Michigan football coach Brady Hoke unveils batch of starters after Friday's scrimmage at the Big House
The Michigan football team held its second intrasquad scrimmage of fall camp Friday, giving the coaching staff another chance to see how players would perform at Michigan Stadium.
After an off-season of uncertainty, the Wolverines finally are beginning to sort out who will make their two-deep roster.
Coach Brady Hoke said he hopes to have that roster finalized by early next week, but peeled back the curtain Friday on a few key positions.
Thomas Gordon
"Thomas has had a tremendous camp, and he had a tremendous summer," Hoke said. "That's why his camp was so good.
"There's a lot of learning that goes on there. He's done a really good job with it, and I'm proud of where he is right now."
Hoke said Gordon would play in a nickel package (with senior cornerback Troy Woolfolk) as well as the dime package.
Junior Jordan Kovacs earned the other safety spot earlier in camp.
Among the other announcements:
Running back
Hoke said Michael Shaw continues "to have a good camp." Earlier this week, Hoke and offensive coordinator Al Borges said the senior led the battle to win the starting tailback job, which is expected to garner about 25 carries per game.
Hoke also said sophomore Fitzgerald Toussaint has "had a good camp." That could mean he's in line to be the primary backup for the lead back.
Sophomore Cameron Gordon, 4, has wrapped up a starting linebacker spot alongside junior Kenny Demens.
AnnArbor.com file photo
Hoke said sophomore Cam Gordon will start at strong-side linebacker and junior Kenny Demens will anchor the middle. There still is a competition at weak-side linebacker, where the candidates include sophomore Mike Jones, freshman Desmond Morgan and junior Brandin Hawthorne.
Freshmen Jake Ryan and Brennen Beyer will be primary reserves.
Morgan, from Holland, Mich., has impressed the staff, but has battled a hamstring injury in camp.
Kicking While Hoke said "there's no doubt" true freshman Matt Wile will kick off, punting and place-kicking remain uncertain.
"I think Wile will probably punt, but Seth (Broekhuizen) is a good possibility (too)," Hoke said.
That decision probably will be made Wednesday or Thursday.
At placekicker, sophomore Brandon Gibbons appears to be the leader over Wile. Hoke has said although Wile has a stronger leg, Gibbons has been more consistent.
"Gibbons has done a nice job and has been accurate and has had a good camp," Hoke said. "They're evaluating their kicks because we film them a lot. We get a write-up from them, sometimes a page or a page-and-a-half."
Gibbons was 1-of-5 on field-goal attempts last year.
Cornerback
Hoke said this spot remains "hotly contested," and has named only Woolfolk as a starter.
Junior J.T. Floyd, sophomores Courtney Avery and Terrence Talbott and freshmen Blake Countess and Gregg Brown are in contention for the other starter's spot and time as reserves. Avery and Floyd are thought to be the leaders for the second starter's spot.
Punt/kick returner
Hoke said sophomore Jeremy Gallon has looked sharp at punt and kick returner in camp, two positions he held last year. He has not yet been named the starter for either position this year.
Hoke said junior running back Vincent Smith is another candidate to return kicks.
"He's not afraid to go hit somebody in the face or return the ball," Hoke said.
Sophomore Drew Dileo is challenging for time at punt returner. He returned two of them last year, averaging 6.5 yards apiece. He also returned eight kicks for an average of 21.6 yards per attempt.
"When you look at punts, first and foremost, you have to make sure that guy is going to be able to field the ball and isn't scared," Hoke said. "I think between (Gallon and Dileo), right now, we'll start that way."
Michigan's starting offensive line will include, from left, David Molk, Ricky Barnum and Taylor Lewan.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
The line will look like this: sophomore Taylor Lewan at left tackle, Ricky Barnum at left guard, senior David Molk at center, junior Patrick Omameh at right guard and senior Mark Huyge at right tackle. None of those is a surprise.
Etc. starters
Hoke also said senior Mike Martin is at nose tackle, junior Denard Robinson is at quarterback and senior Kevin Koger is at tight end. Each was expected to earn that respective spot.
OTHER NOTES
Practice schedule
Hoke said the team would be back at Michigan Stadium Saturday for a "good mental practice" of 60 to 75 minutes. On the agenda are kicking, 2-minute drills and other situational routines.
On Sunday, the team will have a full practice, much of which will be dedicated to Western Michigan. The Wolverines began preparing for the opener Wednesday.
The team will be off Monday, as per its normal weekly in-season schedule.
Video: Hoke on Friday's scrimmage
Odds and ends
Hoke, on this week's three transfers: "I think you're always surprised, but guys have to do what they think is right for them. This isn't for everybody here and, in fact, it never will be. You wish them the best. ... Ball security has been a point of emphasis this camp after Michigan posted a minus-32 turnover margin the past three years, and Hoke said he liked what he saw in that regard at the scrimmage. ... Hoke said there are no major injuries and added, as he knocked on the lecturn, that Michigan is "pretty good health-wise." ... Odoms participated in the scrimmage and has been competing in full drills for the past three days. He suffered an undisclosed left forearm injury in the summer and has been wearing a cast for the first two weeks of camp. ... Michigan ran 73 or 74 plays in Friday's scrimmage after running 126 at last Saturday's workout.
This story was edited to substitute Jake Ryan for Frank Clark.
Kyle Meinke covers Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2588, by email at kylemeinke@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @kmeinke.
Comments
Tru2Blu76
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 9:27 p.m.
Just wanna say how ballsy this Brady Hoke is. Here he is, a week from the first game, having the guys knock each other around - with attendant "minor injuries." I kinda doubt that RR ever tried that: if he had, the team would have ended up composed of all injured players. As it was, all three RR seasons featured more injuries than I'd ever seen in the Wolverines. Great "conditioning coach," that Barwis. (not!) I see improvement on every level, from every angle. What about you guys? TiM Go Blue!
MRunner73
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 6:07 p.m.
The kicking unit is a big question mark. Matt Wile is our hope at field goal attempts. I can only hope that Gibbons and Broekhuizen have their head on straight for this year. I don't know what was worse for last year; our overall defense or the kicking unit. Good luck to them all, we'll get our first look in one week. Go Blue!!
Tru2Blu76
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 9:01 p.m.
Which unit was worst? Can't cover every detail, but the actual rankings in Div 1 were: Defense 108th, Kicking 120th. This is a strange pre-season; we're celebrating the start of season but dropping to a knee every few minutes to pray for improvement on these two units. ;-)
rightmind250
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 1:26 p.m.
Geez, Is this really aa.com? Is this team so bad that we are going to tun this site into a personals pickup site? Did I just click on craigslist?
Blu n Tpa
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 1:58 p.m.
Don't worry rightnmind 250 you are safe from unwanted advances because these "pickup"s are based on intelligence, knowledge, and support of the University of Michigan and it's sports teams. TiM Go Blue!
seton
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 12:52 p.m.
The Ann Arbor News used to have a graphic every UM game day identifying the starting line ups on offense & defense for both teams. Could annarbor.com post a similar graphic on game days ?
1st Down
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 6:32 a.m.
Slightly OT... did any of you guys/ladies see Gary Danielson's "Heisman Favorites" over on CBSsports website? ...in the video he mentions tons of QBs from Andrew Luck to guys we have barely heard of....and nary a mention of Denard. Denard finished what...6th in the voting last year and Danielson cant even acknowledge him as a candidate? I seriously do not get that guy..such a shill for the SEC... he should move out of the state of Michigan if he still keeps his home there.
Bob
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 1:23 p.m.
Don't worry about the TV stiffs. If Denard deserves consideration it will be for what he accomplishes on the field. Just like with the Tigers in baseball, pre-season predictions are just that - predictions.
Mick
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 7:16 a.m.
Hey 1st Down, how do we get a hold of each other, they won't let me post my email for some reason. I know we talked about watching a U-M game together. Let me know if you have any ideas.
1st Down
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 6:37 a.m.
my bad again, here is the vid on cnnsi ...danielson is terrible <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/behindthemic/#/ncaaf_video/2011/08/24/082411.btm_gary_heisman" rel='nofollow'>http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/behindthemic/#/ncaaf_video/2011/08/24/082411.btm_gary_heisman</a>
Mick
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 6:21 a.m.
I'm so pumped that the season is a week away, I love this time of year. It's great to see who's gonna be on the two deep for playing time. I think our Offense is gonna be something special this year. If the Defense can improve to a top 50-60 in the Nation or better then look out. The kicking game improving to something resembling respectability would also be a welcome bonus. The time of reckoning is close people, real close! Go Blue!!!
