jacob lacey

Try that again. [Patrick Barron]

Previously: The Offense

Resources: My charting, ND game notes, ND roster with oddly specific heights, CFBstats

Those who lost track of Notre Dame back when we were on hiatus missed the Brian VanGorder defense. Those who didn't grow up in football in Michigan in the 1980s shouldn't be surprised when those that did all have VanGorder stories. Bowling Green's 119th-ranked defense is generating them now. I've got one I might share one day too. But ping a Notre Dame fan and you'll get all you need. Remember the year they went 4-8 (and Michigan State was 3-9?) That team was 82nd against the pass.

In 2017 they hired Mike Elko, who instituted a 4-2-5 under with tiny linebackers and a safety at the hybrid "Rover" position. In 2018 Elko left ND to his able assistant Clark Lea, the former LBs coach, who moved the rover inside for even tinier linebackers. This year they had to replace their best player at every level, and both of the linebackers. Again they moved the latest Rover to the weakside LB spot and drew in the next safety-like object. They also returned both All-If You Belonged to a Conference safeties, and a pair of defensive ends PFF thought were the best in the league, plus a Uche-like edge rushing specialist whose season unfortunately ended a few weeks ago. They've also somehow gotten even smaller across the middle, and make up for it by flinging them all at the line of scrimmage every snap.

The film: Georgia again because USC runs an Air Raid and we're going to be playing in a rainstorm unless the powers that be tell TV to go screw and move the game to noon for the safety and well-being of 113,000 people.

Personnel: My diagram:

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PDF Version, full-size version (or click on the image)

Again, take all scores in context. Notre Dame plays balls out with their linebackers to make up for their and the DTs' size issues, and that puts a lot of pressure on the secondary to make tackles and the ends to compress the line of scrimmage and get to the quarterback. We'll start with the DEs. Starting with the ends, SDE Khalid Kareem (+9.5/-5.5) is a Wormley-type tight end destroyer whom Georgia edged successfully a few times on read plays, and "Drop End" (WDE) Julian Okwara (+6.5/-3, –2 in coverage) is a standup DE/OLB hybrid except he's useless in coverage and extremely scary as a pass rusher. Inside they roll with most a three-man group of NG Kurt Hinish (+9.5/-3.5) who's solid, 3-Tech Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa (+10/-6) who's variable, and true freshman (composite #172) NT Jacob Lacey, with 3-tech/5-tech swingman Jayson Ademilola (composite #172) preferable to the available ends when someone else needs a spell.

I think they're lying about weights at linebacker. Maybe not for MLB Drew White (+6.5/-9.5 run, +0/-3 cov), a burst of acceleration who will get to the right hole if you point him straight at it. But former hybrid space player WLB Asmar Bilal (+3/-2 run, +1/-1 cov) still looks and plays like a defensive back, and has to shoot things aggressively or risk getting manhandled. The new "Rover" (HSP) Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (+9.5/-4 run, +0/-2 cov) mostly impressed me—he's the defense's wild child and used more or less how you would want a guy like him to be. The main backup is WLB Jack Lamb (+1/-1 run, +0/-1 cov) who spells Bilal on passing downs (mostly so he can pass rush), and a few snaps here and there for the true sophomores, old fashioned Pennsylvanian linebacker Bo Bauer (DNC), top-100 athlete Shayne Simon (DNC), and backup Rover Paul Moala (+1/-1).

The secondary features a lot of guys Michigan fought for, starting with speedster FCB Troy Pride Jr. (+0/-1 run, +2/-2 cov), an excellent Cover 2 cornerback who's got the size and speed but perhaps not the oomf to play as strongly in man on Georgia's well-endowed group of wideouts. BCB TaRiq Bracy (+0/-0 run, +2/-3 cov) is a widdle guy with some fight in him, and split time with a more extreme version of himself, forever-eligible starting nickel/former Brady Hoke commit Nk Shaun Crawford (+1/-3 run, +5/-2 cov), who's expected back this week from his latest foray onto the DL. Crawford's YMRMFSPA Blake Countess that Brian never got to write nonetheless still holds.

I do like the safeties a lot. FS Alohi Gilman (+6/-3.5 run, +0/-0 cov) is the Navy transfer ball-hawk who reminded you of Kovacs last year and will do so another ten times this year even though he's faster than Kovacs ever was. He's also not nearly as strong—UGA still has D'Andre Swift, who took Gilman for some piggy-back rides in this game. SS Jalen Elliott (+7/-2 run, +0/-1 cov) is very fast, especially when coming up in run support, and mostly mistake-free. He does fine on slot receivers. FS Kyle Hamilton (+0.5/-1 run, +0/-0 cov) joins them as a rangy middle-1/3rd coverage safety on passing downs.

[After THE JUMP: BLITZBALLLLLLLLL]

Part one of this week's two-part roundup, covering the recent commits, can be found here.

Official Offers Out: Sims Enrolling Early



full res photo here

August 1st was the first day written scholarship offers could go out to the class of 2018. You can see what Michigan's formal offers look like above; over the last couple years they've added the "we expect you to continue to strive for excellence" section as an explicit defense against another Erik Swenson situation.

Offer day came with some news this year: four-star GA CB Myles Sims will take advantage of the new early signing period and sign on December 21st, getting Michigan their top defensive back commit on campus for spring ball.

In other commit news, four-star MI DE Aidan Hutchinson announced yesterday he was selected for the Army All-American Bowl.

After last weekend's BBQ at the Big House, Michigan's odds of holding onto four-star IN OG Emil Ekiyor have improved. Following a recent visit to Alabama, Ekiyor said he'd eventually decide between the Wolverines and the Tide, and it sounded like it might be a coin-flip. He told 247's Isaiah Hole, however, that he's simply covering his bases:

While there's still a long ways to go until Signing Day, Ekiyor reaffirmed that he's taking visits as part of an exploratory process, but that he remains firmly committed to Michigan.

“Michigan is definitely the place that I want to be," Ekiyor said. "But I'm also (taking visits) just to make sure that I'm not being blind to another place, just because I feel so good about Michigan.”

It helps that a fellow Indianapolis native, four-star LB Cameron McGrone, joined the class on Monday. Ekiyor told The Wolverine's Brandon Brown he's "really excited to get up there" and join McGrone (plus Hoosier state products Chris Evans and Brandon Peters) in Maize and Blue:

"It makes you feel more comfortable with everybody up there," Ekiyor said. "We already know each other from being in the same city. You get more people from Indy supporting you too because basically all of the best players are heading to Michigan. It just gives you a level of being comfortable."

While Michigan will have to sweat out more visits, Ekiyor's commitment looks to be firmer than we believed last week.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]

BBQ Visitors: McGrone Ready To Commit

The annual BBQ at the Big House takes place this weekend; in fact, some visitors are already on campus. As usual, it's one of the biggest visit weekends of the year, and it should produce at least one commitment. Four-star IN LB Cameron McGrone, who recently shot into the top 50 in 247's rankings, is visiting and will then announce his decision on Monday at noon between Michigan, Notre Dame, and Indiana, per TMI's Evan Petzold.

The Irish were seen as Michigan's biggest competition but the Wolverines have all the momentum; they have the last 19 picks on McGrone's Crystal Ball, including those from Steve Wiltfong, Allen Trieu, and (most tellingly) Irish247's Tom Loy. It'd be a shock if McGrone went elsewhere, so expect a lot more on him in this space come Monday.

Along with many current commits, some top 2018 prospects will also be on campus this weekend. The notables, culled from 247's Steve LorenzTMI's Brice Marich, and The Wolverine's Brandon Brown:

  • Top-100 MO DT Michael Thompson, who has Michigan in his top five but looks to be leaning towards in-state Mizzou at the moment.
  • Four-star CA S Bryan Addison, who Lorenz believes is M's top safety target in the cycle. USC is the favorite but this is his first visit to campus.
  • Four-star TX OT Rafiti Ghirmai, a longtime target despite being somewhat off the radar who may be a tough pull from Texas.
  • Three-star FL CB Sammy Faustin, who Lorenz says M "quietly lead" his recruitment with Don Brown spearheading the effort.
  • I usually don't take much note of visits by current commits, but in the case of Emil Ekiyor, who's coming off a visit to Alabama, his is worth mentioning.
  • Four-star MO DE Ronnie Perkins, an Oklahoma lean and perhaps M's top defensive end target, is a maybe as he's looking for transportation to Ann Arbor, per Lorenz.
  • Lorenz reports that Michigan is also expecting top-100 MD DE Eyabi Anoma, who plays for Biff Poggi at St. Frances, to be on campus this weekend. TomVH subsequently reported, however, that Anoma plans to visit Maryland. Crootin!

Michigan may not add to the 2018 class this weekend beyond McGrone, but if they can make progress towards solidifying Ekiyor's pledge it'd be a successful BBQ. A big visit for Thompson is high on the wish list, too.

Meanwhile, there's a star-studded group visiting from the 2019 class, which I'll cover after the...

[JUMP]