The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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10 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2018 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS 2 Former Wolverines were included among the 102 modern- era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2019 — guard Steve Hutchinson and cornerback Ty Law. Both were among the 15 finalists last year, but were not inducted. Twenty-five semifinalists will be announced in November and narrowed to 15 finalists in January before the class with up to five modern-era candi- dates is elected on Feb. 2, 2019. The Wolverines are currently tied for fourth with eight enshrined in Canton, Ohio. 3rd Nationally is where Michigan ranked in the value of its football program, according to Forbes.com Sept. 11. Across the three years prior to last season, the Wolverines boasted an average annual revenue of $127 million, which was actually tied for third. However, the website broke ties by giving the team that gener- ated more profit a higher rank, and U-M made $75 million on average, more than Alabama's $59 mil- lion. U-M's profit also ranked third nationally, trailing only No. 1 Texas A&M ($107 mil- lion) and No. 2 Texas ($87 million). 4 Touchdown catches hauled in by sophomore wideout DONOVAN PEOPLES-JONES through three games, which eclipsed the entire position group's total last year (three) and was tied for seventh nationally individually. Only Min- nesota's Tyler Johnson, with five, had more in the Big Ten. 5th Is where Michigan wrestling checked in on Wrestling International Magazine's Tour- nament Power Index, a projection of how teams will score at the NCAA Championships based on its individual national rankings. The Wolverines had four ranked among the top eight, which earn All-America honors at the NCAA Championships: No. 2 133-pounder Stevan Micic, No. 4 157-pounder Alec Pantaleo, No. 6 165-pounder Logan Massa and No. 3 174-pounder Myles Amine. 9 Wolverines were ranked by ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. among the best prospects at their positions. Kiper broke the players into two categories — seniors and "un- derclassmen," which are classified as draft-eligible players with eligibility remaining after this year. Here's who made the cut for the Aug. 29 preseason list: Junior Shea Patterson — No. 4 underclass QB Redshirt junior Zach Gentry — No. 5 underclass TE Junior Ben Bredeson — No. 2 underclass OG Junior Rashan Gary — No. 2 underclass DE (No. 3 overall prospect on Kiper's Big Board) Junior Devin Bush Jr. — No. 1 underclass LB Fifth-year senior Chase Winovich — No. 5 senior OLB Junior Lavert Hill — No. 3 underclass CB Junior Khaleke Hudson — No. 2 underclass S Redshirt sophomore Quinn Nordin — No. 2 underclass K 13 Touchbacks on 19 kickoffs through three games for fresh- man Jake Moody. Opponents have returned just five kicks for 70 yards, an average of 14.0 yards per try with a long of just 20. Michigan is tied for eighth nationally in kickoff return defense through three contests. 80.3 Is junior quarterback Shea Patterson's adjusted completion percentage, according to Pro Football Focus, which ranks 12th nationally among passers with at least 30 attempts after three games. It accounts for dropped passes, throw aways, spiked balls, batted passes and passes where the QB was hit while they threw the ball. Patterson's traditional completion percentage of 70.8 ranks 17th in the country. By The NUMBERS PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN