Lindy's names Jake Moody preseason All-American, 10 Michigan players on All-Big Ten teams

Michigan Wolverines football had a slew of All-Americans last season, but the Maize and Blue are expected to have just one heading into the 2022 campaign. Graduate kicker Jake Moody was named a second-team All-American by the Lindy’s preseason college football preview magazine. The outlet also tabbed 10 total Wolverines — including Moody on the first-team — as preseason All-Big Ten.

A three-time All-Big Ten honoree, Moody was a 2021 consensus All-American and Michigan’s first ever Lou Groza Award winner, which is handed out to the nation’s top kicker. He led the team with 125 points, the second-highest single-season total in program history and most-ever by a kicker, nailing 23 of his 25 field goal attempts with a program-record 56 extra points. He also sailed 98 kickoffs with a 62.8-yard average and 65 touchbacks.

Moody was one of four Michigan players to land on Lindy’s All-Big Ten first team. He joined junior right guard Zak Zinter, senior defensive tackle Mazi Smith and sophomore linebacker Junior Colson.

RELATED

• INSIDE THE FORT, Part I: Michigan football frosh phenoms, more

• Six Michigan observations from Ferris State satellite camp: Jim Harbaugh, QBs, transfer portal, more

Zinter was banged up for much of last season, playing with a club on his hand after breaking a bone just before the season began. He’s appeared in 19 games with 17 starts and was a second-team All-Big Ten selection last year by the league’s coaches.

Smith established himself on the Michigan defensive line last season, and by all accounts he has another gear in him. Many expect him to showcase even more this coming season, with head coach Jim Harbaugh saying he might be the team’s best defender. He registered 37 tackles, 2.5 stops for loss, four pass breakups and 21 pressures last season.

The Michigan defense received a big boost when Colson became a starter halfway through last season He finished fourth among the Wolverines’ defenders with 61 tackles, and is now the leader of his position group, even saying this spring that he feels like a veteran at times.

Michigan junior running back Blake Corum, graduate offensive lineman Olusegun Oluwatimi, senior defensive end Mike Morris and graduate punter Brad Robbins were tabbed as All-Big Ten second-teamers.

Despite missing two-plus games last season and playing at less than 100-percent health in others, Corum racked up 952 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He also added 24 receptions for 141 yards and one score, and returned 12 kickoffs for 304 yards. He was also named to the fourth team as a kick returner.

Oluwatimi, a newcomer from Virginia, was a finalist for the Rimington Award last season and was one of the top transfer additions in the Big Ten this offseason.

It only makes sense that Morris will break out and become one of Michigan’s top players. The Wolverines have a proud tradition of producing high-level edge rushers, and by all accounts Morris is next in line. He was a role player last season, carving out a role as a sub-package player who featured on the interior of the line during passing situations. Now, he’ll be a full-time defensive end, and Michigan needs him to step up. He registered 17 tackles, including one for loss, two pass breakups and one interception a year ago.

Robbins is a two-time All-Big Ten honoree and totaled 45 punts for 2,085 yards (46.3 average), the second-best single-season average in program history, a year ago.

Michigan graduate wide receiver Ronnie Bell and graduate left tackle Ryan Hayes were selected to the third team.

Bell led Michigan in receiving in 2019 and 2020 and has racked up 1,380 receiving yards and five touchdowns during his career. The former two-star recruit is a returning captain and expected to be a focal point in the offense after recovering from an ACL injury he suffered in the 2021 season-opener.

Hayes is a three-year starter on the Michigan offensive line, and helped the group win the Joe Moore Award last season. He’s opened 18 career games and is considered a 2023 NFL Draft prospect. He allowed 27 pressures and three sacks last season, per Pro Football Focus.