shyheim carter

Previously: Offense

Resources: My charting, Alabama game notes (Michigan's still not available—I bet not doing your homework is why you had to go to an SEC school, you amateur SID), Alabama roster, CFBstats

The film: Still Iron Bowl.

Personnel: My diagram:

PDF Version, full-size version (or click on the image)

So you guys I figured out where all the defensive tackles and cornerback-ish safeties have gone to. Every damn one of them is on the lying depth chart for Alabama:

DJ Dale hasn't played much since suffering a leg injury two months ago, and not at all in the last two games. They're lately starting superstar DE/DT Raekwan Davis (+13/-2) next to unexciting NG/DE Phidarian Mathis (+4/-4), and rotating in RS freshman NG Christian Barmore (+13/-8) liberally. As the scores suggest Barmore is a young Willie Henry: ludicrously strong and disruptive—especially as a pass rusher—but once he gets there it's 60/20 if he'll run past the play or fall on his face. True freshman SDEs Byron Young (+1/-3) and Justin Eboigbe (+3/-0) split the scant snaps available to them, but Bama played half their snaps with just two down linemen, and a handful of the three-down snaps with the group from the paragraph above. Young's –3 was all from one very freshman play when he chased after a zone-read running back like it's 1999.

The OLBs are quasi-defensive ends. They call the weakside one the JACK, where Anfernee Jennings (+12/-2) is closer to a traditional DE, but an extremely strong and athletic one who's expected to be drafted the first day this spring. More of an edge setter than edge rusher, Jennings is murder on any zone read run to his side. Normal SAM Terrell Lewis (+11/-2.5) has chosen to sit out the Citrus Bowl, and while that's totally understandable given his injury history, losing his 16 QB hurries is a big blow; nobody else on the team has more than half of that, and his backup, SAM Chris Allen, has barely played, though he generated some unwarranted practice buzz two springs ago.

The inside linebacker spots were already hit hard in preseason, forcing Bama to play with a pair of freshman in place of likely All-American MLB Dylan Moses and longtime backup WLB Josh McMillon. Instead they get two big true freshmen. MLB Shane Lee (+2/-4.5, +2/-3 in coverage), who played for Biff Poggi (and came up for the BBQ) last year, is the one with his head above water; WLB Christian Harris (+3/-6.5, +0/-4 coverage), a supposedly athletically gifted player who's not quite ready to be on the field, finally forced me to cyan him before going out with an injury in the 4th quarter. He was also caught jogging more than once when a sprint was necessary; I wonder if the later injury wasn't so later. Replacement WLB Ale Kaho (+2/-0, no coverage events) is a true sophomore and a good 30 pounds lighter. Everybody's swimming.

[After THE JUMP: Defensive backs Don Brown wanted]

Preferred Walk-On Hello: Simeon Smith

According to The Wolverine's Brandon Brown, Michigan has added an intriguing preferred walk-on for 2016 in 6'6", 208-pound Kalamazoo (MI) Loy Norrix WR Simeon Smith, who spurned at least one lower-division full ride to realize his dream of becoming a Wolverine ($):

Smith did visit Ferris State last week and was offered a full scholarship but he's in a good situation to be able to turn something like that down and attend Michigan.

"I have the Kalamazoo Promise Scholarship," Smith explained. "I can get free tuition to any school in the state of Michigan. I told the coaches at Michigan that I was interested before the Oregon State game and they said they were definitely keeping an eye on me. Then yesterday they offered me a preferred walk-on spot and I had to accept it."

Smith is exactly the type of prospect you like to see as a PWO; the film shows a prospect with lots of raw physical talent—with that frame he could end up as a jumbo outside receiver or a tight end. There's little question he'll be able to handle the academic load, as well:

While athletics played a role in Smith's decision to become a Wolverine, so did academics. Since transferring to Loy Norrix for his junior year, Smith has accumulated a 4.4 grade point average.

“I’ve heard they’re one of the best engineering schools in the country, and I’ve been taking AP calculus and AP physics to prepare to be an engineer,” Smith said. “When this opportunity popped up for me, I couldn’t turn it down. 

“I get the education I’ve always desired in addition to getting to play football at a level most people dream about.”

Not a bad combination.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]

Weekend Visitors: Three Uncommitted '16s To Take Officials

While next weekend's Michigan State game will be a bigger recruiting event for Michigan, there are a few notable visitors coming in for tomorrow's game. Allen Trieu has a free overview of the three uncommitted official visitors set to be at the game tomorrow; those prospects:

• Three-star NJ WDE Quayshon Alexander, a Nebraska commit. While Michigan is sitting pretty for four-star CO WDE Carlo Kemp, they're still making a strong push for guys who could project to the BUCK spot, and Alexander fits the bill.
• Three-star FL TE Jacob Mathis has been near the top of M's board at tight end for a while. Florida appears to be the main competition. One advantage for the Wolverines: former M kicker Garrett Rivas is Mathis' high school coach.
• Three-star TX WDE Levi Onwuzurike hasn't let on much about his recruitment, but he could be another option at BUCK.

Several current commits will take their officials this weekend, including a crew from New Jersey—Brad Hawkins, Ron Johnson, and Ahmir Mitchell—who'll likely work on recruiting Alexander.

This late-breaking news also seems worth mentioning:

Am told 5* #OhioState RB commit Kareem Walker is visiting #Michigan this weekend http://t.co/n3MUSJOPiX

— Marc Givler (@MarcGivlerBG) October 9, 2015

Walker had significant interest in Michigan before the Hoke era drew to a close; he committed to Ohio State in January, when Jim Harbaugh was desperately cobbling together a full 2015 class. Walker visiting Ann Arbor is a sign there's still legitimate interest. Steve Wiltfong reports it will be an official visit ($).

This even-later-breaking news, reported by Wiltfong, will also be of interest:

247Sports has learned that Top247 linebacker Devin Bush Jr. will visit Michigan this weekend for the Northwestern game.

It's an unofficial visit.

That is especially intriguing since Bush is paying his way for a visit from Florida, leaving open the opportunity to visit again on an official visit. Michigan looks to be in very good shape with one of their top remaining targets on the board.

According to 247's Steve Lorenz, several 2017 in-state targets will also be in attendance: TE Carter Dunaway (commit), OT JaRaymond Hall, WR/CB KJ Hamler, WDE Corey Malone-Hatcher, OLB Josh Ross, and RB/CB Allen Stritzinger. Hall's 2018 teammate Marquan McCall, a talented offensive lineman, will also be on campus, as will a pair of promising 2019 quarterbacks in Southfield's Sam Johnson and Belleville's Dwan Mathis.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]