BlueGator
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 9:51 a.m.
Based on 2010 FBS scoring distribution, if our defense improved by 10 points a game (which seems like a lot) we would improve from the 108th to 59th position in scoring D. Realistically, we have to expect our offense to take a slight hit this year if only because of our slower, ball control tempo. If we assume only a 4 point drop-off (one less TD offset by a field goal (!!!) each game), our offense drops rather steeply from 25th in scoring to 51st. The overall net improvement should enable us to win 6 to 8 games. Based solely on these crude stats, I'd take 8 Ws in 2011 in a heartbeat.
Dave
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 3:06 a.m.
can some one please tell me what happened to jake ryan? wasnt he supposed to be the next big thing coming out of summer camp and now he is not even on the 2 deep?????
ethanblue
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 2:03 p.m.
He's the primary backup to Cam Gordon -- that's two deep right there. I read somewhere else that Ryan was battling an injury this week and sat out some practices. He'll play against WMU, and I bet he'll be impressive.
Blu n Tpa
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 12:42 p.m.
1st, nice break from all football, all the time. (I just posted can't wait for the games to start.) Ford in Patriot Games is classic Jack Ryan and same book as my favorite of Clancey's. JR will see plenty of game time and that decision is another example of the differences from last year's staff and this years staff. There's no panic and the coaches are gettng the players prepared before putting them out on the field. Tends to build confidence. The scene is a sterile medical examiners office. Hooper takes the towel off the large tub holding the remains. Lifts the hand and forearm of what's left of the body. "This wasn't no boating accident!" He describes the vast damage, the tissue loss and turns and says. "This person was attack by the much improved Michigan defense, see the knocked silly expression on his face?" "The torn and tattered jersey is a sign of Wolverineous Ann Arborius." "Sheriff Brody, you need to post warning signs all around the visitors side lines. "It's dangerous around here." TiM Go Blue
1st Down
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 6:28 a.m.
yeah we will have to do that get together Mick next time im down san diego way or you are up here in LA...Im hoping to find the Western game streaming on the net next week or Ill have to catch it at a local bar here if they have it
1st Down
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 6:27 a.m.
Oops I shoulda said SAM not WILL... for Jake Ryan my bad...hey Kyle Meinke, your photo is funny it looks like you are about to crack a joke or burst in to a laugh
Mick
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 6:14 a.m.
1st Down, that's hilarious. I love quoting from movies and also wish I could decide who gets cast in movies. But you and I, Murrow's Ghost and Blu n Tpa should hang out some day over some drinks and talk M Football and quote from our favorite movies. We'll do this without any of the MCC either, how awesome! Anyone else in our camp would be welcome as well.
1st Down
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 6 a.m.
Well, they made a huge mistake in casting Ben Affleck in the role of Ryan in "The Sum of All Fears"... as his one-dimensional pretty boy acting style was a direct let down to the character. Even Morgan Freeman could not save that bomb (no pun intended if you have seen this film)... my favorite Ryan of course was Harrison Ford's depiction in the 2 early 90s films... however Tom Clancy, the author and creator of the Ryan character is partial to Alec Baldwin's portrayal in "The Hunt for Red October". oh...wait...just read it again, you said Jake not Jack.... well Jake Ryan is in the mix at WLB and the kid is a natural born playmaker who will push for playing time this year and by the time he graduates, will be a team captain.
wersch213
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 4:26 a.m.
He's a redshirt freshman that is competing. He'll be ready if called upon.
azwolverine
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 2:15 a.m.
Was the videographer slipping around on a banana peel the whole time or what? Sheesh, that was worse than my 4 year old trying to hold a camera steady.
Tru2Blu76
Sat, Aug 27, 2011 : 8:54 p.m.
I noticed that too - and did you notice the sound level wasn't very high. I am afraid that I may be responsible. Back in April (I think) when the Flip Camera production was shut down permanently, I emailed AnnArbor.com to suggest they try the Kodak Playsport (waterproof) video cameras. I had just gotten one for my trip to Yosemite: did not discover these two problems with holding the camera and having low mic sensitivity until later. Kodak, btw, was completely uncooperative with my complaints, basically said they thought this was normal and acceptable and told me to shove off.