The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1194003
12 THE WOLVERINE JANUARY 2020 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS BY THE NUMBERS M ichigan player who made The Athletic's Co l l e g e Fo o t b a l l Te a m o f t h e D e c a d e f ro m 2010-19 — for- mer offensive tackle TAYLOR LEWAN, who was named to the second team. " Twice a first-team All- American and twice the Big Ten offensive lineman of the year, Lewan stood out as a bright spot for the Wolverines in the Brady Hoke era," The Athletic noted. Only three Big Ten players made the top squad, while Le- wan was one of eight on the sec- ond team. U-M's 30-27 loss to Ohio State in double overtime to conclude the 2016 regular season was named one of the decade's most memo- rable games by the outlet as well. 3 Wolverines are listed among the top 10 draft-eligible players at their positions according to ESPN draft ex- pert Mel Kiper Jr., who updated his rankings Nov. 27. Ben Bredeson is the No. 1 guard, Josh Uche the No. 9 outside linebacker and Josh Metellus the No. 7 safety. None of the three made Kiper's overall top 25. 4 Wa s w h e r e J U WA N HOWARD'S basketball squad debuted in the Associated Press poll Dec. 2 after spending the first four weeks of the season unranked. That tied Kansas in 1989 for the biggest leap in the poll's 70-year histor y ; both squads went from unranked to No. 4 nationally. The Wolverines even re - ceived nine of a possible 63 first-place votes after start- ing 7-0 with wins over North Carolina, who en- tered the game ranked No. 6, and Gonzaga, who was listed No. 8 be- fore falling to Michigan. Through the season's first 11 games, the Wolverines stand 14th with an 8-3 mark. 7 Michigan football commits are ranked in the 2020 Rivals250 that debuted following the conclu- sion of the prep campaign: No. 67 running back Blake Corum, No. 86 wideout A.J. Henning and No. 91 outside linebacker Kalel Mullings, No. 149 offensive tackle Zak Zinter, No. 166 outside linebacker Osman Savage, No. 232 cornerback Andre Seldon and No. 245 inside linebacker Cornell Wheeler. " At least one Michigan player stood out to [NFL] scouts in Ann Arbor [against Ohio State]: [Redshirt freshman] right tackle Jalen Mayfield. It was pointed out to me that when Ohio State star Chase Young was over [fifth- year senior] left tackle Jon Runyan, the Wolverines consistently gave Runyan help. When Young was over Mayfield, the coaches didn't feel the need to do as much to help." — Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, in a Dec. 3 article titled 'Six From Saturday: Jalen Mayfield Holds his own Against Chase Young' " Michigan has a receiving corps chocked full of draftable talent, and for us here at PFF, Collins sits atop that group. This past week [against Indiana], he hauled in 6 of 7 targets — including 3 of 3 contested — for 165 yards and three scores. The one 'no catch' was a filthy stop-and-go that fooled a cover-2 safety and would have been a 51-yard score if not for a [senior quarterback] Shea Pat- terson overthrow. His combination of size, speed and ball skills is very intriguing at the next level." — Pro Football Focus' Michael Renner, discussing Michigan junior receiver Nico Collins following his 165-yard, three-touchdown performance in U-M's 39-14 win at Indiana Nov. 23 PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL PHOTO BY LPER KJELDSEN "He's a big part of our team, and as time goes, he's going to become one of the best players to ever play at Michigan." — U-M head basketball head coach Juwan Howard on guard Franz Wagner, after the freshman poured in a career-high 18 points in the club's 103-91 win over Iowa Dec. 6 1