Tag: TJ Guy

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.”

Michigan football physicality in practice helping continue winning culture

When practice is harder than the games, it means a team is championship-caliber. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — In order for Michigan football to become what Michigan football had long been understood as, the culture had to change. The intensity in practice had to change. Everything had to change.

And in 2021, everything did.

The accolades attained during the Bo Schembechler, Gary Moeller, and Lloyd Carr years had washed away. And even in the early Jim Harbaugh years, there were similarities to the Wolverines teams of old, but they still weren’t exactly on the same par.

That’s because there was one thing missing: games seeming to be easier than practice.

Such a sentiment was common for the maize and blue teams in the 1980s and 1990s, and started to wane in the latter yeas of the 2000s. It started to return when Harbaugh took over, but it didn’t result in championships. Now, with three Big Ten championships and a national championship under their belts, the Wolverines are finding games easier because they’re facing such fierce competition on a daily basis.

“In practice, no matter what group’s out there — ones, twos, threes — we expect no drop-off, so everything should look the same,” senior edge rusher TJ Guy said. “And (practicing) is probably harder than the games because a lot of the mental aspect that goes into practice, coming here every day, practicing every day. So building that callus mentally and physically — you can’t not get ready with that grind every day.”

The mentality shift came when the Wolverines decided the best course of action was to be player-led and become the toughest, most physical team they could be. The emergence of the ‘Beat Ohio’ drill coincided with the beginning of what ended up being a three-game winning streak against the Buckeyes.

Now there’s a ‘Quest for Atlanta’ drill — Atlanta being where the national championship game will be held this year — which expands the toughness drills from being 7-on-7 or 9-on-7 to 11-on-11.

The physicality that the maize and blue are playing with continues to ramp up, and that’s what continues to make Michigan better.

“Michigan’s always iron sharpens iron, good guys go against good guys,” senior fullback Max Bredeson said. “And we have the classic ‘Beat Ohio’ drill — that’s a staple of Michigan football. The ‘Quest for Atlanta’ drill — same thing.

“Just physical practices, ones-on-ones. When you’re practicing against guys who could be better than the guys who you play during the season, it just helps everyone get better. So I’d say it’s still as physical as it’s ever been.”

When it comes to the culture and health of the program, no one could give a better report than an outsider, someone who knows what it takes to play college football but who is seeing what is happening in Ann Arbor for the first time. Such is the case for Northwestern transfer Josh Priebe.

Priebe was a standout on an emerging Wildcats offensive line before he decided to make an intra-Big Ten move. And now that he’s a Wolverine, though he’s still months away from playing in a real game, he knows that he’s massively improved given the competition he’s faced in spring ball.

“First off going against guys like Mason Graham and K.G. — there’s no way that’s not going to make you better,” Priebe said. “And I have had a decent amount of experience playing in the conference, and I haven’t gone against guys with that level and that ability.

“Sometimes you play teams where there’s one guy who’s a really good player, but when you have both of those guys, you’re gonna be going against them every single time. I think that level of competition, it forces you to get better. And I think that’s what’s so been so great about Michigan so far is that you just develop it, guys develop at such a higher rate because of the level of competition and just the overall culture surrounding that.”

Why TJ Guy is prepared to step up for Michigan football in 2024

Can’t wait to see him in action in the spring game! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — One of the common denominators for Michigan football during spring ball has been the mention of senior pass rusher TJ Guy.

Guy came to Ann Arbor in 2021 and got 11 snaps in his freshman year on the road at Maryland, where he made a solid impression. He followed up with 120 snaps in 2022 and 129 snaps in 2023, but he never really burst onto the scene as an obvious player to succeed in 2024. But Guy appears to be on track to do just that.

As a former three-star who came to Ann Arbor and had to wait his turn — especially considering Michigan has brought in transfers at his position each of the last two seasons in Eyabi Okie and Josaiah Stewart — he now appears to be rounding into form. And he was able to do so because he didn’t get bitter about having to wait for his opportunity — he got better.

“It’s hard, but it’s not hard to stay motivated with what this place can do for you,” Guy said. “So try not to get too emotional about it, take everything for a lesson, just get better mentally, physically — be where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there.”

So what has been his focus all offseason to prepare for his shot? Guy says it’s the pretty typical progression that an edge rusher works on.

“Getting stronger, bigger — all those things,” Guy said. “Sharpening my toolbox with the pass rush and things like that. Playing the run better, hitting the sled — little type of things like that.”

Of course, each pass rusher has his own set of skills. Some are speed rushers. Some set the edge. Some are best against the run.

As for Guy, while he’s working to become a well-rounded player on the field, there is one attribute to his game that he feels is better than all others.

“Definitely getting to the passer,” Guy said. “Pass rushing is what I pride myself on. Trying to be really dominant in that this year — but in all phases. A lot of time that I’ve been practicing and stuff I’ve really been sharper in all areas of my game. I can still definitely continue to get better in the run — in all phases, like pass rush even — everything. But I pride myself on pass rush.”

Fans will get an opportunity to see an improved TJ Guy on April 20 when Michigan football hosts the annual spring game. It will kick off at noon EDT at The Big House and will be nationally broadcast on Fox.

Roundup: Meet Michigan football’s 2021 recruiting class

A full roundup of recruiting evaluations, facts, stats, film and everything else covering Michigan football’s signed 2021 class.

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It wasn’t a perfect signing day for Michigan football, as there were a few unhappy surprises, and a big great one — as well as a couple of smaller ones — so it was mostly good for the Wolverines. It took a minute for the letters of intent to start rolling in, but once they did, they came in with regularity.

We scoured the main sites for breakdowns and intel on all of Michigan football’s newest members, including the new bios from the program itself. Here’s everything you need to know about Michigan football’s 2021 recruiting class, in order of their signing.

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Dominick Giudice

From MGoBlue.com:

Prep
• Attended Mater Dei High School (2021) coached by Dino Mangiero
• Helped Mater Dei finish as the state runner-up after reaching the championship game as a junior
• Played all along the defensive line and offensive tackle in high school
• Selected to the Mater Dei Prep All-Decade Team (2010-19) on defense

Key Statistics
• Credited with 46 tackles, seven tackles for loss, six sacks and 42 quarterback pressures as a senior
• Totaled 43 tackles for loss and 24 sacks as a junior – total was No. 1 in New Jersey and ranked 11th nationally

Honors and Rankings
• Earned a 247Sports Composite ranking of three stars; the No. 1,958 overall player nationally, the No. 100 weakside defensive end and the No. 42 player in the state of New Jersey
• Three-star prospect according to 247Sports; the No. 111 defensive end nationally and the No. 43 player in the state of New Jersey
• Rated as a three-star prospect by ESPN, the No. 179 defensive end and the No. 35 player in the state of New Jersey
• Rivals.com two-star prospect
• First team All-New Jersey Defensive pick by USA Today as a senior
• Named the division’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a senior; first team defense All-Division selection
• Earned Jersey Sports Zone All-Zone Team as a junior and senior

Personal
• Dominick Giudice was born Sept. 12, 2002
• Son of Anthony and Maryann Giudice

The Wolverine’s EJ Holland:

He plays with a relentless motor and has shown improvement with the way he uses his hands. Giudice doesn’t bend all that well, and a clear lack of athleticism prevents him from going higher in my ranking. He also needs to work on his get off. Giudice fits the cliché billing as a lunch pail recruit with a chip on his shoulder. Overall, you’re getting a big, strong, mean kid that lacks athleticism but will be the hardest worker in the room.

Maize N Brew:

Giudice has said that the coaches plan to play him at the anchor position, which I agree matches his skillset the best right now. He doesn’t have the athleticism to be a pure pass rusher on the weakside, but can definitely take on tight ends and clog up running lanes. However, I think that eventually he’ll pack on 20 or 30 more pounds and slide inside to be a three-tech, where his pass rush skills will be more valuable.

Wolverine Digest:

2021 Outlook: Giudice is an underrated recruit, but does have some upside. At 6-4, 250 pounds, he has the type of frame and athletic ability that will serve him well at the defensive end position. He’s also been described as a kid who is moving fast at all times, making it difficult for offensive lineman to keep him in check. It’s unlikely that Guidice will become an impact player in year one, but the upside is definitely there for him to become one at some point.

Next: Michigan’s tight end of the future

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National Signing Day: Michigan Wolverines sign TJ Guy

Michigan football gets a defensive end who could eventually move inside.

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Ratings

Stars Overall Position State
247Sports 3 – 35 5
Rivals 3 – – 7
ESPN 3 – 105 9
247Sports Composite 3 928 50 6

Vitals

Hometown Mansfield (MA)
Projected Position Defensive End
Height 6-foot-4
Weight 240-pounds

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Recruitment

Once a Boston College commit, Guy withdrew his pledge in Feb. 2020 and flipped to Michigan football on April 17, 2020. He also boasted offers from Nebraska, Pitt, and Syracuse.

Readiness Level

Candidate to add bulk and move inside to defensive tackle. Likely between one-to-three years out.

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Film

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEjqoR73zL4

Stories

TJ Guy commits to Michigan.

Fab Four: Selecting Michigan football’s Mount Rushmore of all-time recruits

TJ Guy commits to Michigan

The maize and blue received their ninth commitment of the 2021 cycle.

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The Massachusetts to Michigan pipeline continues.

The Wolverines already have two commitments from The Bay State in 2021 in three-star linebacker Casey Phinney and four-star tight end Louis Hansen — and that’s not even counting Massachusetts native Greg Crippen, who now plays at IMG Academy in Florida — but with Mansfield (MA) three-star weak-side defensive end TJ Guy deciding between the maize and blue and hometown Boston College, it seems that the pull to Ann Arbor was too strong.

Recruited by fellow New Englander Don Brown, who has been a mainstay in the region — and having gotten some real talent from the area, including now-starter, Rhode Island-native Kwity Paye and incoming four-star linebacker Kalel Mullings — Guy ended his process on Friday, becoming the ninth commit for Michigan in the 2021 class.

According to the 247Sports Composite, Guy is rated as the No. 758 recruit in the country, regardless of position. He chose Michigan after decommitting from Boston College but also had offers from Nebraska, UConn, Pitt, Syracuse and Virginia. 247Sports has Guy as the nation’s 31st-ranked weak-side defensive end and fifth-best player in the state of Massachusetts.

Guy spoke to The Wolverine’s EJ Holland before he announced his commitment and shared why he’s pledging to Michigan without having ever visited campus.

Michigan, on the other hand, has pushed hard for Guy since offering back in February. UM defensive coordinator Don Brown has strong roots in New England, and the Wolverines have had plenty of success in the area over the last couple of cycles.

As mentioned, Guy has not visited Michigan. But the Wolverines are a finalist because of the relationships he’s built with Brown and the rest of the Michigan coaching staff.

“I have a great relationship with Coach Don Brown and Coach Shaun Nua,” Guy said. “I FaceTime those guys a lot. They opened me up to the whole school because I can’t visit. I’ve talked to Coach (Jim) Harbaugh a lot of times. I’ve talked to the head of education. I’ve seen all I’ve needed to see from Michigan. They made it easy for me to put them in the final decision.”

Watch his mid-season junior film below:

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