Michigan Wolverine Wednesday: Trying to Win with Freshman

Being a freshman is hard.  You're away from home for the first time, you have to figure out where your classes are, you have to meet a bunch of new people, your classes are much more difficult than in high school and by the way you have a new full time job—Michigan football.  

That is a lot to take on for an 18 year old kid.

That is why if coaches had the option they would hardly ever play a freshman.  They need time to get used to college life, the Michigan football program, the weight room, their position, the schemes and the plays. 

It's like getting to college and starting a job where millions of fans are counting on you.  That is a lot to put on anyone, mostly a kid that just got to campus in July or August.  Kids that enrolled in January do have an advantage because they can join the program at a much less hectic time before spring ball starts.

I get that, but why are some freshman more successful then others?

Sure some kids are just naturally talented and make a "better on the field" transition then others.  The best example this year is Marcus Lattimore from South Carolina.  He was clearly one of the best football players in the country last year in the class of 2010. 

A Michigan example is Chad Henne.  Henne came to Ann Arbor in early August as the QB of the future but was pretty much going to be second string as a freshman.  The week of the first game, Michigan's starter hurts his throwing shoulder and Chad is now the starter on opening day.  With a veteran WR core and a good running game, Henne leads the Wolverines to the Rose Bowl and never gives up the starting gig for four years.

Those are great stories but I wouldn't consider them the norm.  Running back is probably one of the quickest ways to get on to the field right away.  You just need to teach them the plays and then let their natural talent take over.  The biggest things freshman running backs struggle with is blocking assignments and blitz pick ups. 

Justin Turner is another example of a talented kid out of high school (five-star recruit) who struggled with the transition to college football on and off the field.  He didn't play his freshman year and only made it through two days of fall practice in his sophomore year before he left the team.  The rumors were he was having some problems in his personal life and couldn't focus on football at Michigan.

Most kids that are recruited to Michigan are the best athletes on their high school team, the best athlete in the county, or maybe even the best player in the entire state where they grew up.  High school coaches aren't dumb and when you have a special player on your team you put them at a position where they can touch the ball a lot, like QB, which is exactly the example I want to use.

Courtney Avery is a talented, smart athlete.  He played QB for Lexington High School in Mansfield, Ohio, and broke a number of records, both passing and running with the ball.  He had offers from a number of programs including Stanford and Florida but picked the Wolverines last year. 

The key is that Avery's ticket to Michigan or any other top programs was as a defensive back not as a QB.  His 5'11" 167 pound frame just wasn't what these programs were looking for in a QB.  Avery knew the value of a Stanford or Michigan education and decided that DB was the place for him.

In Avery's case it would have been perfect if Michigan could have him third or fourth on the depth chart so he could learn the position, learn the defensive schemes, understand the different WR routes he was going to see and make the proper transition from quarterback to cornerback. 

As we know, something happened on the way to redshirtville and Avery finds himself  missing a tackle on one of the drives where Michigan was starting to muster up a comeback attempt late in the fourth quarter. 

When all of sudden Michigan's CB depth goes "boom" due to injuries, transfers, non-enrollments and crime/prison.   You have a freshman/former QB trying to make a tackle on a running back to save a game. 

Anyway you slice it, that is not a good position for Michigan or the Michigan coaches to be in.

Who's to blame? Everyone.

Lloyd Carr is on the list for not recruiting defense for a number of years.  Rich Rodriguez is on the list for recruiting kids that were borderline in getting in to Michigan.  Michigan's three defensive coordinators over the past four years make the list, too.  It's everyone.

Every D1 prospect in the 2011 class wants to start as soon as they get to college.  A better approach would be to take a redshirt or work you way up the depth chart and get some spot play.  This "trial by fire" is causing way too many burns in the Wolverine family right now.