Michigan football freshman class is 'stunningly prepared physically'

Michigan Wolverines football has plenty of talent returning on its 2022 roster, but the several members of the freshman class may be too good to keep off the field. Head coach Jim Harbaugh and Co. reeled in the ninth-ranked haul nationally, highlighted by one five-star and 12 four-stars.

At the very least, the likes of cornerback Will Johnson, wide receiver Darrius Clemons, defensive tackle Mason Graham and others can be cornerstones on future teams. And with the way Michigan is recruiting in 2023 — decent, but not up to its lofty standards, with a class that’s ranked 23rd in the country as of July 11 — that could go a long way.

“As far as recruiting is concerned, you probably have two big factors, and those are the sizzle of NIL and getting paid up front, which may be the way to go; we’ll see,” Michigan radio play-by-play man Doug Karsch said on Valiant Management’s TNT Wolverine podcast. “You’ve already heard stories of boosters calling coaches — ’Hey, I paid my guy. He’s going to play, right?’ The other thing is — let’s face it — in the offseason, the head coach flirted with a job in the NFL [the Minnesota Vikings opening]. The collateral damage of that might be being felt right now in recruiting, but that’s not likely to happen again any time soon, with a new contract.

“A program of high caliber can probably absorb a bad recruiting year, but you can’t make it a trend. And there’s incredible excitement about this incoming freshman class, because the one thing that I’ve heard over and over again is that these kids, the ones that enrolled early, were stunningly prepared physically.”

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Michigan fans got a taste of just how talented the freshmen are during the spring game, and coaches have spoken glowingly about the group to the media (something that’s not all that common at Michigan).

“When I was a fan — straight fan — I was so excited about the freshmen,” Karsch recalled. ‘This guy, that guy, that guy.’ And then I was like, ‘Why aren’t they playing? Why aren’t they playing?’ When I got down on the field [as the sideline reporter from 2006-21], I would look up and I’d go, ‘Oh, it’s because that freshman weighs 209 pounds out of high school, soaking wet.’ I’ll never forget seeing [former Michigan quarterback] Dylan McCaffrey and his skinny little arms coming out from underneath his shoulder pads and thinking, ‘Did somebody lose their kid?’ It’s shocking how physically unprepared they are.

“And that’s the one thing they said about this freshman class, is that Darrius Clemons is a man. Will Johnson is a man. The freshman in the middle of the D-line, Mason Graham, [is a man]. Who’s ready to play in the trenches as a true freshman? Apparently, [tight end] Colston Loveland and Mason Graham [are].

In Michigan’s April 2 scrimmage, Johnson impressed in coverage, Clemons had 35-yard highlight-reel grab and threw a pass on a trick play and Loveland caught one pass for 31 yards. Classmate Derrick Moore made three tackles, including one stop for loss, from his defensive end spot. We’d add him in the category of ‘physically ready’ to play right away.

“When I was calling the spring game — and it was my first time calling the game — they were like, ‘Hey, we gotta touch on the early enrollee freshmen,'” former Michigan tight end and TNT Wolverine host Jake Butt added. “I was an early enrollee, and I got my ass handed to me that spring. This wasn’t just like, hey, let’s comment on them. As I was rewatching all the coaches’ press conferences, the coaches were talking about them — Mason Graham, especially.

“Interior defensive line is a man’s game. You’re getting in a dogfight, and you’re not just trying to connect on one haymaker. You have to be physically ready, because it’s a dogfight every single day. They mentioned him all the time.

“Will Johnson, you’re a five-star, he’s living up to the hype. Darrius Clemons, we saw what he did. Colston Loveland made some great plays.”

“I saw one practice, and I was like, ‘Wow, somebody put on a lot of weight and looks huge in the secondary,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, wait, that’s Will Johnson,'” Karsch added. “I thought it was a veteran player who just looked like he’d grown up.”

“The other wide receiver out of Louisiana, Amorion Walker. There are other guys. But they’re raving. [Defensive back] Keon Sabb is a big kid.

“There’s reason to be excited that maybe this freshman class they have coming in is going to help.”

Six Michigan freshmen burned their redshirts in 2021, and just five — quarterback J.J. McCarthy, linebacker Junior Colson, wide receiver Andrel Anthony, running back Donovan Edwards and safety Rod Moore — made big impacts. It appears there’s that number, and maybe then some, that could contribute this fall if called upon, too.

Michigan freshman class fits in with culture

Michigan players and coaches credit much of the success in 2021, which included a win over Ohio State, Big Ten title and College Football Playoff appearance, to the team’s culture. From what Butt has observed, the 2022 class fits right in.

“They seem tight-knit, which gives me encouragement for culture going forward, too,” Butt said. “Our ‘16 team, even though we didn’t do what last year did, we were tight-knit. We had group chats going back all the way to, we were the 2013 class, back to 2011 when we were being recruited. No one transferred when [former Michigan head coach Brady] Hoke left. We all stayed together, and we were committed to Michigan.

“I see a lot of guys that love one another, and they’re tight-knit. Walking on campus as a true freshman, you’re not part of the sophomore class yet. It’s just you guys, so when you’re hanging out together the way they are, that is very, very encouraging for the future of the team.”