Meet Your 2016 Michigan Wolverines

In 2015, Michigan was screwed out of an opportunity to compete in the National Championship. In 2016, The Wolverines return most of the pieces of that team, just bigger, faster, smarter, and stronger. Let's take a look at the team to see how they shake out for the upcoming season.

Quarterbacks
Quarterback Kevin Jones returns for his senior campaign and learned from a 2015 season that saw a one loss team narrowly miss out on the national title game. In 2015, Jones proved he can do it all throwing for over 2500 yards and rushing for just shy of 600. Providing relief will be Michael Coleman and Bryce Weaver. Coleman's elusiveness and throwing accuracy put him just above Weaver, however as an upper classman plus the ability to always hold onto the ball, Weaver could challenge, especially depending on spring practice. Either way, the Wolverines have a trio of reliable QBs.

Pos	Player Name	Yr	OVR	THP	THA	SPD	AGI	ACC	BTK	ELU	CAR
QB	Kevin Jones	Sr	89	91	87	90	86	87	78	87	82
QB	Michael Coleman	SoRS	79	80	87	92	81	86	70	71	67
QB	Bryce Weaver	JrRS	82	88	80	90	79	88	74	45	91

Halfbacks
At Halfback, Jake Marks leads the way returning after a 2015 season with just over 1000 yards during the regular season to go along with 10 touchdowns. Marks is a fast yet bruising HB that can not only run between the tackles but also bust it outside to pick up extra yards. Behind him are backs that are more than capable to fill his shoes. First off the bench is Tom Davis... Davis is more of a between the tackles runner always able to pick up a few more yards after he's first hit. Freshman Reggie Stallings will be fun to watch as he hits the field for the first time. He's more like Davis in that he'll hit the hole and carry tacklers with him. Andrew Childs will fill the Slotback role for the Wolverines that will see him split out wide but also motion into the backfield to carry the ball, most of which will be outside runs to utilize his speed and elusiveness.

Pos	Player Name	Yr	OVR	SPD	AGI	ACC	BTK	TRK	ELU	CAR	SPM	JKM
HB	Jake Marks	JrRS	87	93	88	95	85	75	92	73	88	83
HB	Tom Davis	JrRS	88	91	85	91	86	91	72	78	91	89
HB	Reggie Stallings	FrRS	80	90	90	92	77	92	61	76	74	72
SB	Andrew Childs	SoRS	76	96	88	89	71	57	95	75	80	97

Fullbacks
The Fullback in the Michigan offense is not a traditional blocking back. Sometimes the FB needs to line up as a H-Back, others he's lined up beside the QB to either lead block or even get a carry here & there. For the blocking role, both Andrew Johnson and Kellen Smith fill that slot, however each have their strengths. Johnson is a more traditional FB that can block but also catch a pass here & there. However, Smith is more like a Offensive Lineman that doesn't like to put his hand in the dirt, though when he gets the ball, he's able to run over players. Adding into the mix will be Doug Herron, a JuCo transfer that played Tight End. Herron's speed and running abilities lead to exciting possibilities for the Michigan offense. More than likely, in the end, only two will be retained.

Pos	Player Name	Yr	OVR	SPD	STR	BTK	TRK	CTH	PBK	RBK	IBL
FB	Andrew Johnson	SoRS	75	71	75	67	62	76	76	74	81
FB	Kellen Smith	SoRS	73	62	85	66	77	65	77	77	75
FB	Doug Herron	Jr	72	84	74	78	77	80	65	67	66

Wide Receivers
At the Wide Receiver position, Michigan isn't as interested in speed as they are just making sure their players can make the catch and keep the chains moving. Jonathan Keizer departs as the leading receiver and his 6'5 height is a significant loss. However, Justin Austin returns after nearly matching Keiser's contributions and is ready to lead the way for receivers with his excellent ability to catch the uncatchable ball whether it's thrown too high or thrown into traffic. Tim Pittman will be thrust into a starting role after contributing well in 2015; he also has the ability to make excellent catches and will be a player on the field that defenses will have to worry about. Rounding out the starters at WR will be Brandon Thompson. With his speed and athleticism, he fills the role that Justice Hayes was in 2015, that is a mix of a Slotback and Y-Receiver. Behind those three will be a mixture of players that aren't quite ready to be significant contributors. Perhaps the most intriguing is Senior WR Bo Thomas. Thomas' 6'7 height combined with top-level speed make him a player that just has to find a role in the offense. In 2015 he didn't have a large number of catches, however those that he caught were for large yardage allowing him to rack up 326 yards in a limited role which could expand further in 2016.

Pos	Player Name	Yr	OVR	Ht	SPD	AGI	ACC	CTH	SPC	CIT	RTE	REL
WR	Justin Austin	SrRS	85	6'1	84	85	85	82	93	91	92	89
WR	Tim Pittman	Jr	83	6'1	87	79	89	89	83	87	91	76
WR	Brandon Thompson	JrRS	80	6'0	93	93	93	77	79	79	70	67
WR	Tom Simmons	SrRS	82	6'1	91	80	93	81	73	73	81	81
WR	Sean Garrett	FrRS	78	6'2	93	78	93	77	69	67	85	74
WR	Bo Thomas	SrRS	76	6'7	96	81	80	69	78	73	82	74

Tight Ends
At the Tight End position, Devin Funchess departs as the final starter, though returning TE Joe Maxwell started the beginning of the season. Maxwell lost his starting role due to Funchess receiving ability, however Maxwell's blocking abilities make him the clear starter in 2016. Coaches are hopeful that in spring practice, Maxwell's catching abilities will develop to make him a more well-rounded player. Backing him up will be TE/WR Frank Wiggins. Wiggins has exceptional ability to be a pass-catching TE but needed at least another year to develop his blocking skills. Wiggins will fill the gap that Funchess leaves open but has even more speed than Funchess ever did which will create significant matchup advantage against defenses. Backing them up will be Eric Capps who is more of a player similar to Maxwell with the ability to become a significant blocking tight end. Look for FB Doug Herron to also see some playing time at TE as needed.

Pos	Player Name	Yr	OVR	Ht	SPD	STR	CTH	SPC	CIT	RTE	REL	PBK	RBK	IBL
TE	Joe Maxwell	JrRS	82	6'5	83	72	69	79	75	76	73	78	79	71
TE	Frank Wiggins	FrRS	71	6'5	90	70	77	70	67	87	75	60	63	71
TE	Eric Capps	So	74	6'5	75	77	70	69	71	72	75	72	74	75

Offensive Line
At the Tackle Positions, Jeff Petty and Blake Bars return as bookends that will only get better with another year under their belt. Petty is more well-rounded at the blind-side Tackle and uses his strength and height to dominate Ends. Bars is an excellent pass blocker and uses excellent footwork to keep in front of his defender. Inside, at the Guard positions, Michigan will have to replace two departing seniors that were monster run blockers. At both Guard spots, the Wolverines will have excellent run blockers with excellent strength; at the Left Guard will be John Hunt and the Right Guard will be Kyle Kalis. Returning at Center is Cornelius McCarthy. McCarthy has been a full-time starter since his Freshman year and returns for his senior year as the anchor in the middle. McCarthy really has no holes in his game as he has excellent strength excellent pass & run blocking, and has surprising agility and acceleration. Behind the starters will be a mix of players that are waiting for their chance to start. Most importantly though is the fact that Michigan coaches were able to sign four true freshman for the future of the offensive line.

Pos	Player Name	Yr	OVR	Ht	Wt	STR	AGI	ACC	PBK	RBK	IBL
LT	Jeff Petty	JrRS	83	6'7	278	90	60	91	84	87	90
LT	Mike James	So	77	6'3	273	81	60	91	86	81	78
LG	John Hunt	SoRS	84	6'1	300	89	64	93	82	89	82
LG	Kevin Gray	Fr	79	6'3	285	B	70	87	78	83	80
C	Cornelius McCarthy	Sr	93	6'0	304	89	69	92	92	91	85
C	Trey Hall	So	81	6'4	298	90	69	89	82	84	75
RG	Kyle Kalis	SrRS	85	6'5	324	90	63	90	81	91	80
RG	Ryan Martin	Fr	80	6'8	293	B	57	92	85	83	84
RT	Blake Bars	SrRS	84	6'5	291	79	70	93	90	83	85
RT	Derek Edwards	Fr	83	6'0	279	83	60	88	B	81	79

Defensive Ends
For Defensive Ends, Michigan will miss departing senior Frank Clark as he led all DEs in sacks and tackles for loss. Replacing him will be Paul Pollard who sat out the 2015 season due to eligibility issues. However, Pollard, with his speed, strength and tackling, comes back ready to exceed what Clark produced. Opposite him will be returning three-year starter, Tom Strobel. Strobel has excellent ability to get off blocks and chase down ball carriers, however he doesn't always know how to rip that player down to the ground. Behind them will be a mix of youth and experience with Senior Mario Ojemudia, Sophomore Fred Levine, and two incoming Freshman that will both likely redshirt.

Pos	Player Name	Yr	OVR	Ht	Wt	SPD	STR	PMV	FMV	BSH	TKL	HPW	PUR	PRC
LE	Paul Pollard	SoRS	82	6'2	271	84	81	80	73	86	84	83	77	78
LE	Mario Ojemudia	SrRS	81	6'2	233	80	76	84	82	80	74	86	78	77
LE	Doug Meyer	Fr	68	6'2	248	75	70	79	74	80	D	80	73	64
RE	Tom Strobel	SrRS	81	6'5	272	75	79	89	85	84	73	79	93	82
RE	Fred Levine	So	80	6'3	252	72	80	87	87	84	82	82	82	81
RE	Gary Landry	Fr	77	6'5	257	70	78	82	74	80	82	84	77	74

Defensive Tackles
In the middle of the Michigan Defensive Line is a huge man, 336lb Ondre Pipkins. Pipkins is an immovable object in the middle that often requires double teams in order to hold him at bay. Inspite of that, Pipkins had an excellent season racking up 11 sacks on the season, four of which came in the Sugar Bowl. Behind him is Kris McBride who is just waiting for his opportunity to get off a block with excellent ability to shed blocks as well as an ability to recognize and react to a play.

Pos	Player Name	Yr	OVR	Ht	Wt	SPD	STR	PMV	FMV	BSH	TKL	HPW	PUR	PRC
DT	Ondre Pipkins	SrRS	84	6'2	336	56	92	84	77	86	81	85	76	80
DT	Kris McBride	Jr	84	6'3	262	52	82	91	89	91	78	82	92	89
DT	Chris Martindale	So	79	6'0	309	56	83	85	73	85	79	81	82	80

Linebackers
At the Linebacker positions, Michigan uses three distinct types of Linebacker. At the Left OLB, this player is more of a hybrid of a Linebacker and a Safety. His responsibilities lean mostly to coverage of Tight Ends and slot WRs, however he also must have the ability to attack the QB and get after runningbacks. Todd McCoy at LOLB is a perfect example of this... his coverage abilities rival some starting CBs in the country but at the same time he has the ability to get off of blocks when attacking the quarterback. In the Middle, Karl Brown reigns supreme. MLBs are designed to be able to clean up any players that get to the second level and also get into the backfield from time to time, which Brown did often in 2015 with 32 Tackls for Loss. At the Right OLB, it's mostly about rushing the QB so Thomas Cox is the right blend of Linebacker and Defensive End. With good strength, block shedding, and also excellent ability for playing the ball, making the tackle and punishing the ball carrier, Cox is an ideal player at ROLB for the Wolverines. Behind those three are a good group of players that each have matching strengths to their starting counterpart. Andrews at LOLB has good speed and coverage ability, Lane at MLB has top-notch acceleration and uses it to punish ball carriers, and a mix of Bolden & Carroll backing up Cox. Add in a couple of newcomers that will take over for Cox and Brown in the future and Michigan has the perfect mix of players at Linebacker.

Pos	Player Name	Yr	OVR	SPD	STR	AGI	ACC	TKL	HPW	PUR	PRC	PMV	FMV	BSH	MCV	ZCV
LOLB	Todd McCoy	So	81	84	76	72	90	77	73	85	82	73	79	74	83	86
LOLB	Seth Andrews	Sr	83	88	69	82	99	86	82	85	76	55	66	78	78	82
MLB	Karl Brown	Sr	88	87	82	80	90	81	91	91	88	76	77	87	76	69
MLB	Justin Lane	SoRS	82	86	80	73	99	79	89	83	80	80	79	81	67	69
ROLB	Thomas Cox	JrRS	86	77	80	63	89	88	86	90	86	72	78	88	76	75
ROLB	Joe Bolden	SrRS	83	85	77	75	92	76	85	84	82	78	79	86	75	76

Cornerbacks
At Cornerback, Michigan has players that they feel comfortable with putting on an island in the passing game. Thomas Torres and Junior Carter are both excellent coverage guys with great speed, neither offering much room for opposing QBs to pass the ball. Added, they have higher than normal tackling abilities that let them hold their own in run defense. With the Wolverines using a 3-3-5 Defense, the Nickel CB rarely sees the field but in case he's needed, backup Terry Richardson is no slouch either. While not quite the level of Torres or Carter, he can still cover opposing receivers and offer run support. Lamont Johnson will fill round out the top four corners, though will rarely see the field as SSes typically fill out the Dime role. Backing them up will be younger guys in Ryan Banks, Antwain Vinson, and incoming Freshman Nate Montgomery. Banks and Montgomery will likely redshirt this year so that they can have more time to develop to eventually take over for Torres and Carter. Vinson will be a contributor over the course of his career but don't expect him to see much starting time.

