2015 Michigan Running Backs
How do you guys see the depth chart shaking out?
I see lots of talk about Green and Isaac and even Drake Johnson, but I feel like De'Veon Smith is the one who is best poised for a breakout season in Harbaugh's offense given his running style. He's a dependable north/south type of runner who can make the necessary cuts but doesn't depend on dancing around in the backfield like some runners do. He reminds me a lot of Brandon Minor (Minor was more shifty but his game was geared more towards runing through tackles rather than running around everybody).
I see Green continuing to run right into traffic too often, and MGoStrength's thread has convinced me that Drake Johnson will be injured again (or at least be too injury-prone to carry the load over the course of an entire season).
I anticipate the depth chart will end up as:
1. Smith
2. Isaac
3. Green/Johnson
4. Higdon/Shallman
Wildcard: if Norfleet is allowed back I could see Harbaugh putting him somewhere in the RB rotation.
Hayes is playing for Souther Miss next year.
TY. I forgot he was gone.
@810hay pic.twitter.com/G8R4hyTWvB
— jack wangler (@J_Wangler16) June 17, 2015
If Ty Isaac has his head right and spends more time on the football field than his social network accounts, he should by far be the best fit. Toby Gerhart size but with slightly better speed and can catch the ball out of the backfield.
If not, I think it could be Smith and Green with Isaac on third downs. I just don't think Drake Johnson will be healthy enough, but we'll see.
What is this supposed to mean
That last season, although only red-shirting, he was more of a "Where the party tonight" type on Twitter as opposed to a "Let's get in this weight room" type.
I'm not saying that's the type of guy he is, but his social networks at the very least, did not really come off to me as a go-getter, in the weight room or film room 24/7 type of guy.
That doesn't tell me anything. I've seen guys who are hard worker and tweet different things other than football.
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Umm... even "get in this weight room" type of players ie Peppers party like crazy... fyi...
See that shit all the time. Welcome to college.
What's your opinion of Gronkowski as a football player using nothing but his social networking accounts?
Well, my own barometer of your person is what you post online at MGoBlog, and from that I can only deduce that you love to be overly judgemental of college athletes who don't fit into a narrow view of "hard-working" players, and that you base these characterizations on extremely limited information gleaned from a social media account that you (apparently) check up on semi-frequently.
I am sure this is a grossly-unfair generalization of you as a person, but if we are in the business of painting people with broad brushes, I want in!
Yeah I've found it odd that there hasn't been any rumblings about him. Yeah I get camp hasn't started and all that but from him being on Twitter all the time and never mentioning football seems weird, and yes I realize how stalkerish I sound. Haha
If you go to the gym without telling anybody, did you really work out?
I feel good about Isaac. Green seems like once he figures it out he will be up there too. Smith will get some run too, especially early in the season.
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If given the chance I can see him taking over the lead role. He's a thumper and doesn't pissy foot around the holeS!
Did you see him in the spring game? He lacks the Acceleration I want to see in a back...even a big back.
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No way.
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The knock on shallman is that he's huge but refused to run over people. Nothing in the spring game made me think that changed much.
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Norfleet is not going to play RB. And I do wonder if Green gets encouraged to bulk up and move to FB or something, I don't see him getting reps at HB. Seems like one or two of Smith, Johnson and Isaac should rise to the top.
Edit: Higdon I would think would RS... Shallman, who knows. Didn't look particularly good in the spring game.
Green IMO lacks the vision to be a starting back and falls to the ground far too often for my likings which means he has balance issue.
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Yes
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and he may be the slowest RB I've ever seen in a Michigan uniform.
Green has potential. Given how poorly the whole team looked the past couple of years running/blocking, I'm not sure if anyone can be cast aside as a potential lead back. Again, Isaac hasn't played a down of college ball in a year, and wasn't draped in glory at USC based on the depth chart. Smith is good in spaces but misses just as many holes, and there was a reason he was passed by Green basically twice. Drake had some great moments, but he's also coming off a second ACL injury, and lawd knows if he'll be the same player he was. Then you've got true freshmen, tweeners like Shallman, and questions galore.
My guess is that Smith, Green, and Isaac split early carries unless Johnson really does come back healthy, but this feels like the ultimate RB by committee team to start the year. Maybe someone emerges late, but none of the backs on the roster look like #1 backs right now. By the end of the year, though, my guess is that 2 of them will get the bulk of the carries because that seems to be Harbaugh's MO.
I'm not worried about Green's vision. The OL will be much better and he will have some holes to hit. Better blocking solves a lot of the vision issues.
Green is not going to be a fullback...Until I see him drop his shoulder and run over anyone. That is not him, maybe after Harbaugh,
I feel like he could go there just because of the weight he carried in high school...
