Michigan Wolverines Football: 2009 Season Preview

The Michigan Wolverines are officially a team in rebuilding.

If there was any doubt before the 2008 season—in which new coach Rich Rodriguez took over—that doubt was erased with a 3-9 record.

However, even in the midst of rebuilding, there are still heavy expectations of the 2009 Wolverines. Another season without a bowl game would severely test the patience of the vast alumni base and Bill Martin, the athletic director.

Rodriguez hopes he has most of the pieces he needs to return to a bowl game, and the early schedule is very favorable.

With that said, here is what Michigan will be working with this season. Returning starters in parentheses.

Quarterbacks (1, Nick Sheridan)

Junior Nick Sheridan is the only carryover at quarterback from 2008 after Steven Threet decided to transfer. Although he visibly does not fit Rodriguez's system, he has valuable experience running it. 

True freshman Tate Forcier is the big offensive recruit of the 2008 class. An extremely balanced quarterback, Forcier can run as well as he can pass, which is quite good. His accuracy impressed the coaching staff enough to make him a front runner to start.

True freshman Denard Robinson plays roughly the same style as Forcier. However, he sacrifices accuracy for more speed. Robinson should push Forcier and Sheridan for the starting job.

This will be a three-way quarterback battle.

Forcier is the obvious front runner to start, but expect all three to play at some point this season.

Forcier and Robinson's inexperience could hurt them at times forcing Sheridan to come in. Robinson may play in specific situations where speed is called for.

There will be struggles, but there will also be flashes of greatness. Lots of potential here, but it's going to be a growing season for Forcier and Robinson.

Grade: C-

Running Backs (2, Brandon Minor, Carlos Brown)

Senior Brandon Minor should be poised for a breakout year. He has a terrific combination of power and speed and will be relied upon to carry the offense. Expect a 1000+ yard season.

Senior Carlos Brown will compliment Minor nicely and could have a career year, eclipsing 400 yards rushing. He is the fastest back on the team and if he gets out into the secondary, he's as good as gone.

Sophomore Michael Shaw rushed for 215 yards last season as the team's third leading back.

He has true breakaway speed and had multiple runs of 20 yards or more. Expect a larger role for Shaw this year.

Keep an eye on freshman Vincent Smith. He's a very small back at 5'6", 158 lbs. but he's likely the future of Michigan's rushing attack. He should get a few sporadic carries this season.

Grade: A-

Wide Receivers (3, Greg Matthews, Martavious Odoms, Darryl Stonum)

Senior Greg Matthews isn't a game breaker, but he is a leader.

Matthews doesn't make mistakes and has never fumbled. He just doesn't have No. 1 receiving talent. However, still expect him to far eclipse his career highs of 409 yards and three touchdowns this season.

Sophomore Martavious Odoms was the leading receiver for the Wolverines in 2008, as he had a team-leading 49 catches for 443 yards as a true freshman. He also led all Big Ten freshmen in receptions and all-purpose yards.

Odoms doubles as a return man for the Wolverines.

In 2008, he had 588 return yards and a touchdown. Odoms could double his freshman year numbers if he has a good quarterback throwing to him. 

Sophomore Darryl Stonum is taller and stronger than Odoms, but not as quick. As a freshman, Stonum had 14 catches for 176 yards and one touchdown, as he struggled against opposing defenses.

Expect big improvement this year.

Freshman Roy Roundtree should be the fourth receiver after red-shirting last season. In high school, Roundtree led his division in receiving yards and touchdowns and was named all-state.

Don't expect a big impact this season, but he could grow into a top flight receiver for the Wolverines if he bulks up.

Sophomore tight end Kevin Koger is very highly thought of by the coaching staff and brings true power.

At 6'4" and 245 lbs., Koger should be able to help the rushing game but also has well-graded hands. He had a quiet 2008, but Offensive Coordinator Calvin Magee has a larger role in mind for him this season.

This unit will only go as far as the quarterback takes them. That said, there is a lot of potential here that will only grow in the seasons to come.

Grade: B

Offensive Line (4, Mark Ortmann, David Moosman, David Molk, Stephen Schilling)

In most cases, an offensive line returning two starting seniors at tackle and guard would be a big positive, but following the 2008 season, there is reason for concern.

Senior left tackle Mark Ortmann is the leader of this line. He has a lot of strength, but he isn't as big as previous Michigan tackles like Jake Long or Jeff Backus.

Right tackle will be held by either sophomore Mark Huyge or redshirt freshman Patrick Omameh. Omameh would appear to have the most potential. He's quick for a lineman and is stronger than Huyge, but Huyge has more experience.

Expect a season-long battle here.

Senior guard David Moosman will return as the starting right guard, and like Ortmann he has plenty of strength. It's his footwork that still needs work.

Junior Stephen Schilling was Michigan's top offensive lineman last season and has a lot of promise to improve on his 2008 season. He will start at left guard, opposite Moosman.

At center, sophomore, David Molk will return after overtaking senior Tim McAvoy last season. Molk had a shaky 2008 and will have to perform better this year to keep McAvoy on the bench.

At the very least, the line should improve from last season, where there was constant disarray. Cohesiveness is the key and there is plenty of leadership, so there's no reason to think the line won't be better.

Grade: C

Defensive Line (1, Brandon Graham)

Due to the inexperience of the defensive line, Michigan is likely going to employ a 3-4 set for most of this season.

Senior end Brandon Graham is the unquestioned leader of this defense and perhaps the best defensive end in the Big Ten. He had 46 tackles in 2008, 20 for a loss. He also had 10 sacks and forced four fumbles. Simply put, Graham is the huge play maker on this defense.

Sophomore Ryan VanBergen is expected to start opposite of Graham. He had a relatively quiet 2008 in a backup role, but has great energy and determination. He should grow into the starting role nicely.

Sophomore Mike Martin is expected to start the season at defensive tackle. Last year he led all freshmen on the team with 20 tackles and also had two sacks.

True freshman, William Campbell will not be red-shirted so don't be surprised if he overtakes Mike Martin for the starting role at some point this season. In his senior year in high school, Campbell registered 55 tackles (22 for loss), nine sacks and two forced fumbles (one was recovered for a touchdown). He could be another Brandon Graham in the making, or better.

Grade: B

Linebackers (2, Obi Ezeh, Jonas Mouton)

Junior Obi Ezeh is the best returning linebacker for the Wolverines. He led the team with a career-high 98 tackles last season. He also has seven tackles for loss, a sack, and an interception. Expect those numbers to further improve this season with triple digit tackles.

In the offseason, Ezeh lost weight and gained speed.

Junior Jonas Moutan was the second leading tackler on the team with 76 (seven tackles for a loss), and one sack.

Senior Stevie Brown will head up a new position on the team that is a hybrid safety/linebacker. He will cover slot receivers as well as support the run, and has a lot of quickness and toughness.

Sophomore Brandon Herron should be the fourth starting linebacker. He was a special teams starter in 2008 but will now be relied on for a starting role. In his senior year in high school, Herron had 77 tackles and nine sacks.

Grade: B-

Secondary (1, Donovan Warren)

Junior Donovan Warren is now the unquestioned leader of this secondary. He has been decent, but not great, and now is his time to breakout. He has great speed and awareness, but even better hands. Last season, he had 52 tackles, five pass breakups, one interception, and one recovered fumble.

Promising Sophomore Boubacar Cissoko will start this year opposite Warren. Cissoko played in all 12 games last year, mostly as a backup. His blazing speed and agility got him some action as a return man last year as well.

Cissoko plays with intensity and hits hard and should compliment Warren's style of play very well.

Junior Troy Woolfolk is slotted to be the starting strong safety. For the past two years, he has been a special teams player and hasn't seen significant action since high school. He is a big hitter, though, and his father Butch was an All-American running back for the Wolverines.

Sophomore Michael Williams is expected to start at free safety. He saw limited action at safety as a freshman, but will likely be used occasionally on the pass rush, as he registered two sacks last season.

Grade: B-

Special Teams (1, Zoltan Mesko)

Junior Bryan Wright will get the first shot at the kicking job.

He does have some promise. In his senior year of high school, he kicked the second longest field goal in Ohio high school football history, a 57 yarder.

He was 7-for-11 in field goal attempts that season, with all four misses coming from over 48 yards.

Senior Zoltan Mesko is one of the top punters in the nation, and had a 43-yard punting average last season. He also punted for over 3,000 yards and became the first player in Michigan history to ever achieve that mark. He currently is the second best punter in U-M history and by the end of his senior year should rank at the top.

Grade: B+

Overall

The team still has holes both on offense and on defense, but there is lots of promise and potential on both sides of the ball.

This will be a tough year with more growing pains, but it won't be as bad as last year.

Michigan football isn't back yet, but they should still be playing in a bowl game and finishing somewhere around 7-5.