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The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom

2E - New Student Edition

How will the Wolverines cope with key losses?
One of the most exciting aspects of collegiate sports is the turnover rate. Players have four years (and sometimes even less time) t
to make an impact But that hasn't stopped plenty of student-athlete standouts from taking advantage of their time as Wolverines.
Read on to see which key seniors, transfers or newly professional athletes will be missed this year and which existing players or
newcomers might be future maize-and-blue superstars. f

FOOTBALL
Gone
Lloyd Carr rode off into the
sunset after guiding what was
arguably the best offensive class
in Michigan history to an upset of
Florida in the Capital One Bowl.
Jake Long was probably the Wol-
verines' best offensive lineman in
history. Mike Hart is Michigan's
all-time leading rusher, and Chad
Henne is the program's all-time
leading passer.
The hire of new Michigan coach
Rich Rodriguez sent Henne's heir
apparent, Ryan Mallett,. running
to Arkansas. Top wide receivers
Mario Manningham and Adrian
Arrington'left for the NFL. All of
a sudden, the Wolverines' offense
looks very inexperienced going
into this season.
Michigan didn't lose nearly as
much defensively, but the depar-
ture of safeties Jamar Adams and
Brandent Englemon could be a bit
troublesome. Both played with a
lot of poise last year and helped
the Wolverines rebound from their
0-2 start. .
Talented defensive end/line-
backer Shawn Crable also left,
but Michigan has enough talent
returning at those positions that
his loss won't be as much of a
blow.
Here
Michigan will be led by its
defense this year, .particularly
its line. Defensive ends Brandon
Graham and Tim Jamison will

be among the best, and defensive
tackles Will Johnson and Ter-
rance Taylor are also solid in the
middle.
The Wolverines have several
linebackers who can play multiple
positions, most notably Obi Ezeh,
a Freshman All-American last
year. At least three quality players
should develop at this deep posi-
tion this season. Morgan Trent
and Donovan Warren are reliable
at cornerback, but the safeties are
question marks.
Steven Threet is the odds-on
favorite to start at quarterback, but
incoming freshman quarterback
Justin Feagin is also an intriguing
player to keep an eye on. Although
he was just a three-star recruit
according to rivals.com, his dual-
threat ability matches up better
with the typical quarterback in
Rodriguez's spread offense than
any other quarterback on the ros-
ter.
Don't be surprised if Feagin
sees a handful of snaps behind the
center each game.
The Wolverines have several
talented running backs including
Carlos Brown, Brandon Minor and
Kevin Grady. But Greg Mathews
is left to be the top wide receiver
a year sooner than expected and
maybe a year before he's ready.
Rodriguez did an incredible job
of bringing in a top recruiting class
amidst a coaching transition, even
if he' didn't reel in fber-recruit
Terrelle Pryor.
Rivals.com rated Michigan's
class of 2008 as the 10th stron-
gest in the nation. Wide receiver

Darryl'Stonum, who enrolled in
January and participated in spring
practices, offensive tackle Dann
O'Neill and offensive guard Ricky
Barnum seem like the best bets to
play as freshmen.
DANFELDMAN
BASKETBALL
Gone
The Wolverines lost just one
true senior, Ron Coleman. Cole-
man was a class act in Ann Arbor,
but he's not the biggest loss on the
court.
He developed into a jump
shooter as his Michigan career
progressed, but he wasn't talent-
ed enough to thrive in Michigan
coach John Beilein's perimeter-
oriented system.
After last season, starting cen-
ter Ekpe Udoh decided he didn't
fit into Beilein's system and trans-
ferred to Baylor. Udoh was a Big
Ten All-Defensive team selection
and made up for a lot of mistakes
made by the meager defenders
around him.
With him gone, expect plenty of
uncontested shots by the Wolver-
ines' opponents.
Guard David Merritt walked
on to the team last year as an aca-
demic senior, but since it was just
his second year on the team, he is
eligible to return.
His status is unknown, but
Merritt is the type of glue player
the Wolverines need. If he doesn't
return, his hustle will definitely be
missed.

1

Redshirt freshman Steven Threet is the favorite to start at quarterback under new Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez.

Voted Ann Arbor's Number 1-AGAIN!
5 THRWFT

Here
As a freshman, guard Manny
Harris did it all. He put up big
numbers in every category - 16.1
points per game, 4.2 rebounds per
game, 2.7 assists per game and 1.4
steals per game. But he also aver-
aged 3.6 turnovers per game.
Whether "Manny Fresh" devel-
ops from a good but high-volume
player to a good, high-quality
player will be key to whether or
not Beilein's offense improves
next year.
Last year, the offense often
looked stagnant and the talented
Harris felt forced to dominate the
ball. By the end of the year, oppos-
ing defenses had slowed Harris's
penetration, holding him to
jumpers more often. When Ari-
zona transfer Laval Lucas-Perry
becomes eligible to play second
semester this year, Harris may
slide to small forward.
Point guard Kelvin Grady
and forwards DeShawn Sims
and Anthony Wright were very
streaky last year. If Harris is
goingto be more efficient offen-
sively, those three must elevate
their games this season.
Defensively,- the solution is
much murkier. With Udoh gone,
redshirt junior Zack Gibson will
likely start at center. Gibson's
perimeter is a better fit in the
offense than Udoh's post game,
but Gibson is a big defensive
downgrade from Udoh.
Incoming freshman center
Ben Cronin'will probably be
thrust into the rotation, unless
Michigan decides to go small
with Sims getting minutes at
center. Cronin averaged eight
blocks per game as a junior in
high school, so he may soften
the blow of Udoh's transfer.
DAN FELDMAN

Then-freshman Corperryale "Manny" Harris led the Wolverines with 16.1 points
per game, 4.2 rebounds per game and 2.7 assists per game last season.

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