probably has the highest ceiling and Jackson the best hands of the trio. There is also the chance that Roy Roundtree moves between the slot and outside — I’d prefer for him to work out of the slot, where he seems most effective, but if the starters aren’t producing he may be needed to shore up the position, especially with the depth at slot.

If Michigan hopes to take its offense to the next level, they will have to get more production from their outside receivers. Unfortunately, the depth behind the prospective starters is very young, and the starters have yet to prove they can consistently make plays at the collegiate level. This position is probably the biggest question mark the offense has, and could be the difference between Michigan boasting a juggernaut offense and struggling to consistently move the ball.

Linebacker: The picture to your right pretty much sums up Michigan’s linebacker play from last season — Obi Ezeh is on the ground, having been taken out of the play, and Jonas Mouton appears to have lost contain as the back breaks into the open field. Usually, a team would be very comfortable with returning two senior starters (and multi-year starters at that) at linebacker, but the lack of progression from Ezeh and the apparent regression from Mouton has left Wolverine fans very concerned with the heart of their defense.

The good news is that, despite a slight scheme change, Michigan will finally have the same man at defensive coordinator for two years in a row, and with Greg Robinson personally handling the inside linebackers, there should be improvement from the position. How much the linebackers improve will depend. Can Ezeh hold off redshirt sophomore Kenny Demens in the middle? If he does, can he show greater aggressiveness on the field? Can Mouton return to the form he showed in the latter half of 2008? There are a lot of questions here, and few answers will be given until the team hits the field in the fall.

The aforementioned Demens appears to be the most likely candidate to supplant the incumbent starters if one proved ineffective, although J.B. Fitzgerald actually saw more playing time last year when Ezeh was benched, and he could very well start if given the opportunity. Former walk-on Kevin Leach also saw action last year, but wasn’t particularly effective when he played. Redshirt freshman Isaiah Bell provides depth, but he’ll likely need a year or two of learning the position after coming to Ann Arbor as a safety.

With a strong front four and a shaky secondary, Michigan’s defense will need the linebackers to elevate their level of play in 2010. As fifth-year seniors, Ezeh and Mouton should be up to the task, but you could have said the same thing about them last year. Their experience keeps me from placing the linebackers in the “Severe” category, but they will need to step up their play on the field in a big way, or the defense could be spinning its wheels instead of moving forward from last season’s debacle.

Similar Posts:

• Position Preview: Outside Receivers
• Position Preview: Linebacker
• Five Players With the Most to Lose in Spring Practice
• Position Threat Levels: Low
• Position Threat Levels: Elevated

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 class of 2006 and the class of 2007. Today, I move on to this year’s juniors and redshirt sophomores from the class of 2008:

Class of 2008 (Sorted by Rivals.com Ranking):

Who’s Left?

16 of the 25 prospects from the 2008 class still remain in Ann Arbor, and while many of the blue-chip players from the class are gone, there are several solid contributors remaining: Darryl Stonum, Michael Shaw, Kevin Koger, Mike Martin, Roy Roundtree, Martavious Odoms, J.T. Floyd, and Patrick Omameh have all seen starts for the Wolverines, and players like J.B. Fitzgerald, Ricky Barnum, Elliott Mealer, Kenny Demens, and Mike Cox are either pushing for playing time or in line to compete for a starting spot down the road.

Martin, Odoms, and Roundtree have all shown all-conference potential so far in their careers, and Omameh could soon join them on that list after locking down a starting guard spot as a redshirt freshman last season. Given the sheer depth of talent in this class, however, it’s hard not to be somewhat disappointed in the production they have given so far. A lot of the reason for that has to do with…

Who’s Gone?

While the class of 2008, at least percentage-wise, hasn’t seen the sheer attrition of the previous class (2007 has just 11 of the 20 recruits remaining), the losses here have been both high-profile and critical to the performance of the team. Marcus Witherspoon and Taylor Hill, two four-star linebacker recruits, never qualified and moved on to other schools before their freshman year, leaving Michigan very thin at a critical position, something from which they’re still feeling the effects. Sam McGuffie and Boubacar Cissoko were both extremely talented players who, for different reasons, were not able to play out their careers at Michigan despite earning starting roles early in their careers. Dann O’Neill, Kurt Wermers, and Justin Feagin were all potential contributors who transferred (O’Neill and Wermers) or were booted for major legal issues (Feagin). And does anybody else think that Brandon Smith would have been perfect for one of the box safety positions in the 3-3-5? Unfortunately, we won’t find out, as he transferred as well.

The Upshot:

This is the third consecutive class that didn’t come close to living up to its lofty ranking, at least so far. Obviously, with 2-3 years of eligibility remaining, there is still a lot of time for this class to change that perception, especially with talents like Martin, Roundtree, Odoms, and Omameh (just to name a few) still on the roster. Regardless of future potential, however, this class has still played a large role in the disappointment of the last couple seasons — it’s tough to blame a group of true freshmen for 2008′s 3-9 season, but a class this deep should have had more guys ready to make major contributions as sophomores last season, when the team was very short on upperclassmen. The next couple seasons will be what truly cements the legacy of this class, but they will have to make great strides as a team to be thought of as anything but a disappointment, especially if they get lumped in with the previous two classes.

