wyatt davis

Previously: Quarterback, Running Back, Wide Receiver & Tight End

I'm bringing back this preview feature from before my time off; the exercise is to rank Michigan's opponents, as well as the Wolverines themselves, in each position group. This is particularly useful to do in a year when roster turnover and late-offseason changes (laaaaaaaaaaaaaate-offseason changes) are so prevalent; I'll do my best in these posts to highlight significant opt-outs, opt-ins, and the like.

I'm not gonna bother bolding starters and italicizing backups because this is the offensive line; we're only discussing starters or this would be 10,000 words. 

Tier I: Nationally Elite

the holes will continue to be depressingly large [Fuller]

1. Ohio State. The Buckeyes got a major boost, as if they needed it, when All-American junior right guard Wyatt Davis opted back into the season when the Big Ten announced they'd play. Davis, who'll likely be the first interior lineman off the board in the 2021 NFL Draft, leads a unit featuring two other returning starters: senior left tackle Thayer Munford and junior center Josh Myers, both All-Big Ten players and touted NFL prospects themselves; Myers is an All-American candidate.

How does OSU fill in the gaps? With five-stars, of course. Harry Miller, who saw time last year as a true freshman backup center, has secured the left guard position. At right tackle, Nicholas Petit-Frere and Paris Johnson Jr. are in a battle. Johnson is a true freshman, sure, but he was also the #9 player in the country and enrolled early; you're in good shape if that's the biggest question mark on your line.

This line isn't impenetrable; they allowed the #98 sack rate in the country last year. Some of that had to do with Justin Fields keeping plays alive with his legs, though, and the Buckeyes were a dominant run-blocking team. This is one of the most talented lines in the country, perhaps even the most talented.

2. Wisconsin. The entire theme of my Wisconsin HTTV preview was "it's Wisconsin" and that applies to the perennially dominant line. From that preview:

Another early entry to the NFL, center Tyler Biadasz, left yet another hole. But it’s Wisconsin. Second-team all-conference left tackle Cole Van Lanen spurned the NFL to anchor the offensive line for his senior season. Redshirt junior Logan Bruss made honorable mention All-Big Ten and can line up at either guard or tackle; classmates Kayden Lyles and Tyler Beach also have plenty of on-field experience. Five-star 2019 OL Logan Brown battled injuries in his redshirt year but has the talent to start. It looks like business as usual up front.

Yes, Wisconsin pulls in the occasional five-star OL these days, which is a terrifying thought. While the overall talent level isn't on par with OSU, their track record speaks for itself. They were nearly on OSU's level in the ground game and were the best sack-preventing line in the conference outside of MSU, which was getting the ball out as fast as humanly possible to hide a terrible line. While Wisconsin likes the quick-passing game themselves, they weren't hiding anything.

That's a major comfort for UW as they suddenly must replace not only record-setting back Jonathan Taylor but also starting quarterback Jack Coan, who underwent foot surgery after a practice injury and is out indefinitely.

[Hit THE JUMP for two good lines, two questionable ones, a chasm, and some laughs.]

Resources: My charting, Ohio State game notes, Ohio State roster, CFBstats, Last Year

The film: Ohio State-Penn State last week obviously.

Personnel: My diagram:

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

You will of course note that Ohio State gets first pick out of the guys they want from high school, and if that's not enough they can raid other teams. QB Justin Fields, #2 overall on the composite in 2018 and the eighth-highest ranked recruit in all of 24/7's database, was able to transfer immediately because Georgia didn't contest it (a UGA fan yelled racial slurs at a baseball game, so: yeah). You can argue if this was really the best thing for Ohio State since Joe Burrow left for LSU, but it's quite obviously not a bad thing. There was a dubious rumor going around about Fields's thumb, which he injured when fumbling on the goal line in the 1st quarter against Penn State. While he had two more fumbles in that game, they were from his other (throwing) hand. There was a scarier moment on OSU's last real snap when Fields appeared to roll his ankle, but he got up and was fine. In the unlikely event of someone other Fields going under center, West Virginia grad transfer Chris Chugunov is the #2 guy; most recently he was 5/14 and 4.4 YPA against Rutgers. It will be Fields.

You'll certainly remember RB JK Dobbins (1446 yards, 15 TDs, 6.6 YPC, +20.5/-8, –2 pass pro), who now leaves just a bare handful of carries for backup Master Teague (6.5 YPC), who's a bowling ball type.

