The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1014905
46 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2018 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL FOUR UNDERCLASSMEN TRANSFERRING FROM MICHIGAN Michigan updated its roster Aug. 2, and three underclassmen were no longer listed on it — redshirt sopho- more running back Kareem Walker, junior wide receiver Kekoa Crawford and redshirt junior tight end Tyrone Wheatley Jr., while junior wideout Eddie McDoom announced his depar- ture Aug. 8. Walker and Crawford had long been rumored to have left the pro- gram, but Wheatley's departure came as a surprise. The tight end's new des- tination will be Stony Brook of the Football Championship Subdivision, and he will be eligible to play imme- diately in 2018. The redshirt junior caught just six passes for 61 yards and one touchdown in his three years at U-M. Walker, meanwhile, will play next season at Fort Scott Community Col- lege in Kansas. He came to U-M as a highly touted four-star recruit and a top-200 player out of New Jersey, but was never able to make much of an impact for the Wolverines. He carried the ball 20 times for 68 yards and one touchdown last season, but only averaged 3.4 yards per touch. Like Wheatley, he will also be eligible immediately in 2018. Crawford, meanwhile, is the big- gest loss of the bunch — at least statis- tically. In his two seasons in a winged helmet, he hauled in 21 passes for 290 yards and two scores, with 243 of those yards coming in 2017. He seemed to get passed on the depth chart by youngsters at the po- sition — most notably sophomore Donovan Peoples-Jones — but would have likely at least been in the rotation in 2018. His next stop remains unknown, but barring something unforeseen, he will have to sit out the 2018 campaign if he heads to a Football Bowl Subdi- vision school. McDoom seemed to be in a similar dilemma to that of Crawford, having seen his playing time decrease last year in favor of some of the young- sters. He caught 16 passes for 140 yards throughout his U-M tenure, while rushing 24 times for 203 yards (mostly on jet sweeps). McDoom's departure leaves the Maize and Blue with just six schol- arship wide receivers heading into the 2018 campaign — Peoples-Jones, senior Grant Perry, sophomore Nico Collins, redshirt freshmen Tarik Black and Oliver Martin, and freshman Ronnie Bell. — Austin Fox JAY HARBAUGH SEES IMPROVEMENT WITH RUNNING BACKS Michigan running backs coach Jay Harbaugh addressed the media Aug. 8 to discuss his position group, and unsurprisingly he had plenty of praise for his veteran rushers — se- nior Karan Higdon and junior Chris Evans. "Their consistency is the best thing about both of them," he noted. "They both bring it, in terms of meetings and lifts. Their actions are in line with the goals they have for themselves and the goals we have for the team. All the other guys feed off their attitude. "It's exciting each and every time those two touch the ball. The cuts they're able to make are even different this year, and that has stood out to me. "They're also carrying more weight and more muscle, and they look faster too." However, Harbaugh was sure to mention the younger players at the position as well. U-M has as many as five candidates — junior Tru Wil- son, sophomore O'maury Samuels, redshirt freshman Kurt Taylor, and freshmen Hassan Haskins and Chris- tian Turner — who could potentially become the team's third option there. "O'maury has taken a big step for- ward," Harbaugh exclaimed. "We're excited about him, because he's im- proved in so many different areas and is playing as fast as he ever has. When he gets close to playing at full speed — which is smoking fast — he's go- ing to be scary. He's also 100 percent healthy now. "The freshmen — along with full- back Ben VanSumeren — are also do- ing a great job. They're like the rest of the group in that they're earnest and hard working. They don't talk a lot, but try to do everything right and follow the example of the older guys. "Chris and Karan are definitely both our starters — it's a one-one punch. You want to have another guy who's ready to roll and can do any- thing, though. You also need to have a protection guy who is exceptional at what he does, so you're really just looking for the next-best all-around guy for that third spot." — Austin Fox NINE WOLVERINES MAKE SUBSTANTIAL WEIGHT GAINS New strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert was brought in by head man Jim Harbaugh in January, and he's already made a huge impact on the Wolverine players' bodies. U-M's Aug. 2 updated roster revealed that nine different athletes had gained 15 or more pounds since the spring, in a span of just five months. — Austin Fox Pos. Name Old Weight New Weight OL Joel Honigford 275 295 LB Khaleke Hudson 205 220 DL Deron Irving-Bey 274 294 DL Donovan Jeter 288 308 DL Carlo Kemp 264 280 QB Dylan McCaffrey 199 217 OL Phillip Paea 275 296 DL Kwity Paye 241 260 P Brad Robbins 181 206 Junior Carlo Kemp has moved to the interior of the defen- sive line full time and is up 16 pounds from last year to 280 pounds on his 6-3 frame. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN