The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1511544
36 THE WOLVERINE ❱ DECEMBER 2023 ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL prove on the outside noise," Barrett said. "Have a one-track mind for real and continue to prepare and execute how we've been planning and preparing for the whole year. "The most important opponent is the next opponent. So, we kind of just con- tinue to prepare. And we can, day in and day out, throughout the week, just like we do every opponent. Every opponent is a nameless, faceless opponent. So, it's not really about them, it's about us." Purdue is a mess of a football team and came into the night with a 2-6 record and left the game with 269 yards of total of- fense and a 1-for-14 conversion rate on third downs. The Boilermakers were held to 4.7 yards per play and had six three- and-outs, as well as an additional drive that came to an end via an interception on the first play from scrimmage. Michigan was feeling it most of the night, so much so that head coach Jim Harbaugh went for it on fourth-and-1 from U-M's own side of the field. The Wolverines did not convert, but it didn't change much of anything other than spotting Purdue three of its six points scored while the starters were in. "The way the flow of the game was go- ing, just from beginning to end, our de- fense was dominant tonight," Harbaugh said. "Against the run, had a pass or two that broke out. But overall, I thought the fits were outstanding in the run fits by our defense. Junior Colson is a complete stud — what a player he is. Mason Gra- ham again, I mean playing with the club. Run wall. In the secondary, [Will Johnson] could've had another interception, too, just barely got tipped away. I think it was Rod Moore trying to make a play on the ball and just got a little bit of a — got a finger on it, otherwise he would have had another one. We're near the ball a lot. "The quarterback [Hudson Card] did a good job. Talked about how athletic he was, and we saw that tonight he was able to get out of some pressures and some trouble, but overall [we were] dominant." — Anthony Broome MCCARTHY, JENKINS FIRST-ROUNDERS IN LATEST MOCK DRAFT Junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy has led an extremely efficient Michigan of- fense that has allowed him to not take a single snap in the fourth quarter in eight games. It's that type of production that one outlet says could make him the heir to Kirk Cousins with the Minnesota Vikings. In a recent mock draft put out by Bleacher Report, McCarthy was listed as a fit for the Vikings with the No. 20 overall selection. "If the Vikings want to stay consistent with their offensive structure, McCarthy is their best option," Bleacher Report's Derrik Klassen said. "He has a ton of ex- perience operating under center. He's comfortable turning his back to the de- fense or booting out of the pocket, all of which Kevin O'Connell's offense would ask him to do. McCarthy is also an accu- rate passer. He doesn't have the same zip or range Cousins does, but he can get the ball where it needs to go enough. "The main concern with the 20-year- old prospect is his size. He's listed at 6-3 and 202 pounds, which makes for an un- usually skinny frame for the position. But he's young enough to add some bulk as he matures." In the same Bleacher Report mock draft, Michigan senior defensive tackle Kris Jenkins headed to the Miami Dol- phins with the 30th overall selection. "At some point, Miami isn't going to be able to pay everyone, and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins could become a cap casualty next offseason," Matt Holder said. "While Michigan's Kris Jenkins Jr. is far from a finished product, he was listed as one of Bruce Feldman's top athletes in college football due to his combination of strength and athleticism. "The Wolverine's game is currently rooted more in strength and power as a stout run defender who has some work to do as a pass-rusher. But his potential is through the roof given his profile." Next year's NFL Draft will be held 45 minutes down the road from Ann Arbor in Detroit, from April 25-27. — Anthony Broome OFFENSE Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. QB 9 J.J. McCarthy 6-3 202 Jr./2 13 Jack Tuttle 6-4 210 Gr./1 RB 2 Blake Corum 5-8 213 Sr./2 7 Donovan Edwards 6-1 210 Jr./2 WR 6 Cornelius Johnson 6-3 208 Gr./1 0 Darrius Clemons 6-3 212 So./3 WR 8 Tyler Morris 5-11 185 So./3 5 Karmello English 5-11 190 Fr./4 Slot 1 Roman Wilson 6-0 192 Sr./2 3 Fredrick Moore 6-1 180 Fr./4 TE 18 Colston Loveland 6-5 245 So./3 89 AJ Barner 6-6 251 Sr./2 LT 73 LaDarius Henderson 6-4 315 Gr./1 or 52 Karsen Barnhart 6-5 316 Gr./2 LG 77 Trevor Keegan 6-6 320 Gr./2 58 Giovanni El-Hadi 6-5 318 Jr./3 C 60 Drake Nugent 6-2 301 Gr./2 51 Greg Crippen 6-4 309 Jr./3 RG 65 Zak Zinter 6-6 322 Sr./2 79 Jeffrey Persi 6-8 320 Sr./3 RT 52 Karsen Barnhart 6-5 316 Gr./2 or 78 Myles Hinton 6-6 340 Sr./2 DEFENSE Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. EDGE 32 Jaylen Harrell 6-4 242 Sr./2 5 Josaiah Stewart 6-1 245 Jr./2 EDGE 17 Braiden McGregor 6-6 267 Sr./2 8 Derrick Moore 6-3 258 So./3 NT 55 Mason Graham 6-3 318 So./3 78 Kenneth Grant 6-3 339 So./3 DT 94 Kris Jenkins 6-3 305 Sr./2 26 Rayshaun Benny 6-4 296 Jr./3 Mike 25 Junior Colson 6-3 247 Jr./2 34 Jaydon Hood 6-1 225 Jr./3 Will 23 Michael Barrett 6-0 239 Gr./1 15 Ernest Hausmann 6-2 237 So./3 NK 0 Mike Sainristil 5-10 182 Gr./1 18 Ja'Den McBurrows 5-11 200 Jr./3 CB 2 Will Johnson 6-2 202 So./3 36 Keshaun Harris 5-11 192 Gr./2 CB 12 Josh Wallace 6-0 190 Gr./1 13 DJ Waller Jr. 6-3 205 Fr./4 SS 7 Makari Paige 6-4 208 Sr./2 3 Keon Sabb 6-1 208 So./4 FS 9 Rod Moore 6-0 198 Jr./2 28 Quinten Johnson 5-11 200 Gr./2 MICHIGAN'S UNOFFICIAL DEPTH CHART Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PK 32 James Turner 6-0 196 Gr./1 99 Adam Samaha 5-11 185 Fr./4 P 19 Tommy Doman 6-4 215 Jr./3 90 Hudson Hollenbeck 6-2 208 So./4 LS 49 William Wagner 6-2 255 Gr./2 45 Greg Tarr 6-2 205 Sr./3 Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. KR 82 Semaj Morgan 5-10 176 Fr./4 20 Kalel Mullings 6-2 239 Sr./2 PR 8 Tyler Morris 5-11 185 So./3 or 26 Jake Thaw 6-1 192 Sr./2 SPECIAL TEAMS