Their best outside receiver, Chris Olave (+4/-1), is a shoulda-been-a-five-star version of Ronnie Bell whom Michigan wanted almost as badly as we want this game. Slot KJ Hill (469 yards, 9.2 YPT, 82% CR, 7 TDs, +5/-0 blocking) is the fastest guy in college football and had no business staying in college football after three years of siphoning Parris Campbell's snaps away. Not only is he getting far less usage in the Fields offense than last year's crossing route-a-thon, but his understudy Garrett Wilson (250 yards, 8.1 YPT, 68% CR), the 20th overall player in this year's composite, is KJ Hill'ing KJ Hill's snaps away. The difference: Hill's hands are the most reliable in the conference; Wilson will drop some routine things. You should be familiar with the outside starters: Austin Mack (234 yards, 8.7 YPT, 63% CR), who returned against Penn State from a broken foot, and tall leaper Binjamin Victor (480 yards, 12.3 YPT, 74% CR). Both are seniors who were just inside the composite top-100 four years ago. I know they got rid of Zach Smith but of all these guys only Olave seems to have a pro degree of complexity in his routes. The others just out-athlete everybody, which: fair enough.

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

Ace is on vacation! This post is already long! I'm posting it today!

On the Solomon commitment

Solomon and Reese [Sam Webb]

These days, the flood of "he won't stick" assertions in the aftermath of an unexpected commit from a far-flung high school prospect is inevitable. They certainly rolled in for GA DT Aubrey Solomon, both from the Michigan and SEC ends. Just like "offers" and OFFERS there are "commitments" and COMMITMENTS. The concern with Solomon is that he's issued the former.

Despite the fact that there's no evidence behind this assertion, people thinking this are not crazy. Michigan's already seen a GA commit peace out once the big local teams came in. But outright pessimism is unwarranted. Reasons Solomon will stick:

• Solomon already has big time offers and just visited Alabama and Georgia, who were previously thought to be the main contenders. He's seen what his leaders have to offer already and it's not like a bigger school than Bama or UGA can throw their hat in the ring.
• Michigan also picked up a commit from 2018 LB/S Otis Reese, a teammate. Reese had Michigan way out in front; he'll be there until Signing Day.
• Michigan's depth chart is attractive for a nose tackle. They have three-star Michael Dwumfour in the class ahead of him and not much else. Meanwhile the prospect of playing with Rashan Gary, even for just a couple years, is appealing.

Reasons it won't:

• The glow of the visit might not last.
• Parents might not be such a big fan of the decision.

Michigan's benefited from the latter a few times—Lawrence Marshall was an OSU commit for ten seconds before his parents put the brakes on—and suffered from it a few times. Solomon did talk to his mom on the phone before pulling the trigger:

“At first she was a little shocked because she’s never heard me trying to commit somewhere just like that,” Solomon said. “So she said I must be in love with the school and I told her that academically I would be good there."

Rusty Mansell, a reporter at the Georgia 247 site, has a skeptical take after talking to mom:

Solomon's mother was in Louisiana for a business trip at the time and told Dawgs247 the commitment caught her off-guard. She twice deemed the decision a "soft commitment," and mentioned that it is pending research. Again, her thoughts on the Georgia program were very high, and she said she is waiting to see what the outcome is in his recruitment.

Trying to figure out what Solomon will do through two separate lenses, one of them extremely red-tinted, is difficult. That doesn't sound great on the mom front.

FWIW, doesn't seem like Michigan put on a full court press. TomVH caught up with Lee County assistant coach Kevin Pych:

“The Michigan coaches are professionals,” Pych said. “They’re not sitting here blowing these kids’ phones up and they’re not pressuring them. That’s what sold these guys, that they care about making them into men.”

FL OL Kai-Leon Herbert reiterated that: Michigan coaches are amongst the lower-pressure ones out there. Sam Webb has an extensive article in the News about both Georgia commits in which Solomon tells it from his perspective:

"I was just thinking, ‘They want what's best for me, so let me call my mom.’ I'm a big momma's boy (so) I called her and talked to her about it. She was like, 'Is this really what you want to do?' and I told her, ‘Yeah, I can see myself playing here.’ Then she was like, 'Well, do what you've got do, baby. I love you,' and I said, 'I love you,' and went in there and said, 'I will commit here.'"

Whether that's good or bad is in the eye of the beholder. Hopefully mom can get on campus when Solomon takes his official.

What about Reese? While he is in a somewhat similar situation in his case a brother at Central Michigan and the fact that his commit was not off the cuff but something he'd been seriously thinking about should mean he's 90%+ to stick.

[After THE JUMP: more visit weekend fallout, new names dropping in via helicopter, Ace gets angry about KJ Hamler again despite being on vacation]