The Freshmen Have Numbers 2014 Comment Count

Seth

Obligatory:

The rosters are here! The rosters are here! The big news is Blake Countess will be #2 cause…

charleswoodson97

(artist: Ted Watts)

That’s got to be a new legends number, right? Nobody got 11 or 21, FWIW.

Freshmen #s

The incoming freshmen were all bequeathed their digits as well. I give them here with a few notables to have worn the digit at that position in the past. I’ve chosen to include the freshmen who were here in spring; a list of just the fall arrivals is here, courtesy Wolverine Devotee. Burn these into your memory so that it will hurt more when they’re changed to Legends numbers in a few years.

Player # Pos Ht Wt Significance
Ian Bunting 94 TE 6'7" 223 Matt Studenski was the last TE. Massey, Horn.
Juwann Bushell-Beatty 76 OL 6'5" 295 Steve Hutchinson, and Brandstatter
Freddy Canteen 17 WR 6'1" 170 Forgotten great end (1930s version of WR) Ted Petoskey. Personal fav Carl Tabb.
Mason Cole 52 OL 6'5" 275 Rod Payne. Schilling.
Michael Ferns 51 LB 6'3" 233 John Duerr and a Brackins. (Everitt on offense)
Noah Furbush 59 LB 6'4" 229 89-90 linebacker Alex Marshall. The Sarantos my friend dated.
Drake Harris 14 WR 6'4" 180 Closest I can think of to a receiver getting PT is Andy Mignery.
Lawrence Marshall 93 DE 6'4" 230 Hoban and Jackson in the '70s. I see 93 I think Sam Sword.
Bryan Mone 90 DT 6'4" 315 Norm Heuer was a DT. Feazell, Jamison, DeFelice.
Brady Pallante 54 DT 6'1" 255 Donnie Warner. Imagine if Rudy actually become a really good starter, and was real.
Jabrill Peppers 5 DB 6'1" 210 Jersey manufacturers, start your presses. Coleman Wallace is the best CB, competition is Whitley. Think Jabrill will keep it all 4 years?
Wilton Speight 19 QB 6'6" 230 The other Forcier. And Harry Newman's backup.
Jared Wangler 19 LB 6'2" 215 Early '70s "Wolf" safety Darrell Truitt
Brandon Watson 28 DB 5'11" 185 Early '90s hard-hitter Deon Johnson.
Maurice Ways 85 WR 6'3" 192 Curt Stephenson and Marcus Knight
Chase Winovich 58 LB 6'3" 216 Dave Brandon Endowed This Position With His Own Name Not Kidding Cornerbacks Coach Roy Manning. Also '80s OLB Keith Cowan

Also:

Ty Isaac 32 RB 6'3" 225 A-Train.

Please only give this number to tiny safeties and huge running backs from now on forever kthx.

Heitzman Expansion Principle

This is the corollary to the Heininger Certainty Principle: a person, once removed from Hoke’s defensive line, will apparently grow 1 or more inches in height as his body adjusts to the difference in pressure. Heitzman is now listed 6’4”, one inch taller than he was in spring.

Other changes?

Didn’t spot any. Weights haven’t been updated yet.

Comments

mGrowOld

June 20th, 2014 at 7:01 PM ^

Wolverine Devotee with a scoop AND a front page mention. Now that truly is "Christmas in July" my friend. Should be the start of a great weekend-congrats!

BlastDouble

June 20th, 2014 at 9:44 PM ^

I played against him and Paul in HS. Paul gave me a concussion when i tackled him in the backfield one time. We actually beat them one year tho. I also threw discus against them, Joey was unbelievable, 200' throws and shit. Then he went and ran like a 10.8 100, kid was a freak.

Wolverine Devotee

June 20th, 2014 at 9:12 PM ^

They usually award the Legend numbers the week before the opener.

That's how it went down last year, at least. The only other time the Legend numbers were awarded was in May 2012 with #21 to Roundtree, but there was only one number that had the Legend distinction at that time.

Now that Countess has #2, I think Taylor will get #11. Or maybe it will be Jarrod Wilson like someone suggested.

And Funchess to #21 with #87 going to Butt seems very likely now. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense and would be something I can see the coaches doing. Of course, that would mean they finally have to acknowledge Funchess as a WR on the roster.

Edit: wow, apparently Funchess has not only been officially listed as a receiver since today's roster update, but in the official spring roster as well. How in the world did I miss that?

evenyoubrutus

June 20th, 2014 at 8:59 PM ^

You forgot to mention Jacob Stewart- he's also a DB who wore #28.  Damn shame.  I had such high hopes for him after he helped win us the Minnesota game in '03.

ifis

June 20th, 2014 at 9:23 PM ^

Blake is one of my favorite players.  He is a true student athlete and exemplar of a 'Michigan Man.'  Give him a 'C' too

gwkrlghl

June 21st, 2014 at 11:41 AM ^

I still remember vividly when he came in against SDSU in 2011 (because someone got injured...) and SDSU tried to pick on him but he broke up a pass or two and defended a few others such that the WR didn't make the catch. I said then "He's gonna be a good one"

BlastDouble

June 20th, 2014 at 9:36 PM ^

Carl Tabb was so fast! I think he saved a game or two for us by chasing down a return guy. Hes also a doctor IIRC.

Benoit Balls

June 20th, 2014 at 10:47 PM ^

that James Whitley was going to be the next Mr. Charles Woodson. I know I'm being foolish but I dont like 5. And I'm 37 years old, yet I believe in superstition. And this may not even be a susperstition, just me being an idiot. Sue me.

Wait, is this not the Friday night drinking thread? My bad

French West Indian

June 20th, 2014 at 11:22 PM ^

...are a stupid idea from a stupid athletic director and, frankly, only the mostly blindly, non-critical fan would think it's cool.  And un-retiring numbers is downright heresy.

Good grief, I'm actually beginning to outright hate Michigan football for all of its dumfuckery.

Gentleman Squirrels

June 21st, 2014 at 12:07 AM ^

You can go away if you want... nobody is stopping you. Legend numbers are a pretty cool idea and its a unique way of showing Michigan tradition. That being said, I don't think like how players are made to change their number just so that they can showcase the number on the field. I think if a player has a legends number, they should wear the patch. But if they're not, let them stay with their own number and make that into a legend.

WolverineinSB

June 20th, 2014 at 11:51 PM ^

Am I the only one that has a problem if Bunting ever plays wearing 94. On a tall thin long TE it is going to look so stupid. Hope it's just a temporary redshirt number.

MGoStrength

June 21st, 2014 at 1:36 AM ^

Is it just me or is that weird?  Why is a TE wearing a DE number?  Pretty sure he was #1 in high school, and he obviously won't get that number as a freshman, but #94?

Don

June 21st, 2014 at 8:02 AM ^

Folkertsma lettered three years and started 12 games in '86, while Hoban never started a single game, according to the UM database.

Texagander

June 21st, 2014 at 8:38 AM ^

I think they should change numbers at random before every game. Then we would have sooo much to discuss about things that do not affect the outcomes of games.

uofmfan4

June 21st, 2014 at 11:54 AM ^

Nobody thinks it affects how one plays, but the blog post was about jersey numbers. It's funny that you guys are so mad people are commenting on what the post was about.

rob f

June 21st, 2014 at 1:28 PM ^

was about Jersey Numbers.  So that part I get.

but did you notice his tags, too?  The first tag is 100% hot nerd action.  So fitting, seeing all the wailing and gnashing of teeth going on about legends jerseys and a tight end wearing #94 and all the other overly-worried commentary/ roster overanalysis in a good share of the responses so far.

To Seth:  I got a huge chuckle seeing that first tag.  Were you possible referring to some of our membership as nerds?  If so, you were 100% correct on the 100% hot nerd action !

Seth

June 21st, 2014 at 3:20 PM ^

Yes, I was calling out MGoReaders for being exactly the kind of nerds who have opinions on freshman TEs wearing 94.

And though that particular one doesn't bother me at all (I love weird numbers) I am totally a roster numbers nerd. It's not the numbers that give the players symbolic meaning but the players who give the numbers meaning. So it's interesting to me to see which players get what jersey because for the next half a decade at least I'll likely be associating that number with that person.