Similar Posts:

• The Foundation: A Look at the 2006 Recruiting Class
• The Foundation: A Look at the 2007 Recruiting Class
• Early Guess at the Football Depth Chart: Now Updated for Spring
• A (Very) Early Look at the 2010 Offense
• The 2008 Recruiting Class, Now 17 Strong

With Michigan’s annual spring game happening tomorrow, the talk is once again centered around the quarterback position. That topic, however, has been somewhat talked to death in recent weeks, so today I’ll be talking about the five players I’ll be watching tomorrow who won’t be taking the snaps for the Wolverines:

1. Taylor Lewan (RS Fr. OT) – The spring buzz around Lewan has been very positive, and some think the left tackle position is his to lose at that point. That would be great news for Michigan, as Lewan was expected to take a couple years to develop before he would see the field — instead, the 6-8 redshirt freshman could be the man to protect Tate Forcier’s (or Robinson’s, or Gardner’s…) backside this fall. Big #77 has already drawn the obvious comparisons to Jake Long, and it will be very interesting to see how he performs on the field tomorrow.
2. J.T. Floyd (RS So. CB) – Floyd struggled mightily when he saw the field last season, but so far this spring he has held off highly-touted redshirt freshman Justin Turner for the second cornerback spot across from Troy Woolfolk. So far in his career, Floyd’s lasting impression on Michigan fans has been him hopelessly trying to catch a Western Michigan receiver from behind, so anything positive he can do on the field this weekend will show at least some progress. Hopefully, he can do more than that, and show he has the athleticism to play corner and the ability to stick with Big Ten receivers — having Floyd as a viable option would go a long way towards relieving some of the anxiety surrounding the secondary.
3. Kenny Demens (RS So. LB) – Demens is another guy who has gotten some positive spring buzz this year after spending last season behind walk-on Kevin Leach on the depth chart. The 6-1, 244 redshirt sophomore is as physically talented as they come, but has yet to earn his way onto the field to show off his physical abilities. The former four-star prospect could compete with Obi Ezeh for the starting middle linebacker spot if he impresses tomorrow and in fall camp, and having some young blood to push the senior incumbents could be just what the Wolverines need at linebacker.
4. Cameron Gordon (RS Fr. S) – Gordon probably gets this year’s “Most Spring Buzz” award, switching to free safety from wide receiver and — through both his strong performance and a timely injury to Vlad Emilien — has played the majority of the snaps with the top defensive unit. With Emilien back (and also impressing, according to recent reports), there will be a lot of pressure on Gordon to impress tomorrow or risk losing his hold on the starting role. How he responds to that pressure could tell us a lot about what kind of player he is.
5. Whoever lines up at running back – Ha! I cheated, but it’s my blog, so I’ll take some liberties. The running back battle may be the most open on the team, with junior Michael Shaw, redshirt sophomore Mike Cox, redshirt freshman Fitzgerald Toussaint, and early enrollee Stephen Hopkins all competing for snaps. Each player brings a different skill set to the table, but it would be nice to see one or two guys really separate themselves and give Michigan a true feature back or two.

There are a lot of unanswered questions heading into this year’s spring game, and I’m excited to see what kind of team we’ll be fielding tomorrow. Of course, this is still the spring, and it’s just a scrimmage, but at this point I think we’re all starving for football of any kind. With a lot of position battles yet to be decided, tomorrow should be a very interesting day for the team and the fans alike, especially for the guys listed above.

Similar Posts:

• The Foundation: A Look at the 2009 Recruiting Class
• 2010 Official Depth Chart Breakdown: Offense
• Five Players With the Most to Gain in Fall Practice
• Five Players With the Most to Gain 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.

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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.

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I have nothing against Kevin Leach personally, but he is everything that is wrong with Michigan’s program.

Let me explain. It is not so much Leach himself that is the issue (in fact, not really at all), but his presence in the starting lineup for the Wolverines that says so much about the team’s ills this season. Leach started at middle linebacker over Obi Ezeh, a former freshman All-American and three-yard starter who appears to have regressed this season, like several other Michigan players. Leach is a redshirt sophomore walk-on, weighs just 206 pounds, and showed up to Saturday’s game in what appeared to be a replica Steven Threet jersey with no name on the back.

Meanwhile, Ezeh sat on the sidelines, along with J.B. Fitzgerald and Kenny Demens, four-star linebackers who can’t crack the lineup of the nation’s 81st-ranked defense.

What makes this situation even worse? Leach was one of the better Wolverines on the field Saturday, tallying 11 tackles and a sack.

It’s tough for me to get truly pissed off at Rich Rodriguez when this is what the team has to work with. Jay Hopson? Well, that’s another story, but if you really think that firing a position coach or two is going to change the direction of this program, I have some volcano insurance to sell you.

Yes, the offense sputtered terribly, but this is still an outfit being run by a true freshman quarterback, standing behind a makeshift line that lost its best player, handing the ball off to two senior running backs who can’t stay healthy and throwing the ball to a group of receivers that can’t stretch the field vertically. I don’t see much in that situation that falls on the shoulders of the head coach.

The defense sucks, plain and simple. The defense also now starts two walk-ons (underclassmen walk-ons at that), has just two senior starters, and has such little depth at every position that the defense is designed to need no situational substitutions (whether that is coincidence or not, I don’t know, but it sure as hell is necessary). Does the blame for that situation fall on a second-year head coach who has all of 1 1/2 recruiting classes under his belt? I don’t think so.

Who we blame at this point is largely irrelevant — firing Rich Rodriguez would only serve to set the program back a few more seasons, and I still think he’s the man to turn this program around; Lloyd Carr is retired; Bill Martin is a year away from joining Carr; the players are all college students. What is relevant is the need for patience. Programs don’t turn around overnight, and regardless of your thoughts on Rodriguez, this team was going to be in trouble no matter who took over for Carr — yes, Rodriguez’s style of play accentuated the team’s shortcomings, but those shortcomings were still present before he took over.

I’m just going to blame number 10 in white — not Kevin Leach, just number 10 in white.

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