Tag: Micah Pollard

Young guys leading the charge for Michigan football front seven

The #Michigan defense is going to be stellar again this year. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — We already know who many of the main players for Michigan football will be in 2024, especially on defense. Up front, Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant are perhaps the best defensive tackle duo in the country, while linebackers Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham have been getting a lot of publicity this offseason.

But a team is only as good as its depth, one thing the Wolverines have had in spades the past three years.

So, with that in mind, what linebackers are standing out seven practices into spring practice? Position coach Brian Jean-Mary shed some light on the topic, noting some names that have been heard from the past few years, but haven’t necessarily put their stamp on the game as of yet.

“Some of the guys that I think are playing well are Jayden Hood — he’s been here for a while, very, very talented guy that says he’s been waiting for his opportunity. I think he’s taken advantage of it right now,” Jean-Mary said. “Micah Pollard I think fits in that category, too. An older guy, a talented guy who hasn’t played as much as he’d like to but is doing a solid job for us. You’ve got Christian Boivin who has been a great special teams player, he’s doing an excellent job for us there as one of the older guys.

“Some of the younger guys I feel like have an opportunity and we want to see more from and I think they’re gonna have a chance will be Jason Hewlett, Semaj Bridgeman, and Hayden Moore have done a good job for us but, obviously, this back half of spring as far as depth chart goes, we’re going to have to see which one of those guys are going to separate themselves.

“Obviously, the young kids, Cole Sullivan and Jeremiah Beasley — guys that should be in high school and they’re getting quality reps at spring practice — very, very excited about those two guys. I think they’re going to be two high-end guys that are going to continue the tradition that we’ve had here of solid linebackers that are very, very productive. Been very, very happy with those guys.”

What’s more, the linebackers are better when those in front of them are solid at their jobs. And Jean-Mary sees a lot of depth emerging there, as well.

Without wanting to step on the toes of new defensive line coach Lou Esposito, Jean-Mary is excited about one name that seems to keep emerging all spring, as well as another who has gotten a ton of mentions.

“I know guys that stood out so far in the front have been Enow Etta, has done a really, really good job,” Jean-Mary said. “TJ Guy has stepped up and done a really good job. Those are just two guys — like I said, I don’t want to steal the thunder from the D-line coach. As a linebacker coach and sitting back and listening to Coach Wink in the room, those are two guys who seem to be having a really, really good spring.”

Brian Jean-Mary excited about the younger group of Michigan football linebackers

The linebacker room is much improved since Jean-Mary was last at #Michigan. #GoBlue

As new Michigan football defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has waxed ecstatic about how bright the middle of the defense is with the established players — going from the interior defensive line to the linebackers to the safeties — there will be some smaller challenges in the very middle.

The Wolverines lost the linebacker duo of Junior Colson and Mike Barrett to the NFL draft but they have a solid combination coming in to replace them in junior Ernest Hausmann and Maryland transfer Jaishawn Barham. New position coach Brian Jean-Mary is very excited to work with them, but like any defense, the maize and blue are going to need production from beyond just the starters.

Speaking to Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches Podcast, Jean-Mary broke down the players he feels are most ready to step in behind the expected starting tandem of Hausmann and Barham, noting two familiar names who have a ton of potential and have flashed but haven’t yet made names of themselves on the field.

“I can go through names, we’ve already talked about Ernest and we talked about Jaishawn, but I think Jimmy Rolder who has got some good snaps, has played in some games last year, I think he’s got a chance to be a very, very productive player,” Jean-Mary said. “Like what I’ve seen from him. We have another veteran in the room in Jaydon Hood who has patiently waited his time. I think he’s got a chance to really help us next year because he does have the experience and he’s been in some critical situations in some games, too. Those two guys are some of the older guys that played a little bit last year.”

Of course, the room is much deeper than that, and it’s continued to get deeper throughout the past few years.

For a while, the linebacker room had been bereft of elite talent, but now we’ve gotten to a point where we start to forget about four-stars and high three-stars because they’ve had to wait their turns behind players such as Colson and Barrett.

Jean-Mary went on to discuss the rest of the room, noting that there’s a lot of talent that he predicts could find themselves getting major playing time this season. Much of it will depend on spring ball and fall camp, but he likes a lot of the potential of his inherited group.

“Really excited about some of the younger kids,” Jean-Mary said. “I think Christian Boivin is a high-level special teams guy that I really think he’s going to carve his niche in that linebacker room. I know another guy that I think the fans will be excited about, has shown some flashes but has to be more consistent in Micah Pollard. He’s a great athlete, still trying to learn the linebacker position but you can see some of the growth just off tape and what I’ve seen these last couple of weeks watching him run around and being at meetings with him.

“I’d be remiss to mention some of the guys who haven’t played that are kind of newer to the program in Semaj Bridgeman and Jason Hewlett, two young guys who are very, very active. Very athletic. We’re going to throw them in the fire and see how they react this spring.

“We have two midyears that have a chance to be really, really good in Cole Sullivan and Jeremiah Beasley. We have a good group and I always try not to miss anybody. Another kid that’s been good that comes up and we’re expecting a good spring from is Hayden Moore. I think he’s got a chance to do some positive things to see if he can be one of the guys that get on the bus and help us play a high level of defense but also helps us on special teams.”

Michigan football players whose fathers have NFL pedigrees

NFL blood is in their veins! #GoBlue

One thing you can often point to when it comes to a college football player having success is ‘it’s in their blood.’ for eight Michigan football players, that’s certainly true.

While Michigan football sends a ton of players to the NFL on a yearly basis, often times, there are players in Ann Arbor who have descended from former NFL players. Though it’s rare that the NFL legacies are also Wolverine legacies, having grown up with someone having had pro experience can often be an indicator of future success.

With that in mind, here are the eight Michigan Wolverines who are on the 2022 team who have had fathers who played in the NFL.

National Signing Day: Michigan football signs Micah Pollard

Is this the next David Ojabo or Josh Uche for #Michigan?

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbzardvge799bm2 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://wolverineswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Ratings

Stars Overall Position State
247Sports 3 – 90 100
Rivals 3 – 41 86
ESPN 3 – 64 123
On3 3 – 48 63
247Sports Composite 3 700 72 101
On3 Consensus 3 615 65 82

Vitals

Hometown Jacksonville (Fla.) Bartram Trail
Projected Position Linebacker
Height 6-foot-3
Weight 200-pounds

Recruitment

A linebacker who should be thought of as a potential pass rusher, Pollard hails from the same school as former commit Mario Eugenio. Though Eugenio decommitted and ultimately flipped to Cincinnati, Pollard stayed true to his pledge.

He had offers from Auburn, Ole Miss, Penn State, South Carolina, and more.

Readiness Level

Likely won’t be ready to contribute for a year or two.

[listicle id=54448]

Film

[vertical-gallery id=53624]

Michigan football reels in priority 2022 EDGE from SEC country

You’re gonna want to see his highlights! #GoBlue

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbzardvge799bm2 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://wolverineswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Michigan football recruiting in the 2022 cycle continues to be on a tear.

While many of the names who have pledged to the maize and blue haven’t been high-profile in a traditional sense, they have been players that the Wolverines coaching staff had long identified as priorities to bring into the fold.

Such is the case for Jacksonville (FL) Bartram Trail three-star EDGE Micah Pollard.

As 247Sports’ Steve Lorenz noted in his May 2021 discussion with WolverinesWire, the “Jacksonville native has a connection to Braylon Edwards; was one of the first prospects the new defensive staff offered after taking over.” He noted that he was a high-priority for Michigan football this cycle.

And on Monday, he committed to the Wolverines, the 16th pledge in the 2022 class.

According to the 247Sports Composite, Pollard is the No. 550 recruit in the country nationally. He’s also the No. 56 linebacker and No. 78 player in the state of Florida. With Tampa (FL) Gaither four-star Mario Eugenio also in the fold, he’s the second EDGE prospect from the Sunshine State, and the third pass rusher in the class overall, with Kavonte Henry also committed.

He held 27 reported offers, including from the likes of Auburn, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pitt, South Carolina, UCF and Virginia Tech.

Pollard is listed at 6-foot-3, 200-pounds. He had 12 sacks and 25 tackles for loss in the 2020 season as a junior.

Watch his highlights here:

[listicle id=35764]

Michigan football on-deck for Monday commitment?

Will #Michigan beat out some big-time SEC schools for his services? #GoBlue

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbzardvge799bm2 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://wolverineswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

The commits keep coming for Michigan football, but will they continue into this week?

While the Wolverines lost out on four-star safety D’Arco Perkins-McAllister, who committed to TCU on Saturday, the maize and blue are certainly hopeful that the class will get bigger on Monday.

One of Michigan’s top targets in the 2022 cycle is Jacksonville (FL) Bartram Trail three-star EDGE Micah Pollard. While the program has a handful of EDGEs in the 2022 class already — four-star Mario Eugenio and three-star Kavonte Henry — it appears as if the Wolverines are poised to add another come Monday in Pollard. As of current, Michigan leads 80% to 20% in the 247Sports Crystal Ball for his services, and he plans to make his verbal pledge on Monday, July 12 at 4 p.m. EDT.

Pollard is rated the No. 550 prospect overall according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s also the 56th-best linebacker prospect and No. 78 player in the state of Florida.

Auburn currently holds 20% of the crystal ball, but Michigan’s run to lead the predictions has come in the month of July, whereas the Tigers’ vote came in June. He also holds offers from Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Penn State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and others.

George Helow is the primary recruiter for Pollard’s services.

[listicle id=35735]