Pos	Player Name	Yr	OVR	SPD	AGI	ACC	MCV	ZCV	PRS	TKL	HPW	PUR	PRC	CTH
CB	Thomas Torres	JrRS	84	95	90	91	91	87	86	70	72	83	86	79
CB	Junior Carter	Jr	83	93	87	92	92	91	82	70	63	85	84	70
CB	Terry Richardson	SrRS	80	93	86	93	85	88	88	67	67	85	86	71
CB	Ryan Banks	So	77	91	82	85	89	84	79	60	67	78	83	67
CB	Lamont Johnson	JrRS	75	93	87	87	80	84	85	63	74	77	81	62

Free Safeties
At the Free Safety position, Bryan Dean is more or less just another CB playing further off the line. His excellent coverage abilities allow the Wolverines to not be shy about calling Cover 0 blitzes and sticking him on a WR split out wide. Added, he has excellent ability to recognize a play and then chase after the ball carrier. Behind him is Jarrod Wilson who doesn't offer the same skillset, but does provide enough ability to cover WRs and TEs, but also the ability to blitz from his spot deep and even taken on a blocker if needed.

Pos	Player Name	Yr	OVR	SPD	AGI	ACC	MCV	ZCV	TKL	HPW	PUR	PRC	BSH	CTH
FS	Bryan Dean	Jr	84	93	87	90	89	91	64	66	90	86	24	77
FS	Jarrod Wilson	SrRS	81	89	86	94	75	83	77	88	87	80	70	73

Strong Safeties
It's well documented that Michigan's Strong Safeties are the best in the country at what they do. That is large in part to Dominique Wilson and his ability to coverage like a corner but attack and tackle like a Linebacker. In 2015, Wilson was everywhere on the field recording 51 tackles, 8 TFL, 3 Sacks, 3 Interceptions, 2 Forced Fumbles, and 2 Fumble Recoveries. Opposite Wilson will be a competition for the Predator Safety. Incoming Safety Clint Ferguson looks to challenge returning Safety Orlando McAfee significantly for a starting role with top-notch speed and tackling ability. McAfee looks to have the slightly better coverage abilities but depending on spring practice results, that may not be a significant factor.

Pos	Player Name	Yr	OVR	SPD	AGI	ACC	MCV	ZCV	PRS	TKL	HPW	PUR	PRC	BSH
SS1	Clint Ferguson	Jr	80	95	86	97	71	74	78	82	77	77	72	77
SS1	Orlando McAfee	SoRS	81	89	88	87	69	79	77	84	78	79	71	76
SS2	Dominique Wilson	JrRS	86	96	83	95	91	90	87	76	76	80	87	46
SS2	Derek Barry	Fr	79	93	90	92	85	83	76	67	62	83	85	57

Kickers & Punters
What more can you say... when you return players that are both considered the best in the country two times running, you have nothing to worry about in the Special Teams department. Kicker Brian Washington is a two time Lou Groza winner, in 2015 making 21 of 21 field goals with a long of 56 yards (which sent the game against Texas into overtime) and added 71 extra points. Punter Marcus Jackson is a two time Ray Guy award winner. In 2015, Jackson was a machine as he led the country in punts downed inside the 20, net punt average, and headsets thrown when he pins offensive coordinators back at their own 1 yard line.

Pos	Player Name	Yr	OVR	KPW	KAC
K	Brian Washington	Jr	89	90	89
P	Marcus Jackson	JrRS	83	93	75

Wow am I jealous of your back seven.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JeffHCross

Wow am I jealous of your back seven.

---

Which LB aren't you jealous of? :)

Yeah... Very proud of them and happily they have a chance to play together for the next two seasons minus MLB.

I wish I had Ferguson and/or Barry at SS :(

I wish I knew how to make tables and then I would do this. :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ryby6969

I wish I knew how to make tables and then I would do this. :D

---

It is really easy

Just quote a post with a table and it becomes pretty obvious what's going on.

Like	this
one	here

If you've ever done HTML tables, it's the exact same syntax, just with [] instead of <>

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ryby6969

I wish I knew how to make tables and then I would do this. :D

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JeffHCross

Just quote a post with a table and it becomes pretty obvious what's going on.

Like	this
one	here

If you've ever done HTML tables, it's the exact same syntax, just with [] instead of <>

---

You don't even have to do all that... Just go to the advanced reply. In the icons above the reply box, the first icon is wysiwyg preview... make sure it's not highlighted blue. Then in the 3rd row, click the first icon to create a table and from there you can edit on the fly using the other nearby icons to add rows, columns, etc.

Or, the even easier method for large tables, build it in Excel (not Google docs), then copy and paste it straight in.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JeffHCross

Just quote a post with a table and it becomes pretty obvious what's going on.

Like	this
one	here

If you've ever done HTML tables, it's the exact same syntax, just with [] instead of <>

---

I may screw around with it later after I get done with this final. :( Damn Network shit.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gschwendt

You don't even have to do all that... Just go to the advanced reply. In the icons above the reply box, the first icon is wysiwyg preview... make sure it's not highlighted blue. Then in the 3rd row, click the first icon to create a table and from there you can edit on the fly using the other nearby icons to add rows, columns, etc.

---

WYSIWYG is for wimps.

Actually, didn't even realize that. Haha.