The Wolverine

May 2017 Issue

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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MAY 2017 THE WOLVERINE 33 just a step or two on him down the right sideline. "He was really solid for about three quarters, then struggled on a couple of fade balls at the end," Brown said. "A lot of times that's focus and con- centration of a young guy … but I'm very confident as to where he will end up. He's 6-3, he's long, he's ath- letic and he's fast." The 6-foot, 170-pound Thomas notched two tackles and has been extremely tough to beat this spring, teammates said. "Ambry Thomas is everything I thought he'd be," Brown concurred. "He just learns and gets better each day. He's not perfect, but we're ask- ing all the young guys — those are young, young guys — to compete at first and second tiers." Linebacker Ben Mason (6-3, 247) of Newtown (Conn.) High could play fullback down the line, but Brown likes him at linebacker — at least for now. He notched one tackle in the game and is a throwback — a big hit- ter who could be a stopper against the run. He still has a lot to learn, but he's getting there. "Ben is at the Mike [inside] posi- tion. If you looked in his eyeballs, there'd be water in there because he was swimming," Brown quipped. "It's not an easy deal transitioning [from high school], but we've seen some physical surges from him." The coaches haven't seen enough of 6-3, 245-pound defensive end Co- rey Malone-Hatcher to offer much on him — he's been banged up for much of spring, Brown noted. But 6-3, 260-pound end Donovan Jeter "has shown some things," defensive line coach Greg Mattison said in the weeks leading up to the spring game, and he showed a few more April 15. Jeter notched two tackles in the scrimmage, but that didn't tell the entire story of his contribution. He pressured the quarterback a few times and showed a quick first step. "He's a very, very interesting guy. Jeter played very well out there to- day in a limited role," Brown said. "You never know how that's going to go the first time, and he really ex- ceeded my expectations today." All of the early enrollees will get a chance to do the same this fall, and it appears most are on their way to mak- ing the most of their opportunities. ❏ Michigan's Early Enrollees Under Jim Harbaugh Michigan hosted 11 true freshman early enrollees this fall, up from two in head coach Jim Harbaugh's first year and seven last year. Here's how the early enrollees fared in their freshman seasons following their initial springs: 2015 • QB Alex Malzone: Malzone was very good in his senior year at Birmingham (Mich.) Brother Rice, finishing the year with 2,998 passing yards, 38 touchdowns and only five interceptions, but he was expected to redshirt and did. He did earn a 2015 U-M Athletic Academic Achievement award. • WR/DB Brian Cole: Cole played in three games, catching one pass for minus- one yard at Utah and seeing action on special teams in two other games, but he was dismissed from the program. He was slated to commit to Kentucky, but he is currently on Mississippi State's roster after attending East Mississippi Community College last year. 2016 • LB Devin Bush Jr.: Bush saw action in all 13 games on special teams and seven at linebacker, and he proved to be a big hitter on the former. He finished with six solo tackles and six assists, including a half tackle for loss, in limited action. • RB Kingston Davis: The Alabama native rushed twice for 17 yards in the opener against Hawai'i, but he never carried the ball again. There had been talk of a move to fullback, but he left the program after the season. • LB/DL Carlo Kemp: Defensive coordinator Don Brown quipped this spring he would have traded Kemp for two used footballs a year ago, and Kemp saw action in only two games (Colorado and Rutgers), failing to make a tackle. The light has gone on this spring, however, and Kemp is expected to make an impact on the line. • TE Sean McKeon: McKeon played in four games as a true freshman and caught two passes for 10 yards, both in the opener with Hawai'i. He figures to be a bigger contributor this year af- ter he caught two passes for 22 yards in the spring game. • WR Ahmir Mitchell: Mitchell was impressive in the spring but had trou- ble adapting to college life and left the program before ever playing a game at Michigan. He transferred to Rutgers, but blew out his knee this spring. • QB Brandon Peters: Peters was impressive in the spring, but the plan was always to redshirt. He is now pushing starter Wilton Speight after showing well (minus an interception returned for a touchdown) in the spring game. • RB Kareem Walker: Like Mitch- ell, Walker also had a harder than expected adjustment to college life. That and injuries kept him off the field and forced a redshirt his first year, but he's shown signs of life this spring and hopes to be part of the rotation. Kareem Walker was a four-star recruit, but he redshirted his first year on campus and is now ready to compete for a bigger role this fall. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN

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