Calling All Seniors!

Any real fan knows that every good football team has had good senior leadership. Without any veteran leaders with a team-first attitude on the field and in the locker room, a squad of young men can and will appear disoriented and out of place, and the entire infrastructure of a team could collapse as soon as things get tough. In other words, it can get real messy when trying to compete for a conference championship if you don't have one or two battle-tested guys that can instill confidence in other players and focus the team's energy on closing out games.

Throughout the last seven seasons, since the retirement of former head coach Lloyd Carr, the Michigan football team has struggled mightily in providing sound leadership from it's senior players. In fact, there is only one group of Wolverines within that time-span that had any real accountability on the team, and the results were undeniably good. The 2011 team finished the year 11-2 with a Sugar Bowl Championship, and seniors David Molk (C), Junior Hemingway (WR), Mike Martin (DT), Will Heininger (DT), and Ryan Van Bergen (DE) led the way. Those guys arguably provided the best senior leadership the program had seen since the 2002 squad, which also went 11-2.

Since 2011 the Wolverines have compiled a 15-11 record. When they have won they have often done so while playing down to lesser competition (see Akron and UConn), and have been completely embarrassed by big opponents (see Alabama, Michigan State, and Kansas State). The few times they have been in position to take a win over a top 25 team they blew it (see Ohio St and South Carolina). In all the terrible games this team has played in the last two seasons, it really needed guys to step up as leaders. Very few actually stepped up to the challenge.

Without pointing fingers and playing the blame game on what had happened in the past, I would like to move on to the upcoming season. We will be fielding another young football team overall, but there are some guys in key positions that bring a lot of experience to the table.

Top Senior Leaders:

1. QB Devin Gardner - This is a no-brainer. With the offense riddled with youth at every other position, the fifth-year senior quarterback has to step up and deliver. Gardner has the athletic ability to put up Manziel and Newton-like numbers (see Notre Dame, Indiana, and Ohio State), but so far he has been too inconsistent and seems to allow opponents to get in his head. He is the lone senior starter on offense with 21 starts to his credit. 16 were at QB and five of them were as a receiver. Expectations are high but some fans have lost faith. It is time to put the women and children to bed and go lookin' for dinner!
2. DE Frank Clark - If there is one guy returning on defense that a lot is expected of it's Clark. Although he has had his moments, his stat sheet doesn't pop and you don't particularly hear his name called a lot on game days. Having said that, I am very confident that he will rise to the challenge and put together a stellar campaign in 2014. There are a couple youngsters nipping at his heels and draft stock on the line so he should be motivated.
3. LB Jake Ryan - With his move to the middle, the fifth-year senior will be asked to be the QB of the defense. This means that he will be in charge of communicating with coaches and refs, making pre-snap adjustments, and getting the younger guys lined up in the right place. With three years under his belt he has to know all the ins and outs of the scheme, and he should have each opponent's scouting report locked in his head. With his reputation as a hard-worker, he will most-likely be up to speed mentally. Can he return to his play-making ways of two years ago when he had 88 tackles (16 for a loss), 4.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles? I sure hope so.
4. Desmond Morgan - Morgan is an Academic All-BIG player entering his final season with 31 starts already on his resume. His hard-work and accountability are second to nobody on the roster. He and Ryan should provide lots of great leadership from the middle of the field, which could be the key to the entire defense having as successful season.
5. CB Raymon Taylor - With the emergence of Jourdan Lewis in the spring and the arrival of Jabrill Peppers in the fall, Taylor might have a tough time keeping his job. However, if he holds the young studs off it will be because he has worked hard and put in his time. That's what good leaders do.
6. DE Brennen Beyer - Beyer has been a good asset to this team, playing mostly at end and admirably filling in for an injured Jake Ryan at linebacker. He might lose some playing time this year as the coaches look to utilize the depth more, but that still might not be enough to keep Beyer from having his best season yet.
7. OG Joey Burzynski - Burzynski is a former walk-on that is not slated to start, but if he shows up and works with a great attitude all year it will go a long way toward the entire position group coming together as a unit. I don't think good backups can ever get enough credit for the support they provide as a teammate on and off the field. Besides, he is the only other senior anywhere near getting a call to action on offense.

Five Underclassmen to Watch:

1. RB Justice Hayes - After getting the starting nod in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl and running with the first team a lot in spring, Hayes looks like he will get every opportunity to earn the starting job in the fall. He has the tools to be a good all-purpose back and as a red-shirt junior, he has more years in the program than the other two guys (Smith and Green) combined.
2. WR/TE Devin Funchess - As the unquestionable number one target in the passing game, Funchess will have a lot of eyes on him. How he handles that pressure and how he behaves as a teammate will have a profound effect on this team.
3. CB Blake Countess - Rebounded nicely last year after missing 2012 with a knee injury and led the Big Ten with six INT's. He enters his junior (RS) year with 20 starts under his belt so he will be looked up to by a lot of other players.
4. CB Jabrill Peppers - Simply put, he is the most anticipated recruit in Michigan history and lot of hopes are that he is the second-coming of Charles Woodson or Tom Curtis. The kid seems to have a swagger that we haven't seen around Ann Arbor in a while, with the apparent skills to back it up on the field. If you have doubts about his athletic ability then you obviously haven't seen his highlight reel. Are we putting too much pressure on this kid with all the hype though? My hope is that he responds like the all-world athlete that we believe him to be and allows his play on the field to prove him worthy of the accolades.
5. OL Kyle Kalis and Eric Magnuson - I could have listed the entire O-line here, but both of these guys were highly-recruited coming out of high school three years ago and both are being looked to for answers at some key positions up front. Last year they weren't quite ready for the challenge but this year they better be because a lot of coach's jobs are kinda riding on it.

Roster News Update:

Former USC running back Ty Isaac has announced he is transferring to Michigan this year. Whether or not he has to sit out a year before suiting up is still up in the air and will be left up to the NCAA to decide. The former blue chip prospect fits the mold of a big (6'2" 225 lbs), bruising type of back that the Wolverines covet but have fallen out of favor in a lot of today's "spread-option" college offenses. He is a much welcomed addition to the Wolverines roster and eases the need to sign two backs in this recruiting cycle.