The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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finishing with only 19 receptions for 355 yards and two scores. But with the depar- ture of three senior receivers, Roundtree will have to lead the way for the Maize and Blue while young players such as in- coming freshmen Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson develop. Drew Dileo, 5-10, 172, Junior Tight End BRANDON MOORE 6-5, 255, Fifth-Year SenioR Moore is the most likely candidate to take over for the de- parted Kevin Koger, having already ap- peared in 16 career contests at tight end, including 12 this year. He hasn't been a factor in the passing game much though, with two ca- reer receptions, which will likely create opportunities for other tight ends, but he's currently U-M's best combination of blocker and receiver, and boasts the most experience at a position that will be extremely young in 2012. A.J. Williams, 6-6, 260, Freshman Fullback STEPHEN HOPKINS 6-0, 228, Junior After losing out in the battle to start at tailback in fall camp, Hopkins made the move to fullback and became an integral component in the success of Michigan's rushing attack. The Texan appeared in nine games in 2011, with two starts, and did a tremendous job in his first season providing lead blocks for U-M's ball car- riers. He also possesses the potential to contribute offensively, totaling 71 yards on 12 touches. Sione Houma, 6-0, 211, Freshman Tailback FITZGERALD TOUSSAINT 5-10, 195, Redshirt Junior Toussaint finished his first season as Michigan's starting tailback on a sour note, rushing for just 30 yards on 13 car- Quarterback Denard Robinson will look to hold off Devin Gardner and secure the start- ing job as the Wolverines' signal-caller for a third straight season. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL ries in the Sugar Bowl, but his overall body of work was impres- sive and provides him a jump on the competition in 2012. Toussaint became U- M's first running back to finish with 1,000 yards since Mike Hart in 2007, the Youngstown, Ohio, native accumulating 1,041 yards with nine touchdowns on 187 carries (5.6-yard av- erage). Vincent Smith, 5-6, 172, Senior Quarterback DENARD ROBINSON 6-0, 195, Senior Robinson became the fifth quarterback in the modern era to lead Michigan to 11 wins in a season, and will undoubtedly be expected to quarter- back the 2012 squad, though the competi- tion will be fiercer. Robinson has to play with greater consis- tency next fall, which is to be expected in his second season under coordinator Al Borges, after completing fewer than 50.0 percent of his passes in six games while throwing 15 interceptions com- pared to 20 touchdowns overall. Devin Gardner, 6-4, 205, Junior Left Tackle TAYLOR LEWAN 6-8, 302, Redshirt Junior A 13-game starter at left tackle for the Wolverines, Lewan played through a myr- iad of injuries during his second season, in- cluding wrist, thumb and ankle ailments. He is poised to enter his junior year as one of the best offensive tackles in the Big Ten, and will be expected to anchor a Michi- gan offensive line that should feature three full-time returning starters from 2011. Elliott Mealer, 6-5, 310, Fifth-Year Se- nior Left Guard RICKY BARNUM 6-3, 292, Fifth-Year Senior The chatter behind the scenes is Christ Bryant is really com- ing on, and will battle Barnum. However, the fifth-year senior won the job going into 2011 and would have started more than three games had injuries not interfered. Barnum's health is a concern, though — he's missed parts of each of the past four seasons — which could create a greater opportunity for Bryant to win this position battle. Chris Bryant, 6-4, 341, Redshirt Fresh- man Center ROCKO KHOURY 6-4, 287, Fifth-Year Senior Perhaps the biggest question mark of- fensively will focus on center David Molk's replacement. Khoury and Jack Miller are the top candidates. Khoury has been groomed for the posi- tion and started in the Sugar Bowl for an in- jured Molk, but Miller has made tremendous strides behind the scenes and could pose a legitimate chal- lenge if he can add size and strength, and show a keen understanding for the responsibilities of the position. Jack Miller, 6-4, 263, Redshirt Fresh- man FEBRUARY 2012 THE WOLVERINE 37