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Green was overweight in HS - doubtful Harbaugh wants Green at FB just bc he carried more weight in HS.
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competition. Whichever one(s) come in most prepared and healthiest will get a leg up, but it's a long road ahead until that game @ Utah, and any of them could rise to the top as long as they stay healthy. Bottom line, though, is that it will still boil down to competing in practice.
Personally hoping that Drake Johnson is 100% this fall and can pick right up where he left off before getting injured last season in The Game. I am very impressed by anyone who shows the perseverence he has.
Why would one think Norfleet is going to come back??? If he does, I don't think it's likely he plays running back.
Who exactly is "we?"
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I have a similar feeling about the depth chart as you do. I think Smith and Isaac will be interchangeable unless Isaac has a great camp in which case he could be special this year. I think Johnson is clear #3 and Green #4 when Johnson is full-go.
Sorry, double post.
I think that if Green can gain a bit more power and balance as a runner, he could be the next back on the team since he has the burst and speed already. He could be excellent and possibly an all big ten rusher for Michigan maybe this year, but even more probably next year.
I'm sorry but I haven't seen much of anything that tells me Green can be a starting back in the B1G. In all honesty I think he transfers by the end of the year. In his two years here he has shown horrible vision and zero toughness on contact. He struggles to maintain a steady weight and body type. Isaac is the most talented, Smith is the toughest, and Johnson has played the best when healthy. Higdon has a really nice HS film. I just don't see room in the stable for Green if he is at best the 4th most talented back we have as a junior.
I would love to see him meet expectations, I was over the moon when he committed. He just has looked very poor on Saturdays so far.
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1. De'Veon
2. Green
3. Drake
4. Ty Isaac
I did have Karan Higdon as a dark horse to be a solid back up this year, but I believe he ends up a RS this year.
How do you even make up this crap? Isaac at fourth on the depth chart is not why he transferred to Michigan.
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I think it will be
1. Green/Isaac
2 Smith
3. Johnson (if he can remain healthy, I think he can move up
4. Higdon/ Shallman
I think that Isaac and Green are the best options as far as talent goes, but I think it might come down to something as small as who can keep their balance best and always falls forward which I think puts Smith at an advantage at first but because of all the talent between Isaac and Green, I think they will be the workhorses by the end of the year.
Green
Smith Issac
Drame
Fleet
Minor was also a lot faster than Smith.
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And full of Rage!
I was a big fan of Minor when he was at Michigan. I think he would be perfect for Harbaugh's scheme.
Isaac. Smith is just too slow. Green is slightly faster but also just not fast enough not even counting vision problems.
I think it's unfair to judge the running backs in regards to the spring game due in part to the split lines. I do not feel that we have had a line worth it's salt in the past seven years. When you split a terrible line the running game will understandably suffer. With Drevno's tutelage and Harbaugh's tenacity through fall camp all should prosper. I also think that with quarterback that must be respected on the pass defenses will need to respect all aspects of the offense. The running backs are all the same back excited to see what Ty Issac can do and hope Drake Johnson can return at some point during the season as he provides an element of speed that is severely lacking from this running back group.
Minor was wayyyyy better than anything I've ever seen out of Smith
Agree
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1. Smith
2. Green
3. Isaac
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I love the people on here that shit on Green. Bet they are the same people that were calling for Speight over Morris. CLOWNS
Because Green and Morris have accomplished what exactly so far?
Green averaged 5.7 YPC last year until he was hurt in game 6. Had he continued on the same pace, he would have been close to 1000 yards.
I keep telling myself that Fred Jackson was part of the problem; we shall know soon enough.
You dont continue at the same pace you do against App State and Miami OH the whole season. Because those teams suck. Both he and Isaac racked up the bulk of their yards vs bad defenses. We have not seen him do it vs good teams.
Doesnt mean he cannot but extrapolating what a guy has done against junk defenses to OSU, MSU, PSU, ND, Utah, Wisconsin, Nebraska defenses is going to lead to disappointment.
Here are his splits:
- (2 games) App State/Miami OH = 37 carries, 307 yds = 8.3 yds per carry. (A monster!)
- (4 games) ND/Utah/Minn/rutgers = 45 carries,164 yds= 3.6 yds per carry (A bottom half Big 10 back)
Which is he? I don't know but unless he transfers to the MAC or wherever App State plays I am not extrapolating those 2 games.
His 62 yd run against App and Green averages 6.8 YPC. Smith had a 61 yd run in that game... nice average but against that competition a great back would have gone for 10+YPC. I think Drake was the best back we had last year. Hope he's healthy or Ty is fantastic in camp.