taylor upshaw

Yes, keep the ball. [Patrick Barron]

This is a more significant one. Rotation edge Taylor Upshaw, who moonlighted as the Racecar package's rush DT this year, is hitting the portal as well:

Though he didn't generate many stats, Upshaw was the most responsible of Michigan's edges, started two games, and contributed 271 snaps spread out over the lot of them. Though not much of a pass-rusher, Upshaw was solid against the run, trustworthy enough that he rarely got out of his lane, and present for many of the season's highlights. At the start of this season we used the "Taylor Upshaw Line" to mean "Replacement Level." By the end of the season it meant "Guy who makes the game-sealing interception at Ohio State."

…unless it meant "Guy who makes the sack to seal a Big Ten championship."

Upshaw was also Michigan's defensive lineman most likely to sniff out and murderate a screen.

Arriving as a thin son of an NFL lineman to hopefully develop into a DT, Upshaw redshirted in 2018 but found his way on the field as a backup DE in 2019. Don Brown announced that "had a butt" by 2020 and promptly added him to the rotation. That role became that of a starter as injuries to Aidan Hutchinson and Kwity Paye forced Upshaw onto the field, which many hoped meant that Michigan had found yet another excellent Anchor type.

Upshaw continued to grow into his body, and probably could have added a bit more to become a solid DT/DE in a 3-4 defense. However Michigan's needs were for a 5-2 edge, and Upshaw's pass rushing never progressed beyond that of "responsible." Even with the rush package snaps added in, Jaylen Harrell's linebacker versatility remained the program's preferred option at the spot opposite Morris that Upshaw nominally shared. Eyabi Okie, and younger prospects like Braiden McGregor and Derrick Moore, increasingly earned more playing time as the season progressed, largely at the expense of Upshaw. While he was a very useful and important member of the 2022 team, chances are the above crew and transfer Josiah Stewart were going to pass Upshaw by next fall, if not already.

Like his classmate Welschof, Upshaw still has a 6th year of eligibility thanks to a redshirt and the COVID year. May every Michigan end reach the Upshaw Line.

[Bryan Fuller]

A ho hum demolition of yet another sub-par program has us all feeling pretty confident, but I'm finding something in the charting that's of real concern. It's not a huge surprise, given this was the main issue with the team going into the season. But it was the source of most of Nebraska's yards, and relates to issues that Michigan's had all year in pass rushing and containing the quarterback. So I thought I should show you what I've been seeing.

On this play alone, we can see not one major pass-rushing issue but, but three:

  1. Guys who have other skills but are Not Good at edge rushing
  2. The hammer has no anvil
  3. They're losing lane integrity

We'll tackle them one at a time.

[After THE JUMP: Leave it to a Michigan fan (this one) to find something to fret about after Nebraska]

[Bryan Fuller]

Previously: Podcast 14.0A, 14.0B, 14.0C. The Story. Quarterback. Running Back. Wide Receiver. Tight End. Offensive Tackle. Interior OL. Defensive Interior.

EDGE: RAT-A-TAT-TAT

  Depth Chart
STRONG OLB Yr. TACKLE Yr. NOSE Yr. END Yr. WEAK OLB Yr.
Mike Morris Jr.* Mason Graham Fr. Mazi Smith Jr.* Kris Jenkins Jr.* Taylor Upshaw Sr.*
Julius Welschof Jr.* Rayshaun Benny Fr.* Cam Goode Jr.* George Rooks Fr.* Jaylen Harrell So.*
Braiden McGregor Fr.* Ike Iwunnah Fr.* Kenneth Grant Fr. Dom Guidice Fr.* Eyabi Anoma Sr.*

Michigan won the Big Ten last year for a lot of reasons. First and foremost amongst them was the greatest defensive end pairing in school history. Aidan Hutchinson went #2 overall and David Ojabo would have been a first round pick if he hadn't ruptured his Achilles in workouts. Hutchinson smashed Mo Hurst's all-time UFR scoring record by putting up a +39.5(!!!) against Ohio State, a take that PFF echoed. Hutchinson's 15 pressures in that game is a PFF-era record.

Neither of those guys is around anymore. Instead Michigan has one guy who played pretty well as rotational piece but projects as more of a DE/DT hybrid, two guys who have played a significant amount of unremarkable football, and then a pile of question marks in various shapes. But there's good news!

Jim Harbaugh has set a new mark for offseason balderdash. In the long history of people saying probably false things about their football teams, this stands alone atop a mountain of minor mendacity. So we've got that going for us.

Michigan has one guy who's probably tracking towards being picked in the NFL draft, a couple of upperclassmen who provide the weakside end a high floor (and a low ceiling) and then just piles and piles of lottery tickets.

ANCHOR/SOLB: WORM

RATING: 4

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HELLO YOU ARE NOW FLAT [Patrick Barron]

Redshirt junior MIKE MORRIS has the athletic background—his father was a four-year starter for FSU at guard and possessed a wicked flat-top—and on-campus trajectory to believe that he's going to step into the starting lineup without much difficulty. In many years the last word in the previous sentence would have been "dropoff." This year we're figuring out how big of one.

Realistically, it's going to be pretty big. Morris flashed talent in a fair number of reserve snaps a year ago but is pushing 290. If he was any sort of edge rusher at his weight the offseason hype for him would be titanic; as it is he projects as a pocket pusher who can attack half a man and make opposing QBs uncomfortable. He's not going to rip around the outside like a Scottish werewolf.

[After THE JUMP: a whole lot of scratch-off tickets]

My life, when written, will read better than it lived. 

someone get a stuffed beaver to rub in kenny demens's face 

not great bob

asking questions like "are the ends all-americans or merely excellent?" feels pretty good

dude, meet dude 

We're one step closer to having Green/Hill/Green/Hill-Green on the field at the same time, but could really use one or six more Hills.

eh, it'll be fine to good 

So many guys discussed I maxed out the site's ability to tag a post

you know when you raise a Tyrannosaurus and it starts off cute but eventually it eats your whole flock of sheep and you have to tearfully release it into the NFL

Taylor Upshaw? No, seriously, you tell me.