Joel Klatt lists three Michigan football players that stood out in the spring game

Watch out for these three this fall. #GoBlue

Joel Klatt has seen a lot of Michigan football over the years, and he admits this year may be different — but still kind of the same.

On his post-spring game reaction video on the Wolverines, Klatt noted that while the coaching staff and personnel will look a lot different, the mission and tactics used to achieve said mission are the same.

There are some returning players expected to carry the load, such as Will Johnson, Kenneth Grant, Mason Graham, Colston Loveland and Donovan Edwards. But if the maize and blue want to return to the College Football Playoff and continue building on the past three years, some players previously unknown to the national audience will have to step up.

On Tuesday, Klatt shared three Michigan football players who could step up based on what he saw from the field on Saturday.

“Who are some of the guys that maybe you don’t know about that really impressed me on Saturday?” Klatt said. “On the edge, a guy named TJ Guy — not just a guy, but TJ Guy. A sack, good pressure throughout. A big reason they were successful was the fact that they could rotate throughout the defensive line, specifically at the edges. So TJ Guy in rotation is going to be important. Now is he going to be asked to be in a star, leading role, get 10 sacks? No. But if he’s a guy that can have production, can be on the field in critical moments against big opponents, that’s going to help them become a bigger defense overall, because then the starters — like Josaiah Stewart — won’t have to play the kinds of snaps he would otherwise have to play. So a guy like TJ Guy would be very important.

“How about Zeke Berry? He flashed in Saturday’s game. Coach Moore talked about it with me on the field. Charles Woodson was talking about it as well. He was constantly around the ball and he’s going to looking to fill that role that was left, a huge gaping hole by Mike Sainristil, who’s one of the best defenders not only on their team but in the country. I think towards the end, I would categorize him as the best defender on the best defense in college football. You’re gonna have to replace that guy. Zeke Berry made a lot of plays on that defense on Saturday and he’s a guy that they’ll really be looking to to be productive next year.

“On the offensive side, it’s going to be important that they have a second tight end. Because Colston Loveland is probably the best tight end in the country. They need a second because of their philosophy, their structure, the way they like to run offense. They want to be in 12 personnel — one back, two tight ends. So they need another tight end. Watch out for Marlin Klein. Marlin Klein is a guy that played a lot of soccer in his youth, is fairly new to football, so again, he’s perfect for this development structure that Michigan has. And grew up in Germany. He’s fast. He had four catches on Saturday. Didn’t really get out but they say he may be one of the fastest players on the team. His emergence will be huge. If you can flex out Colston Loveland and guy that can run 4..4, 4.35 in a guy like Marlin Klein? That’s dangerous! And that’s very dangerous in an offense that could feature a running quarterback.”

National Signing Day: Michigan football signs Marlin Klein

#Michigan’s longest-tenured commit in the 2022 class!

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Ratings

Stars Overall Position State
247Sports 3 28 44
Rivals 3 26 45
ESPN 3 17 75
On3 4 19 31
247Sports Composite 3 538 29 53
On3 Consensus 4 435 22 41

Vitals

Hometown Raban Gap (Ga.) Nacoochee School
Projected Position Tight end
Height 6-foot-6
Weight 215-pounds

Recruitment

Originally from Germany, Klein wasn’t the first pledge to Michigan football’s 2022 class, but he is now the longest tenured, as the players who committed before him dropped out.

His recruitment was relatively quiet, but he did have offers from Georgia, Florida State, Cincinnati, Ole Miss, Michigan State, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, and more.

Readiness Level

Likely a year or two away from being a contributor.

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Film

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2022 3-star Georgia tight end commits to Michigan

The Wolverines picked up their third commitment of the 2022 cycle.

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It appears that the maize and blue have added once again to the 2022 class, gaining the third commitment of the cycle.

But it was done quietly this time around. No hat dance, no announcement on live TV. There wasn’t even a Twitter post (at least at the time of this writing).

No, 2022 Rabun Gap (GA) Nacoochie School three-star tight end Marlin Klein did things the old fashioned way — simply called the coaches and told them he was in. The news was first reported by 247Sports’ Steve Lorenz.

Eventually, Klein did take to Instagram to announce his commitment, letting his followers know that he’s all in for Michigan football.

View this post on Instagram

COMMITTED!!!!!〽️〽️〽️

A post shared by MARLIN KLEIN (@marlinklein17) on

Klein is rated a three-star at No. 371 overall in the 2022 class. He’s the No. 18 tight end and No. 30 player in the state of Georgia according to the 247Sports Composite.

With his commitment, Michigan moves up from No. 12 to No. 6 in the 2020 247Sports Team Rankings.