Michigan had its second intrasquad scrimmage Friday giving head coach Brady Hoke and his coaching staff a chance to give some final evaluations as the regular season draws near.
With that said Brady Hoke began to unveil the Michigan depth chart and hopes to have rosters finalized by next week.
Safeties
Hoke announced that sophomore Thomas Gordon won the job at safety and would play in a nickel and dime package. Junior Jordan Kovacs won the other safety job earlier in camp.
Running Back
Even though their best runner is still under center, it still appears that Michael Shaw is going to be the man in the backfield getting about 25 carries per game.
Sophomore Fitzgerald Toussaint has had a “good camp” according to Hoke which could mean a backup role is in line for Toussaint.
Linebacker
Hoke announced that Cam Gordon will be his starter at the strong side while Kenny Demens will anchor the middle. The competition is hot among sophomore Mike Jones, freshman Desmond Morgan and junior Brandin Hawthorne.
Freshmen Jake Ryan and Brennen Beyer will be primary reserves.
Kickers
There’s no doubt that freshman Matt Wile will handle the kick-off duties however punting and placekicking remain uncertain.
“I think Wile will probably punt, but Seth (Broekhuizen) is a good possibility (too),” Hoke said.
At placekicker Brandon Gibbons appears to be leading the competition over Wile. Hoke says that although Wile has the stronger leg, Gibbons has been more consistent.
“Gibbons has done a nice job and has been accurate and has had a good camp,” Hoke said. “They’re evaluating their kicks because we film them a lot. We get a write-up from them, sometimes a page or a page-and-a-half.”
Cornerback
In what may be the hottest competition in camp, the cornerback position is far from over as Troy Woolfolk has been the only player named as a starter.
Junior J.T. Floyd, sophomores Courtney Avery and Terrence Talbott and freshmen Blake Countess and Gregg Brown are still in the running for that second spot as well as reserve spots.
Kick/Punk Returner
Last years kick/punt returner Jeremy Gallon has looked sharp in camp and has a good chance at once again being a starter at those positions again this season. Junior running back Vincent Smith is also another candidate to return kicks with sophomore Drew Dileo looking for time as a punt returner.
Offensive Line
To no ones surprise the line will look like this: sophomore Taylor Lewan at left tackle, Ricky Barnum at left guard, senior David Molk at center, junior Patrick Omameh at right guard and senior Mark Huyge at right tackle.
Other Starters
Mike Martin will start at nose tackle, Denard Robinson and quarterback and Kevin Koger at tight-end. All were expected to compete for their respective positions however all were also expected to win those races.
Source: AnnArbor.com
