6B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - April 17, 2006
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The 2006 football season is still more than four months away, but that doesn't
mean it's too early to take a look at how the Wolverines will shape up when they
take the field. Here's a breakdown of where Michigan stands at each
position at the conclusion of spring practice.
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By Scott Bell and StephaniE
Quarterback
For the second straight spring, Chad
Henne is entering the upcoming sea-
son as the consensus No. 1 quarter-.
back for Michigan. But unlike last
season, he doesn't have a steady
insurance policy behind him.
Now that last year's backup,
Matt Gutierrez, has transferred
to Idaho State, a rather large
void has been left at the No.2 slot.
Redshirt freshman Jason Forcier,
whose top accomplishment according
to the media guide is leading last year's
scout team, seems to be the backup as
of now. Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said
he looks for true freshman David Cone to com-
pete for the spot as well next fall.
Running Back>>
Carr has raved that this year's backfieldk
will be a lot deeper than last year's, which saw
then-sophomore Mike Hart battle injuries, then-
freshman Kevin Grady make typical first-year
mistakes and then-sophomore Max Martin suffer
from fumblitis.
Now, Hart says he's completely 100-percent, Grady has slimmed down
significantly and has a year of experience under his belt, and Martin has
transferred, leaving an opportunity for playing time for other emerging
Wolverines.
True freshman Carlos Brown, who has enrolled in classes a semester
early just like Grady did last yearhas already wowed teammates with his
breakaway speed. Senior Alijah Bradley and redshirt freshman Mister
Simpson also hope to be in the ball carrier mix as the season progresses.
Senior Jerome Jackson, who
received a good deal of play-
ing time last season, was
held out of spring practice
to injury.
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Daily Sports Editors
f
son. Junior Alan Branch spent most of last season switching back
and forth between tackle and end. As it stands right now, it looks
as if Branch will take Watson's spot in the lineup. Sophomore Ter-
rance Taylor seems to be the front runner to start alongside Branch.
Junior Will Johnson saw significant time at tackle last season, but
has missed time this spring with an injury. He should be in the mix
come fall practice.
Senior LaMarr Woodley briefly considered leaving Michigan for
the NFL Draft after his junior season, but he decided to come back
for a final go-around. Woodley looks to be a lock to retain his job as
starting rush linebacker. With his size and athleticism, junior Tim
Jamison's should also find his way onto the field. The starting spot
on the other side of the line is a little harder to call. Injuries limited
fifth-year senior Rondell Biggs's time in the lineup last season, but
his experience should give him the starting job this year. Carr has
always spoken highly of fifth-year senior Jeremy Van Alstyne,
who should see significant time off the bench.
Linebackers
Then-junior David Harris had a breakout year in 2005 and comes
into the 2006 campaign as one of the top linebackers in the Big
Ten. For his final season in Ann Arbor, Harris will anchor the
Wolverines' linebacking corps as their starter in the middle.
Senior Prescott Burgess had an impressive junior year and
should keep his starting spot on the outside.
The third starter is not as clear. Junior Chris Graham is
the returning starter, but senior Shawn Crable saw his
playing time increase as last season progressed. At the
moment, it appears that Crable has worked his way
into a starting lineup. As for the backups, junior John
Thompson put in a stellar performance against Iowa.
With Graham, Thompson and sophomore Brandon Logan in the
mix, the Wolverines' linebacking depth should be a strength.
<<Secondary
The spot opposite senior Leon Hall
could create the biggest competition in
the offseason for a starting spot. Three
people have been battling for the start-
ing cornerback spot, and it's anyone's
guess who will emerge as the second
starter. Sophomore Morgan Trent
is the candidate with the most
experience. The converted wide
receiver saw significant time at
the corner last year and was the
leading candidate for the starting
job as the spring season began.
But both sophomore Charles Stew-
art and redshirt freshman Johnny Sears have
come on strong this spring and have made the
cornerback spot very tightly contested.
An injury bug struck Michigan's safeties last
season, which means the Wolverines return a
number of experienced players at the position.
Junior Jamar Adams is the leading candidate to start
at strong safety, but senior Brandent Englemon, who has been
out with an injury, will challenge him when he returns. At free
safety, fifth-year senior Willis Barringer is the best guess to
start, with sophomore Brandon Harrison using the experi-
ence he gained last year to be a solid No. 2 at the position.
Special Teams
Even though he missed a 22-yard field goal in the final spring practice,
senior Garrett Rivas will assume the placekicker role for his fourth con-
secutive season. Senior Ross Ryan will be the team's kickoff specialist
once again. But Ryan's second role from last year, starting punter, should
be taken by redshirt freshman Zoltan Mesko. Mesko had multiple boom-
ing punts during Saturday's spring practice, including one that carried
over 60 yards in the air.
Breaston will be the focal point in both of the return games this year,
both on the punt and kick return team. Joining him on kickoff returns
could be Hall, Sears or Bradley, with Hall being the top candidate to
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<<Wide Receiver/
Tight End
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Fifth-year senior Steve
Breaston and sophomore
Mario Manningham seem
to have solidified them-
selves at the top two receiv-
er positions. Still, neither
. ° grabbed more than 30
catches last year and will
look to this season as a
way of proving themselves
as legitimate threats at
wideout.
The graduation of Jason Avant
has created an opening for a possession receiver
to emerge. Breaston excels at the short routes,
and Manningham is more of a deep threat, so
Carr will be searching for someone to fill the
possession role that Avant played so well last
season. Candidates for that spot include sopho-
mores Adrian Arrington and Doug Dutch, senior
Carl Tabb and redshirt freshman LaTerryal Savoy.
At the tight end spot, senior Tyler Ecker looks
to be the top dog with the graduation of Tim Mas-
saquoi. Sophomore Mike Massey and redshirt fresh-
man Carson Butler will compete for the backup slot.
Offensive Line
Carr has stated that four of the five
spots seem to be pretty well set, with
the right guard position still open for
competition. Junior Jake Long has
moved from right tackle to left tack-
le, a spot more natural for the left-
hander. Next to him at left guard
will be junior Adam Kraus. The
right tackle spot that Long played
last year will be occupied by senior
Rueben Riley, and fellow senior Mark
Bihl, who started one game at center
last year, will take over as the full-time
starter at that position.
The lone spot that looks up for competi-
tion seems to be the right guard position,
which senior Mike Kolodziej and sopho-
more Alex Mitchell are fighting for. Carr
seemed impressed with Mitchell's prog-
ress over the spring but said he must lose
weight if he wants playing time.
Defensive Line>
The Wolverines have a big hole to fill
in the middle of the line with the gradua-
tion of All-Big Ten nose tackle Gabe Wat-
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PHOTOS BY MIKE HULSEBUS, DAVID TUMAN AND RYAN WEINER
PRACTICE
Continued from page 1B
Brown added another name to Michigan's crowded running back pic-
ture, but spring practice also revealed some thin areas within the rest of
Michigan's roster.
The quarterback position tops the list. In the offseason, Matt Gutierrez
transferred to Idaho State. Due to his defection, Michigan entered spring
camp with just two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, junior starter
Chad Henne and redshirt freshman Jason Forcier. Although incoming
freshman David Cone will enter the fray in the fall, Forcier was the only
legitimate backup quarterback during spring practice.
At times, Forcier looked sharp, especially when he used his 4.55 40-
yard speed to make plays with his feet. But he threw inconsistently and
struggled with the quarterback-center exchange. Carr declared the back-
up competition would be open following Cone's arrival in the fall.
"Being a quarterback is a process," Carr said. "I think (Forcier) made
a lot of progress. I think he made some very good throws out there today,
and then he had some very poor plays that he'd like to have back."
Said Henne: "(Forcier is) a young guy, he's always nervous. All I can
tell him is to try to calm down. Sometimes, he just gets a little worked
up, and I just try to calm him down and be like 'Hey, go out there and be
yourself and make plays.' That's all he has to do."
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