The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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168 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Top Five Wins For The 2013 Class 1. 78‑0 vs. Rutgers, 2016: The Wol- verines piled up 481 rushing yards and scored nine touchdowns on the ground in U-M's second largest margin of victory since 1920 and biggest in a conference game since 1939. Fullback Khalid Hill carried the ball twice for two yards and two scores. He also caught two passes for 19 yards and another touchdown. Linebacker Ben Gedeon recorded five tackles, includ- ing two for loss, in the blowout and de- fensive end Taco Charlton had just two tackles but both were sacks. 2. 63‑3 vs. Hawai'i, 2016: Michigan had a very experienced team in 2016 and looked loaded on both sides of the ball. The Wolverines kicked off the sea- son with a 60-point beat-down of the Rainbow Warriors in Ann Arbor. Tight end Jake Butt wasn't overly productive — his one catch did go for a 19-yard touchdown. Linebacker Mike McCray led the way on defense with nine total tackles, in- cluding 3.5 for loss, and classmates Channing Stribling and Delano Hill each had an interception return for a touchdown. 3. 38‑0 vs. Northwestern, 2015: There was a Derrick Green sighting in the 38-0 win over Northwestern in 2015. The big back toted the ball 12 times for 47 yards and a score in the shutout win over the Wildcats. Lewis picked off a pass that he re- turned 37 yards for a touchdown. 4. 41‑7 vs. Florida, 2016 (Orange Bowl): Michigan absolutely spanked the SEC East champions on New Year's Day in their home state, 41-7. Smith ran all over the Gators, totaling 109 yards on 25 carries. Stribling picked off a pass and broke up another in the dominant win, and Gedeon recorded four tackles with one for a loss. 5. 49‑10 vs. Penn State, 2016: Penn State ended up winning the Big Ten title in 2016 after Michigan pounded the Nit- tany Lions by almost 40 points inside The Big House. Smith carried the ball 12 times for 107 yards and a score, and Hill also found the end zone on just two car- ries for two yards. Butt had a solid game as well with four catches for 42 yards, and one-time defensive lineman Henry Poggi even recorded a catch for 15 yards. On defense, Gedeon led the way with 11 tackles, and classmate Dymonte Thomas was right behind him with eight tackles of his own. Charlton also did his part with three tackles, including two for loss and 1.5 sacks. Top Five Players 1. Jourdan Lewis — Lewis was small at 5-10, 159 pounds coming out of high school, but still carried a four-star rating. He played in eight games as a true freshman and started making plays early. He continued to improve over the course of his career at U-M and brought home a boatload of awards as a se- nior, including being named a first-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the Associated Press and Sports Illustrated. He also won the Big Ten's Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year. Lewis recorded 133 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, one sack, six interceptions and 45 passes broken up during his career. He owns the U-M record for passes broken up in a single season with 22. The Dallas Cowboys took him in the third round, pick No. 92 overall, in the 2017 NFL Draft. 2. Maurice Hurst Jr. — A lightly recruited three-star defensive tackle from Westwood, Mass., Hurst defi- nitely outplayed his ranking. He was a consensus All-American (first team by the Associated Press and Sporting News; second team by the American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp and Football Writers Association of America) fol- lowing a stellar fifth-year senior season. He was also the recipient of the 2017 Bo Schembechler Team MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards. He appeared in 46 games along the defensive line with 17 starts at defensive tackle, and recorded 134 tackles, 33 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two passes broken up and one blocked field goal during his Michigan career. He also earned U-M Athletic Academic Achievement honors from 2014-16. Hurst was picked by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round (No. 140 overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. 3. Jake Butt — Even though he was the No. 5 tight end in the country and the No. 144 overall prospect nationally, Butt — an Ohio native — did not receive an offer from Ohio State. Instead, he signed with Michigan and became one of the most productive tight ends in U-M history. He's the program record-holder for most receptions and yards by a tight end with 138 and 1,646, respectively. In his junior year, he earned All-Big Ten first-team honors from the coaches and media, and received the Ozzie Newsome Award, given to the nation's best tight end. He was also selected a first-team All-American by Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports. As a senior, he was an academic All-Big Ten honoree, the John Mackey Award winner as the country's top tight end and a team co-captain. Butt was also named the Kwalick-Clark Big Ten Tight End of the Year. The Denver Broncos selected Butt in the fifth round (No. 145 overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft. 4. Taco Charlton — Charlton was another four-star prospect from the state of Ohio who didn't receive a tender from the Buckeyes. He was the No. 10 weakside defensive end and the No. 237 overall prospect nation- ally coming out of high school. As a senior, Charlton was named to the All-Big Ten first team by both the coaches and media. He started 11 games at defensive end, leading the team and ranking 14th nationally with 9.5 sacks. That mark is good for the 10th-best single-season mark at U-M. Charlton was picked No. 28 overall in the first round by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2017 NFL Draft. 5. Channing Stribling — Stribling was a three-star safety coming out of high school but turned into a pre- mier cover corner because of his length at 6-2. He started just four games as a junior, but really hit his stride as a senior in 2016. He was named to the All-Big Ten second team by the coaches and media after lead- ing the Big Ten in passes broken up (17) during confer- ence play and tying for fourth in interceptions with four. Stribling went undrafted but spent time with the Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers in 2017 as a member of their practice squads. He's currently a free agent. Cornerback Jourdan Lewis set a single-season school record with 22 passes broken up in 2015, and finished his career as the program's all-time leader in that category with 45. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN