247 Michigan Top 25 Players for 2017

Submitted by Steves_Wolverines on

A few days ago, 247 writers Steve Lorenz, Isaiah Hole, and Zach Shaw completed their countdown of the Top 25 most important players for Michigan this season. The link to the final list can be found here.

I copied the list below, and have the returning starters in bold.

Rank Position Name Class
1 DE Gary So

2

 QB Speight RS Jr.
3 LT Cole Sr
4 DT Hurst Jr. RS Sr.
5 RB Evans So
6 LB  McCray RS Sr.
7 OG Bredeson So
8 FB/TE Hill, K RS Sr.
9 DE Winovich RS Jr.
10 FS/S Kinnel Jr
11 S/LB Hudson, K So
12 TE Wheatley Jr. RS So.
13 DT Mone RS Jr.
14 LB Bush Jr. So
15 C Kugler RS Sr.
16 S Metellus So
17 WR Peoples-Jones Fr
18 WR Black Fr
19 WR Crawford So
20 CB Long, D RS Fr.
21 OG Onwenu So
22 TE Bunting RS Jr.
23 CB Hill, L. So
24 RT Runyan Jr. RS So
25 WR McDoom So

I decided to breakdown their rankings by class and which side of the ball they are on. I used a basic point system, where the #1 ranked player is worth 25 points, #2 is worth 24, etc., etc.

Below is a table breaking down the number of points per class:

Class Count Points Average/Player
Fr 2 17 8.5
RS Fr 1 6 6
So 10 118 11.8
RS So 2 16 8
Jr 1 16 16
RS Jr 4 58 14.5
Sr 1 23 23
RS Sr 4 71 17.75

Below is the breakdown of offense vs defense:

Side of Ball Count Points Average/Player
Offense 14 166 11.86
Defense 11 159 14.45

What to take from all this? Do we even agree with their rankings? Should two true freshman receivers be ranked ahead of one or both of Higdon and Isaac? Should the inexperienced CB's be ranked higher? Should the young OL-men be ranked higher?

Of course all this is up for debate, but I think this is a decent snapshot of our team build this season. Every player in the Top 10 has plenty of experience, even if only 5 are listed as returning starters. We can also see that the the more senior players are ranked higher than the underclassmen. Also, that's a lot of sophomores on this list. 

MGoBoard
Football

4roses

August 11th, 2017 at 8:17 AM ^

1. Are you the real Kenny Higgins?

2. Am I the only board member that knows who Kenny Higgins is?

3. Of course you're all in on Schoenle 

 

p.s. not sure if I'm rooting for your prediction or not. Would love to see the kid succeed, but would also love to see Peoples-Jones/Black/Collins/Martin succeed too!

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 5859

stephenrjking

August 10th, 2017 at 10:37 PM ^

Actually, it mainly affects us in two areas: 

1. The OL. We're looking at putting two or three players on the field that are true freshmen or true sophomores. The center will probably be a fifth-year senior that is an open question, and if the total is only "two" it's because the young kids couldn't beat out a guy in JBB that is at best problematic. The Hoke/Funk combination was a complete and total disaster that Harbaugh is left picking up the pieces from. You can try to drill down on what happened with individual players, but the results speak for themselves. Hoke's OL development destroyed his HC tenure and has been a serious challenge for Harbaugh as well. 

2. QB. Harbaugh has mitigated this somewhat, but Hoke and Borges doubled down on Morris and he didn't work out. Speight was acquired as a 3-star insurance policy and has exceeded any expectation we could have had of him; nonetheless, if QB recruiting and development had been normal, there would be at least one other quality guy on the roster competing for that spot. 

There are lesser effects in the secondary, at LB, and at WR, but unless the secondary turns into a flaming tire fire those effects appear to have been mitigated by talent coming through. And even QB has been mitigated a bit. But this team was a solid OL from the playoff last year and that might be the difference this season as well.

Joined: 03/15/2012

MGoPoints: 20143524

wildbackdunesman

August 11th, 2017 at 7:26 AM ^

Yep, solid points...

 

#1 The QB is the single most important position in football, period.  Hoke did poorly recruiting QBs and then didn't develop the ones he had.

2011 - Mid to Low 3 star (.8416) Bellomy was added in a short recruiting season.
2012 - No QB was taken.
2013 - Solid 4 star (.9674) in Shane Morris was signed, remember though he missed half his senior season of HS football.
2014 - High 3 star (.8728) in Wilton Speight was landed.

That is not championship recruiting at the most important position.  A 3 year period where you take only 2 QBs, a 3 star who had no other big offers and a highly regarded QB that missed half his senior year.

