Michigan Depth Chart 2015
NOTE: This is used from the 2014 Depth Chart, and therefore as 2014 eligibility. Therefore, SRs below are mostly gone (unless redshirt), JRs will become SRs in 2015, SO will be JRs, etc.
Offense
QB: Gardner SR, Morris SO, (Speight FR)
RB: Green SO, Isaac SO, (Smith SO, Johnson SO)
FB: Kerridge SO, Houma SO
X: Funchess JR, Darboh SO (Ways FR)
Z: Chesson SO, Canteen FR (Harris FR, Jones SO)
F: Norfleet JR, Dever SO
TE: Butt SO, Williams JR (Heitzman JR)
H: Hill FR, Bunting FR
LT: Cole FR, Magnuson SO
LG: Glasgow JR, Magnuson SO
C: Miller JR, Kugler FR
RG: Kalis SO, Bosch SO
RT: Braden SO, LTT FR
Defense
DE: Clark SR, Ojemudia JR
DE: Beyer SR, Charlton SO
DT: Henry SO, Godin SO, (Wormley SO, Hurst FR)
NT: Glasgow SO, Mone FR, (Pipkins JR)
SAM: Ross JR, RJS JR
MIKE: Ryan SR, Morgan SR
WILL: Bolden JR, Gedeon SO
BCB: Taylor SR, Peppers FR
FCB: Lewis SO, Countess JR
NB: Peppers FR, Hollowell SR
SS: Hill SO, Clark SO
FS: Wilson JR, Thomas SO
P: Hagerup SR, Wile SR (Allen SO)
K: Wile SR, Allen SO
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So lots of returning pieces next year.
At QB, DG is obviously a pretty big loss. Morris has some experience, but is still raw in his reads (from my POV, he's typically late, which forces him to have to force balls into tighter windows; I think Harbaughs WCO will be better for his timing though and likely help him). Speight is a big body QB that fits the WCO mold as well, but obviously is a complete unknown. Scary position, hope should be to get average play from it (which, given the B1G, should be reachable).
At RB, the depth is solid. Green made some progress last year, and he should be full go by fall. Hopefully a new RB coach will be able to reach him a bit better. Flashes still, but you can see what made him a highly sought after RB at times, though probably not the 5-star he was. Isaac likely has the most upside with his combo of strength and speed, it'll be interesting to see if he can be a go-to RB. Smith may be relegated to a short yardage back, though I think he could make a hell of a FB in the BJ Askew mold.
Kerridge may be the best FB Michigan has had since Dudley. Underappreicated hands, while he fights the ball in the air a bit, he seems to make catches. Houma is more of a move guy that can be used at H or FB. Shallman provides an unknown with pretty good ceiling for the position.
TE is a solid group. Butt is one of the better all-around TEs in the B1G, and should be utilized more in Harbaughs system than Nuss's. Hill showed promising flashes before being hurt, and while his in line blocking was inconsistent, he showed he wasn't afraid to pop people, and should have a bright future. Bunting provides a real receiving threat as well, and Williams has (too) slowly started making improvements as a blocker.
It's my belief that these WRs fit better for a system they were recruited for: the WCO that Harbaugh runs. Losing Funchess hurts, as he would have been a really good fit in this system as well. As is, I expect Darboh to take a bit of a leap as he fits a bit better. Chesson will work to strength the field a bit more as he gets healthier. Depth isn't an issue, but experience is. The young guys have talent, but will be very raw. Who will step up?
I fully expect the OL to take a jump, and expect them to be a top half OL next year. OSU and MSU are probably still in better places, but we're entering a third year of experience for most of these guys. They'll have one of the best OL coaches in the country. They improved quite a bit last year. Expect them to now get better at run blocking, and be a top 3 or 4 OL in the B1G.
DL: Losing Clark and Beyer hurts. I like Mario, think he's a good player, but not quite Clark (think he's holding a bit too much weight). Charlton flashes an ability to be great, but doesn't have the consistency Beyer did. Depth here is scary. Not knowing what the defense will be yet, in an Over front they'll be forced to play Poggi (more of a run stopper), Strobel (more of a run stopper), or Marshall (raw, but high upside). Can't afford to face long drives with lack of depth at DE.
The DT position is as stacked as there is in the B1G. Absolutely no concerns there, and you may see Michigan do what I said MSU may do and flex a DT out to DE to stop the run (especially if they go to an Under front or a 3-4).
LB is still solid. Morgan and Bolden should be one of the better LB pair in the B1G, and Ross is solid as a flex LB or an ILB. I like Gedeon as a hell-wrecker on passing downs and a good backup at any time. Concerned a bit about '16 with this group though, need another ILB in the '15 recruiting class pretty bad IMO.
Lewis should start getting recognition from outside the Michigan fanbase next year. It's hard to say what's going on with Countess, but I have a feeling confidence hurt him a lot last year after the ND game. Another year of seasoning for man coverage and perhaps more mix of zone coverage should make him at worst a solid CB. Peppers will be back as a FR, and I still like him at NB in 5 DB situations because of all the threats he brings. Solid top 3, more worry below that, though there are bodies.
Safety is an interesting position. I still think Wilson is a solid player, but needs to get better in run/pass conflict situations. Still likely better served as a FS. Clark, Thomas, and Hill all showed some flashes, I think with Hill as the best of the bunch. But they were all very inconsistent as well, particularly Thomas. Man coverage is not a strength for this group. Think there is talent there, but needs to be improved.
January 2nd, 2015 at 11:50 AM ^
But that's not the only thing, and doesn't really make sense for getting things out of young guys.
I think there are a few things: not all 4/5 stars are created equal. Morris was a 4/5 star because of his ceiling, not because of where he was coming in (same with DG, for that matter). OL typically still take time, especially when it's not just a single guy and there isn't depth around them. DL, especially DT, is the same way.
The skill positions, namely WR and RB, are usually the easiest to break into. CB less so, safety less so than that. Some really good players can, and Peppers was going to this past season, but then got hurt.
Lastly, depth around players helps in another way: it allows you to give young guys a role and not entrust them with doing everything. Michigan didn't have that luxary, while other places do.
So, it's really a few things, in approximate order, for why young guys don't play (note: not highly ranked guys later on): position, surrounding depth, type of incoming player, development, system
January 2nd, 2015 at 3:40 PM ^
These are all very good points, and it probably explains why OSU and MSU are at a point where they can "plu and play" with their teams. Solid coaching and development, great depth, and good recruiting.
I do not believe we are that far behind and the next couple of years will be very interesting to see 1. how Harbaugh develops our current talent and 2. how he recruits and how soon an impact those recruits can make in producing success on the field. I can't stand OSU and Urban Meyer, but they have their guy and now we have our guy. That is what I am going to focus on and what gives me optimism for the future.
Go Blue!
January 2nd, 2015 at 12:10 PM ^
January 2nd, 2015 at 12:18 PM ^
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January 2nd, 2015 at 12:19 PM ^
Besides quarterback, I actually like the depth at most of the offensive positions. As a group, our tight ends have a high floor and ceiling. Butt should be fully recovered and ready to reach his potential. If Bunting puts on some weight, he could be a matchup nightmare. Hill showed flashes. And if Chris Clark ends up back in the fold, AJ Williams simply won't see the field. That tight end group can offer Harbaugh a ton of flexibility.
The biggest concerns are: qb, DE, SS, and WR, in that order. Given how Harbaugh was able to simplify the offense and rejuvenate Alex Smith, there is hope for neutral qb play. Isaac and the OL should be able to thrive. If Chesson can become a consistent deep threat (and he's shown the speed to do that), the passing game should be respectable.
DE is thin, but Charlton has shown promise and I'd like to see Marshall unseat Ojemudia as well. If Henry can truly break out and provide a consistent pass rush/demand double teams, it will take pressure off the DE's as well.
January 2nd, 2015 at 12:33 PM ^
January 2nd, 2015 at 12:41 PM ^
Nothing against the guys that have played ahead of them, but we have a ton of highly rated talent that for the most part sits on the bench or has been injured. Guys like Isaacs, Pipkins, Charlton, Gedeon, RJS, McCray, Peppers, and Thomas. I know Isaacs will get his shot and couldn't play last year. I know Pipkins and Peppers have been injured. Not sure what the deal is with Thomas as he was supposed to our "finally we have a ball hawk safety" guy. But, Charlton and Gedeon need to be starters IMO and RJS and McCray need to find a role. It almost sucks that the LB position is so bogged down.
January 2nd, 2015 at 1:13 PM ^
And he started at the end of the year I believe. He got probably 40+% of snaps after Clark was booted. Before then, he had two seniors in front of him.
RJS has a major role as a special teams player. It just so happens he had Ryan, Boldon, Gordon, and Ross ahead of him to fill out 2.5 LB positions. Same can be said for Gedeon, who still had a role in the 3-3-5 package.
January 2nd, 2015 at 5:01 PM ^
Yes, Charlton played after Clark got booted, but he was better than Beyer IMO and should have been starting at SDE all year. Based on what I've seen of all the LBs still on the team, RJS and Gedeon are the most talented. Bolden improved a ton but I will be personally unhappy if Morgan, Bolden, and Ross are our LBs and Gedeon and RJS are again coming off the bench.
January 2nd, 2015 at 12:47 PM ^
Add a 5th-year transfer at QB (Hello Mr. Hogan), and this could be a legtimately good team.
January 2nd, 2015 at 12:56 PM ^
January 2nd, 2015 at 12:56 PM ^
This is an exciting post. After watching Urban Meyer do what he's done this year with Barrett/Jones, I can't help but think that Harbaugh will manage just fine even without a 5th Year transfer at QB. After all, this is the guy that beat peak USC with Tavita Pritchard and revived Alex Smith's career.
The roster is ready to take the next step and now that the right guy is in charge, they will do so next year
January 2nd, 2015 at 1:17 PM ^
January 2nd, 2015 at 1:30 PM ^
Peppers can stay healthy
January 2nd, 2015 at 1:46 PM ^
Generally, the really good players are ones who had talent and decent success in one year, then improved the next. I can absolutely imagine this happening with any of half the team, including Lewis, the entire O-Line, or Morgan. Players who appear and are immediately really influential are less common, but can really lift a team. Peppers and Isaac are argualy the two most talented players on the team and they've had a year to learn and develop physically. These could be players who need to be schemed against and could make a big difference.
January 2nd, 2015 at 2:51 PM ^
January 2nd, 2015 at 3:07 PM ^
No doubt the cupboard is not bare --- in fact, it's reasonably full. But IMHO what was lacking last season was the "we will win" attitude that typified Michigan teams for so many seasons. Bo's teams definitely had it; Lloyd's teams mostly had it, especially in '97 when he took a team with one legitimate superstar and a lot of other good to very good players to a shared national championship. The shoulder chip, the "We know we will beat you" attitude just wasn't there last fall.
But if there's one thing Coach Harbaugh can do, it's restore that winning mindset to Michigian football. I was a season ticket holder when Jim played. He approached the game as a kind of river-boat gambler, and that attitude affected the entire offlense. When Jim was on the field it was obvious he was truly enjoying himself and confident of winning (including the famous "guaranteed" win over tOSU). Getting today's players to think that way might result in a few wins that would otherwise go the other way.
Last fall, a more positive, "we can do it" approach by the offense might have converted both Rutgers and Maryland to the win column --- that was all that was really needed.
January 2nd, 2015 at 5:27 PM ^
January 2nd, 2015 at 5:54 PM ^
Amazing that Henry of Alabama was rated behind Green.