The Over-Optimistic Michigan Fan is Moving on from the Hoke Era

With all the attention now being focused on who might be the next coach in Ann Arbor, I would like to take the moment to give some attention to what we know we already have going forward. More specifically, we should focus a little more on the players currently on the team and the state of the roster going into 2015, because I believe we have a lot to be excited about.

Things to Look Forward To in 2015:

1. Depth abounds on defense: The Wolverines statistically fielded the 10th best overall defense in the nation in 2014. A lot of that had to do with the quality of depth. Every single position (DE, DT, LB, SS, FS, CB) will return at least one guy with some starting experience (15 total) and there are nearly two dozen players in all thave garnered some significant playing time. A lot of these guys are freshmen and sophomores so expect the team to be two or three real players deep on all three levels of defense for the next couple years. If that's not something to be excited about then I don't know what is. 
2. Depth also abounds at running back: Derrick Green, De'Veon Smith, Drake Johnson, and Justice Hayes will all return to pick up where they left off in 2014. Green was averaging just over 5.5 yards per carry and was finding a groove just before injuring his collarbone. Johnson averaged 6.2 yards per carry in relief before tearing his ACL and Smith the team leader in rushing yards (519) and TD's (6) with a 4.8 yard per carry average. Expect Ty Isaac to be in the hunt for playing time as well. With five guys all competing hard somebody should emerge as a real force for whoever is calling plays next year.
3. Experience along the O-line: There wasn't a single senior that started a game on the line in 2014 and only two starters (Jack Miller and Graham Glasgow) were juniors. Three other guys that contributed heavily were sophomores (Eirk Magnusson, Kyle Kalis, and Ben Braden) and the left tackle was a true freshman (Mason Cole). There were a couple more freshmen on the bench that were highly-prized recruits too. Another year in the off-season program and playing against that defense in the spring will do this entire group some good, and once the line develops everything else will fall in line on offense.                                                                                   
4. Competition to be the starting QB: This is definitely a sore spot on the roster, but there should be a three man race for the starting job this spring, and that is in itself exciting. Sophomore Shane Morris returns with the most experience on the team, but he hasn't been very impressive when given a shot. He is mostly known for getting knocked out against Minnesota more than for throwing touchdown passes. In fact, he has a whopping zero TD's to go against five INT's on his Michigan career. The most interesting aspect to Morris' game though, is his ability to run with the ball when needed. It makes me wonder if he would be a good fit in a spread-option offense. Redshirt freshman Wilton Speight III has the size (6'6" 234 lbs) and apparent arm strength a lot of coaches look for in a pro-style passer but he is still a complete unknown at this point. Russell Bellomy has proven to be no more than practice fodder every time he touches the ball so consider him a non-factor. Bonus: Incoming freshman Alex Malzone is still 100% committed to Michigan and will be enrolling early this January so I am including him here too. Malzone is walking into a good opportunity and he knows it. In the end, he could prove to be the best pure passing talent on the team in 2015. If he comes into Ann Arbor confident after an illustrious high school career (that included winning two state titles and Michigan's Mr. Football Award) he could find himself in position to win the job come fall. The one thing I can say about whoever wins the job is that they should have a good line in front of them and a strong running game garnering a lot of attention from defenses, so the opportunity is there for somebody to find success. Are they up to the challenge? I sure fucking hope so because our entire season will hinge upon that particular question.

Shane Morris

Alex Malzone

Russell Bellomy

Wilton Speight

      

                             

Top 5 Returning Difference-makers:

1. CB Jourdan Lewis - One of the best athletes on the team is developing into a top flight corner. If he continues to improve he could be the next Wolverine to leave school early for the NFL.
2. DT Bryan Mone - He might not be listed as a full-time starter but this kid made his presence known the minute he stepped foot on campus last January and played well enough all season long to make it apparent that he has a very high ceiling in terms of ability. He definitely has the size (6'4" 320 lbs) and natural strength to be an imposing figure up front, but he also has just enough athleticism to penetrate into the backfield. His future in Ann Arbor could be very bright.
3. DT Willie Henry - Before injuring his arm against Rutgers Henry was one of the best defenders on the team. When he is healthy he is quick and active, and he should team up with Mone to give the new coaching staff a great pair of tackles to build a defense around. 
4. TE Jake Butt - Will be the top returning receiving threat now that Funchess bails for the NFL. Butt is a good athlete with the length (6'6") to win a lot of jump balls. Appears to be fully recovered from knee surgery and should be a favorite target for whoever is throwing passes in 2015.
5. OT Mason Cole - It is really nice to think that we might not have to worry about the left tackle  position until 2018. Cole has been exemplary on and off the field since arriving last January. I expect to see him getting some recognition next year if he continues to develop. 

OT Mason Cole

                        

X-Factors: 

1. CB/KR Jabrill Peppers - Peppers epitomizes the idea of what an "x-factor" is here. He is the best pure athlete on the team who missed most of the season due to a leg injury, and it is still unknown just how good he could be. Even non-Michigan fans can't wait to see him play. He could team up with Lewis to shutdown opposing receivers on the outside and keep funneling ball-carriers back to the middle of the D where the linebackers and safeties can collect tackles. He could also be a very effective QB in a run-heavy option offense. but don't count on that too much to happen.
2. RB Ty Isaac - I truly believe whoever gets the coaching job is really inheriting a gold mine in the UM backfield. The 6'3" 225 lbs Isaac might be the best of the bunch in terms of raw talent, but he has not played a snap for the Wolverines yet. He did average 5.5 yards per carry as a true freshman at USC in 2012 before sitting out 2014 due to NCAA transfer rules. Look for him to be in the mix ASAP.
3. WR Freddy Canteen/WR Maurice Ways/WR Drake Harris - It was tough to tell exactly what the team had at receiver in 2014 due to some piss-poor play at QB. Amarah Darboh looks like a good enough candidate to be the number one guy in 2015 after stringing some nice outings together in 2014, but he is not a lock to win the job. Junior Jehu Chesson is a great special teams coverage player but isn't a great offensive playmaker. Senior Dennis Norfleet has the feet but simply hasn't taken anything to the house yet. Enter Freddy Canteen, Maurice Ways, and Drake Harris. Canteen stood out in the spring and apparently practiced well all year, but he never really showed up in any games (One TD). Ways and Harris, who both redshirted as freshmen, were very highly-touted recruits in last year's class. They possess the size (Ways is 6'4" 195 lbs and Harris is 6'3" 180 lbs) that most coaches look for on the outside but both are in need of a lot of development this offseason. With a little hard work the receiver position could turn out to be a surprise position group in 2015.
4. DT Ondre Pipkens - The 6'3" 315 lbs Pipkens will be a senior next year after suffering through a couple injury-plagued seasons. It is hard to tell exactly what is in store for him as a player, but he was once a highly-touted recruit that was projected to be a defensive stalwart. Lucky for the Wolverines they have enough talent to be fine without him, but if he can put it all together in his final campaign he could really help this defense truly be one of the best in the country.

Ondre Pipkens

           

Freddy Canteen

Jabrill Peppers
                    

Ty Isaac

         


Biggest Question Marks:

1. Leadership: This team loses a couple good leaders in LB Jake Ryan, who should be on an NFL roster next season, and DE Brennen Beyer, who led the team in sacks (5.5) and spiritual prayers. It's just too bad we did not have more upperclassmen like them. Yes, Devin Gardner showed good sportsmanship in Columbus, which should not be ignored, but his inability to read a defense or protect the football on the field of play irked most fans to the point that we are glad he has run out of eligibility. Now we need some younger guys to begin stepping up ASAP, particularly some guys in the trenches. There are some good candidates, but it's up to them to rise to the challenge. I would be curious to know who the most outspoken leaders on the team are right now while there is no coaching staff on hand. 
2. Direction: Without a head coach it is a moot point to even talk about the direction this team is headed at the moment. It is currently just sitting in limbo. Waiting. Once that call is made and the offices at Shembechler Hall have butts in the seats again, then we will have a better understanding of what direction the program is taking. Until then we are just hoping that no more recruits decommit. 
3. Top-end QB Talent: Although I believe the competition at the quarterback position will be good for the team, there is little doubt that there is a huge question mark hanging over the group. Every Michigan fan is praying for a savior to emerge, but at this point one can only hope that will happen as we have yet to see any signs of one. For some reason I do have a good feeling about Malzone coming in this January but I don't know if we can realistically start hanging all our 2015 hopes on a true freshman signal-caller. The sad truth is that we might not have any better options on the team. As fan, I will just keep faith that the new coaching staff can get in these kid's heads and get their game rolling by the time fall camp opens up.
4. Recruiting: This has been one of the crazier years for Michigan in regards to recruiting. At one point we had two of the top overall players in the country (George Campbell and Damien Harris), but they decommitted as questions about Hoke's job began swirling around late last year. We seemed to recoup some talent and had nine good commits early this fall with more considering, but the disastrous season has it whittled the list down to six, with all the highest rated guys already committed to other programs. QB Alex Malzone and WR/ATH Brian Cole both remain completely committed and both plan on being in Ann Arbor come the start of the winter semester in January. I think they both believe they can come in and contribute sooner rather than later on this team, and they might be right. I just hope whoever comes in as the new coach can salvage the rest of the class and get some more quality guys to go blue come signing day.