Following yesterday’s game against Oregon, the redshirts of two more Michigan true freshmen were officially burnt.
Despite several chances, the Michigan Wolverines were unable to upset Oregon. While there is much to criticize, there is also reason to be thrilled about some of the true freshmen on the field this season.
Mason Curtis, a defensive back, recorded a career-high three tackles against the Ducks. We’ve seen him play in some of Michigan’s biggest games, but the coaching staff chose to burn his redshirt this week and give him meaningful defensive snaps. With the secondary’s injuries, Curtis was on the field for some critical downs and even recorded a tackle for loss late in the game. He was one of the defense’s highest-graded defensive players this week, receiving a 69.5 overall rating from Pro Football Focus.
Here’s who’s had a chance to play as a true freshman this season. An asterisk (*) indicates they saw playing time against Oregon:
- RB Jordan Marshall (1 game)
- OL Andrew Sprague (1 game)
- OL Jake Guarnera (4 games)
- TE Hogan Hansen (7 games)*
- LB Cole Sullivan (8 games)*
- EDGE Dominic Nichols (4 games)
- DL Manuel Beigel (1 game)
- DB Mason Curtis (5 games)*
- DB Jo’Ziah Edmond (5 games)*
- DB Jacob Oden (2 games)*
On Saturday, the Wolverines elected to burn cornerback Jo’Ziah Edmond’s redshirt. He played 12 snaps against Oregon. He was targeted once but did not give up the catch. He also saw some action on special teams.
Linebacker Cole Sullivan continues to play on special teams. The coaching staff has talked a lot about him as a player, but there’s a case to be made that linebacker is the position with the most depth. That makes it difficult to get a freshman on the field for defensive snaps, but it’s encouraging that he’s being used so frequently.
Tight end Hogan Hansen was targeted several times but did little. Finally, defensive back Jacob Oden appeared on special teams in this game and will have to participate in the remaining three games for Michigan this season to burn his redshirt.
The Wolverines will travel next weekend to face the undefeated Indiana Hoosiers.
