'17-'18 Depth Chart: Version 5 ("Spring Chatter Edition")
UPDATED: 7-4-17
First time for 2017-18 this is NOT "OT"...YAAAAAY!!! As always, it's just for fun...so if you're all tight faced, lighten up, Francis. Besides, I'm guessing you likely don't know what to do with the DB's OL any more than I do.
Notes:
- HORRAY for a general "consensus" from the insiders and folks with spring football updates
- REMEMBER - just because a guy is listed as a redshirt doesn't mean he won't play. Brian just made a thread about "unburned redshirts."
- Maybe it's not as bad as we thought it'd be? Maybe? (note: spring chatter is always overly positive)
- Almost positive at least 1 more transfer is coming...maybe more. But until you put your thank you up on Twitter, I'll keep you on the depth chart.
- I will try and go back and update this throughout the year to keep it as current as possible.
QB
1. Wilton Speight (RS Jr.)
2. Brandon Peters (RS Fr.)
3. John O'Korn (RS Sr.)
rs: Dylan McCaffrey (Fr.)
RB
1. Chris Evans (So.)
2. Karan Higdon (Jr.) / Ty Isaac (RS Sr.)
4. Kareem Walker (RS Fr.)
5. O'Maury Samuels (Fr.)
rs: Kurt Taylor (Fr.)
Hybrid RB/Slot
1. Chris Evans (So.)
2. O'Maury Samuels (Fr.)
FB
1. Khalid Hill (RS Sr.)
2. Henry Poggi (RS Sr.)
3. Ben Mason (Fr.)
WR1
1. Kekoa Crawford (So.)
2. Tarik Black (Fr.)
3. Drake Harris (RS Jr.)
4. Nico Collins (Fr.)
WR2
1. Donovan Peoples-Jones (Fr.)
2. Maurice Ways (RS Jr.)
3. Nate Schoenle (RS Fr.) / Brad Hawkins (Fr.)
SLOT
1. Eddie McDoom (So.) / Oliver Martin (Fr.)
3. Nate Johnson (So.)
susp: Grant Perry (Jr.)
TE1
1. Ian Bunting (RS Jr.)
2. Zach Gentry (RS So.)
3. Nick Eubanks (RS Fr.)
TE2
1. Tyrone Wheatley Jr. (RS So.)
2. Sean McKeon (RS Fr.)
LT
1. Mason Cole (Sr.)
2. Nolan Ulizio (RS So.)
3. Chuck Filiaga (Fr.)
rs: Andrew Stueber (Fr.)
inj rs: Grant Newsome (Jr.)
LG
1. Ben Bredeson (So)
2. Jon Runyan Jr. (RS So.) / Cesar Ruiz (Fr.)
C
1. Patrick Kugler (RS Sr.)
2. Cesar Ruiz (Fr.)
3. Mason Cole (Sr.)
4. Andrew Vastardis (RS Fr.)
RG
1. Michael Onwenu (So.)
2. Jon Runyan Jr. (RS So.) / Cesar Ruiz (Fr.)
3. Stephen Spanellis (RS Fr.)
rs: JaRaymond Hall (Fr.)
RT
1. Juwan Bushell-Beatty (RS Jr.)
2. Nolan Ulizio (RS So.)
3. Ben Bredeson (So) / Chuck Filiaga (Fr.)
rs: Joel Honigford (Fr.)
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WDE
1. Chase Winovich (RS Jr.)
2. Luiji Vilain (Fr.)
3. Reuben Jones (RS So.) / Kwity Paye (Fr.)
NG
1. Bryan Mone (RS Jr.)
2. Michael Dwumfour (RS Fr.)
3. Aubrey Solomon (Fr.)
4. Carl Meyers (RS Fr.)
rs: Phillip Paea (Fr.)
DT
1. Maurice Hurst (RS Sr.)
2. Aubrey Solomon (Fr.)
3. Rashan Gary (So.)
4. Donovan Jeter (Fr.) / Lawrence Marshall (RS Jr.)
rs: James Hudson (Fr.)
SDE
1. Rashan Gary (So.)
2. Carlo Kemp (So.)
3. Donovan Jeter (Fr.) / Ron Johnson (RS Fr.)
rs: Deron Irving-Bey (Fr.)
WILL
1. Mike McCray (RS Sr.)
2. Devin Gil (RS Fr.)
3. Josh Ross (Fr.) / Jordan Anthony (Fr.)
ILB
1. Devin Bush Jr. (So.)
2. Mike Wroblewski (RS Sr.)
3. Ben Mason (Fr.)
4. Jared Wangler (RS Jr.)
SAM
1. Noah Furbush (RS Jr.)
2. Elysee Mbem-Bosse (So.)
3. Josh Uche (RS Fr.)
rs: Drew Singleton (Fr.)
VIPER
1. Khaleke Hudson (So.)
2. Jordan Glasgow (RS So.)
3. Josh Metellus (So.)
CB
1. Lavert Hill (So.)
2. Ambry Thomas (Fr.)
3. Keith Washington (RS So.)
CB
1. David Long (RS Fr.)
2. Brandon Watson (RS Jr.)
3. Benjamin St.-Juste (Fr.)
FS
1. Tyree Kinnel (Jr.)
2. Jaylen Kelly-Powell (Fr.)
SS
1. Josh Metellus (So.)
2. Jordan Glasgow (RS So.)
3. J'Marick Woods (Fr.)
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K
1. Quinn Nordin (RS Fr.)
P
1. Brad Robbins (Fr.)
KO
1. Ryan Tice (RS So.)
Safety depth is scary. Metellus is turning out to be a steal of the class so far.
