Fall Roster Overanalysis 2017 in Spring 2018!
Michigan did in fact release a spring roster this year, though this one gets the paint drying treatment, since even Steve Martin couldn’t get excited about the most recent phonebooks.
There are reasons for that. For one we kinda had a basketball thing going on the day they appeared. Two, we kinda had a hockey thing going on. Three, the roster release is what precipitated the Elysee Mbem-Bosse situation (because he wasn’t on it), and I didn’t think an irreverent post on the roster was appropriate right at that moment. And four, these are all the same weights from the game notes they put out for the media last year, which have finally been applied to the online 2017 rosters as well as the spring ones. I’ve taken to updating my spreadsheet whenever insiders said things like “Paye is up to 365” or a player posted his new number and will show that when it’s available, but those are not verified and therefore not included here.
But hey, it’s officially official offseason and it’ll be good to have this when we do get new rosters five minutes before Notre Dame kickoff and we can measure the Herbertization. So I’ll note all the actually new things, and we’ll hit the jump to see last year’s weight gains/losses and make totally unrealistic judgments about it.
NUMBER CHANGES
We’ve discussed some of these already but seeing them all might put those in better context.
- Kekoa Crawford: 1—>41
- Jordan Anthony: 1—>34
- Kareem Walker: 6—>46
- Nate Schoenle: 35—>81
- Shea Patterson: 2
- Joe Milton: 5
- Taylor Upshaw: 91
- Myles Sims: 6
We have an interview with Schoenle going in HTTV so I got the author to confirm that number changed because Schoenle and Uche are both on special teams. Kareem Walker’s change was also his choice I’m told, part of a refocusing process that’s less about “I’m the next Tyrone Wheatley!” and more “I’m going to be my best myself.” He probably didn’t realize he just went to the number of an even greater former Wolverine, Harry Newman (or early ’80s star running back Lawrence Ricks).
In the absence of an explanation for Crawford’s number switch, along with his non-mention in spring, it’s not hard to speculate negative things. On the other hand, I remind you 41 was Rob Lytle, and Harbaugh was the ball boy on those teams, and I guarantee you he wouldn’t miss a chance to point this out if someone groused about wearing it. It also could just mean Kekoa has joined the kick return unit too so he can’t have the same number as Ambry Thomas.
HEIGHT CHANGES
I don’t know why so many of these changed—dudes don’t usually grow taller in college and only fullbacks shrink—but they did so I’ll report them. As best I can tell originally they just grabbed whatever was listed on the Rivals database, and now they report their own measurements.
- Up 2 inches: Josh Uche 6’1”—>6’3”; Devin Gil 6’0”—>6’2”
- Up 1 inch: Ben Bredeson 6’4”—>6’5”; Juwann Bushell-Beatty 6’5”—>6’6”; Noah Furbush 6’4”—>6’5”; Ron Johnson 6’3”—>6’4”; Khaleke Hudson 5’11”—>6’0”; Kekoa Crawford 6’1”—>6’2”; Cesar Ruiz 6’3”—>6’4”; and Andrew Stueber 6’6”—>6’7”
- Down an inch: David Long 6’0”—>5’11; Eddie McDoom 6’1”—>6’0”; Nick Eubanks 6’6”—>6’5”; Kurt Taylor 5’9”—>5’8”; O’Maury Samuels 5’11”—>5’10”; Tarik Black 6’4”—>6’3”; Nico Collins 6’5”—>6’4”; Quinn Nordin 6’2”—>6’1”
- Down 2 inches: Donovan Jeter 6’5”—>6’3”
Any David Long + Lavert Hill photo could tell you they were the same height—if anything Hill is taller—so that one doesn’t surprise me. Adding an inch to offensive linemen makes people who put stock in roster data (ahem) think those OL are better pro prospects, so that could be what that is. Ditto linebackers.
POSITION CHANGES
These don’t show as much as they should because Michigan’s positional definitions are as vague (OL, LB, DB, etc.) as possible. Also you know about them already: Jared Wangler moved to fullback, and they’re now listing the vipers Khaleke Hudson and Jordan Glasgow as linebackers.
The changes we’ve heard about are Glasgow swapped with Hawkins for SS/Viper, Uche stayed with the OLB group at his request instead of trying out at DE, Irving-Bey is with the tackles, and Joel Honigford is with the guards.
WELCOME TO THE DATABASE FRESHMEN!
After signing day Michigan snuck a new page into its roster list with the guys who’d signed their LOIs. No numbers yet but it’s an opportunity to publish their listed weights versus what the services had them at. I included the early enrollees.
Height | Weight | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Pos | Mich | 247 | Rivals | ESPN | Scout | Mich | 247 | Rivals | ESPN | Scout | ||
Joe Milton | QB | 6'5" | +0.5 | - | - | -0.5 | 220 | +10 | -20 | +12 | - | ||
Michael Barrett | ATH | 6'0" | -0.5 | - | - | x | 215 | - | -15 | +8 | x | ||
Hassan Haskins | RB | 6'1" | - | - | - | 207 | -5 | +5 | -5 | x | |||
Christian Turner | RB | 5'11" | - | -1 | -1 | - | 185 | +2 | -7 | +7 | - | ||
Ben VanSumeren | FB | 6'3" | - | - | - | x | 232 | -4 | +7 | -20 | x | ||
Ronnie Bell | WR | 6'1" | - | - | -1 | x | 174 | -4 | - | - | x | ||
Ryan Hayes | TE | 6'7" | - | - | -1 | - | 262 | -10 | -2 | +5 | -3 | ||
Mustapha Muhammad | TE | 6'4" | - | +1 | - | 244 | -9 | +5 | -5 | x | |||
Luke Schoonmaker | TE | 6'6" | - | - | -1 | - | 229 | -4 | +4 | -4 | - | ||
Jalen Mayfield | OL | 6'5" | - | - | +1 | - | 275 | -2 | -23 | +10 | +13 | ||
Aidan Hutchinson | DL | 6'6" | - | - | +1 | -1 | 258 | +2 | +6 | -17 | -15 | ||
Julius Welschof | DL | 6'6" | - | - | -1 | x | 253 | -5 | +2 | - | x | ||
Taylor Upshaw | DL | 6'4" | +1 | - | - | x | 240 | - | -5 | +5 | x | ||
Cameron McGrone | LB | 6'1" | - | - | +1 | - | 225 | -10 | -5 | +4 | +1 | ||
Sammy Faustin | DB | 6'2" | - | - | -1 | - | 190 | - | -20 | +7 | +13 | ||
Vincent Gray | DB | 6'2" | - | - | - | x | 180 | - | -15 | +14 | x | ||
German Green | DB | 6'2" | - | - | - | - | 178 | -10 | +12 | -12 | - | ||
Gemon Green | DB | 6'2" | - | - | - | - | 175 | -10 | +8 | -8 | - | ||
Myles Sims | DB | 6'3" | -0.5 | - | - | -0.5 | 173 | - | - | - | - |
Also Utah transfer Casey Hughes was listed at 5’11”/195 by Utah and 6’0”/185 by Michigan, whatever that means.
For those counting at home, here’s how close the services got to whatever the school decided to list them at, on average:
- 247: Off by 0.13 inches and 4.58 lbs
- Rivals: Off by 0.11 inches and 8.47 lbs
- ESPN: Off by 0.47 inches and 7.53 lbs
So I guess use Rivals’ heights and 247’s weights? This would be fun to do on a larger basis. Scout data is included from what I grabbed before the merger but I didn’t have enough to count them.
[Hit THE JUMP if you want to see last year’s weight gain 2000 chart, which I remind you again only exists so I have something to work off of next fall]
----------------------------
QUARTERBACKS | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | 2014 | Sp'15 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 14 to 15 | 15 to 16 | 16 to 17 |
Shea Patterson | 200* | 203 | +3 | |||||
Brandon Peters | 216 | 220 | +4 | |||||
Dylan McCaffrey | 199 | |||||||
Joe Milton | 220† | |||||||
RUNNING BACKS | ||||||||
Player | 2014 | Sp'15 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 14 to 15 | 15 to 16 | 16 to 17 |
Karan Higdon | 190 | 189 | 190 | -1 | +1 | |||
Kareem Walker | 207 | 211 | +4 | |||||
Chris Evans | 200 | 206 | +6 | |||||
O'Maury Samuels | 192 | |||||||
Kurt Taylor | 194 | |||||||
FULLBACKS | ||||||||
Player | 2014 | Sp'15 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 14 to 15 | 15 to 16 | 16 to 17 |
Jared Wangler | 219 | 230 | 230 | 229 | 240 | +11 | -1 | +11 |
Ben Mason | 251 | |||||||
WIDE RECEIVERS | ||||||||
Player | 2014 | Sp'15 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 14 to 15 | 15 to 16 | 16 to 17 |
Grant Perry | 185 | 196 | 191 | +11 | -5 | |||
Eddie McDoom | 180 | 181 | +1 | |||||
Oliver Martin | 198 | |||||||
Nate Schoenle | 185 | 192 | +7 | |||||
Kekoa Crawford | 195 | 187 | -8 | |||||
Donovan Peoples-Jones | 199 | |||||||
Tarik Black | 206 | |||||||
Nico Collins | 206 | |||||||
TIGHT ENDS | ||||||||
Player | 2014 | Sp'15 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 14 to 15 | 15 to 16 | 16 to 17 |
Zach Gentry | 230 | 244 | 248 | +14 | +4 | |||
Tyrone Wheatley Jr. | 260 | 276 | 265 | +16 | -11 | |||
Nick Eubanks | 236 | 240 | +4 | |||||
Sean McKeon | 240 | 248 | +8 | |||||
OFFENSIVE LINE | ||||||||
Player | 2014 | Sp'15 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 14 to 15 | 15 to 16 | 16 to 17 |
Stephen Spanellis | 335 | 307 | -28 | |||||
Cesar Ruiz | 316 | |||||||
Ben Bredeson | 310 | 308 | -2 | |||||
Michael Onwenu | 350 | 350 | - | |||||
Andrew Vastardis | 305 | 311 | +6 | |||||
Joel Honigford | 275 | |||||||
Juwann Bushell-Beatty | 319 | 319 | 319 | 311 | 315 | - | -8 | +4 |
Grant Newsome | 280 | 318 | 314 | +38 | -4 | |||
Nolan Ulizio | 293 | 291 | 295 | -2 | +4 | |||
Jon Runyan Jr. | 275 | 304 | 298 | +29 | -6 | |||
Chuck Filiaga | 345 | |||||||
James Hudson | 302 | |||||||
Andrew Stueber | 314 | |||||||
DEFENSIVE TACKLES | ||||||||
Player | 2014 | Sp'15 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 14 to 15 | 15 to 16 | 16 to 17 |
Bryan Mone | 312 | 325 | 325 | 310 | 325 | +13 | -15 | +15 |
Aubrey Solomon | 297 | |||||||
Phillip Paea | 275 | |||||||
Lawrence Marshall | 241 | 238 | 238 | 268 | 285 | -3 | +30 | +17 |
Michael Dwumfour | 300 | 290 | -10 | |||||
Deron Irving-Bey | 274 | |||||||
Donovan Jeter | 288 | |||||||
DEFENSIVE ENDS | ||||||||
Player | 2014 | Sp'15 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 14 to 15 | 15 to 16 | 16 to 17 |
Rashan Gary | 287 | 281 | -6 | |||||
Ron Johnson | 245 | 264 | +19 | |||||
Carlo Kemp | 255 | 264 | +9 | |||||
Chase Winovich | 220 | 227 | 230 | 245 | 253 | +10 | +15 | +8 |
Reuben Jones | 225 | 222 | 245 | -3 | +23 | |||
Luiji Vilain | 242 | |||||||
Kwity Paye | 241 | |||||||
Taylor Upshaw | 240† | |||||||
LINEBACKERS | ||||||||
Player | 2014 | Sp'15 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 14 to 15 | 15 to 16 | 16 to 17 |
Noah Furbush | 210 | 217 | 217 | 238 | 240 | +7 | +21 | +2 |
Josh Uche | 217 | 226 | +9 | |||||
Jordan Anthony | 236 | |||||||
Devin Bush | 232 | 225 | -7 | |||||
Drew Singleton | 219 | |||||||
Devin Gil | 230 | 220 | -10 | |||||
Josh Ross | 229 | |||||||
SAFETIES | ||||||||
Player | 2014 | Sp'15 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 14 to 15 | 15 to 16 | 16 to 17 |
Jordan Glasgow | 200 | 210 | 210 | +10 | - | |||
Khaleke Hudson | 205 | 205 | - | |||||
Josh Metellus | 204 | 199 | -5 | |||||
Brad Hawkins | 204 | |||||||
J'Marick Woods | 203 | |||||||
Tyree Kinnel | 200 | 206 | 201 | +6 | -5 | |||
Jaylen Kelly-Powell | 173 | |||||||
CORNERBACKS | ||||||||
Player | 2014 | Sp'15 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 14 to 15 | 15 to 16 | 16 to 17 |
Brandon Watson | 188 | 189 | 189 | 203 | 200 | +1 | +14 | -3 |
Casey Hughes, the Utah transfer | 185 | 185 | 195 | 195 | - | +10 | - | |
David Long | 187 | 187 | - | |||||
Lavert Hill | 168 | 177 | +9 | |||||
Ambry Thomas | 179 | |||||||
Benjamin St-Juste | 193 | |||||||
Myles Sims | 173† |
* Shea’s 2016 weight is from Ole Miss’s roster. He was listed at 200 both years.
