The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1273784
24 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2020 Fifth-year senior placekicker Quinn Nordin serves as the perfect example of how players can vary in potential impact, in the minds of those drawing up the list of Michigan's top 25 players. The kicker has been a record setter in his career, making five field goals in a game and booming a 57-yarder against Alabama last season. He's also experienced enough inconsis- tency at times to be relegated to the No. 2 spot in the place- kicking ranks. He'll be fighting for the job once again this year, and fought for a little respect in The Wolverine's top 25. One staff member listed Nordin as high as No. 11 on his voting list, recognizing the games that could be riding on his ability to put the ball through the uprights. Others didn't list him at all among the top 25, citing the presence of another proven and capable kicker on the roster in junior Jake Moody. Here are some other examples of those featuring a strong disparity of assessment among the staff of The Wolverine: • One staffer listed redshirt sophomore linebacker Cameron McGrone as the No. 1 performer on his list. Another rated him still well in the top 10, but not close to the apex position at No. 7. • Two staffers picked senior cornerback Ambry Thomas for the No. 2 spot, the position he ultimately claimed. One listed him at No. 8, still in the top 10 but again, a half-dozen spots from where others had him. • Senior wideout Nico Collins, No. 5 on the list, saw a six- notch range in his assessment, from a high of No. 3 down to No. 9. • Junior wide receiver Ronnie Bell made one voter's top five at No. 4, while he was ranked No. 14 by another panel- ist, a 10-spot disparity. • The consensus in the voting has redshirt junior Dylan McCaffrey as Michigan's starting quarterback this sea- son. But even there, his value varied significantly in the minds of voters. One placed him No. 3 on the list, while another dropped him to No. 12, a nine-spot gap, due to him not yet securing the job and be- cause he's unproven as a full-time starter. • Two staffers listed junior defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson No. 1 on their individual lists, and that's where he wound up in the overall voting. Another slotted him as low as No. 7, yet another six-position gap. • Senior safety Brad Hawkins showed up as another of those with the highest disagreement factor, getting listed anywhere from No. 8 to No. 21 on individual lists. • Sophomore running back Zach Charbonnet found his way to No. 2 on one list, but out of the top 10 altogether on another, at No. 11. • Sophomore safety Daxton Hill showed up No. 4 on one list, while also out of the top 10 (No. 12) on another. • Redshirt sophomore offensive tackle Jalen Mayfield ranged from No. 6 in one assessment to No. 17 in another. • Redshirt sophomore tailback Hassan Haskins stood No. 6 in his highest assessment, No. 14 in the lowest. • Sophomore defensive tackle Chris Hin- ton earned a double-digit gap, getting listed as the No. 10 performer on one ballot and No. 22 on another. So while Nordin's 14-plus- slot differentiation on bal- lots led the way, the vet- eran kicker wasn't the only one about whom voters dis- agreed — by any stretch of the imagination. Should the season play out as hoped, there will also be significant revision of those listed on The Wolverine's postseason edi- tion of the top 25, produced early in 2021. — John Borton Some Projections Don't Draw Unanimity Fifth-year senior kicker Quinn Nordin was one of the most polarizing play- ers in our countdown of U-M's top 25 players, checking in as high as No. 11 on one ballot and missing the top 25 altogether on another. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL