Which Michigan Wolverines are rising or falling on the depth chart 2.5 weeks away from the season opener? Here is whose stock is up, and whose is down.
As fall camp marches on for the Michigan Wolverines , the whispers and rumors of preseason practices slowly become loud enough to qualify as facts. Not every rumbling is true — as proven by previous camp rumor mill heroes Luiji Vilain, Peyton O’Leary, and ‘X’ player that still haunts you — but where there is smoke, there is often a spark that could become a fire.
With only 2.5 weeks until the start of the 2024 season, here is a quick rundown of five players who are either trending up or down at Michigan’s fall camp.
Stock up: DB Zeke Berry
Entering his third season in Ann Arbor, Berry appears to be putting it all together. A former four-star recruit, Berry is a ball-hawking playmaker who could bring unique juice to a talented secondary. When speaking on In the Trenches , defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan alluded to Berry’s special skill set and what it could mean to the unit as a whole.
“…I think he had a really good spring and I’m excited about him taking the next step. We’ll be better if he takes the next step.”
As Berry rises, however, someone else has presumably fallen.
Stock down: DB Ja’Den McBurrows
McBurrows has the most experience at nickel among all Wolverines. Last season, McBurrows played 182 snaps and recorded seven tackles, two tackles for loss, and one interception. But despite a solid camp, J-Mac has seemingly been usurped by Berry’s excellent camp.
Now, according to reports ($), McBurrows has moved into a positional battle with Keshaun Harris and Myles Pollard for CB-4, while simultaneously battling against the unmentioned riser (Brandyn Hillman) for second-string nickel. However, with as much as Michigan rotated in the back end last season, McBurrows will play a role this season; it just might not be a starting role.
Stock up: Edge Dominic Nichols
The two starting edges for Michigan are set in stone: Josaiah Stewart and Derrick Moore. The duo is hands down the top tandem for the Wolverines and could become the best pair of edge rushers in the Big Ten. Supporting the starters is veteran T.J. Guy (Edge-3), and a handful of unknowns — Kechaun Bennett, Cam Brandt, and true freshman Dominic Nichols — competing for the coveted Edge-4 spot next to Guy. Recently, it seems to be the teenage Nichols surging to the front of the group.
When speaking to the media , Guy stated that Nichols could have an impact this season before speaking about his own role in helping Nichols actualize his potential.
“I stay on him,” Guy said. “I stay on him every day. Everybody’s gassing him up kind of because he’s flashing, he’s doing good things, but I stay on him. As a guy that did that for me when I was younger, just so he doesn’t get complacent, comfortable, none of that, or hear good things and relax. You’ve got to keep his foot on the pedal.”
Nichols is in line to play quality rotational minutes this season. He will have to put an exclamation mark on this camp and prove he can do it when the bullets are real, but for now, he is a great place to earn a contributing role.
Stock up: RB Jordan Marshall
In February, ESPN’s Tom Luginbill gushed about Marshall’s abilities while raising one potential issue of talent inundation at the position.
“Marshall is everything Michigan wants in a running back — tough, physical and fantastic after contact. He has the power to press the hole, but also the vision to exploit the cutback lane when available. Michigan takes so much pride in winning at the point of attack and it’s the back’s job to get to the second level and extend runs. The only issue for Marshall? He’s joining a running backs group that is six-deep, including returning feature back Donovan Edwards.”
According to The Michigan Insider’s Sam Webb ($), Marshall has already addressed this issue and has been, “Reminiscent of Blake Corum-like according to several observers” and “has completely flipped the competition for RB-3 on its ear.”
If Marshall can continue his rise, the Wolverines could feature their best 1-3 running back punch since 2021.
Stock down: QB Jack Tuttle
The starting quarterback competition at Michigan is well underway and two players have separated themselves from the pack. Multiple anecdotes indicate that Alex Orji has the overall lead at the moment with Davis Warren hot on his heels. However, reports have slowed about seventh-year player Jack Tuttle after an initial fall surge.
Tuttle — the seemingly safest choice of the contenders — has lost ground over the first few weeks of fall camp and could be in danger of finishing his career the same way it began: as a backup.