Strength comes with confidence, and the Michigan Wolverines have thoroughly enjoyed a six-month-long wave of self-assuredness ever since Jim Harbaugh accepted coaching duties in late December. Weakness is a sign of self-doubt, and it’s plain to see—and has been since Dec. 30—that there simply isn’t room for that under the new regime.
As for secret weapons, well, Harbaugh’s probably trying to figure out who’s who at this very moment—if he hasn’t already done so. After 15 spring practices and an exhibition game, he should have a good idea of what lies beneath his stockpiles of potential and reserves of untapped talent. With droves of unproven athletes, odds favor a surprise or two in 2015.
Recruiting is the basis of college football. Luckily for Michigan, Harbaugh’s staff has been pretty good at that, already stringing together the No. 6-ranked class of 2016 and offering more than 100 targets for the 2017 cycle, per 247Sports.
Acquiring high-end talent ensures access to quality athletes down the road, but it also places a bit of pressure on current athletes. Their jobs may be safe today, but tomorrow could be a different story. And thanks to today’s media, they get to see the faces of their potential replacements plastered all over the screens of their phones, computers, tablets and whatever else.
At least they get to see it coming, right?
It’s early July, and camp is still on the horizon. But here’s something to think about until the real countdown to college football begins roughly a month from now.
Strengths
Healthy QB Race
Having a quarterback with meaningful game-day experience is always a plus, and the Wolverines will have that if Jake Rudock, a senior transfer from Iowa, wins the starting job this fall. While most feel that Rudock, a 25-game starter for the Hawkeyes, has a slight edge, don’t forget about Shane Morris.
Despite having just two starts on his resume, Morris, Michigan’s second-most experienced guy now that Rudock’s in town, doesn’t plan on being a spectator come fall. The words “heated battle” immediately come to mind when surveying the upcoming scenario.
"I think I can win the starting job because I have the mentality to do so," Morris said in late June, per Brendan F. Quinn of MLive Media Group. "Right now it's my job to lose and I'm just going to keep working hard and fight of (sic) any competitors that are trying to take it away from me."
In hindsight, Morris has said all the right things. Of course he’s not going to pull a “well, I guess I’ll let Jake take it” move—right?! He’s a competitor, and a little heat to the backside will either force Morris to up his game or take a backseat.
Either way, this year’s quarterback race appears to be one for the ages at Michigan, at least when looking at recent history. There are at least three athletes with a realistic shot of landing the starting gig: Rudock, Morris and quite possibly Zach Gentry, a 4-star new arrival who’s expected to challenge during fall camp.
Then there is true frosh Alex Malzone and redshirt freshman Wilton Speight to consider, as well—but honestly, it will probably boil down to Rudock and whoever takes hold of the No. 2 reins this fall.
Left Side Mason
At 6’5” and 292 pounds, sophomore Mason Cole is slowly but surely starting to resemble a true cornerstone left tackle—the type that’s led Michigan offensive lines to great success in the past. While not quite Jake Long or Taylor Lewan at the moment, Cole appears to have the potential to one day equal their accomplishments.
With that being said, Long or Lewan never started 12 games as a true freshman like Cole; the youngster certainly possesses special qualities. Assuming his progress remains steady, he could be considered one of the best O-liners in the Big Ten by the time 2015 is in the books.
Having a reliable piece on an unreliable—but getting “there”—offensive line is worth its weight in gold. Harbaugh’s plan of power football relies on a sturdy blind-sider, so tabbing Cole as one of the most important pieces, along with being one of the team’s strengths, is relatively easy.
He’s one of the most important. There. Just did it.
Unseen Production at RB
At one time, Derrick Green was recognized as the best running back of the 2013 class. At one time, the former Virginia prep superstar was the Wolverines’ back of the future. Staying in shape should be the 5’11”, somewhere–near-230-pounder’s goal heading into camp. Two years ago, he rolled his way into workouts at a husky 240. Months later, he was cut and chiseled.
Months after that, he returned to appearing plump. Green can ill afford to seesaw on the scale. If he’s able to even out this fall, Harbaugh’s staff could end up seeing an entirely new version of Green, who was all but on his way prior to suffering a season-ending injury this past fall at Rutgers.
As for De’Veon Smith, another highly rated 2013 RB, consistency—not weight issues—have all but grinded his career to a standstill. Like Green, he’s shown flashes of brilliance on the field, but he’s been unable to string together sustained runs on a weekly basis.
There is hope for Smith, though, even if it’s a bit dated. Remember the Ohio State game in 2013? Michigan lost 42-41, but Smith, then a true freshman, carried the ball seven times for 57 yards with a long of 38. He’s been chasing that type of production ever since.
Factor in his pair of 100-yard games in 2014, and yeah, there is definite hope for Smith. The same goes for Green, who could have been Michigan’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2011 this past year had he not been injured.
Secondary/D-Line
So the story goes that Michigan’s secondary had 15 of 17 team interceptions in 2013 and followed with just two of five in 2014—both by Jourdan Lewis, one of the best 1-on-1 cover-corners in the Big Ten. During spring availability, Lewis received heavy praise from secondary coaches Mike Zordich and Greg Jackson.
But he’s not the only one to watch—he’ll have some help from up-and-comers such as Channing Stribling, Dymonte Thomas, Delano Hill and possibly even true freshman Tyree Kinnel. Together, they could give the Wolverines one of the conference’s better pools of safeties and corners this fall.
Back in late March, Zordich reported a bit of progress as the Wolverines began to mesh during practices.
“I just said, ‘you know what’—basically as a defensive staff, we said ‘you know what, let’s a start anew,’” Zordich said. “This depth chart [from 2014] means absolutely nothing. Throw you guys out there, and how you play and how you practice, that’s where you’re going to be.
“That happened earlier in spring ball and, you know, the roster moved a little bit, the depth chart moved. And it’s now kind of settled.”
Regardless of how and where the pieces settle, there shouldn’t be much to worry about in the defensive backfield this fall.
The Wolverines’ defense has been one of the best for the past three years, so expecting a top-15 finish in the total defense category shouldn’t be out of the question. Credit goes to the players for performing, but a lot of that praise should also be directed toward Greg Mattison, who has quietly handcrafted one of the finest defensive fronts in the game.
Having former Florida Gators defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin on board only adds to the optimism in Ann Arbor. Like Mattison, he’s a great recruiter who’s hell-bent on stuffing the run and winning the trenches.
Weaknesses
O-Line Must Get Right
The left side, and sometimes the middle, has shown signs of concrete improvement. The right side, however, is in need of a tune-up from O-line coach Tim Drevno, who also serves as the offensive coordinator.
With Graham Glasgow likely at center, the next step in the equation is to align the right guard and tackle spots, two positions with up to four or five suitors. As of now, Kyle Kalis seems to be in line for right guard while Erik Magnuson appears headed toward the right tackle position.
Per Phil Steele, Michigan returns the most experienced lineup, based on two-deep projections, in all of college football, and many of those “experienced” players in Ann Arbor are of the O-line variety.
Overall Offensive efficiency
In 2014, the Wolverines finished the season with the Big Ten’s No. 14-ranked total offense and No. 13-ranked scoring offense (20.9 PPG). They weren’t very efficient while throwing the ball, either, ranking No. 10 overall in pass efficiency (109.7).
The lack of great experience at wide receiver is troubling, but it's not a deal-breaker for the Wolverines, who will heavily rely upon Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson in 2015. As the most experienced in terms of appearances, they'll be expected to lead their position group.
Penalties/Mental Errors
Despite being the second-least penalized team in the Big Ten this past season, Michigan’s inexperience and lack of preparation often showed itself in the form of whistles, flags and yards lost. On average, Michigan, which had 42 infractions in 2014 per Big Ten.org, gifted 31.8 yards to the other side each Saturday, putting itself in undesirable situations at nearly every turn—especially while on offense.
As a rule, decreasing penalties typically leads to better chances of winning. However, don’t tell that to league powers Michigan State and Ohio State. In 2014, they were two of the Big Ten’s most penalized teams, but they were also the most successful. Michigan State beat Baylor in the 2015 Cotton Bowl while the Buckeyes nabbed a national championship.
According to Big Ten.org, the Buckeyes were flagged 84 times compared to 80 slips by the Spartans.
Conversely, Michigan’s opponents were stung with whistles and/or flags 72 times this past season. In a perfect world for Wolverines fans, that number suggests the ability to force opponents into mistakes, such as drawing off-side calls, holds or other mental errors.
It could be flipped against Michigan, too. Maybe the stat means the Wolverines simply couldn’t cash in when opportunities presented themselves; it’s probably a little bit of both.
There is no one cure-all to eliminating mistakes, but experience certainly helps lessen their frequency. The lack of success in 2014 (5-7) can be directly attributed to stalled drives, miscommunication and lapses in judgment, not lack of talent.
Secret Weapons
In 2014, Jabrill Peppers was supposed to be the player to watch—and for about three weeks, he was. However, lower body issues (leg/ankle) kept him from blossoming as a true freshman. Now healthy, the 6’0”, 205-pound redshirt frosh is primed and ready to go this fall. He’s not exactly “secret,” but he’s yet to unleash his full potential on the field.
Once given the green light, he'll probably return kicks and punts. Who knows, maybe he'll get touches on offense?
All of that should be on its way this year.
Other than tabbing Peppers, a former 5-star super recruit, as one to watch, the rest is guess work. Pick some names, draw them out of a hat, throw darts (actually, don’t throw darts) or flip a coin. There are too many to list, but the following are the most likely candidates:
DB Tyree Kinnel: The true freshman can pretty much fit anywhere in the secondary, per coach Greg Jackson.
RB Ty Isaac: Michigan’s running woes have to be cured by someone, so why not the USC transfer? The 6’3”, 240-pounder brings a physical style that could benefit the run game in 2015.
WR Brian Cole: The early enrollee turned a few heads during spring ball. At 6’2” and 200 pounds, he’s a speedy pass-catching option with great playmaking abilities.
QB Zach Gentry: The newest quarterback is always the most popular. There’s no harm in guessing what the 6’7”, 230-pounder could do this fall.
DT Bryan Mone: The 6’4”, 325-pound bull-rusher has risen up the ranks at Michigan. Expect him to be a monstrous force this fall.
Michigan opens its season Sept. 3 versus the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, and the following weeks will prove whether or not the team's potential meets promise during Harbaugh’s first year home. Either way, he'll know where the Wolverines stand as they progress through their rebuilding phase.
Follow Bleacher Report’s Michigan Wolverines football writer Adam Biggers on Twitter @AdamBiggers81
Recruiting information was obtained from 247Sports.
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes and references were obtained firsthand by the writer via press conference, press release or other media availability.