The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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BY CLAYTON SAYFIE F ormer head coach Jim Harbaugh used to be pleased if his team won at least two of the three phases of the game. So many times during Harbaugh's nine seasons in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines won in the spe- cial teams department, helping the team score points, take care of the ball and win the field-position battle. U-M's special teams were, well, "spe- cial" under former coordinator Jay Har- baugh, who's now running the show in that phase for the Seattle Seahawks. One of his protégés, J.B. Brown, was an analyst for the Wolverines the prior three seasons (2021-23) before being promoted to coor- dinator (he's also assisting with safeties). "I've learned a lot from [ Jay Har- baugh]," Brown said. "From his game- plan standpoint, we worked together hand in hand. A lot of it will be the same, but we just want to play fast from a special teams standpoint, want to have great fundamentals, have great aware- ness and play with a lot of trust from player to player and coach to coach." The Wolverines return a lot of their key special teams pieces from last sea- son, including senior punter, holder and kickoff specialist Tommy Doman and graduate long snapper William Wagner. Doman earned third-team All-Big Ten honors in 2023, averaging 44.3 yards per punt. His 4.33-second average hang time ranked fourth in the country, and his 4.33-second mark on kickoffs also checked in fourth. The Maize and Blue appear set to re- place James Turner, who came to U-M for the 2023 season after previously playing at Louisville, with another transfer — ju- nior Dominic Zvada from Arkansas State. Though head coach Sherrone Moore said Aug. 13 that Zvada is leading the compe- tition at place kicker, he did mention that sophomore Adam Samaha — the No. 1 kicker in the spring — has been stringing together some good practices. In two seasons with the Red Wolves, Zvada was 32 of 38 on field goals, includ- ing 13 of 16 on kicks of 40-plus yards with a long of 56 yards. Zvada made 2 of his 3 tries from 50-plus yards, and he's flashed his big leg during fall camp. "He's done a great job," Brown said of Zvada Aug. 8. "He's kicked a lot of long field goals this camp, he's been con- sistent on short field goals. I think he's 6 of 7 from 50-plus, which is nice." Sophomore wideout Semaj Morgan was the team's main kick returner last season, and he became one of the pri- mary players at punt returner by the end of the year. He has room to grow, though, with his ball security (he fumbled a punt against Alabama) and in the kick return department, having averaged only 15.5 yards per attempt. Brown said building depth at both return spots has been an emphasis in preseason camp. "You're going to use a lot of guys throughout the season, and there are going to be injuries at some point during the season, so you're going to need to have a stable of returners," Brown noted. "We're going to try to get the most ex- plosive guy with the ball in his hands." ❏ Senior specialist Tommy Doman delivered 68 touchbacks on 99 kickoff attempts in 2023. PHOTO BY GABRIELLA CERITANO PLACEKICKER No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. Remaining 96 Dominic Zvada 6-3 180 Jr./2 99 Adam Samaha 5-11 195 So./4 Note: Zvada is the heavy favorite to start, but Samaha has reportedly had a good fall camp and is competing hard. PUNTER No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. Remaining 19 Tommy Doman 6-4 215 Sr./2 90 Hudson Hollenbeck 6-2 206 Jr./3 Note: Doman returns as U-M's punter and is also slated to handle kickoff specialist duties and serve as holder on place kicks, two jobs he also held last season. Hollenbeck and soph- omore Stone Anderson are next up behind Doman at punter. LONG SNAPPER No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. Remaining 49 William Wagner 6-2 245 Gr./1 45 Greg Tarr 6-2 215 Gr./2 Note: Wagner is extremely experienced, with 375 total snaps in his career. Tarr is a quality backup who has appeared in 12 contests during his time at U-M. KICK RETURNER No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. Remaining 0 Semaj Morgan 5-10 174 So./3 8 Tyler Morris 5-11 185 Jr./2 Note: Morgan was the primary kick returner last season. Sophomore running back Benjamin Hall was back there dur- ing the spring game, and graduate Kalel Mullings also has experience, with 1 return a year ago. PUNT RETURNER No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. Remaining 0 Semaj Morgan 5-10 174 So./3 8 Tyler Morris 5-11 185 Jr./2 Note: Morgan ended the season as one of U-M's top punt returners, but multiple players have been getting reps there in the preseason, including Morris. — Clayton Sayfie 32 THE WOLVERINE ❱ SEPTEMBER 2024 SPECIAL TEAMS BIG LEGS U-M Special Teams Looking Strong