rounders

(the others being LB Darron Lee, OL

Taylor Decker and CB Eli Apple). Two additional
players, OL Pat Elflein and LB Raekwon McMillan,
are projected as first-round picks in 2017. OSUs
quarterback, JT Barrett, heads into 2017 as an
early Heisman favorite alongside names like
Deshaun Watson and Leonard Fournette. And
behind those established stars, Ohio State had a
seemingly endless bench full of four- and five-star
recruitsfuture stars just waiting their turns in
the spotlight. Next man up, they say in
Columbus, and it really seems to mean
something. With adequate motivation and a
decent game plan, few teams in the country
could hang with this prodigious collection of
pigskin aptitude.

EGDs 2016 Michigan Football Preview

I.

Two days after Thanksgiving 2015, the 9-2

Michigan Wolverines ran out of the Big House
tunnel. The MMB uncorked The Victors and
the players leapt to touch the famous Go Blue!
banner on their way to the home west sideline.
Hopes of a B1G East division championship
dangled by a thread, owing to a one-in-a-million
debacle at the end of the Michigan State game six
weeks earlier, but Michigan hoped to at least
keep those hopes alive by knocking off their
bitter rival, the defending national champion
Ohio State Buckeyes. At the very least, a win
would mean a berth in one of the prestigious
New Years Six bowl games, and mark a
triumphant conclusion to Jim Harbaughs first
season at the helm.

Michigan certainly couldnt. While Brady Hoke

had assembled some strong recruiting classes of
his own at Michigan, even in his best years the
Wolverines classes lagged slightly behind Ohio
Statesand in his worst years, the differentials
were enormous. Hoke had failed spectacularly at
a few key positions, such as QB, and had taken an
absurd number of players who looked frankly
incapable of contributing even with top-notch
development (which, of course, Hoke also failed
to deliver). Looking up and down the sidelines in
Michigans 2015 spring game, one might struggle
to find 12 players who looked like they might
ever play on Sundays, let alone dominate the
next NFL Draft.

The Buckeyes, coming off of their own headscratching loss to Michigan State, had other
plans. They had just seen their season devolve
from a listless but effective title defense to an
unfulfilling exhibition. Bad weather and terrible
offensive playcalling had cost them against the
Spartans, and star running back Ezekiel Elliott had
spent the week before The Game making sure
the press knew about it. Being miserable
themselves, the Buckeyes were intent on making
That Team Up North miserable too.

For that 2016 Draft, in fact, some speculated

Michigans 77-year run of having at least one
player takenthe longest such streak in college
footballwould finally come to an end. It

Despite their uninspiring season, there was no

denying Ohio States talent. Their recruiting
classes had consistently ranked inside the top-10,
and often inside the top-5, for as far back as
memory permits. Twelve players on Ohio States
roster would be taken in the ensuing springs NFL
Draftincluding two of the first four picks (Elliott
and ridiculous DE Joey Bosa) and five total first-

emphatically did not, as three Michigan players

(OL Graham Glasgow, DT Willie Henry, and QB
Jake Rudock) were ultimately drafted in the third,
fourth, and sixth rounds, respectively. But a team
with a few mid- to late-round picks was no match
for the silver & gray machine out of Columbus.
So long as Ohio State performed at or near their
proven capabilities, Michigan didnt stand much
of a chance.

dominant against mortal opponents and had

beaten Christian Hackenberg into submission
just one week earlier, in a business-like win at
Penn State. Michigans own offense could only
manage a field goal the rest of the way, even with
extensive contributions from electric virtuoso
Jabrill Peppers.

The bitter 42-13 loss had left no doubt who the

superior team was. Michigan, outgunned on
both sides of the ball, could only look to the
future in hopes of someday evening the odds. As
the fall faded to winter, Michigan supporters had
to wonder how long that might take. Not as long
as one might think.

The 2015 edition of The Game was competitive

early, with Michigan moving the ball effectively
and getting the better of a field position struggle.
With 2:21 remaining in the first quarter, Michigan
had stopped the Buckeyes on third down at Ohio
States own nine yard-line, and were poised to
score the games first points with the Buckeye
punter preparing to kick from his own end zone.
But on the ensuing punt, a freshman reserve
safety would catch the kicker's front leg and
draw a 15-yard roughing flag. Effectively a
turnover, this foul gave the visitors an automatic
first down, and they promptly took advantage.
Two plays later, Ezekiel Elliott broke free on a 66yard run to set up an Ohio State touchdown.

Finishing with a flourish unprecedented in

Michigan recruiting history, Harbaugh secured
commitments from no fewer than fifteen players
between that Ohio State loss and national signing
day 2016. The Wolverines finished with a top-5
recruiting class of their own, one which included
the nations #1 overall recruit (DL Rashan Gary)
and eleven players ranked within the national
top-200. But the real leveling came two months
later, when nine Ohio State underclassmen
declared early entry to the NFL Draftincluding
Bosa, Elliott, and star safety Vonn Bell.

Michigan would respond with a field goal, then

trade touchdowns with the Buckeyes to go into
halftime down just 14-10. Had the roughing
penalty not occurred, Michigan might be tied or
even in the lead. But when the teams returned
to the field after the intermission, Ohio States
superior talent would simply overwhelm the
Wolverines. The Buckeyes would add four
second-half touchdowns, racking up 482 total
yards on a Michigan defense that had been

If any Big Ten team can sustain a mass exodus of

top talent and still come back strong, its certainly
the Buckeyes. But that still leaves them much
more vulnerable to a Michigan team building
quality from the bottom up than OSU would be
with its core of veteran stars intact. Out with the
old and in with 2016. Game freaking on.

II.

On September 7, 2013, junior quarterback David

Piland of the Houston Cougars brought his team
to the line of scrimmage on the grass field of
Lincoln Financial Stadium in Philadelphia. His
team trailed 6-3, and though it was still just the
first quarter Piland had already thrown 17 passes,
completing only six of them against the Temple
Owls defense. But on this play, Pilands struggles
in moving his offense would soon become the
least of his problems.

He doesnt remember the hit that left him in a

Philadelphia hospital for two days. But a helmetto-helmet blow to the side of Pilands head
knocked him off balance, and then a second hit
brought him to the turf. I got hit again and my
head bounced off the ground and I think that
sealed the deal," Piland later told Houston
Chronicle reporter Joseph Duarte. It might not
have been one hit but a couple of hits. When
you've had multiple concussions, they are a lot
easier to get."

Houston faced Texas-San Antonio again in the

2014 opening game, the first ever at their brand
new TDECU Stadium. But instead of repeating
the previous seasons eight-touchdown explosion
against the Roadrunners, OKorn managed only
4.7 yards per attempt and got his team into the
endzone just once. Worse, OKorn turned the
ball over five times (on four interceptions and a
fumble) and took four sacks en route to a
humiliating 27-7 loss.

OKorn rebounded the next week to post a 14-24200 passing line with one TD and no interceptions
against FCS opponent Grambling State, and then
topped 300 yards with 3 TDs in a 33-25 loss at
BYU in the next game. But two weeks later, as
the Cougars prepared to host the University of
Central Florida in their first conference game, the
Houston coaches announced that OKorn would

Piland would mercifully end his playing career a

month later, his coaches awkwardly admitting it
was not clear how many concussions Piland
ha[d] suffered. One thing that was clear by the
time of his retirement, however, was who the
new quarterback at Houston would be.

When Piland went off against Temple, true

freshman John O'Korn came in to replace him.
OKorn promptly completed six of his first seven
passes, driving his team for two field goals by
halftime. In the second half, OKorn led the
Cougars to two more field goals and a
touchdown, enough for a 22-13 victory and a 2331-233 passing line. Two weeks later, OKorn
threw for 281 yards and three touchdowns to
defeat Houstons next opponent, cross-town rival
Rice University. His stats were even better the
next week, when OKorn went 24/36 passing for
312 yards and 4 TDs in a 58-point demolition of
Texas-San Antonio. OKorn would go on to finish
the 2013 season with over 3,000 passing yards,
28 TDs, and a passer rating of 133.0good for an
8-4 record and a trip to the BBVA Compass Bowl.
For his efforts, the American Athletic Conference
declared OKorn its Freshman of the Year.

split time with teammate Greg Ward Jr., a wide

receiver and kick return specialist whod been
drawing a few wildcat QB snaps per game up
until then.

The Cougars took the opening kickoff in the UCF

game and OKorn trotted out to lead the offense.
But he wasnt sharp. Standing flat-footed at the
back of Houstons shotgun offense, OKorn turfed
screen passes, threw late to receivers, and
repeatedly short-armed his balls. He seemed to
come briefly alive when he scrambled to his right
and connected with Ward on a 36-yard pass into
the UCF red zone. But he couldnt get the
Cougars across the goal line. And early in the
second quarter, OKorn forced a slant pass into a
receiver breaking over the middlebut the throw
was late, and a UCF defender had the route deadto-rights on his zone drop. That was OKorns

After his successful freshman season, OKorn

entered 2014 as an experienced starter for the
Cougars. Hed also thrown ten interceptions as a
freshman, and garnered a reputation as a riskacceptant, gunslinger type quarterback. His
gambles seemed to pay off more often than not
and sportswriters put OKorn on all kinds of
watch lists and pre-season all-star teams. But it
was not to be, right from the start.

first interception on the day; he would throw

another on his way to completing just 12 passes
on 26 attempts, accumulating just 98 yards and a
miserable passing efficiency rating of 7.5.

game. One week later, Houston announced the

hiring of star Urban Meyer protg and spread
offense genius Tom Herman to take over the
program for 2015. As a 64 pro-style, any
thoughts OKorn might have had about winning
the starting job back at Houston would surely
have died with that announcement. If he wanted
to play ball again, he was going to need to find a
new place to do it.

Houston, down 7-6 at halftime, sent in Greg Ward

Jr. early in the third quarter to replace OKorn at
quarterback. Ward fared only slightly better
statistically, completing 10 passes for 112 yards
and netting 9 total rushing yards on 9 carries. But
with :43 to go in the game, Ward had Houston at
UCFs 20-yard line and trailing just 17-12. Ward
took the shotgun snap and dropped to pass
then spotted a wide open running lane to his left.
He tucked the ball and jetted into space. UCF
linebacker Brandon Alexander closed on Ward
just as he approached the goal line. Ward dove
for the pylon and extended the ballbut did not
break the plane of the end zone before Alexander
bashed into him. The contact sent the ball flying;
it bounced once inside the end zone, then rolled
out of bounds. Touchback.

III.

That new home would be Ann Arbor, of course.

Perhaps lost in the mad scramble up to National
Signing Day, the University of Michigan had
announced on February 2, 2015, that John OKorn
would transfer in. Under NCAA transfer rules,
OKorn would have to sit out the 2015 season.
But after that he would have two years of
eligibility remaining under newly-minted head
coach Jim Harbaugh.

It didnt take long for the OKorn hype train to

start chugging through Washtenaw County.
Practice buzz and insider reports named him
the best QB on Michigans roster as late as fall
2015suggesting hed have started over fellow
transfer (and high school teammate) Jake
Rudock, had he been eligible. While that
particular line of praise is ambiguous given
Rudocks own rocky start to last season, it wasnt
hard to believe given OKorns impressive
freshman season and the lack of other proven
options already wearing maize & blue. Any
concerns about OKorns sophomore slump from
Houston seemed insignificant, given his
involuntary redshirt year and the presence of
Harbaugharguably the best active QB coach in
the game.

Houston challenged the ruling on replay, but the

call was correctWards comeback had fallen
inches short. He had not won the game. But he
had won the starting QB job at Houston. Ward
would go on to start all of the Cougars remaining
2014 contests, leading Houston to victories in
their next three and six out of their final eight
games. Ward posted over 2,000 passing yards,
over 500 more rushing yards, and an efficiency
rating of 141.2. OKorn, relegated to backup
duty, would attempt only one more pass over the
entire rest of the season.

Despite a respectable 7-5* record, Houston fired

head coach Tony Levine two days after a 35-31
loss at Cincinnati in their final regular season

Michigan fans finally got to see OKorn in the

winged helmet this April, as quarterback of the
"Blue Team" in Michigans spring game. Despite
working with an overmatched offensive line and
receivers like Jack Wangler (walk on) and Shane
Morris (yes), he moved the team effectively for
two scores against the wicked Michigan defense
(well, half of it, at least) andironically in light of
his Houston departureprobably with his legs

Tony Levines defensive coordinator, David Gibbs, coached

Houston to a 35-34 win over Pitt in the Armed Forces Bowl,
giving Houston a final 2014 record of 8-5.

more than his arm. Perhaps most encouraging

for those who had reviewed his Houston film was
OKorns footwork and decisionmaking. His year
under Harbaugh appeared to have paid dividends
already. And still, OKorn may not have been the
best QB on the field that day.

and is a superior athlete wholike every Jim

Harbaugh quarterback from Andrew Luck to Jake
Rudock to himselfcan extend plays with his legs
or tuck the ball and run when he needs to. Its
hard to imagine after 1.5 years of Harbaugh
tutelage that OKorn would still be the turnover
machine he devolved into at Houston. If he is,
then the job is Speights to lose. But since he
probably isnt, OKorns superior talent and
experience should see him emerge as the starter
for 2016.

Wilton Speight, a 66 Al Borges recruit from the

2014 class out of Richmond, Virginia, took most
of the snaps as the White Team quarterback and
led two scoring drives of his own. Speight
redshirted in 2014, and some speculated he
might not have a future in Ann Arbor given his
lack of recruiting stars and the inherent wariness
that attends Hoke quarterbacks. An early Andrea
Kramer RealSports segment on Harbaugh that
caught the coach barking an attitude adjustment
to a tall, helmeted quarterback only added to the

OKorn (or Speight) replaces Jake Rudock, of

coursea serious competitor who posted 3,017
passing yards in 2015 (the second-most ever by a
Wolverine) despite a scuffling badly through the
first half of the season. After posting a brutal
120.74 efficiency rating in his first six games,
Rudock hit his stride in mid-October, posting a
phenomenal 168.34 efficiency rating over his final
five games. In his last game wearing a Michigan
uniform, Rudock annihilated the Florida Gators
top-ten defense, posting a 20-31-278 line with 3
TDs and no interceptionsand 29 yards rushing
to boot.

Rudock managed all of that without OKorns plus

athleticism or high-caliber throwing arm. A
legitimate pre-med student, Rudocks greatest
assets were mentalfrom his calm demeanor, to
his commanding pocket presence, to his coldblooded decisionmaking in the pocket. How
OKorns game management chops measure up
to Rudocks remains to be seen. But hes no
longer a wide-eyed freshman jogging on to
replace an injured teammate. Now hes an
upper-classman who has played the position
before, experienced both success and adversity,
and received prolonged coaching from one of the
best around. Expect big things.

suspicion when that tall QB was later identified as

Speight. But the Virginian proved his mettle in
game action last seasonmost notably subbing
in for Rudock against Minnesota and stringing
together a late 4th-quarter touchdown drive to
beat the Gophers. Speight also looked sharp in
the video released from the spring practice
sessions Michigan held at IMG Academy in
Bradenton, Florida. Based on this evidence,
many consider Speight the most likely candidate
to start at QB when Michigan opens the season
against Hawaii.

Another reason to expect big things out of John

OKorn this season is the outstanding group of
veteran receivers hell be throwing to. Senior WR
Jehu Chesson, the fastest player on Michigans
roster, exploded last year with 1,085 all-purpose
yards and 12 touchdowns. As a receiver, Chesson
had always been a strong blocker with good
straight-line speed. But in 2015, improved route-

Speight could indeed win the job. Hes a mature

player with good size and uncanny accuracy. But
hes also a pure drop-back passer with no real
mobility beyond the pocket. OKorn is a year
older, has significantly more playing experience,

running and ball-tracking skills evolved Chesson

into a consummate deep threatespecially
deadly on dig routes (more and more) and
double moves. He posted 50 receptions for 764
yards and 9 TDs in 2015, and would have had
more if not for a few painfully errant passes
during Rudocks adjustment period.

Chesson unfortunately hobbled off the field with

a PCL injury after destroying #11 overall NFL draft
pick Vernon Hargreaves III in the Citrus Bowl, and
was forced to sit out spring practice. But Chesson
is full-go for fall camp, and enters 2016 as one of
the top-rated wide receivers in the nation.

senior AJ Williams occupied for most of the past

four seasons. Wheatley may have been a bit
forgotten as he redshirted for the 2015 season.
But he reminded everyone of his talent at Ford
Field this spring, when he snatched a seam pass
out of the air with one hand and then outran
safeties to the end zone75 yards away. The
play would have been impressive for a 195-lb.
wide receiver; for a man listed at 66 and 280
lbs., it was incomprehensible. Wheatley could
get a push from incoming star recruit Devin
Asiasi, who is 65 and 270 lbs. and ridiculously
athletic in his own right (and also has the first
name Devin, which bodes well for Michigan
players), but with a year in the system already Id
expect TWJ to hold that position down.

While Chesson is the main deep threat, fellow

senior WR Amara Darboh is a physical receiver
with a penchant for circus catches, dangerous
both in contested ball situations and as a runner
after the catch. Darboh led the team with 58
receptions in 2015, posting 727 yards and 5 TD,
and should post similar numbers this season.
Together, Chesson & Dardoh are the best tandem
of outside wide receivers Michigan has had since
Manningham & Arringtonand arguably neither
of them is the best receiver on the team.

At 66 and 250 lbs., senior tight end Jake Butt is

straight out of central casting. He could have
easily turned pro after a monster 2015 campaign
that included 51 catches (the second-most ever
by a M tight end) for 654 yards (the third-most
ever by a M tight end) including work on
screens, tough catches in traffic, and a number
of big plays downfield.

Yet another important TE contributor, Ian

Bunting, enrolled at Michigan as a skinny, 67
former wide receiver. Now hes 252 lbs., and
looks like it. We first saw Bunting trample poor
Oregon State defenders in week 2 last season;
look for the redshirt sophomore to have an
expanded role this year after continued
improvement and a strong bowl performance.
At the very least, Bunting will back up Butt as the
main receiving tight end, and likely see time in 3TE and goal line personnel packages.

Butt sits atop the tight end charts on most NFL

draft boards, and would probably be starting for
some NFL team in 2016. If he had gone pro Yet
Butt has returned to Michigan, where he figures
to match or improve on his 2015 performance
and etch his name firmly into the Wolverine
record books. Another 50-catch, 600-yard season
would make Butt the schools all-time leader in
TE receptions and second in career yardage
behind only TE/WR hybrid Jack Clancy.

In two-TE sets, look for Tyrone Wheatley Jr. to

take over the in-line (Y) TE role that departed

out Freddy Canteen or DaMario Jones (neither of

whom are still on the team) for the starting slot
gig, Perrys competition will include as many as
four supremely talented new recruitsnot to
mention leaking scattered snaps to primarily
defensive stars Jabrill Peppers and possibly even
Jourdan Lewis.

As for 3-WR sets, one of the most intense

position battles of the fall is the one taking place
over the starting slot receiver position. Last year
that position belonged to Grant Perry, one of the
more interesting players on Michigans roster.
Despite winning three MHSAA state titles and
holding the division 2 records for receptions (105)
and receiving yardage (1,727) in a season, the
recruiting sites deemed Perry an unremarkable 3star player with unexceptional size, speed, or
athleticism. Elite college programs seemed to
agree, with Perry tabbed for the Northwestern
Wildcats (far and away his best offer) as National
Signing Day approached in 2015.

Two of the freshmen, Eddie McDoom and Nate

Johnson, have recruiting profiles that read like
reunited twins: both are southern kids, a shade
under 6 tall and about 175 lbs; both are polished
route-runners with quick-twitch athleticism and
neither are known for their blocking. Both are
probably a year away but you never know with
slots.

Michigan, meanwhile, didnt seem to need a

nondescript slot receiver with limited upside.
Though the highly useful Drew Dileo had just
cleaned out his locker after four solid years,
promising young slots Freddy Canteen and
DaMario Jones were still around and either of
them appeared closer to contributing than some
high school hero out of Brother Rice. So when
Jim Harbaugh offered Perry a scholarship three
days before NSD, that seemed to say as much
about Canteen and Jones as it did about Perry
who promptly accepted. Just seven months later,
that kid from Brother Rice was in Salt Lake City to
start his first career college game in the winged
helmet.

The third freshman, Chris Evans, is an explosive

athlete with good hands and outstanding
speedbut is also ten pounds heavier. While
Evans didnt enter Michigan with the same wide
receiver polish as McDoom or Johnson, having
played running back in high school, his is the
name that keeps bubbling out of Schembechler in
the same tones as one Steve Breaston years ago.
So he could happen this yearor next; even
Breaston redshirted. And as a good all-around
football player, Evans best bet might even be to
play safety, where he could see the field even
more quickly owing to Michigans looming depth
issues for 2017 and beyond.

That game did not go so well for Perry. Though

he caught three passes for 41 yards and drew
praise for his blocking on WR screens, in the end
Perrys sloppy routes and poor decisionmaking
led to a pair of interceptions and a loss to the
Runnin Utes. Perry disappeared for the next two
months, not making another catch until
Michigans blowout win over Rutgers. But Perry
steadily improved, and put together a career-best
performance with 5 catches and a touchdown in
the Citrus Bowl.

The fourth freshman, (Dylan) Kekoa Crawford,

enters as one of the top-rated recruits in the
2016 class. Hes a bigger and taller (62, 183
lbs.) receiver who will likely play on the outside

With a year of college strength & conditioning in,

the 6 Perry is now up to 184 lbs. and looks to
expand his role in the offense for 2016. And
there is little doubt that Perry is now a better
player. But this year, instead of having to beat

eventually, but he may get a look this year if his

talent is too significant to keep off the field. Like
McDoom and Johnson, Crawford is reputed to be
a polished route-runner. But hes also known as
a ferocious blockera factor which, combined
with his superior size, could prove decisive as he
battles for early playing time.

an inability to add mass. That he made it through

2015 without reinjuring his hamstrings is a good
sign, but hes still only up to 181 lbs. according to
his MGoBlue.com profilewhich (at his height) is
probably still too wiry for heavy usage in the B1G.
But Harris could make a bigger splash this year,
and if hes beaten the injury bug then he still has
plenty of time to pan out as an upper classman.

With Chesson and Darboh playing out their

eligibility in 2016, Michigan will likely audition
some of the freshmen receivers this year for
future benefitsespecially if scores get out of
hand early against the Centos, San Marzanos, and
Ninas of the non-conference schedule. Expect
Crawford and least one of McDoom or Johnson to
get garbage time snaps this season, even if Perry
hangs onto the starting job. And should one of
the freshmen displace Perry altogether, look out.

A third outside receiver prospect, early-enrollee

freshman Ahmir Mitchell from Egg Harbor, NJ,
also had a shot at playing time in 2016. Mitchell
comes from the opposite end of the development
spectrum as Harris and the other freshman
receiversbeing a beastish 63 and 205 lbs.
already, but not yet showing the route-running
polish, ball skillz, or general football awareness
that his peers have. This might already have
ticketed Mitchell for a redshirtbut an
unspecified violation of team rules earlier this
summer appears to have cemented Mitchell to
the bench for 2016.

Several other receivers and tight ends will also

work for time as backups this season in the hopes
of becoming starters down the road. On the
outside, redshirt sophomore Maurice Ways
appeared in 11 games last season and reportedly
had a good spring until being sidelined with a
minor injury. At 63 and 210 lbs., Ways is a
physical, contested ball receiver in the mold of
Darboh or Junior Hemingway. Hell look to
improve on his 3 catch, 41-yard season from
2015.

As mentioned above, incoming freshman Devin

Asiasi could see playing time as Wheatley Jr.s
backupor even win the starting job outright
as the blockier tight end, while Ian Bunting will
certainly see an expanded role as the secondstring receiving tight end. But Harbaugh likes his
tight ends, and the pool of probable contributors
does not end there. Redshirt freshman Zach
Gentry, who enrolled last year as a promising QB
prospect (#4 QB on Rivals.com), switched to tight
end in the offseason and has remarkable
athleticism for a 67, 244 lb. human. Hell get
garbage time snaps as Michigan grooms him for
next years two-deep behind Bunting.

Ways classmate Drake Harris played in nine

games in 2015 and made six receptions for 39
yards. Hes leapy and even taller than Ways at
64, but is also rail-thin. Harris came to Ann
Arbor as a top-100 prospect (and at one point
was the #2 ranked WR in the nation) but his
career has been slowed by hamstring injuries and

Then Michigan has early enrolling freshman Sean

McKeon, a well-rounded TE prospect with
credible size (65, 240 lbs.) who Harbaugh really
likes. With so much quality in the tight end ranks,
a redshirt seems inescapable for McKeon (and
probably Asiasi as well), even though reports out
of spring practice had him impressing the coaches
with his work ethic and mental acumen. Being
from poorly-scouted Massachusetts and having
skipped the camp circuit, McKeon flew in well
under the recruiting radars; nobody outside

Schembechler Hall has a great read on how good

he really is. I wouldnt count on it, but if hes
McKeon is one of the best three or four TEs on
the roster, then youll see him this year for sure.

Two significant graduation losses for Michigan
were the starting fullbacks Joe Kerridge and Sione
Houma, both of whom contributed as blockers,
rushers, and receivers last season. Houma in
particular emerged as an uncommon offensive
weapon late last season, posting 275 all-purpose
yards and 5 touchdowns on 43 carries and 8 pass
receptions. Their replacements figure to be a
pair of redshirt juniors, Henry Poggi and Khalid
Hill.

Poggi and Hill will also play a significant part in

the last major piece of Michigans passing game,
the protection. But the offensive line, for all its
problems running the ball, was an outstanding
pass-blocking unit in 2015. Rudock was seldom
pressured, and overall Michigan allowed just 18
sacks last season (by comparison, Ohio State
allowed 19, Stanford allowed 20, and Alabama
allowed 25). If the line can protect this years
quarterback as well as they protected Rudock,
there is little doubt the Michigan passing attack
will be explosive in 2016. Whether the line is uo
to that task, however, is the biggest question
mark hovering over the Big House.

The best player on last years o-line, Graham
Glagow, was capable of playing wherever
neededwhich in 2015 meant the center
position. Center had not been a strong suit for
Michigan ever since David Molk played out his
eligibility in 2011; Jack Miller took over the spot
in 2012, muddled through three rough seasons,
and still had another year of eligibility remaining
headed into last year. Yet Millerby then an
average player, albeit one with extensive playing
experiencedeclined that fifth year, leaving a
hole with no obvious peg.

Khalid Hill introduced himself to Michigan fans in

the otherwise-forgettable 2014 Notre Dame
game, when he annihilated then-freshman
Andrew Trombetti with a vicious downfield
block. Hill unfortunately tore his ACL shortly
thereafter and did not resurface until 2015, when
he hauled in one of Jake Rudock's more
memorable passes to set up Michigans first
touchdown against BYU.

On that reception, which came off of delayed

release that allowed Rudock to first pump-fake to
both the left and right flats, causing underneath
defenders to vacate the middle of the field for
Hill, he had aligned on the line of scrimmage as a
traditional tight end. But with a legion of fullfledged TEs developing behind him, Hill smartly
moves to the backfield this season. As the better
receiver of the fullback pairing, expect to see him
on passing downs and plays from shotgun.

Poggi came to A2 as a defensive line prospect

but, like seemingly half the team, switched to a
fullback/h-back role after Harbaugh rolled in. As
position switchers often do, Poggi struggled last
season, especially in figuring out his correct
assignment when defenses went off script. But
Poggi was an effective blocker when he did
diagnose his responsibility correctly, and its a
good bet hell be much better after another year
of coaching and adjustment. If so, you can expect
to see a lot of him on running downs and in tight
formations.

Redshirt junior Blake Bars had never put the

pieces together, and probably wasnt even as big
as his officially listed 281 lbs. Redshirt
sophomore Patrick Kugler was similarly not
clicking, despite having been a five-star recruit
and the son of a former Pittsburgh Steelers
offensive line coach. Starting Bars or Kugler
meant problemsand also meant one of
Michigans best five offensive linemen would
have to stay on the bench. So Glasgow moved

from his guard position; he posted an honorable

mention all-B1G season as a center, earning
accolades from his teammates (winning the Hugh
Rader Award as Michigan's best lineman) and
the respect of his adversaries:

rushers heading inside himwhile the move to

center plays to Coles strengths like combo
blocking and taking out linebackers in space.

Coles adjustment to the mental aspect of playing

center position might be more difficult to predict,
but Cole has always been player who knows his
stuff and hes been at it for a while, so chances
are M will be just fine at center. But moving Cole
means Michigan also needs a new left tackle.
This is a bit more of an issue.

"He was so smart about getting guys lined

up. You don't understand how important a
center is to that because he has to make all
the checks, he has to get everybody in the
right spot [M]ost of the time at some
point during a game you're going to have a
moment where the offensive line is just
confused and you've got a straight shot to
the quarterback. That never happened last
year against Michigan, and that's because
of Graham Glasgow."

A year ago, the player Michigan wanted at left

tackle for 2016 was Logan Tuley-Tillman, a gifted
athlete from Illinois whod reportedly turned the
proverbial corner in his development sometime
anno Drevno. LTT would have been a redshirt
junior heading into the 2016 season, ready to
contribute two years of high-level performance.
But then, on September 4, 2015, he fucked it all
up. According to the news stories, Tuley-Tillman
took a video of himself having relations without
bothering to obtain his partners consent (to the
recording, not the relations) first. This was still a
felony. Then he committed a second felony by
transmitting the video from her phone (which he
used to make it) to his own phone.

Pro Football Focus said Glasgow had the best

pass blocking efficiency among Big Ten centers

Harbaugh immediately dismissed Tuley-Tillman

from the team after his October 2015 arrest, and
he later pleaded guilty to both offenses. TuleyTillman has since transferred to Akron (after an
unsuccessful attempt to join the Washington
State Cougars), where he will undoubtedly
stonewall his share of MAC defensive ends this
fall. Hopefully LTT has learned from his mistakes
and will go on to have a successful career,
whether in football or something else. But his
departure doesnt help Michigan at left tackle.

in the 2016 NFL Draft. That draft saw Glasgow

taken in the third round by the Detroit Lions.

Glasgow will be missed, but life/college football

goes on. Replacing him at center will be the other
best player on Michigans offensive line, junior
Mason Cole. Like Glasgow, Cole moves over from
a different spot on the linein this case left
tackle, the celebrated position responsible for
protecting (right-handed) quarterbacks from
blindside hits against quick, agile edge rushers.
Though few freshmen ever play left tackle, Cole
locked the job down in his first fall camp and has
started every game there since, making freshman
All-American in 2014. Yet those who understand
the nuances of offensive line play better than the
EGD (like Seth at mgoblog) say Cole was
undersized as a tackle and struggled to pick up

With Tuley-Tillman no longer around, the player

Michigan now wants to win the left tackle spot is
true sophomore Grant Newsome of McLean,
Virginia, via New Jersey. Standing 67 and at a
solid 300 lbs., Newsome is a powerful, gifted
player who saw spot duty in 2015 as a backup
tackle and extra run blocker. But the offensive
line is a difficult place to play, and he might not
be ready yet in the pass protection phase.

10

protector, and probably scraped his ceiling with

third-team All-B1G honors last season. How
Magnuson would cope with the quicker, more
athletic weakside ends hed face on the left side
of the line remains to be seenbut if Newsome
cant do it then Magnusons the next best bet.
Otherwise, the most likely alternatives would
either be start Kugler at center and move Cole
back to LT, or possibly to roll double-sixes on
another young tackle prospect such as Nolan
Ulizio (< 300 lb. redshirt freshman) or Ben
Bredeson (67 and 305 lbs., but a true
freshman).

Whatever happens at tackle, the guards will look

familiar. Fifth-year seniors Kyle Kalis and Ben
Braden return to the right and left guard
positions, respectively. Both are physically gifted
players with extensive experience; Kalis has
played 38 career games with 28 starts, while
Braden has made 25 starts. Yet both have been
prone to play-killing errors. In Bradens case, this
has meant technical difficulties in maintaining
proper leverage on defenders. Bradenalready
taller than ideal for guardhad a history of
overextending and lunging at opposing
defenders, undermining his balance and power.
But he did improve greatly in this regard through
2015, making honorable mention all-B1G last
year and having Spielman declare him one of
Michigans best offensive players. He should
happily be considered a plus lineman heading
into 2016.

Michigans defensive ends, especially senior Taco

Charlton, had their way with Newsome in the
spring game; while eminently understandable
the defensive line is loaded and Charlton has his
way with most offensive tacklesthis was
disquieting nonetheless.

Hopefully, Newsomes springtime struggles were

more a reflection of Charltons dominance than
Newsomes deficiencies, and the sophomore will
improve significantly over the summer and in fall
camp. The 2016 schedule also features several
early tune-up games, so further improvement is
possible even after the season kicks off. But if
Newsome cant hack it at left tacklethen expect
to see veteran right tackle Erik Magnuson move
to the left side and Newsome take Magnusons
place on the right.

Kalis challenge, apart from a ridiculous rate of

Magnuson, with 24 starts to his name, has long

been a consistentif underwhelmingpresence
on Michigans offensive line. Hes never been a
dominant run blocker, such as Newsome
promises to be. But hes been a reliable pass

11

false starts, has been in consistently identifying

and blocking the appropriate defendersor what
offensive line coaches call targeting. When he
picks the right guy, Kalis usually at least does
okay and often dominates his blocks. When he
doesnt, things can get pretty ugly. This is where
I write the annual words [H]opefully Kalis will
clean some of his mistakes this season; if he
does, Kalis could realistically hear his name called
on the second day of the 2017 draft. But hes a
fifth-year senior, old dogs & all.

patience in the Citrus Bowl, grading his

performance at an amazing +13 and calling him
a different dude.

If anything happens to Braden or Kalis, Michigan

has the luxury of a redshirt junior backup. That
would be David Dawson, a 325-lb. former 4-star
out of Cass Tech who has never been able to
push through into Michigans starting offensive
line despite the units mediocrity in recent years.
But Dawson has appeared in 11 career games and
shouldnt be overwhelmed if forced into action.

That different dude heads into 2016 as the

established leader of Michigans ground attack.
Even with a healthy version of 2015 Smith,
Michigan could be confident in an effective
rushing attack; if Citrus Bowl Smith is here to
stay, well, Palo Alto comes to mind.

While Smith has developed into an outstanding

power back, his distinct lack of speed makes him
a purely inside runner. Michigan will rotate in
several faster backs with speed to the corner.
One of them, Drake Johnson, is now a fifth-year
senior; Johnson was a state hurdles champion in
high school and had seemingly established
himself as Michigans #1 back by the end of
Hokes tenure with big games against the
progressively tougher of defenses Indiana,
Maryland, and Ohio State. Injuries have slowed
Johnson; he tore an ACL one game into the 2013
season, then tore the other ACL at the end of
2014. But after working his way back again,
Johnson got his first carry in Michigans second
game of 2015 and was featuring regularly in the
rotation by October. Johnson proved the injuries

Like the offensive line, the running back unit

features familiar names and plenty of experience
but little in the way of star power. Deveon Smith,
Drake Johnson, and Ty Isaac all return, along with
scat type Karan Higdon. The Derrick Green
experiment has come to a merciful end (with
Green now enrolled at TCU), and Michigan adds
top-ranked freshman Kareem Walker and jumbo
back Kingston Davis to the mix. None of these
backs has ever come close to posting a 1,000yard season at the college level, and only Smith
has even broken the 500-yard barrier. Even so,
there is ample cause for optimism.

That optimism begins with Smith, last years #1

back, who posed 753 rushing yards mostly
through anger, violence, and unmitigated
savagery. Despite playing much of the season on
a tweaked ankle, Smith punished tacklers,
consistently fell forward, and never fumbled the
ball. When not softening up defenses, Smith was
a strong pass blocker and an effective receiver
out of the backfield, both on checkdowns and
called screens. And Smith did this to BYU,
drawing comparisons to Marshawn Lynchs
famous Beastmode run against the Saints in the
2010 NFL playoffs. Perhaps most encouragingly,
mgoblog praised Smiths improved vision and

12

had not limited his effectiveness, and turned in

his best statistical season yet (with 271 rushing
yards, 96 receiving yards, and 6 TDs).

dangerous, until one of those UNLV carries on

which Isaac took a pitch sweep to the left
numbers, patiently set up a block, juked a safety,
and then burst through a crease and jetted 76
yards to the end zone. It was just UNLV-but
might Isaac have finally arrived? We hoped so,
but it was not to be. Isaacs 2015 season was all
downhill from there.

Johnson didnt tear an ACL this time around;

instead, he got run over by a forklift while
stretching during spring practice. As Harbaugh
put it, the accident would have killed a lesser
man. And thats probably true, seeing as a
typical forklift (which needs to weigh more than
the loads it carries) weighs three times as much
as a car. But since Johnson is blue, twisted steel,
very flexible and amazing, he was be back for fall
camp and when the season starts should post
another 400-600 total rushing and receiving yards
before retiring to live in a safety bubble.

Isaac drew just two carries the following week

Michigans 31-0 demolition of BYU. But with
Smith injured, Isaac started at Maryland the next
game. But he was pulled after just six carries
because he fumbled two of them, and then
committed a third effective turnover on special
teams by roughing the Maryland punter. Isaac
got the ball twice in Michigans next game,
against Northwestern, and then he was done for
the year.

IV.

Ty Isaac, the former 5-star back out of Joliet via

USC, was a guy EGD thought would blow up last
season. And he really should have; Isaac had a
productive freshman year for the Trojans, and
demonstrated speed, power, vision, and good
handsall at 235-lbs. By the time hed take the
field as a Wolverine, Isaac would be in his third
year of college ball, and thus presumably wellversed in pass-blocking techniques and the other
nuances of the game as well. But you cant see
everything by looking at film and 40-times.

Isaacs future at Michigan looked grim as the

curtains drew closed on the 2015 season. Not
only had he not gotten the ball in any of the final
six games, he hadnt even played. Isaacs options
seemed to be either another transfer, or riding
out 2016 deep on the bench, collecting his
degree, and going pro in something other than
pigskins. But Isaac, it seems, had a third option in
mind: reclamation.

I got humbled pretty good last season, Isaac

admitted (to MLive beat reporter Nick

Jim Harbaugh, you may have noticed, is

uncommonly intense, even compared with other
football coaches. Hes a demanding competitor
cut from Schembechlerian cloth who will most
definitely be in your face. His running backs
coach, the legendary Tyrone Wheatley Sr., isn't
much different. The rumors started to leak out
by fall camp last season that Isaac wasnt down
with itthat despite his talent, Harbaugh and
Wheatley werent interested. The dreaded sword was mentionedTy Isaac was soft.

It was just a rumor, however, and signs began

improving on the Isaac front as his workload
steadily increased over the opening weeks of the
2015 season: four carries against Utah, six carries
against Oregon State, eight carries against UNLV.
He never looked dominant, or even particularly

13

Baumgartner). It was tough. It's something in

life you've got to deal with.

Michigan has Kareem Walker, one of the nations

top-rated freshman running backs.

But from all accounts, dealt with it Isaac has.

Hes lost 15 pounds; Isaac is still a big back at
over 225, but the improved fitness level should
help him regain some of the burst and agility that
made him a 5-star berrecruit back in the 2013
class. And Isaac has reportedly gotten with the
Harbaugh/Wheatley program. "I sat down and
talked with some people I trust, people who I
know are going to tell me what I need to hear,
not necessarily what I want to hear, Isaac said.
It wasn't that I wasn't taking things seriously,
just I needed to take things more seriously.

Like many Michigan fans, the EGD first heard of

Kareem Walker on January 12, 2015. That was
the day Ohio State completed its stunning run
through the College Football Playoff with thirdstring QB Cardale Jones. At halftime of the title
game, with Ohio State up 21-10 on Marcus
Mariotas Oregon Ducks, word came down that
the nations #1-ranked high school running back
had just committed to the Buckeyes. It was a
moment of cosmically epic trolling to Michigan
fans, and Ohio State would go on to win that
championship game. In fact, they would win it
42-20 on the strength of 246 rushing yards and 4
TD from the running back they already had,
Ezekiel Elliott. And now this new recruit, Kareem
Walker of Wayne, NJ, was undoubtedly going
keep the machine humming.

Isaacs improvement showed on the field in

Michigans spring game too. Statistically, he was
impressive: recording 10 carries for 84 yards

Nine months later, however, Walker was standing

on the home sideline at the Big House in Ann
Arbor, thinking about maybe putting on a winged
helmet instead. Though still committed to the
Buckeyes, hed had begun to have second
thoughts, and had quietly lined up official visits to
check out his options. Hed also be heading to
Alabama, Ole Miss, and Arizona State as well as
OSU, and of course this one: to the University of
Michigan. Walker would watch the Wolverines
dismantle the No. 13-ranked Northwestern
Wildcats that day, a win he called impressive.
But Walker wouldnt be making any hasty
decisions this time around. He remained an OSU
commit, he reminded observers, and with a
looming official visit to Columbus still pending
most of the recruiting media still expected Urban
Meyer to close the deal.

under less-than-ideal conditions for running the

ball. He even wooped Jabrill Peppers, and
nobody woops Jabrill Peppers. Again, it was just
one carryand it probably caught Peppers by
surprise. But if Isaacs taking-things-moreseriously carries over into the actual season, then
Michigan might have something for the final two
years of Isaacs eligibility.

Three backs is probably enough, but at least one

or two more will play. Karan Higdon, a late add
to the 2015 recruiting class from Sarasota,
Florida, got 11 carries last season and will battle
for time again this fall. At 189 lbs., Higdon is not
big by any stretch but is much more credible than
the 175 lb. version of him we saw last year.
Higdons quick and shifty, and probably fits best
as a third-down back who can work out of
shotgun and 3+ WR ace formations. And then

Meyer, however, seemed to assess the situation

quite differently. Walker had been the only pure
running back in his recruiting classand now,
instead of a hard commitment, Ohio State
appeared to have the same one-in-five chance of
landing him that Walkers other five schools had.
This meant Ohio State would need to cultivate
other options as well, and that started with hard-

14

nosed Cleveland 4-star and Wisconsin Badgers

commit Antonio Williams.

space out the classes. But the main reason is,

Walker might just be too good to keep off the
field. Hes not as powerful as Smith, or as fast as
Johnson and Isaac, or as shifty as Higdon. But
hes almost certainly the best combination of
those abilities Michigan has in a single player (not
counting defensive artist and part-time offensive
weapon Jabrill Peppers). In Walker, M can maybe
have something close to that on single every
downnext year, anyway.

Buckeye observers called it unlikely that Ohio

State would take a commitment from Williams
unless Walker were to go elsewhere. But just
four days after Walkers official to Michigan,
Williams announced that he would visit Ohio
State for its upcoming weekends game against
Penn Stateand that he had decommitted from
Wisconsin. In the elaborate signaling game that
is college football recruiting, this was a clear
indication that Meyer actually would accept a
commitment from Williams--ergo Meyer wasnt
planning on having Walker in his class.

Speaking of Mr. Peppers, probably the most

gifted athlete to play football at Michigan since
Charles freaking Woodson, look for him to appear
on offense a bit more regularly this season
especially in the crucial games likely to determine
Michigans season: vs. Wisconsin, @ Iowa, @
Michigan State, @ Ohio State. Hell play running
back, hell play receiver, hell play wildcat QB. His
touches he will get, and exhilarating they will be.

Sure enough, Williams committed to Meyer on

his visitjust eight days after Walkers trip to the
Big House. Two weeks later, Walker would make
it official. Ive wrestled with this for a few
months and truly wanted it to work out, Walker
said, however I do not think it is fair to Ohio
State or myself to remain committed when my
heart is telling me otherwise.

V.

As expected, the Michigan offense in year one of

Harbaugh featured plenty of big sets with two
backs and multiple tight ends. Frankly, this was
the aspect of Harbaughs arrival that had EGD the
least excited. Who wants big, lumbering fullbacks
when you can have scintillating open field
playmakers like Denard or Devin Gardner. Dont
get me wrongthe EGD badly wanted Harbaugh
to coach at Michigan and couldnt be happier
now that hes here, because Harbaugh wins and
he wins clean. But I didnt think Id particularly
enjoy watching our offense slug out three yard
gains like it was 72 all over again.

Walker took a whirlwhind tour through Tempe,

Tallahassee, Tuscaloosa, and between December
5-11, then finally put his recruiting saga to rest in
a Skype call to Jim Harbaugh on December 17,
2015. The nations #1 running back was Blue.

Michigan doesnt necessarily need Walker to play

this season, but he probably will. For one thing,
#1 running back recruits dont typically redshirt,
especially those who enroll early (as Walker did).
For another, Michigan has a raft of RB talent
arriving on campus in 2017 and may well want to

That made for a pleasant surprise in Harbaughs

first game, when despite the heavy personnel his
troops came out throwing. Michigan didnt win
that gamebut because of an aggressive and
well-planned passing attack, they very well could
have. In a contest decided by a touchdown, Jake
Rudock missed on two wide-open bombs to
Chesson that effectively kept 11 points off the
board. And a couple maladroit routes by true
freshman Grant Perry led to a pair of
interceptionsincluding one that was returned

15

for a score. Clean that up,and the Michigan

offense could roll.

front will be assigned at least one gap to fill. The

specific assignments of each defensive player to
fill each particular gap are called run fits.

Clean it up, Michigan did.

While the specific run fits particular defenders

are responsible for will differ based on the
structure of the defense and with specific
alignments and playcalls, there are two basic
approaches: one-gap systems, and two-gap
systems. In a one-gap system, each member of
the defensive front is simply responsible for filling
one specific gap (duh); defensive linemen thus
tend to line up in their gaps (i.e., across from the
spaces between offensive linemen, rather than
directly across from offensive linemen theselves).

The passing was fun. And effective. And fun.

What the EGD had failed to appreciate about
Harbaugh, however, was precisely why he likes all
those fullbacks and tight ends. Its not because
Schembechler famously called him the day he got
the Stanford job and said, Jimmah, you got
yerself a fullback? Ya got yerself a tight end?
Well, maybe thats part of it. But the real reasons
are much more practical.

Part of it is just being different. Spread offenses

have proliferated across college football, and
defenses have reacted by emphasizing speedier
playersoften sacrificing size and strength in the
bargain. Thats a smart trade when eight or ten
teams on your schedule run spreads. But it can
also be a problem when a bigger, more physical
opponents pops up on the schedule. Eschewing
the spread and running an uncommonly physical
offense capitalizes on present roster dynamics.
But forcing opponents small and shifty defenders
to contend with his fierce tight ends and fullbacks
is not the only advantage Harbaugh gains from
this approach; he derives a mental edge from it
as well.

In a two-gap system, the defensive linemen align

directly across from offensive linemen and are
tasked with filling the gaps to either side of their
blockers. This is accomplished by controlling the
blockers (not just filling the gaps), such that the
defender can disengage from the block and tackle
a ballcarrier attacking either gap.

In studying defense, the first concept any student

of football needs to learn is the concept of
gaps. Basically, the space between any two
offensive players on the line of scrimmage, or
between an offensive player and the sideline, is
called a gap. The gaps are denoted by letters,
starting on either side of the offensive center.

Rushing defense is predicated on the notion that
the offense, to advance the ball on the ground,
must proceed through one of these gaps. The
defense can theoretically stop the offense by
filling every gap, leaving nowhere for the ball to
travel. Therefore, each player in a defensive

When an offense brings a fullback or extra tight

end onto the field, the additional blockers will
create additional gaps that the defense must
account for. Since the only defenders typically
left on the field to fill those extra gaps are going
to be defensive backs, this can lead to

16

mismatches with tight ends and releasing

linemen taking on safeties in the run game.
Drawing the safeties close to the line of
scrimmage for run defense also makes them
vulnerable to play-action passing, particularly
with tight ends attacking the deep middle.

sophisticated. Fisch has already demonstrated

remarkable aptitude in using false keys, pumpfakes, and other devices to produce open targets
in the passing game. But the EGDs favorite thing
Fisch did last season was developing and breaking
tendencies.

Forcing a defense to account for extra gaps also

stresses that defense mentally. Particularly with
fullbacks and H-backs, but also with tight ends
through pre-snap motion, those extra gaps can
appear anywhere along the line of scrimmage.
This diagram from Trojan Football Analysis blog
for instance, shows how the insertion of the
fullback between the tackle and the tight end
transforms the single C-gap into two separate
gaps (lettered C1 and 2 in the diagram).

In football, a tendency is a teams likely

response to a particular game situation. Does a
team like to run a particular type of deep pass on
second & short? Does a team run the ball on first
down far more often to the left side than the
right side? Does a team favor a particular
receiver or tight end in goal line scenarios? These
are all different types of tendenciesand a
team aware of an opponents tendencies can
often predict, and thus more easily defeat, whats
coming. Football teams ordinarily try to avoid
developing tendencies precisely for that reason,
employing various forms of self-scouting and
statistical analysis to identify their own
tendencies and correct them.

The flip side of tendencies, however, is that a

team aware of its own tendencies can sometimes
anticipate its opponents likely response when a
supposedly predictable situation arises. For
instance, a team that has a strong tendency of
running the ball through the strong side A-gap on
3rd & short between the 20 yard-lines might

expect its opponent to commit extra defenders to
When a new gap is created, the defense must
stopping such a run when such a scenario occurs.
adjust their run fits properly to ensure that all the
This enables the offense to break tendencies,
gaps are still filled. This can be tricky because the
and call a play designed to exploit the expected
defense doesnt know until the play starts where
defensive responsean outside run, for instance,
the fullback will insert. That means individual
or perhaps a play-action pass.
defenders need to make those adjustments

themselves, post-snap. If a defensive player has
Look back to Michigans 2015 game against
to think about this, hell play slower. And if
Indiana, when Rudock hit Jehu Chesson on a dig
somebody on the defense gets it wrong, then a
route for a spectacular long touchdown. The
gap can be left open and that spells easy big
next week, Rudock hit Chesson on the dig route
yards for the offense. This has been a problem
again for another long gain. Rudock connected
for Michigan in the (now thankfully distant) past.
with Chesson on yet another dig for a chunk of

yardage against Ohio State in the next game. So

in the Citrus Bowl, those dig routes were
probably the first thing star Florida cornerback
Vernon Hargreaves thought about when he saw
Rudock initiate a throw to Chesson, who had

While the fullbacks and heavy formations create

physical mismatches with smallish run defenders
and bedevil defensive fronts with extra gaps to
defend in the run game, Michigans passing game
under coordinator Jedd Fisch has proven no less

17

released vertically off the line and was not quite

to the top of his route stem.

accurate QB, a fast WR, and a gifted playcaller on

the Michigan sideline.

Give Harbaugh and Fisch some ammo, and they

will shoot your defense full of holes. The
offensive line talent might not be there yet, QB is
a question mark (though not much of one), and
the fullbacks are new. But there are plenty of
bullets in the gun to fight 2016, so get ready to
sing The Victors. A lot.

VI.

Hargreaves had good reason to think he knew

what was coming: Chesson was about to break
inside on the digand Hargreaves meticulous
film study was going to pay off with a Citrus Bowl
INT. So Hargreaves jumped the dig.

It didnt look like much. Rutgers quarterback

Chris Laviano had executed a playfake and then
rolled right on the waggle. There was nothing
open downfield so he scrambled and Michigan
nose tackle Ryan Glasgow tracked him down just
short of the sticks. It was an awkward tackle,
with Glasgow reaching out for Lavianos shoulder
pads and seeming to fling himself past the play.
After the whistle, Glasgow clutched, winced,
checked himself, and signaled to the sideline.
The injury didnt look bad, but Glasgow had torn
his left pectoral muscle right off the bone. He
had played his last snap of 2015, and would need
surgery to repair the damage. The Michigan
defense would feel the pain right along with him.

But Rudock did not release the pass as expected,

nor did Chesson cut inside on a dig. Breaking
tendencies, Rudock had simply pump-faked the
dig, drawing Hargreaves, while Chesson
continued vertically on a go route.

Just a few months earlier, nose tackle had been

one of Michigans deepest position groups.
Glasgow, the starter, wasnt flashybut he
consistently held up to double-teams in the run
game and pushed the pocket effectively against
the pass. Behind him were the powerful and
athletic Bryan Mone, the quick and explosive
Maurice Hurst, and the strong and massive Ondre
Pipkins. But things had certainly changed by the
time Glasgow loped off the field with his pectoral

Smoked gator. Dellcious.

The resulting touchdown made Hargreaves look

plain silly, prompting suggestions that the Gators
just didnt care about the Citrus Bowl and werent
really trying. But it seemed to the EGD that
Floridas star defensive back just got played by an

18

tendon avulsion last year.

Pipkins had been a headliner in Brady Hokes

stunning 2012 recruiting class, dominating the
camp circuit en route to a five-star ranking. With
Michigan being short on heavy defensive tackles
to hold up in the running game, Pipkins saw the
field immediatelydebuting in the disastrous
2012 opener against Alabama and appearing in
all 13 games that season. But in the first B1G
game the following year (2013), Pipkins tore his
ACL and was carted off the field.

After consulting with our medical team, we do

not think it is in Ondre's best interest as it relates
to his health and welfare to play football,
Harbaugh said. Short or long term.

He did rehab the knee and make it back onto the

field in 2014. But Pipkins had already fallen
behind Glasgow and Hurst on the depth chart,
and was further overtaken by then true freshman
Mone. Overall, Pipkins appeared in just five
games, and hardly looked poised to reclaim his
spot in the two-deep rotation. As it turned out,
the knee was hardly the worst of his problems.

Ondre Pipkins, originally from the EGDs

hometown of Saginaw, Mich., transferred to
Texas Tech University. Ineligible for the 2015
season, he sat that year out but will suit up for
the Red Raiders heading into 2016. With luck,
Pipkins will have a satisfactory final year of
football, collect his undergraduate degree, and
not sustain any more concussions. But for twelve
weeks this fall, the EGD gonna be nervous about
that fellow Nastys noodle.

In June 2015, ESPN reporter Joe Schad reported

that Harbaugh and his staff had urged Pipkins
about 10 times over a two-month period to
retire from football and finish out his Michigan
degree on a medical scholarship. While initial
reports focused on Pipkins recovery from the
ACL tear, details later emerged that Pipkins had
also sustained multiple concussions including
most recently in 2015 spring practice. This
seemed to be the bottom line for Harbaugh:
When it comes to the health and safety of the
players, that argument trumps all other
arguments.

While the Pipkins drama was unfolding in the

background, sophomore Bryan Mone was busy
living up to his billing as a national top-10 recruit
at defensive tackle. Harbaugh, who is known to
issue a weekly ranking of every player on the
roster, had penciled Mone as high as #3 (on a
roster with names like Jourdan Lewis, Jabrill
Peppers, Jake Butt, and Chris Wormleynot to
mention Glasgow) during fall camp. With the
Wolverines set to open the 2015 season in
Mones hometown of Salt Lake City, he couldnt
have been any more excited for the games to
beginor any more disappointed when, two
weeks into fall camp, he broke his ankle and was
ruled out for the season.

Pipkins still wanted to play ball and was openly

frustrated with Harbaughs stance. He suggested
the new coach was driving him off to make room
for new players. But this didnt ring true; a senior
NT would have been a nice luxury for depth
purposes heading into 2015as the injury to
Glasgow would demonstrate later that fall. And
as a senior, Pipkins would have graduated after
that season anywaymeaning his presence on
the roster would not have affected Michigans
scholarship allotments for the next incoming
recruiting class. Rather, the truth seemed most
likely to be that life is just plain cruel sometimes.

With Pipkins gone and Mone lost to injury before

the season even started, what had been a loaded
position group for Michigan was suddenly down
to just Glasgow and Hurst. Throughout most of
2015, this pair was enoughMichigans front was
dominant, holding opponents under 75 yards per
game rushing (heading into the Rutgers game)

19

never risen anywhere near the two-deep, and

looked destined to play out his Michigan career
on special teams and assorted garbage time
snaps. Now he was a nose tackleand like the
lieutenant said, third-best.

Yeah, so, that didnt go too well. Michigan

traveled to Bloomington the week after
Glasgows injury and gave up 307 rushing yards to
IU. Two weeks later they gave up 369 rushing
yards to Ohio State. The damage might have
been even worse, had Indiana a defense and if
Michigans other two final games had not been
against moribund offensive teams (Penn State,
with broken Christian Hackenberg, and Florida
post-Will Grier).

and recording three consecutive shutouts versus

BYU, Maryland, and #13 Northwestern. But
when Glasgow went down, the blue wall finally
cracked.

Michigan still had Maurice Hurst. But Hurst was a

different player than Glasgow. At 20 lbs. lighter,
Hursts game was all about quickness and
penetrationnot hunkering down against 600pound double-teams and stalemating opposing
rushing attacks. Though officially listed as a nose
tackle, he was a better fit for the 3-technique
defensive tackle position or as a complement to
the more well-rounded Glasgow. As the one and
only NT, Hurst was an issue.

Glasgows back now, however, and so is Mone

as is Hurst, though at 3-tech defensive tackle.
Disaster could still befall the Michigan defense,
were the injury gods to claim the same victims
once again. But if that doesnt happen, and it
better not fucking happen, then Michigans front
line will absolutely mash your face. This
defensive line is probably the best in college
football this season, and undoubtedly the best at
Michigan since 2006 and possibly since the mid-
1990s.

Worse, nose tackle is (like all defensive line spots)

a heavy-rotation position, with players; the
starter might only take maybe 55% of the
defensive snaps in a game, so that he can go allout on every down he plays. This makes the
second-string nose tackle the functional nearequivalent of a starter anywayand thus having
just one healthy NT is hardly a viable situation, no
matter who that NT is.

Chris Wormley and Willie Henry started at the 3tech DT and strongside defensive end (now called
Anchor in Michigans new scheme) positions
last season; the two players were somewhat
interchangeable, with their roles muddled even
further by frequent stunts and twists. Both
consistently wreaked havoc; each recorded 6.5

Presented with this crisis at NT, Michigan threw

two more bodies at the problem. One, redshirt
freshman Brady Pallante, was a developmental
flier Brady Hoke had signed out of Florida,
evidently because Pallante could wrestle. He
entered Michigan several years of technique
work beneath the depth chart, then switched to
fullback after Harbaugh arrived. He was an Aldo
Raine solution, next best! The other body
belong to Tom Strobel, who had been a four-star
defensive end recruit in the 2012 class from the
Cleveland suburb of Mentor. But Strobel, who
might have weighed 270 lbs. (on Jupiter), had

20

sacks and double-digit TFLs, and Wormley was

selected as third-team all-Big Ten while Henry
was selected in the fourth round by the Baltimore
Ravens. This year, Wormley and Hurst should be
equally effective as a 3-tech/SDE duoand both
will have quality backups behind them.

rank the players: Rivals, Scout, ESPN, and 247

Sports. The four big sites approach recruiting
coverage differently, and each have their own
strengths, weaknesses, and biases. They dont
often agree on who the absolute best player is in
a particular recruiting cycle. But they did in 2016,
and that player was Rashan Gary. As Rivals Josh
Helmholdt described him, Gary has the size and
skill set to do everything the position requires at
a very high level and he combines it with a work
ethic that surpasses most of his peers. Gary can
collapse the pocket, rush the quarterback, fill
gaps, run down plays to the sideline and he keeps
coming at you with a motor that never stops.
Sounds pretty good. Michigan recruiting guru
Steve Lorenz of 247 Sports referred to Gary as a
true difference maker that would see the field
next season for any program in the country, with
a size and speed combination that is unmatched
by almost any high school prospect going back at
least five or ten years. Outside the Big Four,
Michigan blogger Magnus Thunder called Gary
an exceptional athlete for his position and size,
said he possesses everything one would want in
a defensive tackle, and compared him to Warren
Sapp. Mgoblog compared him to Ndamukong
Suh.

One of those backups is 5th-year senior Matt

Godin, a stout run defender out of Detroit
Catholic Central. While not a particularly exciting
playmaker, Godin has been an effective role
player throughout his career and should be
plenty capable this year of holding down the 3tech spot when Hurst (or Wormley) goes out for a
breather. The other main backupif he indeed
winds up being a backupis sensational true
freshman Rashan Gary.

VII.

Hyping up freshmen is an annual tradition in the

college football previews. But its also one that
typically leads to extensive eye-rolling and people
looking foolish when the season starts and those
ballyhooed newcomers sit the bench. Thats why
the EGD doesnt do it much. But every now and
then a freshman truly is the real deal.

In over fifteen years (!) of writing these previews,

the only true freshmen the EGD done hyped have
been Tate Forcier in 2009 and the actual Jabrill
Peppers in 2014.* Forcier eventually lost his job
to Denard Robinson and flamed out at Michigan,
but not before an excellent freshman season that
included all-American honors and a stunning
upset over Notre Dame in dramatic fashion.
Peppers, of course, has been one of college
footballs most scintillating talents ever since
arriving on campus. This year, the Wolverines
add Gary, the highest-rated high school prospect
since the dawn of football recruiting websites.

One reason Gary is rated so highly is because hes

already college-sized and has superior athleticism
to even most high-level D-1 prospects. High
school lineman are difficult to project to college
because they usually need to add significant
weight (30 lbs. or more in many cases) to reach
functional playing sizeand many have difficulty
either putting that weight on or are unable to

Those recruiting website basically center around

a Big Four services that scout, track, rate, and

I suppose the flip side of this is that the EGD failed to

predict how successful some of Michigans other true
freshman stars (Chad Henne, Mike Hart, Martavious Odoms,
Mason Cole) would be. But Ill take that over being some
fool who thought Boubacar Cissoko would dominate.

21

With Durkin off to coach Maryland and new ace

coordinator Don Brown taking over the defense,
Charlton moves back to his natural position at
WDE. He should do well there, especially against
the pass. At 272 lbs., Charlton is a good 15-20
lbs. heavier than most weakside ends, giving him
uncommon power on his bullrush while also
being quick and agile enough to beat guys
laterally. Pro Football Focus ranked Charlton
sixth among pass rushers at his position in 2015,
based on his 41 pressures and six sacks (which
should have been seven sacks, but for some
creative officiating in the Citrus Bowl); look for
him to improve upon those numbers in 2016.

retain their speed and athleticism after gaining it.

Gary, at 287 lbs. and with electronic 40- and
shuttle times of 4.74 and 4.35, respectively,
doesnt have that problem. While it may him a
year to assimilate the advanced techniques and
footwork necessary to fully dominate college
opposition (and it very well may not), he should
at least be an adequate replacement for Willie
Henry in year one before going on to full-fledged
stardom as a sophomore and beyond.

The only thing approximating a question mark

VIII.

The fourth defensive line position, weakside end,

is the only one without multiple established
players vying for time. In 2015, a pair of okay
seniors (Mario Ojemudia, until tearing his Achilles
tendon against Maryland, and Royce JenkinsStone thereafter) manned the spot; both have
graduated, leaving a vacancy that jumbo senior
Taco Charlton will fill this fall.

Charlton is a familiar face to Michigan fans. Hes

already played in 35 career games, mostly as a
reserve defensive end, sometimes on the weak
side and other times the strong. An explosive
pass rusher, the EGD hoped Charlton could push
his way into the starting lineup at WDE in 2015.
Butt DJ Durkin, who replaces a heavy-duty rush
end with a more flexible Buck Linebacker in his
one gap 3-4 scheme, stood in the way of that.
Forced to play inside, Charlton was inconsistent
in spot duty; mgoblog rated him an impressive
+10 against Northwestern and +7.5 in his start
against Penn State, yet at ineffective +0 and -2
scores in games against Michigan State and
Indiana, respectively.

about Michigans 2016 defensive line has to be

the second-string WDE position, behind Charlton.
The answer is going to be Chase Winovich, a 245
lb. redshirt sophomore Michigan sees as a Jake
Ryan clone, 2012 edition. If hes that, then game
on. But chances are hell just be a responsible
edge defender with some coverage ability, which
is plenty good enough.

As good as the individual players on this line are,

focusing on the specific players risks overlooking
how stacked the unit is as a whole. To that end,
consider the following chart. The darker the cell
is shaded, the better the player at that spot:

22

Year
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016

SDE
G. Steele
G. Steele
J. Feazell
J. Williams
D. Rumishek
D. Rumishek
D. Rumishek
P. Massey
P. Massey
P. Massey
R. Biggs
B. Graham
B. Graham
B. Graham
R. VanBergen
R. VanBergen
C. Roh
B. Beyer
B. Beyer
W. Henry
C. Wormley

DT
B. Huff
J. Williams
J. Williams
E. Wilson
S. Lazarus
S. Lazarus
S. Lazarus
N. Heuer
L. Harrison
A. Branch
A. Branch
W. Johnson
W. Johnson
R. VanBergen
G. Banks
W. Heininger
Q. Washington
J. Black
W. Henry
C. Wormley
M. Hurst

(Light blue shading corresponds to an average

player; the medium blue corresponds to an above
average player; the dark blue corresponds to an
outstanding player).

NT
Rush
Scrg. Def.
W. Carr
D. Bowens
15.3/gm - 8th
R. Renes
J. Hall
9.5/gm - 1st
R. Renes
J. Hall
18.1 - 18th
R. Renes
J. Hall
20.6 27th
E. Wilson
E. Coleman
19.1 19th
N. Heuer
S. Orr
19.8 23rd
G. Bowman
S. Orr
20.4 26th
G. Bowman
L. Stevens
16.8 11th
G. Watson
L. Woodley
23.2 43rd
G. Watson
L. Woodley
20.3 24th
T. Taylor
L. Woodley
15.9 15th
T. Taylor
T. Jamison
21.4 24th
T. Taylor
T. Jamison
28.9 85th
M. Martin
C. Roh
27.5 74th
M. Martin
C. Roh
35.2 108th
M. Martin
C. Roh
17.4 6th
W. Campbell
B. Beyer
19.8 20th
Q. Washington F. Clark
26.8 67th
R. Glasgow
F. Clark
22.4 27th
R. Glasgow
M. Ojemudia
16.4 6th
R. Glasgow
T. Charlton
??????????
Michigans best in the 85-scholarship era if
Charlton has the big senior year that plenty of
people are expecting.

As good as the defensive line starters are, the

biggest reason the Michigan defensive line stands
out this year is its incredible depth. Even with
modest expectations, Michigans second-string
defensive line (of Gary/Godin/Mone/Winovich)
would be one of the better starting units in the
Big Ten by itself.

While obviously there is more to a defense than

the front four, and while scoring defense is often
a misleading statistic, youll note that Michigan
hasnt had a starting defensive line without at
least one weak spot since the 90s and until last
year hadnt had a line with three legitimate stars
since 2006. Michigans starting defensive lines
last year and this year are as good as any in the
past 20 seasonsbut this years group could be

They will have to prove it on the field, of course.

But the 2016 defensive line has the makings of
being the best Michigan s had since the EGDs
been keeping track. And with defensive line
being the most important position group in
college football, that sets up well for a special
season.

IX.

While the defensive line is ridiculously talented,

deep, and experienced, Michigan does have some
holes to fill in the linebacking corps. Last years
starters at the inside positions, Desmond Morgan

23

and Joe Bolden, have graduated along with

heavily used reserve James Ross. One
experienced backup, senior Ben Gedeon, returns
and will claim a starting position almost by
default. The other probable starter, Mike
McCray, is a redshirt junior with experience on
special teams. Both need to play well and stay
healthy because their backups are still going
through freshman orientation.

nonconference games to get acclimated before

B1G play.

A true freshman, Devin Bush Jr., looks to be the

primary backup to both Gedeon and McCray. A
4-star recruit on the 247 Composite, Bush is the
son of a former Florida State and NFL safety who
is now the head coach at Flanagan High School in
Pembroke Pines. He enrolled early and saw
extensive action in the spring game, where be
performed adequately despite having been on
campus for just a matter of weeks. Bush should
be much improved with another four months of
fall camp under his belt; hell see plenty of time
this season as Michigan looks to get him ready for
2017.

Gedeon is an athletic linebacker with good

measurables, but the trick with inside linebacker
play is making fast, accurate reads and
consistently getting to the right place. Gedeon
hadnt quite solved that puzzle by 2015, but hell
hopefully have figured more of it out by this fall
because Michigans going to have to roll with him
regardless. The EGD predicts a solid B
performance, which should be fine given the
talent around him. The deeper mystery is with
the other ILB position.

Mike McCray, from Trotwood, Ohio, was one of

Brady Hokes bigger gets in the 2013 recruiting
class. At 64 and the son of a former Buckeye
captain, McCray was a national top-200 prospect
who Urban Meyer wanted bad. But McCray
chose the good guys, and spent the last three
seasons dealing with various injuries, blocking for
field goals, and biding his time behind Michigans
upper classmen LBs. Now he has a shot at two
years of a starting gig, and Michigan hopes hell
take advantage as a run-stuffing thumper.

Michigans outside linebacker from 2015, James

Ross, also graduated and is now trying to make
the San Diego Chargers roster as an undrafted
free agent. Hell be replaced by an interesting
two-man platoon devised for enabling the
defense to cope both with tight, power rushing
formations and with wide spread & shreds. One
member of that platoon is redshirt sophomore
Noah Furbush, who at 65 and 235 lbs. is the
more traditional OLB. Hell see his most
extensive playing time against the heavier
manball offenses like Wisconsin and Michigan
State. The other spot in the OLB platoon calls for
a faster, more athletic hybrid space player who
can deal with multiple-threat spread offense
weapons like Percy Harvin or Curtis Samuel. For
that spot, Michigan has all-American megastar
Jabrill Peppers.

All we have to go on for McCray is his spring

game film, which the EGD reviewed in a diary on
mgoblog and deemed McCrays performance
competent and physical. He generally got
himself to the right place and was usually an
authoritative tackler when he got there, and that
should be plenty sufficient if he can do it in real
games. Theres some chance he cant, of course;
M fans are quite familiar with the Joe Bolden
Effect (i.e., excelling in practice by masterfully
reading your own teams offense, then struggling
to achieve similar results against actual
competition). But as of now McCray looks
credible, and hell benefit from a string of easy

One of the best all around athletes youll find one

a college football roster anywhere, Peppers
began his career as a boundary corner in 2014
but played only few games before injuries

24

athlete in his own right, Hudson seems ticketed

for a spread-killing safety or possibly OLB spot.

The other freshman, Josh Uche, is a wafer-thin

pass rush specialist who (new Michigan defensive
coordinator) Don Brown wanted since his Boston
College gig because hes super fast and has the
coveted ability to bend & dip around offensive
tackles. Uche is probably too skinny to play in
competitive situations, but there may not be as
many of those in 2016 as were used to.

X.

The other established star in Michigans back

seven is returning first-team All-American and
cover god Jourdan Lewis. A fierce competitor
and technical grandmaster at the field
cornerback position, Lewis already owns the
single season Michigan record for PBUs with 22
last year, and needs just 11 more to tie the school
record for career PBUs. Like Peppers, Lewis is a
high pick in next years NFL Draftjust as he
would have been this year, had he not chosen to
return to school. Just enjoy him while he lasts.

knocked him out. He returned in 2015 as a

nickelback, a hybrid type of position that involved
coverage duties against quick, shifty slot receivers
and a heavy emphasis on open field tackling
against outside runs and annihilating WR
screens. Peppers muddled through a rough first
half in season the opener at Utah, and then went
on to an All-B1G and all-American season.

The cornerback spot across from Lewis is the site

of probably the teams most intense defensive
position battle of the offseason. Jeremy Clark,
who has played in 32 career games and made 13
startsincluding the majority at boundary corner
last seasonis a quality player with great size for
the position at 64. But to keep his job, Clark
needs to fend off persistent challenger Channing
Stribling, a fellow senior and long, 62 corner
with 34 appearances and four starts of his own.
Both players have shown good ability to stick
with receivers, but have struggled finishing plays

Peppers will have the same spread-stopping

duties this year, despite a nominal change in the
nomenclature (to outside linebacker). But
Peppers is too good to simply take off the field
against pro-style offenses; in those games, look
for Michigan to move Peppers all over the
placelinebacker, safety, corner, blitz threat
NOS. If it goes well, then between his defense,
kick returns, and offensive snaps we might well
see Peppers mount one of the more unorthodox
Heisman campaigns since probably the Honey
Badger or even CW.

Sadly, this is probably Peppers last season in a

Michigan uniform, as hes an unquestioned top10 NFL draft pick who can definitely get paid to
make you holler. So we might see a couple of
true freshman heir apparents this season. One,
Kaleke Hudson, has the look of a homicidal poor
mans Peppers and from the looks of his high
school highlight reel might well be turning pro
early in a few years himself. An outstanding

25

even when in great position.

Until this year, playing free safety wasnt much of

an option for Hill because Michigan had Jarrod
Wilson, a three-year starter whos currently
working on making the Jacksonville Jaguars
roster. Wilson didnt make too many big plays in
his Michigan career, but the Wolverines didnt
give many up during his tenure either. Like a
crafty veteran baseball pitcher, who batters dont
mind facing but wind up 0-for-4 nonetheless,
Wilson quietly held down the back end and of a
secondary that ranked #1 in passing efficiency
defense last season. Analysts projecting Wilson
to the NFL ultimately was him as maybe a beat
slow in his reads, and top college passing
offenses (like MSU 2015) could get to him. But
stillif you want to start at free safety over that,
good luck.

Stribling is probably the better cover corner, and

could legitimately win the job if he demonstrates
some improved ball skills. But Clark, a former
safety, has the edge in size and tackling ability.

The Stribling-Clark duel will no doubt be a fierce

one, will likely continue beyond fall camp, and
may never be fully resolved through the season.
But whichever corner doesnt win the start will
still see significant action, both as a backup and
as a third CB against 3- and 4-WR sets.

Beyond Stribling and Clark, Michigan will again be

looking to try out some younger defensive backs
in preparation for next seasons mass secondary
turnover. Probably first in that pecking order is
David Long, a top-10 corner from Los Angeles
who looks like the most likely heir to Lewiss spot
next year. After Long, other freshman who might
get a look are Keith Washington, an Alabama
product who comes off a 2015 redshirt, and true
freshman Lavert Hill of Cass Tech. Washington, a
converted high school option QB, had a rough go
in the spring game and may be a longer-term
development project. Hill might be closer to
ready technique-wise, but in true Cass Tech
fashion comes in listed at 168 lbs.

Now that Wilson has graduated, Delano has his

chance. Moving to his more natural position, Hill

could excel. He probably wont suddenly become
a fearsome turnover machine who deposits
enemy receivers into piles of crumb rubber, but
solid and consistent play (e.g., by avoiding any
spectacular busts against obscure MSU
fullbacks) could realistically yield all-B1G honors
in a league with just a few proven safeties. But a
just okay performance might not be enough to
keep the starting job away from up-and-coming
sophomore Tyree Kinnel.

Laverts older brother, Delano Hill, is the guy who

finally ended last years Indiana profanity by
breaking up a fourth down pass at the goal line.
Hes a senior and one of three players contending
for the two starting roles at safety. As another
experienced veteran (33 games played, 13 starts),
Delano should be at least adequate if he wins the
start; if he doesnt, hell be a very reliable backup
safety and special teams demon

At 61 and 215 lbs., Delano has a thick,

deathbarrel build and the look of a guy whose
game should resemble that of a fourth LB, down
at the line of scrimmage. Appearances can be
deceiving, of courseand thats true in Hills
case: his run defense isnt great, but Hills also got
4.4 speed and is strongest in coverage. In short,
Delano might look like a box safety, but his game
screams free.

Kinnel, who apart from being a couple inches

shorter and rocking a glorious 'fro instead of the
Milli Vanillis, looks pretty much like the second
coming of Jarrod Wilson. He played eight games
on special teams a year ago and then held up well
in the spring. You can pencil him in already for
2017, and hell get plenty of snaps this year in

26

preparation. Those snaps could even come in a

starting role this season if he pushes the mercury
high enough on the coaches trust-o-meter and
the centerfield assassin version of Delano Hill
does not materialize.

of speed and raw athleticism. When he

diagnoses the play correctly, Thomas can make
plays as well as anyone on the rosterwhether
thats taking down Ezekiel Elliott one-on-one in
space or dominating a WR releasing into the
slot. As long as Zordich can keep him pointed in
the right direction most of the time, Thomas
could end the year with an all-league highlight
reel and a crack at hearing his name called on
draft day.

The strongside safety, Dymonte Thomas, is the

defenses answer to AJ Williams: a gifted athlete
who spent the early years at Michigan lost in the
wilderness, only to resurrect his career seemingly
overnight upon Harbaughs arrival. Thomas, who
arrived on campus as a five-star recruit in 2013,
seemed destined for immediate greatness as
soon as he blocked a punt on the very first series
of his very first college game. But Thomas did
nothing the rest of his freshman and sophomore
seasons, his struggles with pass coverage keeping
him pinned to the bench. As 2015 approached,
Thomass prospects at safety looked dead in the
water, and observers (including the EGD) called
for Harbaugh to try him on offense.

XI.

That the Michigan defense will be some version

of excellent in 2016 seems to be a rather wellaccepted fact. Michigan had a top-5 unit by most
metrics in 2015, including a run of three
consecutive shutouts against BYU, Maryland, and

Thomas didnt do much through the early going

in 2015. But in the mid-October showdown
against Michigan State, Thomas earned snaps as
the dime back and acquitted himself well, both as
a blitzer and as part of the relentless coverage
unit that had the game won until [REDACTED].
Mgoblog credited Thomas with a hard-earned +3
grade for that game, which included a PBU on
States final offensive play. Thomas got more
time against Minnesota the next game; he had an
up-and-down performance and dropped an
interception, but the light seemed to be finally
going on. A week later, against Rutgers, Thomas
played the majority of the game at strong safety
and would continue to split time with Hill at
strong safety for the rest of the season.

Northwestern (and the streak could have been

four, if not for a garbage time bust against UNLV
in week three). Michigan returns substantially all
of its key talent, adds impact freshman like
Rashan Gary and Devin Bush Jr., and even gets
established contributor Bryan Mone back from
injury.

As formidable as that defense is, however, it still

has one big question to answer. Big Ten titles
and national championships are not won by
shutting out teams like Maryland, Northwestern,
or even BYU. Few will question that the
Wolverines can do that againor at least come
close. But fulfilling championship aspirations
requires winning games against the best
opponents on the schedule, especially one in
particular. Vaderyou must face Vader. And in

Thomas position coach, Michael Zordich, was an

all-American safety at Penn State and went on to
play 12 seasons in the NFL. After his playing days,
Zordich coached safeties at the high school, FCS
(Youngstown State), and NFL (Philadelphia
Eagles) levels before coming to Michigan. He
seems to have gotten through to Thomas, for
whom a true senior season renaissance could be
in the offing. Thomas doesnt have Peppers
football IQbut is a comparable player in terms

27

last years game against Ohio State, the Michigan

defense held for about a quarter and then got its
hand chopped off. So that big question for 2016,
then, is not whether Michigan has a statistically
top-10 defense or a top-5 defense or even the
very top-rated defense in the country. The big
question is, what are they going to do about
Darth?

offense was of course the shotgun zone-read, a

play on which the QB would receive the snap,
read a single defender, and then either hand off
to the running back or keep the ball himself
depending on what the read defender did.

The difficulty in contending with the Dark Sides

offense is that the Buckeyes have married one of
the games best-designed offensive schemes with
probably the deepest collection of college
football talent outside Tuscaloosa, if not the NFL.
This isnt Jim Tressels OSU; Meyer has returned
them to a level of dominance Columbus hasnt
seen since Woody Hayes was beating up on
Bump Elliott.

Most teams could put together a perfect game

plan and execute flawlessly against the current
Buckeyes and probably still lose by multiple
touchdowns. They really are that good. But
Michigan is not most teamsMichigan has one
of the handful of rosters around the U.S. with
enough juice to match the Buckeyes player-forplayer. So how did the defense give up six
touchdowns last season? The EGD offers three
main reasons: the Empire was at a peak level
even by Meyers standards, was healthier in key
spots, and found a schematic weakness in
Michigans defense which it mercilessly exploited.

For most Michigan fans, the term spread

offense is synonymous with the speed/finesse
system Rich Rodriguez brought to Ann Arbor in
2008. The fundamental basis of Rich Rods

An important aspect of Rich Rods zone read play

that many fans did not fully appreciate, however,
was its grounding in outside zone (or the stretch
play). Offensive linemen were tasked with
reach blocking defenders; this called for
linemen to step around defenders and seal them
inside, creating space for the back to run outside
the blocks.

Reach blocking calls for quickness, agility, and

flawless technique, not necessarily size or raw
power. Running outside requires backs with
great speednot necessarily the strength and
durability to run between the tackles. Hence Rich
Rods teams grew smaller and faster, and to this
day many Michigan fans still associate spread
teams with tiny little football players.

Rich Rods spread & shred is a great offense and

was hardly the reason his tenure in the Big House
did not succeed. But that offense has little in
common with what Meyer runs at Ohio State.
Both offenses are spreads because they align
receivers across the field to draw defenders away
from the box (i.e., the area between the
offensive tackles within about seven yards of the
line of scrimmage). But unlike Rich Rods speedbased, finesse spread, Meyer runs a smashmouth
spread based on inside zone (or what Meyer calls

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tight zone) and physical, downhill blocking

concepts.

usually credited to Virginia Tech defensive guru

Bud Foster.

Rather than try to outflank the defensive line

with reach blocks, in Meyers system the
offensive linemen double-team the playside
defensive tackle and tries to overpower him.
The extra blocker for this double-team comes
from not having to block the backside defensive
end. Like Rich Rods zone read, the QB reads that
DE and will pull the ball and runs around him if he
commits inside to tackle the running back.

Countless variations on quarters have since been

devised and remain in use, but the basic form
aligns the cornerbacks over the two outside
receivers and the two safeties over the two inside
receivers. On a passing play, the cornerbacks will
generally cover the outside receivers man-toman. The safeties, however, will make reads on
the inside receivers. If an inside receiver releases
vertically, then the safety must cover him manto-man. But if an inside receiver releases
horizontally, then the safety allows the
linebackers (who play zone coverage underneath)
to pick him up and provides deep help to the
cornerback on his side.

The first thing a defense needs to contend with

Meyers tight zone are strong, stout defensive
tackles who can hold up against Buckeye doubleteams at the point-of-attack. With Ondre Pipkins,
Bryan Mone, and Ryan Glagow all lost to injury,
Michigan entered the 2015 game at a severe
disadvantage up front. Lighter players Maurice
Hurst (a penetrating-style DT) and Matt Godin
(battling his own injury) would struggle to hold
their ground. But Michigans defense would also
concede a schematic disadvantage to Ohio State
in that game, compounding this mismatch.

This alignment enables the defense to remain

sound against the pass, while keeping both
safeties near or in the box to assist in run
support. That nine-man front makes quarters the
most effective anti-spread scheme yet devised,
and thus most every team in college football has
adopted some version of it for use at least parttime in their defense. MSU makes quarters the
very foundation of its D.

XII.

One week before they took on Michigan, the

Buckeyes had lost to Michigan State, a team
famous for engulfing spread offenses with its
two-high quarters defense. The invention of
quarters, so named because it essentially divides
the back end of the field into vertical fourths for
each of a teams four defensive backs to cover, is

Like any defensive scheme, quarters does have its

vulnerabilitiesand those vulnerabilities are in
the passing game. By occupying the safeties with
inside vertical routes, an offense can secure
favorable one-on-one matchups for its outside
wide receivers against opposing cornerbacks.
Safetiesparticularly bigger, run support-

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oriented safeties, may struggle in single coverage

against slot receivers with exceptional speed,
while tall tight ends may pose a difficult challenge
for smaller, rangier safeties. Certain route
combinations (especially post-wheel) tend to put
pattern-reading defensive backs in conflict. Playaction can prove deadly, particularly against
inexperienced or undisciplined safeties. And
defenses without great speed at linebacker are
vulnerable to swing passes, WR screens, and
other routes that attack the flats.

times; running into the teeth of MSUs nine-man

quarters front, he managed only 33 yards on
those 12 carriesjust 2.8 yards per rush. More
carries at 2.8 yards apiece wasnt going to beat
the Spartans.

To exploit these weaknesses in quarters, it helps

to have a gifted outside receiver who can beat
single coverage, or a fast and shifty slot receiver
who can shake free from a safety, or a beastly
tight end who can post-up a smaller defensive
backs downfield, or a sure-handed running back
who can defeat linebacker coverage on routes
our of the backfield. In 2015, Ohio State had
every single one of these things. Michael Thomas
was a first-round NFL draft pick at outside WR.
Nick Vannett, taken in the third round, was a 66
tight end. Braxton Miller, another third-round
pick, was a speedy and talented option at H-back,
who could either attack the slots or the flat. Jalin
Marshall, a true slot, was a tough cover for just
about any safety in the country; hes now on the
New York Jets after leaving OSU following just his
redshirt sophomore season. And Curtis Samuel,
another gifted hybrid RB/WR type, is still in
Columbus. So how did Ohio State not manage to
tear the Spartans quarters defense to shreds? A
lot of Buckeye fans will tell you thats a good
f**king question.

The problem, rather, was that OSU attempted

only 17 passes in the entire game (compared with
28 runs). With all the slot weapons and backfield
threats and edge personnel it could possibly have
needed to abuse MSUs quarters coverage, the
Buckeyes attempted just 17 passes. There was
rain that day, surebut not that much rain.
There was wind, but not that much wind. So why
did they continue bashing headlong into Malik
McDowell, Shalique Calhoun, and the rest of
Spartys outstanding nine-man front? Probably
because on the passes he did throw, Ohio State
quarterback J.T. Barrett completed just 9 of them
for a measly 46 yards. More passes at 2.9 yards
apiece wasnt going to beat the Spartans either.

Michigan fans had seen this before. In 2010 and

again in 2011, the MSU quarters defense bottled
up first the Rich Rod spread & shred and then the
Al Borges grab bag and forced Denard Robinson
to prove himself as a pocket passer. That wasnt
Denards gameand without a great passer to
distribute the ball, all the weaknesses of the
quarters system are mitigated.

Ezekiel Elliott thought it was because he didn't

get enough carries. But Elliott carried the ball 12

The same thing happened to J.T. Barrett against

Ohio State last season; unlike Denard, Barrett had
a competent defense and an all-NFL supporting
cast that was almost able to produce a victory
regardless. But no matter how close the final
score was, there was no question the Spartans
had shut down the Buckeye offense that day.
Ohio State had run just 45 plays for only 132 total

30

yards, and OSUs only points came off Spartan

fumbles at their 32- and 6-yard lines.

XIII.

It might not have mattered. Ohio States third

advantage over Michigan in 2015 was simply a
massive surplus of talent. According to the 4year recruiting rankings published by SB Nation
in February 2015, Ohio State had the nations
second most loaded roster last season behind
only Alabama. Michigan was 17threspectable,
but no match for the Buckeyes and their school
bus load of high NFL draft picks.

When the Michigan defense took the field against

them one week later, however, the Buckeyes did
not face a quarters coverage with nine men
bearing down on the run. Instead, D.J. Durkins
Wolverine defense aligned with one high safety
(Jarrod Wlson) and an eight-man box. Heres an
Ohio State play the EGD diagrammed before The
Game last year, the Inverted Veer, against the
expected eight-man front:*

Can you see the problem? The EGD didnt. But

lets look again, focusing on the box:

Ohio States talent advantage recedes

significantly this year. With a top-5 recruiting
class in 2016, Michigan has closed much of the
long-term recruiting disparity; Ohio State still
ranks second nationally, but the Wolverines are
up to tenth. And with the Buckeyes mass exodus
of early NFL draft entrees, it is now Michigan that
holds the edge in experienced talent while Ohio
State needs to break in new players throughout
the lineup.

Indeed, this time around its the Wolverines who

could realistically see at least eight and possibly
ten or more players drafted in 2017including
probable first-round selections like Jourdan Lewis
and (sniff) Jabrill Peppers. Michigan may actually
be peaking this season, at least on defense, and
so there is every reason to believe this is the year
Michigan goes down to the Horseshoe in
November and comes home with a victory.

With J.T. Barrett optioning-off a defensive end,

the Buckeyes have nine blockers; with Jarrod
Wilson playing too high to help in run support,
the Wolverines have only eight defenders. In
football, as in math, 9> 8. Shit. Maybe should
have gone with nine in the box.

The most recent example of Browns work, his

2015 BC Eagles unit, finished #3 nationally in
defensive S&P+ (behind just Alabama and
Michigan)and he did that with talent ranked
#66 in five-year recruiting and despite being

Really a 7.5-man front as the strong safety is aligned low,

but over the H-back and outside the tackles.

Michigan wont be hampered by an inferior

scheme against the Buckeye power spread this
season, either. D.J. Durkin left Michigan last fall
to replace Randy Edsall as the head coach of
Maryland, and shortly thereafter Jim Harbaugh
reeled in perhaps his biggest recruit of the offseasonand I dont even mean Rashan Gary.
Harbaugh hired Boston College defensive
coordinator Don Brown, one of the best in the
game.

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happenespecially if this years Wolverine

defense avoids the kinds of key injuries that
decimated its 2015 front.

Schedule & Predictions

Sept. 3 vs. Hawaii

The Rainbow Warriors, looking to rebound from a
3-9 season, play Cal in Syndey, Australia, the
week before their date with Michigan. If the
jetlag dont getem, the Peppers will. Michigan
38, Hawaii 6

paired with the countrys 124th-ranked offense

(out of 128 teams). The ludicrous disparity
between Browns relentless defense and BCs
hopeless offense led to an almost comical series
of losses: 0-14 to #9 Florida State, 16-19 against
#4 Notre Dame, 7-9 at Duke, and in a true crime
against football, 0-3 against Wake Forest.

Being in the same conference as Clemson,

Georgia Tech, North Carolina, and other option
and spread-option teams, Brown was an early
adopter of anti-spread defensive schemes. His 2high trap system resembles Bud Fosters and
MSUs quarters, putting a nine-man box on the
field against spread-to-run attacks. Brown also
teaches a so-called "squeeze & pop" (Pup)
technique to defensive ends and other edge
defenders being optioned-off, whereby they
shuffle down the line-of-scrimmage and make the
give-or-keep decision difficult for the QB.
Perhaps most excitingly, Brown is known as an
extremely active defensive coordinatorprone
to exotic blitzes and pressures and, in his words,
solving problems by aggression.

Sept. 10 vs. University of Central Florida

Being a public university in Orlando with an
enrollment over 60,000, the University of Central
Florida should probably actually have a decent
football team. In fact, they recently did. UCF
went 9-4 in 2014, and in 2013 they did even
betterfinishing 12-1 with a victory over Baylor
in the Fiesta Bowl. I guess that was enough to
impress Dave Brandon that Michigan fans would
be satisfied with UCF as a replacement for Notre
Dame on the schedule. But the curse of DB
knows no bounds, and the bottom fell out last
season. UCF went 0-12 and saw their head
coach, George OLeary, hang up his clipboard
halfway through. The Knights hired former
Nebraska QB and Oregon offensive coordinator
Scott Frost in December, and hopes are high
but it may take a while to put the pieces back
together. Michigan 31, UCF 0

Coach Brown has never had anything close to

resembling the talent on Michigans current
roster, so hopes are high that combining his
coaching with Michigans players will produce
something 1997ish. And yeah, that could

Sept. 17 vs. Colorado

With UCF coming off a winless season, the
marquee game of the nonconference schedule
is a visit from the long-rebuilding Colorado
program that now finds itself mired in the cellar
of the Pac-12 South. Though the Buffaloes

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managed just four wins in 2015, they did manage

to beat in-state rival Colorado State and play
several good teams close: losing 14-20 at Utah,
24-27 against USC, 31-35 at UCLA, and 31-38 to
Arizona. Another uptick in competence could see
the Buffaloes challenge for a post-season berth
this yearbut their trip to the Big House wont
help with that. Also, fuck Colorado. Michigan
27, CU 10

bargain-basement coach Barrys got running the

show is former Bielema OC Paul Chrystat least
if Chryst hasnt ditched Madison for some
random backwater like Arkansas or Oregon State
by the time the game rolls around. Chryst lost his
defensive coordinator to LSU this offseason, and
thats extra convenient since it means that DC,
Dave Aranda, gets to come back north and kick
the Badgers ass at Lambeau Field to start off
their 16. Good times, Barry. Come see Jimmy
for a little more of the same. Mich. 20, Wisc. 6

Sept. 24 vs. Penn State

Penn State managed a 7-5 regular season in 2015
and played Georgia close in a thrilling TaxSlayer
Bowl (though they ultimately lost, 17-24). But
much of that mildly successful season came on
the shoulders of a defense that has now lost star
linemen Anthony Zettel, Austin Johnson, and Carl

Oct. 8 at Rutgers Scarlet Knights

People bitch about the addition of Rutgers to the
Big Ten, but the EGD approves. Benefits include:
(i) an easy conference W anytime Brady Hoke
isnt the coach, (ii) better access to kick ass New
Jersey recruits (e.g., Jabrill Peppers, Rashan Gary,
Kareem Walker); and (iii) a biennial road game
within rubber band-shooting distance of NYC
(instead of against some ludicrous cornfield
teams like Purdue or Illinois). Leonte Carroo is
now a Miami Dolphin, so collecting the Baltic Ave.
auto-win one should be even easier this year.
Michigan 50, Rutgers 2.

Oct. 22 vs. Illinois

Normally when the Illinois football program hires
a head coach, you have to surf through to about
the fourth page of Google search hits before you
can get a bio on him and by then youve lost
interest and clicked on a banner ad for the
discount coffee filters club. Have they taken that
top-heavy-looking I off of their helmets yet?
Yeah. Well, it didnt go down that way in 2015.
Illinois made the surprise move of the B1G West

Nassib, as well as its well-regarded coordinator,

Bob Shoop. Perhaps willfully ignorant of the
departures, hopes are unrealistically soaring in
Happy Valley. Thats not good news for Head
Coach James Franklin, who clings to his job by the
most tenuous of grips. Franklin probably needs
eight wins to survive another year, but hes not
going to find one in Ann Arbor. Michigan 35,
Penn State 3

Oct. 1 vs. Wisconsin

One team thats always been annoying to play
are the stupid Wisconsin Badgers, with their
cartoon W and bros. and penny-pinching Barry
Alvarez. Having them off the schedule for the
past, what, five years has been a breath of fresh
air. But the stench is back now, and this time the

33

offseason when they announced former Chicago

Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach
Lovie Smith had taken over their program. This
wasnot what I was expecting. Well probably
never know what kind of threats/bribes/lies/
witchcraft the Illinois athletic administration had
to use on Smith to get him to Champaign-Urbana,
but now that they have him dont be surprised to
see Illinois on top of the heap of shit known as
the B1G West within a couple years. As for this
years trip to Ann Arobor, however: Michigan 40,
Illinois 13

last season in a game that went to doubleovertime. The 2014 game wasnt close, only
because IUs quarterback was hurt and then star
RB Tevin Coleman was benched for coughing up a
fumble. Now, Indiana hasnt beaten Michigan
since 1987 and it probably isnt going to happen
this seasonbut neither is going undefeated.
Either way, miserable day. IU 35, Mich. 30.

Nov. 26 at Ohio State

Not sure what else to say about this game that I
havent already saidexcept maybe that its
probably going to be the most important game
Michigan plays since Football Armageddon. I like
our chances better this time around. Rebel
Alliance 24, Imperial Forces 16

Oct. 29 at Michigan State

Just like Michigan lucked its way through 2011
and Notre Dame lucked its way through 2012, the
Spartans lucked their way to a playoff spot in
2015. Once they got there, reality set in. More
reality is going to set in for them in 2016,
including when they face an angry Harbaugh
squad out for revenge. Mich. 33, MSU 16

Nov. 5 vs. Maryland

D.J. Durkin returns to A2 with his first-year
Maryland team. Durkin is a talented coach and is
off to a good start in the recruiting game, so this
could be an interesting gamein a few years.
Michigan 34, Maryland 0

Nov. 12 at Iowa
People rip on Kirk Ferentz but the dude coaches
at Iowa. Its not easy to win at Iowa. Hes usually
got a couple of overrated linemen, a mediocre
QB, a bunch of injured running backs, and some
slow guy with an Eastern European surname
getting way too many touches. He doesnt have
those things because he wants themhe has
them because he coaches Iowa, and thats what
Iowa gets. Somehow hes still been able to field
reasonably competitive teams for the most
partand now he has them coming off a 12-2
season and looking to repeat at B1G West
champs. Hes probably gonna do it, too (even
though the EGD likes Northwestern to win the
West). Michigan 20, Iowa 18.

Overall Predictions:
Regular Season Record: 11-1
Big Ten: 8-1, #1 East
Post-Season:
B1G Championship Game
College Football Playoff
Offensive MOP: Jehu Chesson
Defensive MOP: Jourdan Lewis
Breakout Player (Offense): John OKorn
Breakout Player (Defense): Dymonte Thomas
Freshman of the Year (Offense): Ben Bredeson
Freshman of the Year (Defense): Rashan Gary
Overall Team MVP: Jabrill Peppers

Nov. 19 vs. Indiana

Playing IU isnt fun anymore. Michigan gave up
47 points to them in 2013, and 41 more points

Go Blue.
34