The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/629217
MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Glasgow, senior end Taco Charlton, redshirt junior tackle Maurice Hurst and redshirt sophomore tackle Bryan Mone, but this is a blow to a defense that re- lies heavily on rotating its linemen, creating situations in which the Wolverines are always fresh while the offensive line is tiring. Michigan should see some sort of contribution next season from rookie de- fensive ends Shelton Johnson and Reuben Jones, who both took redshirts in 2015. On the surface, Charlton is likely U-M's go-to defensive end in terms of a pass rush, with Wormley, Glasgow and some combination of Mone and Hurst in the starting lineup, but Johnson, Jones, early enrollee freshman Carlo Kemp and redshirt sophomore end Lawrence Marshall could all crash that party. It remains likely that defensive tackle Tom Strobel is not asked back for a fifth year, and it's more likely tackle Matt Godin is granted a fifth year now that Henry is gone. He would obviously factor into the rotation along the line. • The decisions by Terry Richardson and Ross Taylor-Douglas to leave before their senior years are no surprise, and were largely encouraged by the current Michigan staff, which is still trying to create room to sign 25-28 recruits in this class. • Derrick Green's departure will not send reverberations through the Michigan locker room. With the exception of six games in 2014, the Richmond, Va., native made little impact in a winged helmet, lacking the explosion, vision and power to take over games like recruiting analysts had projected. In the running back room, U-M is still bringing back rising seniors De'Veon Smith and Drake Johnson, redshirt junior Ty Isaac and sophomore Karan Hig- don, in addition to welcoming tailbacks Kareem Walker, Kingston Davis and Chris Evans from the recruiting class. In other words, the Wolverines have more than enough bodies. What the group hasn't shown to possess yet is a game-breaking ball carrier that they can count on for 100 yards every week, but Green was not going to be that back as a senior in 2016. That back could be a healthy Smith, who had three 100-yard efforts this season, or a healthier Johnson, an Isaac with his head on straight or one of the rookies. • The three early exits, plus Henry's, leave Michigan committed to 63 schol- arships in 2016, not including walk-ons Kenny Allen, a kicker/punter, and Glasgow that will likely be on scholarship. More attrition is expected, including possibly Strobel, offensive lineman Blake Bars and linebacker Allen Gant among eligible fifth-year seniors. Michigan has also seen decommitments from three-star cornerback Sir Patrick Scott and four-star offensive lineman Erik Swenson, while two-star defensive lineman Rashad Weaver and three-star running back/receiver Kiante Enis are additional players that may end up backing out of their pledges.