The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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[ S P E C I A L T E A M S ] 114 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW field goals won't be the Wolverines' No. 1 priority on offense. "You typically don't want field goals, as many as Jake has made," Kornblue said. "However, it's that weapon where you have a little more confidence in your play calling and when you need to make a kick. You can put those points on the board and change or keep momentum, as opposed to walking away with nothing." Doman walked into Schembechler Hall a few years back as a can't-miss prep, who has now bided his time behind some record-setting Michigan men. Samaha also carries an enviable prep résumé. "I worked with Tommy when he was first starting and for several years," Korn- blue said. "Since he's been at Michigan, he has matured from the time he walked on campus until now. Like everybody, he's still a work in progress. He has not played in a game as a starter. "It takes time, being in those game ex- periences and building as you go through the fire. Samaha is just stepping on cam- pus. I've worked with him for the past several years. The first time I saw him, I saw a ton of talent. I know he can play at this level. He's an athlete. "He's hit clutch shots in basketball in his high school career, and he fits the mold of what Michigan typically looks for with their specialists — be- ing more athletic and having a mindset as an athlete instead of just a kicker, where that's all they do." Michigan's kickers aren't just kickers, Ko- rnblue stressed. "All those guys are in that mold, which is what the coaches look for," he said. "Obviously, with Turner, he's proven it. He has shown in recent years that he has the ability to make those kicks in those big stadiums. That's obvi- ously big, to have that insurance policy for this year. "I know Samaha is going to compete and try to earn that job. But if he doesn't, you have somebody there who is battle tested and should be able to fill that hole pretty easily. "It's always exciting to see a new crop of guys. It's easier to have guys who are returners, but Michigan attracts top tal- ent. The competition is fierce. There are some walk-ons they have on the roster — [junior kicker] Charlie Mentzer and some guys that have talent and could be a dark horse in the competition as well." Even sophomore kickoff specialist Hudson Hollenbeck, a Mississippi State transfer who arrived at U-M as a pre- ferred walk-on after the spring, could play a role. There's another factor for the Wolver- ines in the special teams game for 2023 that could be overlooked, but shouldn't be, Kornblue stressed. "This coaching staff in my opinion, has probably the best group of spe- cial teams coaches that Michigan has ever had," Kornblue said. "You've got Jim [Harbaugh], who is special teams minded; Jay [Harbaugh], who has had a special teams Coach of the Year award. He knows what he's doing. "And then you've got an NFL special teams coach that's now on the staff in Mike Mallory. And then JB Brown, who has got quite a bit of special teams ex- perience as well. Put all of it together and really, it's shaping up to be a pretty solid room." Not to mention the fact that returning assistant coach Chris Partridge was heavily involved with U-M special teams the last time he was in Ann Arbor. So, the Wolver- ines special units should be in good hands, but now must deliver. "Going from the last two years to this year, it may not be exactly what it was," Kornblue cau- tioned. "That level of performance was so strong and so good, it's not fair in one sense. But in the other sense, these guys have learned from those guys. "They've seen that, 'Hey, this is the expectation and this is what can be done. There are no excuses. We've got to step up and perform.' Guys keep getting bet- ter and better. "These guys are talented. It's going to be a fun competition and it will be in- teresting to see who will be on the field Week 1." The Wolverines also return two proven long snappers in William Wagner (25 starts in the past three seasons) and se- nior Greg Tarr (nine starts in 2022 after Wagner was injured), and that will be beneficial, especially since junior wide receiver Joe Taylor appears to be the new holder. Of course, it's not all just about the kickers. The transfer of A.J. Henning to Northwestern leaves significant oppor- tunity for others to step in and pick up where he left off in 2022. Senior wideout Roman Wilson ap- pears to be a top contender to move in as Michigan's No. 1 return man. He returned 5 kickoffs for 115 yards (23.0 average) last year. Meanwhile, fresh- man wideout Semaj Morgan is also a candidate for special teams action. He was seen fielding punts in warmups for Michigan's spring game, and he's explo- sive with the football in his hands. Yet another freshman in the mix could be Fredrick Moore, also a wide receiver. Jim Harbaugh described him as "a very explosive, very talented player with great ball skills." Michigan obviously has other wide- outs and running backs who could cre- ate some havoc on returns, as well. All of that — along with the kicking duties — will sort itself out in fall camp and becomes an adjust-as-needed situa- tion when the Wolverines take the field for real. ❏ SCHOLARSHIP ROSTER No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. — Adam Samaha K 5-11 170 Fr. 19 Tommy Doman K/P 6-4 208 Jr. — James Turner K 6-0 205 Gr. 49 William Wagner LS 6-2 258 Gr. After two years spent honing his craft as a reserve, junior Tommy Doman is penciled in as the Wolverines' starting punter and may challenge for placekicking and kickoff du- ties as well. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL