The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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FEBRUARY 2023 THE WOLVERINE 37 FEBRUARY 2023 THE WOLVERINE 37 2023 LOOK AHEAD SPECIALISTS BY ANTHONY BROOME RETURNING STARTERS Graduate William Wagner Wagner, a long snapper, suffered an injury in the Iowa game that knocked him out for the season after five starts. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining. Senior Roman Wilson The wide receiver handled kickoff re- turn duties for U-M last season, taking 5 kicks back for a total of 114 yards, a 22.8- yard average. Senior A.J. Henning Henning handled kickoff and punt re- turns for the Wolverines with 11 kicks re- turned for 241 yards (21.9 average) and 28 punts returned for 201 yards (7.2 av- erage), including a 61-yard touchdown return against UConn. OTHER RETURNEES Senior Greg Tarr Tarr took over as the starting long snap- per after Wagner's season-ending injury at Iowa and held down the job for the rest of the season. Junior Tommy Doman Doman waited his turn behind Jake Moody and Brad Robbins over the past two seasons and now has the chance to replace both. He had 1 punt for 41 yards in 2022. He enters the 2023 season with the inside track for both the vacated kicker and punter jobs. 2023 ANALYSIS For the first time in a long time, Michigan does not have a known commodity at both the kicker and punter spots. Jake Moody and Brad Robbins have exhausted their eligibil- ity, leading to a changing of the guard on U-M's special teams heading into the 2023 offseason. This also means a long-awaited op- portunity for Tommy Doman, who en- ters his junior season as the favorite for both kicker and punter. The Wol- verines have not trotted out a player that could do both since Kenny Allen was on the roster in 2015-16. Doman may have a chance to break that mold. There's also a possibility that fresh- man Adam Samaha can come in and earn kicking duties. Expect him to come in and compete with Doman for the job. Either way, the future re- mains bright despite the passing of the baton. At long snapper, U-M will have two players with experience handling those duties. William Wagner was do- ing a terrific job before going down with a season-ending injury. Greg Tarr stepped in and kept things stable. The return game should have a simi- lar flair with Roman Wilson and A.J. Henning combining to handle kicks and punts. It is possible others could emerge, but Michigan has proven production here. Special teams coordinator Jay Har- baugh has always brought a disci- plined approach to this phase of the game, and that should not change. Even with some new faces, U-M should continue to be stout in one of the more underrated areas of the game. — Anthony Broome Sophomore Kody Jones Reserve nickel cornerback saw play- ing time in four games in 2022, making 5 total tackles. Sophomore Myles Pollard U-M sent Pollard into game action twice during his freshman year in mop- up duty against Colorado State and UConn. Sophomore Damani Dent Dent did not see game action for the Wolverines during the 2022 season. NEWCOMERS Freshman Jyaire Hill U-M sweated it out to land Hill during the early signing period. He is the third- highest ranked recruit in the class, com- ing in as a four-star prospect and the No. 197 player in the country per the On3 Consensus. Freshman Cameron Calhoun Calhoun was part of the post-OSU game run of commitments out of the state of Ohio. He is a three-star pros- pect and the No. 441 player in the 2023 cycle. Freshman D'Juan (DJ) Waller Waller, a Youngstown, Ohio, na- tive, was a three-star signee and No. 664-ranked player among 2023 re- cruits. DEFENSIVE BACKS CONTINUED NEWCOMERS Freshman Adam Samaha Doman could pull double duty for U- M's kicking game, but Samaha might fac- tor in as a true freshman. The U.S. Army All-American Bowl selection sits atop Kornblue Kicking's Fab 50 as a five-star kicking prospect and could be in line for early playing time in Ann Arbor. He has shown the ability to hit field goals from as far as 60 yards out in workout videos. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL