PREDICTIONS FOR FRESHMEN IN 2017
Written By: Jared Bouck (@MichiganBoyAA)
2017 is upon us and with that, that sweet smell of fresh cut grass(or field turf, whatever), those gameday hotdogs and "Popped Maize" that you can find all around the big house. Inside the stadium, we have some football to play ladies and gentlemen. Michigan has a total of 5 total starters returning this year from a team stocked full of seniors in '16. Now, this is all very subjective, players like Rashan Gary, Josh Metellus, and Khaleke Hudson all played meaningful snaps last year in big games, yet weren't termed "starters", but I digress. What does all this mean? Michigan fans are going to see quite a few new faces this year, and here to fill you in on most all of them is yours truly. Players who are not mentioned are predicted to either redshirt or see most snaps on Special Teams.
(Note: These are numbered but do not determine any type of ranking).
- Kareem Walker RB
Let's get this started off with one of my favorite recruits from the 2016 class. Walker was once the #1 RB in the country at one point as a senior, but grades and a few off field issues forced him to redshirt his first year. I don't see Kareem getting too many meaningful snaps this year, 2018 is when we'll see him more, but don't be surprised if he has a few big runs in games that were over by halftime.
- Tarik Black WR
STAR. That is my prediction, a bigger WR at 6'4 200lbs, Tarik has some excellent hands and decent speed for a big guy. Look for him to start as a freshman.
- Donovan Peoples-Jones WR
One of the highest rated recruits from the 2017 class, a physical specimen out of Detroit. Besides Gary, Michigan may not have a more physically gifted player then "DPJ". Seems very fluent with his motions and is incredible on the jump ball. I expect him to start opposite Tarik Black, I also see him making a few more mistakes, to go along with some "wow factor" plays. Michigan fans aren't going to like this, think of Donnie Corley without all the, ahem, you know.
- Cesar Ruiz C
Now let's sway away from the speed guys and get to the big maulers up front. Ruiz was the #1 center recruit in the country but is battling a seasoned vet in Patrick Kugler for top dog. Rumor has it that Kugler has pulled ahead in this battle. Expect to see Ruiz in mop up duty against lesser teams.
- Michael Onwenu G
Michael Onwenu is a MAN. Sitting at 360lbs, he's going to be a difficult man to move. Onwenu played on the defensive front in the spring game, but I fully expect him to make the shift to guard and start against Florida. Maurice Hurst has stated how big this man truly is, yet how quick his feet and reaction time is, you should be very excited to see him this Fall.
- Brandon Peters, Dylan McCaffrey QB
I've decided to bunch these two players together on account of this "QB competition" hoppla that seems to be trending right now. Wilton Speight will be starting against Florida and the following 11-14 games, barring injury, mark my words on this. Peters, a redshirt, came in with a lot of hype and put his big arm on display during the spring game. He is without a doubt, the most talented of the QB's we've seen thus far, which brings me to my next point, Dylan McCaffrey. McCaffrey is as talented as they come and at one point, was the #1 QB recruit of the '17 class, but with a few players in front of him, don't expect to see Dylan much until Peters hears his name on draft day, fully expect him to redshirt. Listen, I'm going to give my hot take on this one time and one time only, Speight was a good QB last year, not great, more of a game manager and succeeded with all the talent around him, but you know what? We have the best QB coach in the country as our HEAD COACH. Go look at Andrew Lucks first year as starter, Kaepernick, then compare that to the 2nd year. Harbaugh develops the quarterback position better then anyone in America. Speight WILL be a great quarterback this year, and he's going to start, period.
- Ben Mason FB
I wasn't going to mention Mason as possibly playing this year, but after recent word from the head man himself, I think he backs up the freightliner that is Khalid Hill, yes that would mean he passed Poggi, let me explain. We're only going to see Mason in spare time, maybe 10-15 carries this year. Harbaugh recently said that Ben Mason was his favorite player, that's not something to be taken lightly, we're going to see him this year.
- Luiji Vilain DE
Vilain has come in with a bit of hype, at 6'4 250lbs, he's a quick footed player with a lot of potential, he'll be a back up in the way that Gary was a back up to Taco last year....So not really a back up at all. He'll certainly add to the depth and, how awesome is that name?
- Donovan Jeter DT
Jeter is a big DT that Michigan stole from Notre Dame, God I love saying that. Jeter will have a chance to face his "what-could-have-been" team in 2018, but for right now, I expect him to be a rotational player with some great potential to be a future starter.
- Aubrey Solomon DT
I seem to remember a certain coach from SEC territory making a statement that went along the lines of "Any player we want from down here, we get, they won't be going up north". Well Michigan pulled the #1 DT recruit straight out of Georgia, for those not too familiar with Geography, that's south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Aubrey has come a long way from a leaked video appearing to show him saying a derogatory comment towards his future school. When questioned about the recruiting world, Aubrey said quote "I hate it. All that southern, and I'm supposed to be in the SEC? That stuff? That's a load of crap. Some people don't know what they're talking about". This 5 star will see playing time right away, simply because he's just too good. I don't expect him to start because well, let's be honest, Michigans DL is uber talented, but don't be surprised to see a 5 sack, 10 TFL type of year for the powerful freshman.
- Kwity Paye DE
Kwity is around the same size as Vilain(6'4 247lbs) but speed, speed and more speed is the name of his game. Coming in as only a 3 star, but the #1 player in the state of Rhode Island, I personally believe he's underrated. Paye has been making waves in Fall Practice, enough for the whole BTN crew to take note and mention him. That's not going unnoticed by Harbaugh. I expect to see him more then once this year, that's an understatement.
- Drew Singleton LB
Drew Singleton is a player I'm very excited about. Coming in at 6'2 215 lbs out of Paramus Catholic(the same school as Gary, Peppers and Juwann Bushel-Beatty), Singleton was the #1 player in the state of New Jersey and the #5 outside LB in the country. Partridge, going as far as calling him a "freak", thinks he's going to be a special player and that's good enough me. With the LB starters pretty much locked up, I expect to see Singleton in mop-up duty **cough cough** Rutgers.
- Jordan Anthony LB
Anthony is another player with the potential to be very good, though maybe not as refined as Singleton, Anthony is very talented, but the talent is raw. Even so, we're going to see this guy this year. He's very quick and has almost the perfect frame for LB. Don Brown see's a man who can solve his problems with aggression, something we've come accustomed to at Michigan. To me, he seems like a guy who could make some big plays, along with some big mistakes, but no matter what it is, he'll be going 100mph.
- Brad Robbins P
Brad Robbins is coming in as just a 2 star, but the #1 punter in the country. Michigan offered Robbins on February 1st, and after 30 seconds, Robbins committed. Robbins has a solid leg with some decent accuracy, sounds generic but he's the best punter in the country, he'll be good. As Nordin is taking on kicking duties, I expect Robbins to start at punter.
So there it is, the 14 freshmen I expect to play this year, and possibly even start. This team is very young, but very talented. As much as it pains me to say it, look at Ohio State last year and how young they were, that's our benchmark right now. This team is going to be good in 2017, better in 2018, elite in 2019. I have Michigan at 10-2 this year, respectable for a team that lost so much. Thanks for reading and as always, Go Blue!
