Tag: Drake Nugent

Top three centers in the Big Ten for 2023

The Big Ten has some stud centers going into 2023 #B1G #GoBucks

We had a really easy time picking guards, because of the abundance of talent at the position in the Big Ten, but pickings are a bit slimmer at offensive tackle and now we see center is a bit slim as well. It is also not a good sign that we have yet another offensive line position group that does not include an Ohio State Buckeye.

I hope someone for Ohio State steps up because it is not the best omen that Michigan has had a representative in every position group and Ohio State has only shown up within the guard list. Now let’s dive into the centers.

 

Athlon Sports names several Michigan football players in its Big Ten All-Transfer Portal Team for 2023

#Michigan may have the best transfer portal class in the Big Ten. #GoBlue

It’s well known the talent Michigan football brought in for the 2023 season via the transfer portal. The Wolverines brought in plenty of depth at positions of need and a few of the transfers are about a virtual lock to start for the maize and blue.

Athlon Sports created its Big Ten All-Transfer Portal Team for the 2023 season. There were several new Michigan players on the team.

Offensive Line:

La’Darius Henderson

Drake Nugent

Myles Hinton

The arrival of Hinton, Nugent, and Henderson is a big reason why Michigan’s offensive line should remain among the best in college football.

Michigan brought La’Darius Henderson in from Arizona State and he is widely expected to lock down the left tackle job this fall. He started 29 games during his four-year stint with Arizona State and was a team captain last season.

The Wolverines brought over center Drake Nugent and tackle Myles Hinton from Stanford. Nugent should start for Michigan at center with Olu Oluwatimi off to the NFL. He started 24 games for Stanford at center and was a two-time All-Pac 12 honorable mention.

Myles Hinton started 16 games at right tackle for Stanford. Hinton has plenty of talent, but it’s hard seeing him pass Karsen Barnhart or Trente Jones at right tackle. Hinton has the ability to transition to guard to be added depth.

Defensive Line:

Josaiah Stewart

Stewart was brought to Ann Arbor from Coastal Carolina where he starred for two seasons. He had 12.5 sacks his freshman season which is a single-season record at Coastal Carolina. He is a two-time All-Sun Belt award winner during his two years there.

Linebacker:

Ernestt Hausmann

Hausmann flashed potential as a freshman at Nebraska last year by collecting 54 stops over 12 games. He may not start with Michael Barrett and Junior Colson returning, but look for the sophomore to see plenty of snaps for the Wolverines in ’23.

Hausmann started seven games for Nebraska last season as a true freshman. He was one of the better tacklers on the team and had his first sack against Michigan on his way to a 10-tackle day against the Wolverines. Hausmann should be an instant-impact player Day 1 for Michigan.

Kicker:

James Turner

Turner came to Michigan from Louisville and he will battle freshman Adam Samaha for the kicking job. He was a two-time All-ACC honorable mention with the Cardinals. Last season, he was 20-for-22 on field goals last season. But it will not be easy to replace All-American Jake Moody.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal title=”An offer for Wolverines fans” description=”For the best local Detroit news, sports, entertainment and culture coverage, subscribe to the Detroit Free Press.” url=”https://cm.freep.com/channeloffer?gps-source=CPSMGMIDARTICLE&utm_source=smg&utm_medium=inline&utm_content=wolverineswire&utm_campaign=smgtolocal&offer=W-SF&barBuild=atoms-pid” button_text=”$1 for 3 months”]

2023 Buckeyes Wire Preseason All-Big Ten team: Offensive Linemen

We dive into our predictions for the All-Big Ten offensive line. #GoBucks #B1G

The 2023 college football season is right around the corner and the Big Ten is loaded with top-notch talent and predicting who will end up on the All-Big Ten has proven challenging. Not only was it hard to choose one player over another, but it was also hard to admit that the Michigan Wolverines have a number of studs that will potentially wreak havoc on the rest of the conference.

This list is going to dive into the offensive linemen and as expected the Big Ten has some dominant offensive linemen that make it very hard to narrow it down to just five. This list will not make Ohio State fans happy, but the reality is there is some elite talent in the trenches of the Big Ten.

In the age of the transfer portal, it is possible for a complete dark horse to rise as a frontrunner, but we will do our best to provide the most educated guess based on previous performances and situations.

Multiple Michigan football players make Athlon Sports’ preseason All-American team

There may be even more when the season is over! #GoBlue

Athlon Sports came out with their annual preseason All-American teams this week and there were multiple Michigan football players who cracked the list.

During 2022, Michigan had four members get All-American honors: Blake Corum, Olu Oluwatimi, Jake Moody, and Mike Morris. The Wolverines return Corum, who is coming off an injury that sidelined him the final three games of the season, but one would figure if he stays healthy — he will be back on an All-American team.

There are several candidates on the 2023 roster who could be All-Americans at the end of the season. And according to Athlon Sports, there are eight Michigan players that will be an All American in 2023.

Here are the Wolverines that made cut.

Three Michigan football players on early All-American list for 2023 season

Michigan will have a few All-Americans in 2023. #GoBlue

Michigan football had an outstanding 2022 campaign after beating both rivals and winning the Big Ten. The Wolverines found themselves back into the College Football Playoff for the second year in a row, but the maize and blue had the same result — a loss in the first round.

However, an undefeated season is no small feat, especially in the Big Ten. For a team to go undefeated and win its conference, it must have some dynamic players on the roster. Last season, Michigan had four All-Americans. Blake Corum, Olu Oluwatimi, Jake Moody and Mike Morris all had All-American honors.

Looking ahead to 2023, Pro Football Focus came out with an early 2023 All-American list. The Wolverines had three players make PFF’s list.

The first, to no surprise, was running back Blake Corum. The senior back shocked some people when he decided to come back for his senior season and forgo the NFL draft where he may have been one of the first running backs off the board. Corum rushed for 1,463 yards in 12 games last season and was in the Heisman voting. If he can stay healthy this season, expect him to be back in the conversation in 2023.

Corum’s 96.2 grade didn’t just lead all players in the country this past season, it was the best PFF has ever seen from a Power Five player.

Highest-graded seasons by a Power Five player in PFF College era (since 2014)
Name School Position Season Grade
Blake Corum Michigan RB 2022 96.2
Kyle Pitts Florida TE 2020 96.0
Chase Young Ohio State EDGE 2019 96.0
Quinnen Williams Alabama DI 2018 96.0

Corum’s 96 rushing first downs/touchdowns were second-most in the country behind only Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim, who received 72 more carries. The junior should be on the shortlist of favorites for the Heisman Trophy next season.

Depending on who you listen to or what you read, seeing Drake Nugent on this list may shock you. The Wolverines landed Oluwatimi from Virginia as a graduate transfer last season and it worked wonders. Jim Harbaugh and the maize and blue are hoping they can find the same success with the Stanford transfer in 2023. Though it seems Nugent will be a lock to start at center, he will battle both Greg Crippen and Raheem Anderson to anchor the Michigan offensive line in 2023.

Despite losing Outland Trophy winner Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan should still have elite play in the middle of its offensive line.

Nugent is the highest-ranked center on this list and is the most valuable returning player at the position in the Power Five according to PFF’s wins above average metric. The Stanford transfer’s 84.1 run-blocking grade ranked third among all centers in the country this past season. Between Nugent creating holes in the middle and two top-10 running backs in Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, the Wolverines’ ground game should once again be deadly next season.

Will Johnson is another no-surprise to make PFF’s All-American list for 2023. PFF lists Johnson as a ‘Flex-D’ position and has Kool-Aid McKinstry and Kalen King ahead of him at cornerback, but Johnson still found his way on the list. Just a freshman last season, Johnson turned into arguably Michigan’s best defensive back when the season was all over. He should have an excellent sophomore year.

Johnson entered Ann Arbor as a five-star recruit and showed immediately that he was worth the hype.

He’ll remind many of Patrick Surtain II thanks to his size (6-foot-2) and lockdown ability. As a true freshman, Johnson led all corners in the Power Five with a 91.1 grade in man coverage. His two interceptions in man were also tied for fifth in that same group.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbzardvge799bm2 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=]

Two Michigan football interior offensive linemen ranked in top 10

The O-Line will dominate once again in 2023. #GoBlue

When your football team has won the Joe Moore Award for having the nation’s most outstanding offensive line in back-to-back seasons — you can expect big things on a yearly basis.

The Wolverines return three starters from the 2022 season on the offensive line: Trevor Keegan, Zak Zinter and Karsen Barnhart. Add transfers Drake Nugent, Myles Hinton and La’Darius Henderson, the maize and blue have a real chance to contend for the award again in 2023.

Pro Football Focus is pretty high on Michigan in 2023, kind of like most sites around. PFF has switched focus to the offensive line for next season, and the analytic site ranked the top-10 returning interior linemen for 2023.

Michigan had two offensive linemen on the list. Guard Zak Zinter was ranked No. 3 and incoming transfer Drake Nugent was ranked No. 6.

The only other Big Ten player on the list was Ohio State‘s guard Donovan Jackson at No. 9.

Signed: Michigan football signs transfer Drake Nugent

#Michigan may have found its next starter at center! #GoBlue

Transfer Portal Ratings

Stars Overall Position
247Sports 3 #67 #3 IOL
On3 4 #37 #2 IOL

Vitals

Hometown Littleton, Colorado
Projected Position Center
Height 6-foot-1
Weight 300-pounds
High School Class 2019
Team Transferring From Stanford
HS 247Sports Composite Ranking 3-star (#1141 prospect)
HS On3 Consensus Ranking 3-star (#1015 prospect)

 

Years Of Eligibility

  • Two years

Projection at Michigan

  • Nugent has started a lot of games at center for Stanford and Michigan will lose the Rimington winner Olu Oluwatimi after this season. We would expect Nugent to start next fall at center for the Wolverines.

Notes

  • 24 straight starts at center for Stanford
  • Was on the Rimington Watch List in 2022

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbzardvge799bm2 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=]

[listicle id=66809]

 

Michigan football gets second transfer portal commitment of the day

This is crazy! #GoBlue

Did we say Michigan football is killing it in the transfer portal? Because Michigan football is killing it in the transfer portal.

Entering Sunday, the Wolverines had three commitments: LaDarius Henderson, Ernest Hausmann and Myles Hinton. They added a fourth on Sunday afternoon when Josaiah Stewart committed to the maize and blue. Then the Wolverines added another.

Drake Nugent, like Myles Hinton, came from Stanford. The No. 63 player in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports, the center is 6-foot-2, 275 pounds. He joins his former Stanford teammate committing to Michigan football, according to a report from 247Sports.

Nugent makes the fifth transfer commitment for Michigan. All five are in the top 100. The Wolverines have a handful more targets, indicating they may not be done.
[lawrence-related id=66660,66653,66647]
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbzardvge799bm2 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=]