UM DL position changes
Magnus has info about possible DL position changes for 2012. Give him a view.
http://touchthebanner.blogspot.com/2012/02/possible-position-changes-for-roh-and.html
how is this not on the board yet? what is happening around here?
February 13th, 2012 at 2:03 PM ^
i won't believe it until magnus puts a picture with his post
February 13th, 2012 at 2:07 PM ^
Because we're all tired of the subject already until we see something actually happen in the Spring?
February 13th, 2012 at 2:09 PM ^
I would say that it is pretty significant. It was all just speculation before, but this time Mattison has come out and said it himself.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:11 PM ^
I think Beyer is a more natural fit at WDE than Roh is at SDE, but Roh has a lot of time to bulk up before the season.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:12 PM ^
His coaching clinic visit. So he'll be able to confirm it (or deny it, but it seems solid).
February 13th, 2012 at 2:12 PM ^
Brian may be able to confirm this, as I believe he was at the same event with Mattison last Friday.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:14 PM ^
Does that mean Clark would rotate with Beyer at WDE? Would Black be Roh's backup?
February 13th, 2012 at 2:16 PM ^
I think it is still uncertain where Black ends up. At this point it looks like Clark, Beyer and maybe Black will battle for the starting spot at WDE.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:33 PM ^
i'd think of black as the first sub in at any of three positions - WDE, SDE and 3 tech.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:34 PM ^
My interpretation is that Clark is your leading candidate to start at WDE. The coaches wanted Black to show up to camp heavier than he did last year, and that didn't happen. I'm guessing we'll also see Black move to 5-tech or even 3-tech in 2012.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:14 PM ^
This is a rivals repost. Other notes.
Mattison really talked up Beyer as a break out prospect and that he would not allow him to switch to offense.
Cam Gordon might be switched back to offense next year.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:20 PM ^
Magnus rarely claims to have inside information, and this doesn't seem like a state secret.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:29 PM ^
I don't think this is secret info or that Magnus is stealing it. I'm just saying I got this exact update yesterday. I'm sure a bunch of people(Looks like maybe Brian got similar info and will be speculating soon.) Guess I was just pointing out this was not Magnus unearthing secret info.
I'm still hoping for more nickle and dime packages this year.
Roh, Black ,Clark with LB's Ryan, Morgan and Hawthorne faking blitzes/backing into coverage with Avery as the nickle back. I like the athleticism here on 3rd and long downs or 2 minute drill situations.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:36 PM ^
It's hard to tell how much snark (if any) people put into their posts.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:37 PM ^
It's not secret info, because it was e-mailed to me by a guy who was at the coaching clinic. There are probably hundreds of people who got this info before me, but I hadn't seen it posted elsewhere until I put it up at TTB. If the info was relayed elsewhere, I have no knowledge of it.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:45 PM ^
I am under the impression that you are a high school coach, and being a Michigan fan such as yourself, I am curious as to why you did not attend the clinic? Or, a broader question, what does it take for a high school coach to attend such a clinic? Have you ever considered attending them in the past? It seems like given the upward trajectory of your blog (which I very much enjoy) it would be a worthwhile thing to attend. Just curious.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:56 PM ^
I did not attend the clinic because I don't live in the area. If I did, I would have done my best to get there.
I'm not sure how much this particular clinic cost. Costs vary depending on how long the clinic is, where it is, etc. Luckily my school's football booster organization foots the bill for the coaches to attend one clinic per year, and I assume that's the case for many schools. We (as individuals) have to cover the cost of the hotel, food, etc. I have attended several clinics in the past and wrote up summaries of them over at TTB, but unfortunately, I haven't seen Mattison speak.
I did attend a clinic several years ago and saw Ron English and Steve Stripling speak, both of whom were still at Michigan then. Stripling was meh as a speaker, but English is a very intense guy. I really enjoyed his presentation.
February 13th, 2012 at 3:08 PM ^
I figured that may have something to do with it. I am not intimitely familiar with high school football and how those clinics work, so I was genuinely curious. Keep up the good work with TTB.
February 13th, 2012 at 3:27 PM ^
No problem. I wish I could have answered your question more specifically. And thanks for the compliments.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:34 PM ^
magnus has coaching connections. doesn't seem like something he'd lie about.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:15 PM ^
This is how I hoped things would shake out.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:18 PM ^
This move would leave us pretty thin at SAM right? I think we go after a SAM type LB pretty hard in the 2013 class. Hopefully it is Levenberry.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:21 PM ^
And I'm not sure that any of the incoming LBs projects to that position very well.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:24 PM ^
I think Bolden projects to SAM better than any of the other guys. Maybe RJS, but I think Bolden might be more ready to play right now.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:43 PM ^
There are 2 recruits that could end up at SAM, RJS and Mario. I think Mario stays at WDE because of the numbers there and because I think he is better with his hand down the majority of the time.
What this means to me is a few things. They think Roh and Black are probably not athletic enough to play weakside but can be very valuable players at the 5 tech. The added weight would and position change will probably benefit both of them. It also means they are probably happy with Clark.
I think it means two things more than anythign else though: it means they are happy with the progress of Cam; and it means that they don't think Mario will be able to contribute at WDE right away (which almost everyone agrees with due to his size). This at least gives a solid 2-deep at each position (SDE, WDE, and SAM).
February 13th, 2012 at 2:49 PM ^
I really doubt Ojemudia will play SAM. First of all, he's said all along that they want him as a WDE. But aside from that, guys don't usually move BACK in the defense. They move from S to LB or from LB to DE or from DE to DT. (I'm sure you know all this, but I'm just offering background for my thoughts.)
Ojemudia played defensive tackle in high school, so moving him to outside linebacker seems like a stretch to me.
The last time Michigan tried to move someone back in defense (Josh Furman from rush linebacker to safety), it didn't work out so well . . . or at least it hasn't yet. Furman has yet to see the field for any significant time other than special teams.
February 13th, 2012 at 3:23 PM ^
I was just saying that those are the only two that really would even belong in the discussion for SAM. I don't think Mario ends up there and I have a feeling RJS will end up there after some time to get bigger. I like Ross and Bolden on the inside enough to think that moving RJS down may make sense (and RJS has, IMO, a pretty good build for that spot).
February 13th, 2012 at 3:28 PM ^
I agree about RJS. And having three good linebackers for three spots seems like a waste if two of them are going to be at the same position.
February 13th, 2012 at 3:38 PM ^
Wasn't Antonio Poole projected for the SAM?
February 13th, 2012 at 3:45 PM ^
Nope, WILL.
February 13th, 2012 at 3:47 PM ^
He was WILL from the start. I was really excited about him because we were so thin at WILL.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:53 PM ^
I believe we're looking at five LB as future SAMs prospects right now:
1. Michael Hutchings - seems like a kid who'll stay on the West Coast
2. EJ Levenberry - We're in his top 3
3. Dorian O'Daniel - Has interest in Michigan, not sure his height is ideal.
4. Peter Kalambayi - Has Michigan in his top 3 or 4 but seems to be a Clemson lean
5. Ben Gedeon - Likes Michigan...I think this will be a UM-OSU battle with Stanford as a dark horse
SAM is going to be an important position to address in this class.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:55 PM ^
Is Dorian O'Daniel a SAM prospect? I thought he would project to WILL based on his size.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:57 PM ^
Levenberry and Kalambayi seem like SAM prospects. The other three look like WILLs to me.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:23 PM ^
So would Cam Gordon be a WR? We could use the help there....
February 13th, 2012 at 2:26 PM ^
If he is going to make a switch, I'm guessing it is a hybrid TE type.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:35 PM ^
is there real scuttlebut about cam gordon switching or us just speculating. i suspect he's staying at SAM.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:44 PM ^
Not sure just pure speculation on my part. IF he were to make a position switch that MIGHT be a possibility.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:46 PM ^
There are certain "insiders" who have hinted that Cam Gordon is a candidate to move to tight end, but I don't know that any change has been made yet.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:50 PM ^
I feel bad for Cam because he has been moved around so much since he has arrived. If Cam makes the switch who do you see as Jake Ryan's backup?
February 13th, 2012 at 3:00 PM ^
I don't really see another guy being immediately serviceable at SAM, which is why Cam Gordon moving to TE would confuse me a bit. If you move both Beyer and Gordon away from SAM, that leaves Jordan Paskorz and freshmen.
February 13th, 2012 at 4:08 PM ^
I feel like Cam doesn't really have the size to be a tight end. Isn't he only about 6-2 or so? Dude is a great athlete, hard to understand why we can't find a permanent position for him...
February 13th, 2012 at 4:12 PM ^
He's listed at 6'3", but he could play the U position, which is the guy who goes into motion or flexes out into the slot. He's probably too small to be an in-line blocker, though.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:25 PM ^
I'm skeptical.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:29 PM ^
This is a cool video, but is it supposed to show us why you are skeptical?
February 13th, 2012 at 2:26 PM ^
I'm now worried about SDE.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:36 PM ^
It doesn't seem to me like Roh has to become a 300lbs beast; he will probably go up to 275 or so, which is good enough. I m pretty sure Black and Wormley get signifigant snaps at SDE too. I really like Clark at WDE on passing downs and maybe rotating Roh over to WDE for third and short. Of course, i don't think this coaching staff needs my help with third and short.
February 13th, 2012 at 2:45 PM ^
I agree. Roh doesn't need to get huge. He's already almost 270 (in his official listing) and Van Bergen was 288. If Roh can get to 275-280 lbs., I think he'll be fine. He already uses leverage pretty well.
February 13th, 2012 at 5:13 PM ^
Is Roh even capable of bulking up much more? Wasn't he eating to the brink of vomiting every day last summer? That sounds like a maxed out weight to me.
February 13th, 2012 at 5:24 PM ^
Everyone is capable of bulking up more.