The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2022 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 113 [ S P E C I A L T E A M S ] the teams that understand the importance of putting your money where your mouth is with using scholarships on specialists. "Some programs just aren't willing to do it. I can't comprehend why they don't. But Harbaugh's one of the guys that does. He understands that it makes a difference. His brother John has the best specialists and unit in the NFL at Baltimore, and it's something that he emphasizes. "When you're willing to invest in it, it usually pays dividends. Last year was a perfect example of that." During last year's football preview, Kornblue said he felt Moody would benefit from being "the guy" at kicker as opposed to splitting reps with Quinn Nordin like in previous seasons. It materialized into a campaign where he hit 23 of 25 field goal attempts and all 56 of his extra-point tries, the latter a school record thanks to an explosive offense. Seeing Moody fulfill his destiny as a bonafide star is something that Kornblue was not all that surprised by. "Sometimes you evaluate certain guys and see what they do in the body of work and their demeanor," he said. "I worked with both Moody and Nordin extensively since middle school. I know them better than most guys that come through our program. I spent a lot of time with them on and off the field. I've just been able to watch them develop, watch them perform, watch them compete, watch them learn. "Both are coachable, but they're two different guys personality-wise. I've said from Day 1, they are NFL-level guys. Moody has just continued the same track he's been on since he was in middle school. He just keeps working and improving and getting better. How he performed last season was remarkable. "I remember the first time he kicked in practice after he got on campus. The spe- cial teams coach at Michigan turned to me after watching him and said, 'I knew he was good. I didn't realize he was this good.' I'll always remember how he smiled during that comment. "A mentally strong, confident kicker is tough to stop. That's where Jake has been PRESEASON ANALYSIS: STARTERS ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ U-M is bringing back its entire kicking unit with graduate students Jake Moody (kicker) and Brad Robbins (punter) returning for fifth and sixth years with the program, respec- tively. Moody was a consensus All-American and won the Lou Groza Award for the nation's best kicker, while Robbins was a semifinal- ist for the Ray Guy Award, which is given to the sport's top punter. Senior long snapper William Wagner was elevated to scholarship status this offseason, too. Junior AJ Henning came into his own as a returner down the stretch last year, highlighted by an 81-yard kickoff return for a score against Maryland. DEPTH ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Sophomore kicking specialist Tommy Doman was originally expected to have a bigger role before Moody and Robbins returned. The for- mer five-star kicking prospect should benefit from another year of development but is ca- pable if called into action. Graduate Ronnie Bell is a capable returner if U-M decides to put him back again. Junior running back Blake Corum has kick return experience, too. OVERALL ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ By everyone returning, arguably the best special teams unit in the country should stay that way. Not many coaches value special teams as much as Jim Harbaugh, who has three kicking specialists on scholarship along with a long snapper. Jay Harbaugh has proven to be a whiz in both preparing the kicking game and coverage units while also adding some trick plays and wrinkles here and there. Michigan's emphasis on winning that phase of the game shows up on the field. [ S P E C I A L T E A M S ] In Jim Harbaugh's tenure at Michigan (85 games), the Wolverines have converted on 118 of 150 field goals (78.6 percent) and 317 of 322 point-after tries (98.4 percent), recorded touchbacks on 278 of 536 kickoffs (51.9 percent), and blocked 21 kicks and punts. Graduate kicker Jake Moody became the program's first winner of the Lou Groza Award as the nation's best kicker during the 2021 campaign. He was also the Big Ten's Bakken-Anderson Kicker of the Year and received consensus All-America honors. Moody led the team in scoring with 125 points (23 field goals and a program-record 56 extra points on 56 attempts), finishing just ahead of touchdown-maker Hassan Haskins (120 points on 20 TDs). For his career, Moody is a perfect 88 for 88 on PAT kicks (tied for first in U-M history at 100 percent with Kenny Allen, who converted 99 in a row from 2012-16) and has hit 81.6 percent (40 of 49) of his field goal attempts. Graduate punter Brad Robbins earned All-Big Ten honorable mention kudos for his performance last year. Robbins had the second-best season for a U-M punter with a 46.3 average last fall, and he enters this season as the No. 2 punter in school history by career punting average, trailing Will Allen by a little more than one yard (44.3 to 43.2). Football Outsiders rated the Wolverines the No. 1 special teams unit in the nation in 2021 and it held a healthy lead over the second-place team (Iowa). U-M's special teams Fremeau Efficiency Index rating (STR) – which combines kick return, kickoff, punt return, punt and field goal efficiency into one rating – was 1.28 compared to the Hawkeyes' 1.02 mark. Michigan's lowest rating came from its punt return efficiency, which ranked No. 37 in the country. Data used in the Football Outsiders' ratings is calculated from the results of non-garbage time possessions in FBS matchups. Special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh has coached a top-20 ranked kickoff coverage unit in four of his seven seasons working with that phase. The Wolverines set school records for net punting (44.22 yards, fourth in the nation) and kickoff return defense during the 2021 season (12.14 yards per return, No. 1 in the nation). [ F Y I ] THE WOLVERINE 2022 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 113 QUICK FACTS Position Coach: Jay Harbaugh (8th year at U-M, 3rd coordinating special teams). Returning Starters: K Jake Moody (44 career starts), P Brad Robbins (30), LS William Wagner (20). Departing Starters: None. Projected New Starter: None. Top Reserve: Tommy Doman. Wait Until 2023: Doman. Newcomers: None. Moved In: None. Moved Out: None. Rookie Impact: None. Most Improved Player: AJ Henning. Best Pro Prospect: Moody.