The Question:
Ace: We're halfway through the season, and I'm in no mood to ask the standard "how is the team doing compared to expectations?" for obvious reasons. Instead, for a more positive outlook, let's keep our eyes on the future: Which player on each side of the ball has exceeded your expectations for them heading into the year? Has anyone, in your opinion, gone from question mark to potential star?
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Seth: There has been so little good news from the offense that Jack Miller's play has gone largely unnoticed. I was ready to write him off after last year to the point where I was writing off the entire OL because Miller still had a job on it. Mea culpa; there's no whiff of Rimington in his future, but it appears the dude can ball.
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| Miller seems to be involved in much of the offense's little bursts of running competence. [Fuller] |
We haven't had a UFR for awhile, but when those do come out I bet you'll find the run game's quiet progress can be largely attributed to Miller pulling off the occasional block in a gap nobody but Molk has any business getting to. Even earlier in the season there were Miller-generated holes that the RBs just missed. Did you hear me, People of Earth Who Lived Through the Neg-Two and 27 for 27? THERE WERE HOLES! Upperclassmen are nice, and also a nice reminder that most OL take a long time to develop.
On defense it's Ryan Glasgow, with Jourdan Lewis running a close second. Remember what you thought when you first heard Glasgow was atop the depth chart? You thought "Oh dear, Pipkins is still damaged and a walk-on is ahead of everyone else." That seems like forever ago; it was six weeks ago.
It took just a few games for Glasgow to earn the Order of St. Kovacs, his asterisks packed away for his eventual NFL destination to do human interest stories. I remind you even the Great and Mighty Kovacs spent a season as the opposite of Ed Reed (and went out, miserably, on a play that reminded us how much he wasn't Ed Reed). Some decent run outfits haven't been able to get anywhere against Michigan except when Glasgow rotates out, and there have even been a few GRrraaaarrr plays of brute strength to hint at a higher ceiling.
His game could use some pass rush, but has exceeded expectations to the point that I want Adam to ask the coaches where was guy this last year when they were playing Jibreel Black at nose? I'll say this for Brady Hoke: when he's gone, I suspect I will dearly miss the Heininger Certainty Principle.
[jump for people saying positive things about offensive players, perhaps]
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Brian: I don't think anyone is exceeding expectations on offense. The interior line has been better, but they are just barely keeping their heads above water and I'm finding that the Rutgers success was more because Rutgers didn't bother setting the edge all game than any particular blocking wonderment. Meanwhile the tailbacks keep missing holes, the receivers don't do much, and Gardner is just a wreck. There is no one I can point to that I feel confident asserting is going to be a good player down the road.
On defense it's obviously Glasgow, who has spearheaded a generally very good rushing defense and scored well in the UFRs. Lewis also looks the part of a future star, as mentioned, but people were hyping him up and leery about a walk-on on top of the NT depth chart so he's less of an outlier.
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| Nicest surprise: the defensive tackles, especially Glasgow [Fuller] |
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BiSB: Offensively, maybe Mason Cole? For a true freshman left tackle, he's been pretty okay, and if he develops over time under Coach [YourNameHere], he could be quite good. Maybe Jehu Chesson? I dunno. Please don't make me talk about this.
Defensively, because Brian took Ryan Glasgow, I'll say Willie Henry. Coming into the year, we were talking about Henry as a potential breakout player who would still alternate between stunning plays and Y U DO THAT plays. But what we've gotten has been much more consistent than we expected, and the stunning plays have been very impressive. Given the learning/growth curve for big guys, and the fact that Big Willie was a project, his arc is very positive.
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Ace: In retrospect, I probably should've given a moment's thought to the offense, since it's hard to disagree with Brian here—nobody is exactly blowing past expectations on that side of the ball, and now one of the players who'd shown flashes of even meeting his expectations is out for the year. My bad for messing up an attempt at an optimistic question, everyone.
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| Gardner seems to recognize that there's a true freshman guarding his back; he's yet to figure out the freshman isn't doing so bad. [Fuller] |
That said, I'll mention Jake Butt, since he's rounding into form after making no impact in the first couple games. For a player coming off such a recent ACL injury, he's made remarkable strides physically, and he continues to look like a future all-conference tight end. While his progression hasn't yet made a huge impact on the stat sheet or the overall success of the offense, he should continue to see more time as he gets more comfortable on that knee, and the team will benefit from having a true block/catch, hand-in-the-dirt TE who can play every down and even split out wide and remain effective. While Butt is essentially remaining on the four-star path, matching his expectations out of high school, the ACL injury could've thrown him badly off track; it doesn't appear that's happened.
Glasgow is one clear answer on defense, so I'll put forth the other: Jourdan Lewis. He's shown from day one that he can stay in a receiver's hip pocket, and now he's developing the requisite instinct needed to play the ball in the air well on a consistent basis. Rutgers went after Blake Countess time and again last weekend; Nova rarely looked in Lewis' direction. Those looking for a Cass Tech corner to pan out can call off the search—Lewis is heading towards lockdown corner status, even on a defense where much of the secondary has failed to live up to expectations (or, alternatively, stay healthy), and all bets are off if the playmaking ability he had in high school works its way back into his game at this level.
Taco Charlton should also get a mention here, even if his run defense isn't totally consistent right now. He's a physical marvel who's starting to put it together as a pass-rusher, and he's given Michigan a much-needed lift in that regard on a few occasions this season, in addition to blowing up a few runs and QB rollouts with his hard-to-handle combination of size and athleticism. He's come a very long way in a short few years—remember, he was considered a project pass-rushing specialist as a junior in high school—and his future looks very bright indeed.
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Adam: On offense:
[chirp]
On defense, I'll have to echo Ace's sentiment and go with Jourdan Lewis. Coming into the season I expected the most frequently deployed corners to be Blake Countess, Ray Taylor, and Jabrill Peppers at nickel. While the injury caveat applies here, I'm still surprised at how good Lewis has looked. We knew about his vaunted closing speed coming into the year, but to see him use that while also being able to press and SHORYUKEN guys has been truly impressive.