The Wolverine

April 2018

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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APRIL 2018 THE WOLVERINE 31 "Where do you put Ben Bredeson?" Jansen observed. "Do you possibly move him out to right tackle? I don't know if we have a guy on the roster who I look at and say, 'That's our left tackle.'" Finding one is essential, and Michi- gan sought graduate transfer help in that department in January and Feb- ruary. Though they missed on Rice transfer Calvin Anderson, Michigan will make the necessary moves to fill the bill up front, Jansen assured. One move could depend on the de- velopment of 6-6, 345-pound redshirt freshman Chuck Filiaga. "He's a big body," Jansen noted. "I thought he moved relatively well. He could be your right tackle. Then do you do with Bredeson what you did with Mason Cole, put him out at left tackle, even though he's out of posi- tion? Maybe he's the best you've got there." A Bredeson move would make the guard spots more wide open, with contestants such as junior Michael Onwenu (6-3, 350), redshirt sopho- more Stephen Spanellis (6-5, 307) and redshirt junior Nolan Ulizio (6-5, 295) battling it out. At tackle, a talented redshirt fresh- man such as James Hudson (6-5, 302) — who switched from defense to of- fense in midseason — shouldn't be counted out, Jansen cautioned. "Early on, he looked like the best incoming freshman we had, in terms of his aggressiveness," Jansen noted. "He was raw, not a lot of technique, but man, I liked how he came off the ball and attacked the defensive line. "If you've got a guy who can run block and attack the defensive line, now all of a sudden you can teach him some technique things in pass protec- tion and develop that. But you've got to have an aggressive personality, an aggressive nature. He has that. "He came in and said, 'I'm going to do what I do, and that's attack.' He may be the answer at right tackle." However it shakes out, the combi- nation of talent and a new set of coach- ing eyes has to better protect the quar- terbacks, the former captain stressed. The choice there involves Patterson, the two-year Mississippi starter with impressive stats and scrambling abil- ity; Peters, who completed 20 of 44 throws in the Outback Bowl and tossed a pair of interceptions; and untested redshirt freshman Dylan McCaffrey. Patterson appears the people's choice heading into spring, and Jansen concedes he's talented. He's not ready to give up on last spring's people's choice, however. "I thought Brandon Peters came in and played very well, especially against teams like Minnesota and Maryland," Jansen said. "That was a great introduction to Big Ten football for him. "Now I'd like to see him get some protection and be able to hit guys like [sophomore wideout] Tarik Black, who wasn't out there when Brandon Peters was quarterback. [Sophomore wideout] Donovan Peoples-Jones will have one more year under his belt, some experience. "We'll be better at the wide re- ceiver position. All of those things will be a huge asset for that quarter- back position." Featuring deep threats is essential, Jansen stressed. Black and Peoples- Jones have the tools to get it done. "Tarik Black was furthest along," he said. "I think we all could see that. It was just a shame he got dinged up and missed the rest of the season. You put him and Donovan Peoples-Jones out there this year, and you've got guys that can stretch the field." Jansen also likes the looks of a third sophomore wideout — 6-4, 206-pound Nico Collins, who also got a taste of the action last season. "I'm guessing this year he's going to be at 210, 215," Jansen said. "He's our biggest receiver. If you can get him in the mix, they'll be able to throw the ball up to any of those guys." The Wolverines also feature veteran receivers such as senior Grant Perry, along with juniors Kekoa Crawford and Eddie McDoom. They as well as the younger receivers need to elevate their route running, Jansen observed. "I go back to Grant Perry in his first game against Utah," Jansen said. "If he just runs a tighter route, we don't throw an interception. We should be, this year, where all those routes are on the money. "They should understand you can't round things off. You've got to have sharp cuts. You've got to be where you're supposed to be when you're supposed to be there. Those guys can really add a lot to the passing game." U-M features a pair of veteran run- ners in senior Karan Higdon (164 carries for 994 yards and 11 touch- downs in 2017) and junior Chris Ev- ans (135 carries for 685 yards and six scores). "When you've got guys like that, that run aggressive, know how to finish runs, know how to fall forward, those are hidden yards that people don't talk about very much," Jansen said. "Chris Evans is one of those guys you look at and you're like, dang. "I really see a lot of potential in him, and I'd like to see more opportunity given to him." Higdon, meanwhile, fell one chains- mover away from 1,000 yards, getting better as the year went on. "It's about confidence," Jansen said. "It's about getting a feel for where the holes are, timing, and you can see that. "All of a sudden, he started to see where the holes are supposed to be, what the timing was supposed to be, the patience to get behind the offen- sive line." Jansen loves Michigan's talented tight ends, especially 6-7, 248-pound redshirt junior Zach Gentry and 6-5, 248-pound junior Sean McKeon. "We know we've got great tight ends," Jansen said. "I think Zach Gen- try is going to have an unbelievably great year." Jansen thinks the Wolverines could enjoy a markedly better year on the offensive side of the football. The com- ponents are there, he believes. Now, it's a matter of putting the parts together, keeping them healthy and scheming up a way to get back on track. ❏ Junior Ben Bredeson has started for the better part of two years at left guard, but could move to tackle out of necessity. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN

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