I think I remember ESPN being the only service to rate him as a 4 star? So they were the most accurate service in projecting him - something you do not get to say about ESPN very often.
I thought about this as well.
Did you read the end blurb about how ESPN kind of backdoored being the most accurate? Plus, this is looking at only class at one school.
I am absolutely sure that, as of 2017, ESPN is clearly the worst service when it comes to evaluating talent. The best is 247, imo.
The guy we only took to get Bush Jr.....
It's almost as if Harbaugh doesn't take kids just to get their friends (JBB as our starting RT anyone?).
Add Dwumfour to that list too.
April 12th, 2017 at 11:07 PM ^
I have had to do to get bush...
April 13th, 2017 at 12:13 AM ^
in general is...iffy. Which means defensive depth all-around is scary. Really liking the starters though. Hopefully, the starters fit enough to go more snaps.
I think your starters are spot on at this point (DPJ may not be exclusively running with the 1s yet but I think the coaches know that he is a 1). I think, as far as the 2s go, Filiaga is going to be a factor at right tacklet, not left, and I think Uche is probably the #2 SAM.
You could be absolutely right...the backups are tough without any true working knowledge.
ESPECIALLY the OL and LBs. GIl, Mbem-Bosse, and Uche are all kind of interchangeable without more concrete info. Hopefully the spring game sheds some light and clears this up.
It won't for the OL because they're not all on campus.
Last year was so much easier. Guys like Gary, Hurst, Winovich, Mone, Bush, Clark, winner of Hill vs Long, Kinnel had their spots locked up.
There's not a lot of certainty regarding who will make the leap, but the exciting thing about having this many young receivers is that the chances that one or two of them really jump off the page is really good.
Recall at this time last year we had no idea what Chris Evans would turn into.
Can you post these before every game, the way em0 used to? Are you him?
I thought Runyan was getting run inside and outside. Doesn't he have a decent chance at the 2-deep at RT?
I can't remember a freshman player I've every been more excited to see on offense than DPJ. I've only heard positive things about him through the players, coaches, and sources. I think he is at the very least be a 2005 Mario Manningham type player
I remember being really excited about Kevin Grady...He was a five star, but not the level as DPJ.
You will love what you see!
Agree.
My only criticism of this list is that I believe slot should be:
- Eddie McDoom / Nate Johnson
- Oliver Martin
but I hate having an "Or" as a starter. Only one can start. You can always note if the number 2 is really close to the number 1 guy.
Yeah I agree with that.
Fair enough...but I'm still not sold McDoom can catch and be the sure-handed slot guy. Still seems more like a "get him the ball in space" type of slot.
Nate Johnson I just think gets passed.
I'm not thrilled with the situation at WDE. I like Winovich, but that's a position that needs healthy rotation and some situational players. The depth chart there looks like tumbleweeds.
(Also, I wouldn't be surprised to see some of your SAM names, especially Furbush, get some run at WILL given the desire to use a Viper most of the time.)
I invite you to watch Luiji Vilain's HUDL tape.
If Winovich can be an every down WDE, we've recruited a boat load of pass rush specialist, WDE/LB tweeners that could fill in on passing downs.
April 12th, 2017 at 10:27 PM ^
It occurs to me that the good things we're hearing about Wroblewski may be a result of him really coming on... or merely a reflection on Bush, of whom it has been said that there is some struggle.
Sometimes the unheralded guy earns a spot because he really is good. Other times he's there because the other guys just isn't cutting it yet. Hoping the Wroblewski talk is a Graham Glasgow situation, because if not LB could get nervous.
DBJ was taken third (I think - definitely top 5) in the Spring Game draft. Some may say that that is motivational or what not, but that's not really how anyone on this staff works. Bush is going to start, the only question is how much time Wroblewski earns himself in a rotation. Bush is so fast and so physical that he won't be displaced, and he looked fine last year as a true freshman. Assuming good weight gain from him and at least minimal improvement from all LBs, and our starting backers could actually be improved.
I promise not to trip out over the offensive line as this year progresses. I think they'll be fine.
Crawford is a really good blocker. I don't know if he has a starting spot locked down, but he's going to play a lot, at the very least.
I don't think the fact that Crawford didn't touch the ball much is going to be very relevant going forward. This is a staff that is going to feed the ball to the top couple guys, and anyone after that is going to get the scraps. We're not going to have a team that has four guys with 40 catches.
In 2015 Darboh had 58 catches while Chesson had 50, and the next WR had 14 (about 1 per game). In 2016 Darboh had 57, Chesson had 35, and the next WR had 13 (about 1 per game).
Good stats to know. Butt had 46 and 51 receptions in 2016 and 2015, respectively. One could reasonably predict 55 receptions for DPJ, 50 for Bunting and 35 for Crawford. Reception numbers may end up a little more spread out this year with less returning experience. I don't think it would be odd to see a third WR and/or second TE break 20 receptions this year. We had 2 players with 16 receptions last year and a player with 19 in 2015.
Michigan didn't have the WR talent in 2015 and 2016 that it does now, so there are more viable options. I think 4 guys with 40+ catches each is not out of the realm of possibility.
There might be more viable options, but there's still only one ball.