**Ditto Casey Hughes the transfer from Utah
† Early enrollee weights are from 2018, obviously
Is Kareem Walker getting reps as FB?
I'm thinking Crawford will get positive grades in special teams.
Takeaway: All number changes are good number changes.
I just want confirmation on a neck roll
Aren't those illegal now?
I thought they were mandatory for RBs with numbers in the 40s.
I think Harbaugh wore one in the '80's. Serious.
Crawford proved last year that he CANNOT return kickoffs. Maybe you've seen him punt? /s
Go Blue!
He's a reasonably fast guy who was really good at blocking as a freshman. I would assume playing on special teams fits right into his skillset.
He is a physical guy that can block and tackle. I think he'd do well as both a blocker during returns or tackling defending returns. But, you're right, he won't be the actual kick or punt returner.
I'm very curious what kind of strategies will be used on both sides of the ball with this rule change. How will the kicking team (attempt to) pin the opposition deep? It would seem as though the only option will be to try to have a low driving kick bounce at the 15-20. But with this the receiving team would have a good return opportunity if they can catch it in the air and immediately head up field.
I still remember the spring game when Walker first got on campus and broke some powerful, smashing runs in that game. My buddy and I were like "Dang man! That kid's gonna be special."
Do we know what's been keeping him from seeing the field? Injury? Grades? Effort? etc.
Do we get a cookie if we read the whole thing?
Also, I wish all personal weight gain was good like it is for football. It'll be really interesting to see what Herbert does to these weights.
Was anyone else surprised to see that Evans weighs 16 more pounds than Higdon?
I was. Wasn't expecting that.
I'm more surprised by Peters being 17 more pounds than Shea. Shea looks like a very solidly built individual wheras Peters was rail thin last year.
And height adds A LOT of weight even if they look skinnier
Girth is the most important, I've been told.
I think most of that weight is Evans' hair.
Evans seems to have more bulk in the lower body, but I agree that he looks more like 5-8 lbs heavier, not 16.
Very surprised. I think of Higdon as the bigger, power back and Evans as the scat back. Clearly I have been deluding myself.
I think that's more a reflection of their running style than their size. Higdon is more of a one cut and go kind of guy. He is better at putting his foot in the ground and either lowering his shoulder or taking off and has great straight line speed. Evans doesn't have great straight line speed, but has very good lateral quickness and agility.
I'm somebody now!!
You Jerk.
Edit: I can't read
Edit 2: Might as well say something since I can't figure out how to delete. Ummm... boy is Herbert going to have fun with Sims and the Green Bros, or what?!
Not sure what to do with it or what conclusions you can ultimately draw.
FWIW, I grew an inch in college (6' > 6'1").
Me too. Mercifully, my legs finally stopped growing when I was in my twenties. I'm 6'4" with a 36" inseam. There are benefits to being tall, but being comfortable on an airplane is not one of them.
Then again, I'm guessing you weren't recruited as an elite D-1 athlete. Nothing wrong with that, but a big part of getting to a P5 school in football is being freakishly large before matriculating.
My guess is that this will be the make or break season for K. Walker. At least at UM.
How so? You expect him to become the starter or what? I mean, if he's not solidly the 3rd option that'd be a real bad sign but I don't see him passing Higdon or Evans and I don't see anything wrong with that.
I'd be looking for a consistent presence on the field and RB discussions. He won't be #1 or #2 as you mentioned but if he isn't #3 then I'd take that as a sign it is late for him.
Curious to see what that weight loss for Spinellis will do for his mobility.
Maybe he'll be moving from the sidelines onto the field more often.
That's a '17 weight loss he already played at last year.
All height loss is good loss.
These roster updates are getting weird.
I went from 5'10.5" in high school to 5'8" graduating college
Matt Brown, the best players from Ohio, walk on at Michigan.
That makes me smile. Now a win against the suckeyes and the tshirt will go on sale.
Ixnay on the uckeyesay.
south until you smell it, east until you step in it.... is too much to type.
All height change is good height change?
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