You should average at least 1 QB signed a year due to injuries, not working out, off field issues, etc so that you have depth...this is what forced Harbaugh to go for not 1, but 2 QB transfers right off the bat (Rudock and O'Korn).

 

#2 It was more difficult to develop the lacking QB recruits, because the Oline was never developed into a cohesive unit under Hoke.

Joined: 07/16/2008

MGoPoints: 30244

Mongo

August 11th, 2017 at 8:29 AM ^

The OL has not been anywhere near other position groups performance-wise. Grading out at average (like 102 in 2016) is not going to cut it for title contention. But I am optimistic about the new talent being added to the mix and Frey's impact on development. If we can get that group to consistently perform to its athletic potential, the weapons are there to be an offensive force and even a contender for a B1G title. The defense is going to be rock solid and the scheme uber aggressive, up a notch from last year as guys are playing faster in Don Brown year two. We need the OL to step it up in 2017.

Joined: 06/25/2016

MGoPoints: 9585

Mr Miggle

August 11th, 2017 at 8:44 AM ^

Borges took over the QB recruiting and offered Speight over several higher ranked recruits that were seriously interested. Maybe he will be proven correct.

Hoke did not seem to understand the importance of the QB in CFB. If he had, we would have gotten two QBs in Speight's class. That would have been the insurance policy.

Joined: 10/07/2010

MGoPoints: 47546

coldnjl

August 10th, 2017 at 9:17 PM ^

I don't see the reason why TW Jr. is rated so highly. There are alot more important players on this team who aren't situational and at a position with depth. Plus, the added stress on more WR sets would suggest a lower total of plays featuring the TE. 

Joined: 12/31/2009

MGoPoints: 13934

evenyoubrutus

August 10th, 2017 at 9:22 PM ^

I'd move Hurst to #2. We could legitimately have two starters on our D line who could start for a lot of NFL teams this year. As crazy as it sounds, our starting front four have a chance to be better than last year's starting four.

Joined: 11/04/2008

MGoPoints: 178179

TruBluMich

August 10th, 2017 at 9:28 PM ^

"Be it talent, positional need or other factors, we're breaking down the players most crucial to Michigan's success."

Any list that does not include Quinn Nordin is over looking how important it is to have a reliable kicker.

Joined: 08/03/2011

MGoPoints: 21550

TheNardDog

August 10th, 2017 at 9:28 PM ^

I am not sure when they compiled this list, but it sounds like Higdon should be somewhere in the top 25. Supposedly, he should be ranked higher than Evans. UM BIG 11 mentioned that Higdon may be moving ahead of Evans and Chris Balas has said the same.

Joined: 04/17/2015

MGoPoints: 373

MGoShorts

August 10th, 2017 at 10:16 PM ^

By all accounts, it appears Gary is about to explode onto the college football scene like Pickle Rick through a rat's head.

But.. Speight is the most important player. If Gary doesn't live up to the hype, Michigan's defense is still a near-lock to be a top 25 unit. If (when, IMO) Speight starts and isn't at least his 2016 self, the entire offense goes down with him.

Joined: 07/28/2017

MGoPoints: 2518

stephenrjking

August 10th, 2017 at 10:25 PM ^

I don't understand the methodology of this list. If they mean, who will be the "best" players, sure, Gary is right near the top.

But I'm not concerned about Gary. He may be good, he may be very good, he may be great, he may be a terror that parents in Columbus tell their children about for generations to scare them into good behavior. But it doesn't matter that much--the DL will be a high quality, questionable depth position group. He is "important" because he's expected to be great, but the DL will be fine.

The most important players are guys like Patrick Kugler and Michael Onwenu. Because a lot of what this season will become hinges on whether or not they take those crucial steps in growth that can make the difference between the OL being bad and the OL being decent. 

Speight is vital, too, because he's the QB. And our CBs are going to be, basically, true sophomores on islands tasked with halting Trace McSorley's downfield passing game. 

Much hangs on these players. The optimists suggest 10-2 or even 11-1 is a possibility: I'm skeptical, but if we approach such a performance this season it will be because Kugler is a solid center and his right flank is at least steady. And because the secondary held up. 

The DL, the RBs? They'll be fine either way. Kugler is the most important player for Michigan this season. 

Joined: 03/15/2012

MGoPoints: 20143524

Mr Miggle

August 11th, 2017 at 9:11 AM ^

player makes. If Gary reaches that level, he makes the rest of the defense better in a way that his replacement could not.

When you look at where we might be in trouble if we lost a player, that's important. But so is losing a real difference maker. They are few and far between. I have some confidence that our depth can supply a player who will be adequate at any position. Of course, there's always some fear that won't be the case, but we do have a lot of depth, even if unproven. Is Kemp really different than someone like Runyan in that regard?

That said, the depth behind Cole is scary. Same with Kinnel.

Joined: 10/07/2010

MGoPoints: 47546

blue in dc

August 11th, 2017 at 9:56 AM ^

1. Player it would hurt most to lose - in this case you are very focused on the delta between the presumed starter and the player who'd replace him. Gary, Husrt and Cole would all have to rate very highly here. Kugler I'm not so sure. From what we are hearing the difference between Kugler and Ruiz is not that great. Similarly, I'd be less worried about Peters coming in if Speight got hurt then the replacement for Bredenson. 2. Player who if they really stepped up would make a huge difference. Here Speight, any offensive linemen or any CB would rate very highly, but whether that is Ruiz or Kugler; Washington or Hill etc is harder to say. Gary and Hurst who we already have high expectations for, not so much. 3. Players who are likely to positively impact our biggest games the most. On defense, It seems likely we'll be counting on a front 7 to pressure quarterbacks more than the lockdown ability of our corners so it's not surprising Hurst and Gary are so high. I'd ne hard pressed using any of these metrics to rate Kugler as the most important player.

Joined: 01/22/2011

MGoPoints: 20401

mgoblueben

August 10th, 2017 at 11:51 PM ^

20 return next year and tentatively 15 will be on the roster in 2 years. Hate to say it but this season is likely a building block for the next 2 which should be playoff caliber teams. But 10 wins in the floor harbaugh has introduced us to so ya never know.

Joined: 06/23/2011

MGoPoints: 2475

JohnCorbin

August 11th, 2017 at 7:52 AM ^

This should be fun!

1. Cole - I don't think much explanation is needed.
2. Hurst - Not only is Hurst a stud, but we only have Dwumfor behind him.  Gary could move over, but then Kemp is the SDE with limited options behind.
3. Mone - NT is an integral part of this defense.  Have to be strong up the middle.  Behind Mone is true freshman Solomon, or position changers.
4. Gary - I really like Gary's backup, Kemp, so I feel the dropoff wouldn't be catastrophicly different.  Because of his talent, I feel #4 is an insulting spot for him, but depth at spots #1-3 are driving this.
5. McCray - Our LB depth is not phenomenal, McCray is a proven player.
6. Kinnel - He's played.  We don't have a ton fo safeties.  Backups are limited.
7. Winovich - WDE looks like a true freshmen will serve as backup, or maybe a name will emerge I haven't heard much of yet.
8. Speight - He's probably our starter even though everyone loves to talk about Peters.  From what I saw in the spring game, I do believe Peters could come in and the dropoff wouldn't be catastrophic, he may even develop into the better option as the season progresses.
9 . Bredeson - I don't have starts in front of me, but he could be #2 for most starts on the line.
10. Hudson - Shown some things, backups at viper are limited.
11. Bush Jr. - He is an excellent linebacker who is probably 2nd most experienced at this point.
12. Metellus - See Kinnel.
13. Onwenu - We're going to need this svelt mountain to step up at guard.
14. Long - It seems like he's penciled in as CB #1.  Someone please correct me if this isn't the case.
15. Evans - I'm hesitant to put him here, as the chatter of Higdon as the #1 back has emerged, but from what I saw last season, Evans will have the most carries, and will do the most with them.
16. Crawford - Experience and blocking should keep him as #1 WR for now.
17. Bunting - Jake Butt Lite
18. Kugler - I think he'll step up.
19. L. Hill - Penciled in as CB #2, but Washington looks like a very capable option.
20. T. Black - I think he'll be WR #2 this year.  Could be DPJ.  Could be another.  Who knows?
21. Nordin
22. Solomon - top NT backup.  He's going to rotate in heavily.
23. JBB - I put a backup in front of him, because who knows if he's going to be the starter?  Runyan could step in.
24.  Washington 3rd corner in for nickle packages.
25. K. Hill - hammering panda has a capable backup in Poggi, otherwise would be higher on the list.
26. DPJ, 27. TJ Wheatley, 28. Dwumfor, 29. Kemp, 30. Peters

Joined: 07/12/2011

MGoPoints: 436

blue in dc

August 11th, 2017 at 10:11 AM ^

But two quibbles: 1. I think Glasgow may be a better backup at safety then you are giving him credit for. Therefore I'd switch Hudson and Kinnel. 2. I'd move Hill way up. I think there may be a bigger difference between Hill and Poggi then you are suggesting.

Joined: 01/22/2011

MGoPoints: 20401