December 31st, 2019 at 5:39 PM ^
Corum and Evans are going to give defenses fits next season.
December 31st, 2019 at 5:47 PM ^
Evans hasn't given anyone fits since his freshmen year. One can hope I suppose.
December 31st, 2019 at 6:33 PM ^
What we need to get us over the hump offensively, is a true athlete at the RB position. Watching Ettienne and Dobbins with OSU vs. Clemson was eye opening. Speed to take it to the house. Elite quickness, burst and explosion. That is what a talented running back looks like. We don't have any athletes like that at RB currently. Hoping Corum can be that guy.
December 31st, 2019 at 6:51 PM ^
When was the last time Michigan had that? I'm trying to remember a long way back.
December 31st, 2019 at 7:18 PM ^
Pure speed and take it to the house...hmmmm....probably Biakabatuka (sp?). Perry was amazing all around. A Train was great too.
December 31st, 2019 at 10:01 PM ^
Carlos Brown had really good speed but never really developed like we all hoped.
Tyrone Wheatley was a game breaker. Big and physical and could outrun the second level with ease.
December 31st, 2019 at 10:33 PM ^
How could I miss Wheatley!!!??? Good call Durham Blue. Dude was a stud!!!
That is what fans of the last 15 years have missed, and I feel sorry for them. They completely missed out on stud RB being filled by stud RB. Stud WR being replaced by stud WR. Stud QB being replaced by stud QB. It was a given that our starting QB, RB and #1 WR were drafted year in and year out. Grateful I got to see that, but wish it were the case today.
January 1st, 2020 at 12:22 AM ^
If 247, Rivals and ESPN rankings existed back then Wheatley would've been a solid 5-star.
December 31st, 2019 at 10:20 PM ^
If OSU had our DT's then Haskins would've looked as good as Dobbins in that game.
December 31st, 2019 at 10:38 PM ^
Cmon man. Dude...Dobbins is a top 5 RB. Haskins won't get drafted.
January 1st, 2020 at 4:04 AM ^
Apparently OSU was trying hard to flip Blake...which is a good sign when you consider their recent success with RBs. Glad he stuck with UM,
December 31st, 2019 at 7:10 PM ^
Why is everyone giving up on Charbonnet? He looked good this year.
December 31st, 2019 at 7:18 PM ^
ZC looked good but he’s not close to a Dobbins type of RB. ZC is more of a Ty Isaac style of back, good but not a big threat.
December 31st, 2019 at 7:34 PM ^
I don't understand why people seem to get their feelings hurt or think someone is belittling ZC when you mention Charbonnet is not elite. Objectively he doesn't have any elite athletic qualities. Not elite speed, quickness, burst, etc. Go watch Dobbins and Ettiene and the difference between them and our backs are night and day.
ZC will probably end up being a very good RB. I am glad he is on the team. I simply would prefer an elite athlete at RB than what we currently have. I would prefer to have a RB that is a true offensive threat. I don't understand why everyone wouldn't want that.
Could ZC end up developing into an elite RB? Sure. Possibly. But at the moment he isn't.
December 31st, 2019 at 9:41 PM ^
Um dobbins didnt look much different than charbonnet as a freshman, he just got more Carries. Charb is slower but more physical, he is going to look insanely different in 2 years
December 31st, 2019 at 9:51 PM ^
Having played college athletics, what doesn't happen are kids all of a sudden developing elite speed and quickness. You can get bigger, faster, and stronger. But almost never, do you see a kid go from good to great with athletic qualities such as quickness, explosiveness and speed. Denard from day one had elite speed. That didn't all of a sudden "develop".
ZC being hurt this year does make his ceiling a bit cloudy. If he wasn't hurt, I would gladly bet you $500 to ChadTough that your prediction of him looking "insanely different" is hyperbole. Next year will tell us what we really have in ZC. I truly hope that it was his injuries that made him look no better than Ty Isaac 2.0.
December 31st, 2019 at 10:22 PM ^
He wasn't anywhere remotely similar to Isaac. Ty could really only get what the OL gave him, no push or grinding out extra yards, not much wiggle, had maybe average vision. Oh and he sucked at blitz pickup. Oh and fumbled way too much.
ZC routinely turned TFL's into positive yardage all season, pushed the pile forward (set the freshman TD record), made many great cuts, amazing vision often times getting skinny in the hole better than any UM RB I can remember. Deceptive wiggle and outstanding blitz pick ups. I only remember one fumble.
The two couldn't be any more different with ZC head and shoulders already better than Isaac ever was even at his best.
Sure he doesn't quite have elite breakaway speed or insane ankle breaking agility, but he's a very very good RB even considering he's a true freshman who had a knee thing most of the season.
December 31st, 2019 at 10:45 PM ^
I agree with you. I think he will be a very good RB, but he will not be an elite RB. Period. He will not be a top 5 RB in the country. He doesn't have that ability.
I do believe that ZC will be better than Isaac eventually. I am speaking solely on his ability to run. Not blitz pickup, blocking or fumbling.
Also, people please stop talking about ZC and his TD record. If you watched all of his TD's, so many of them were t'd up for him inside the 5. Here is what ZC didn't do with his TD record. He wasn't apart of the majority of those drives helping the team move all the way down the field and then run the ball in from 7+ yards or more. Most of the work was done by Haskins and ZC was allowed to punch the ball in for the score.
Still a cool thing for sure, but don't make more of the accomplishment than what it is.
December 31st, 2019 at 11:18 PM ^
I see a little Mike Hart.
January 1st, 2020 at 7:52 AM ^
Yeah, he did. Way more explosive.
60 more carries for 800 more yards.
Dobbins: 194 carries, 1403 yards, 7.2 ypc
Charbonnet: 136 carries, 642 yards, 4.7 ypc
January 1st, 2020 at 11:07 AM ^
Not to mention he is coming off an off-season knee surgery I bet we see some explosion in the bowl game and next year.
December 31st, 2019 at 10:47 PM ^
Elite running backs don't look elite when their offensive line gets blown off the ball throughout the course of an entire season, and they're regularly hit behind the line of scrimmage.
December 31st, 2019 at 10:54 PM ^
All it takes is watching tape and games to see ZC doesn't have elite speed, quickness or agility. Go watch Ettiene vs OSU. Watch him get essentially stopped on the 10 yard line and then accelerate past everybody to score. That was him taking a busted play and literally running past everyone for 10 yard for a touchdown. Then watch him run past everybody for 60 yards for a TD.
For goodness sakes...read my posts. I am not calling ZC a horrible RB. I am simply stating the obvious. He is gonna do a good job for Michigan. He is going to be a very good RB. I am ONLY saying he isn't going to turn into a back that becomes a game changer at any moment. He isn't going to be this electric player like Swift for Georgia. He isn't, no current Michigan RB, going to be someone a DC is game planning for.
January 1st, 2020 at 12:48 AM ^
ZC already has what I would say is elite vision. No he’s not a 4.4 burner type but he is more than capable. He also set the UM Freshman rushing TD record while having reps limited.
I’m betting he does well for himself over his career at UM.
Adding a guy like Corum to the mix is hopefully the home-run threat that everyone is wanting.
December 31st, 2019 at 10:31 PM ^
ZC is an elite back and will continue to get better. His vision and ability to make people miss is something UM hasn’t had in a while. His speed is fine. He set the Freshman TD record and did it on a pitch count after meniscus surgery coming out of HS.
He is not just “meh” like a lot of people seem to feel.
December 31st, 2019 at 10:47 PM ^
He absolutely is not an elite back. Only a non-objective Michigan fan would think that. No one around the country is considering him and elite back. Literally no one.
Also, he is not a "meh" back either. That is not the case at all. ZC is a good to very good RB. But he isn't currently nor is he ever going to be a back like Dobbins or Ettiene. He doesn't have any of their elite attributes.
December 31st, 2019 at 5:40 PM ^
Corum and Evans are going to give defenses fits next season.
December 31st, 2019 at 5:45 PM ^
Team should be good next year. I like the schedule too. Should role into Columbus without a loss.
December 31st, 2019 at 6:53 PM ^
People were saying that at the beginning of this season.
December 31st, 2019 at 7:13 PM ^
Somebody is saying it every year.
December 31st, 2019 at 7:28 PM ^
People thought we had a tough schedule this year (and we did) and we didn’t need to go to Columbus at all.
December 31st, 2019 at 7:33 PM ^
People that said it this year were idiots!
Michigan had THE toughest schedule this year based on teams & venues so next year has to be easier schedule wise.
Many people on this site praise McCaffrey as the second coming but I'm just hoping he can be as good as Shea this year; if so I like the team's chances next year
December 31st, 2019 at 5:47 PM ^
I hope he is faster than Hart. Michigan really needs speed at RB which wasn’t Hart’s thing.
December 31st, 2019 at 6:32 PM ^
He's definitely faster than Mike was, and more elusive too. Mike was a jittery kind of running back, blake is going to free some jock straps. I don't want to channel my inner Fred Jackson but Blake looks to be a good one.
December 31st, 2019 at 7:27 PM ^
He's Mike Hart but faster
December 31st, 2019 at 8:50 PM ^
Hart’s power and vision plus elite speed? That’s what I’m talking about.
December 31st, 2019 at 9:14 PM ^
He has a laser timed 4.44 40 time. So yes, much faster than Hart
December 31st, 2019 at 6:00 PM ^
Gotta find a way to get this kid on the field next year.
December 31st, 2019 at 6:21 PM ^
Hopefully he’s Mike Hart with a bit more upside. I think he will end up getting playing time right away with his skill set.
December 31st, 2019 at 6:27 PM ^
Mike hart was great but kinda slow. I don’t get the comparison
December 31st, 2019 at 10:04 PM ^
Hart had decent speed but he excelled at shedding tacklers and sneaking through the smallest holes. And he was durable and never fumbled.
January 1st, 2020 at 9:24 AM ^
I wasn’t knocking him, just saying the speed thing didn’t make sense
December 31st, 2019 at 6:49 PM ^
Mike Hart but fast?
/Fred Jackson'd
December 31st, 2019 at 6:54 PM ^
My how quickly people forget Zach Charbonnet.
December 31st, 2019 at 7:06 PM ^
ZC is going to make a fantastic FB. Anyway, how is Corum eligible to play in the UA game and practice with UM at the same time?
December 31st, 2019 at 7:29 PM ^
Thunder
December 31st, 2019 at 8:57 PM ^
He’s just another flavor w/ a different skill set, IMO. He was a freshman playing hurt in a new system who STILL managed to have a solid year. He could be a great back. Haskins is going to have a solid career, too. He runs hard and he’s big. The three of them are going to make up a hell of a running game and be very hard for defenses to plan for...maybe as early as next season.
December 31st, 2019 at 7:06 PM ^
Looks like it airs tonight at 11:00 on ESPN2.