Michigan Tuesday: Can Michigan's 5 Star Players Turn The Battleship

Nick Saban was not successful at Michigan State with 3 star players, he was at LSU and is at Alabama with 5 stars.  His career has been a clear example of how recruiting is the lifeline for any program or a coaches success.  

Rich Rod was successful taking 3 star players at WVU along with his offense and got that program noticed.   That strategy did not work in Ann Arbor and Michigan has had some big holes in fill.

So now Michigan fans are wondering:  What is it going to take to turn this Michigan battleship around?

From a coaching standpoint, I think we are in good shape at the coordinator level and in Brady Hoke's system we know those are the guys that do most of the coaching.    I think Michigan is as strong as any program in the country with Coach Nuss and GMat running it's offense and defense.

So that leaves us with the players, the elite players, the 5 star players.   I'm not arguing the star rating system here as Michigan fans understand for every Kevin Grady (5 star) there is Mike Hart (3 star).  What I'm saying is NFL first round talent is what's going to turn this program around and the top recruiting services have a pretty good track record with 5 stars = first rounder's.

With that said, lets take a look at all the 5 star players on the roster:

#7:  QB Shane Morris - he needed a redshirt year and didn't get it last year.  Showed flashes in the Wing's scrimmage.   Still at least a year away from being a factor. 

#25 S Dymonte Thomas- like Shane probably could have used a red shirt year.  Played mostly on special teams and had a punt block against CMU in the first game last year.   Looking for a big year from this sophomore at safety.

#27: RB Derrick Green - DG came to fall camp a bit heavier then most people expected.  He had a solid freshman year running the ball and with a full year of college weight training under his belt, I expect a big year from this top RB.

#56: DT Ondre Pipkins- Pewee is coming off an injury but should be ready to go this fall.  With another year under his belt we are expecting Pip to have a big year in moving the line of scrimmage and stopping the run.   Impact level needs to high if he is healthy.

#57: OL Pat Kugler was a 5 star guard from Scouts in the 2013 class.  Pat did redshirt last year and should be in the mix this year on the offensive line.   We are probably still a year out from him making an impact. 

#67 OL Kyle Kalis - Kyle played as a redshirt freshman last year and struggled.   Was it because of Big Al's complicated system?  Let's hope.  I still have a to of faith in him and hope he excels in Nussmeier's system.

#98 QB Devin Gardner - You either love or hate the kid and I have heard both from Michigan fans.   I tend to be more on the love side.   I don't believe Michigan has developed him at all as a QB and had him at WR for most of a year.   If Michigan has invested in Devin, I think it would have paid off by now.  There is one person to blame for that and he currently doesn't have a coaching job.   This is Devin's year, he has to make much better decisions with the ball and has to protect his body.  He can't take hits like he did last year when he scrambles.    He could be the surprise player in college football or a bust.   The scale is that large on this fifth year senior.

Coming to A2

Jabrill Peppers - CB - It's hard to expect a ton from a true freshman reporting to the program in June but as Michigan fans we are.  He was the best athlete in the country last year and is expected to eventually be a Charles Woodson type player.   That is a tough label to put on a 18 year-old kid, but he has the game to back it up.   I expect to see him in nickel situations and in the return game.   Michigan fans are hopeful this kids really has a great freshman year. 

Ty Isaac - RB- Michigan finished second to USC in his recruitment.  He played as true freshman for the Trojans and did well.  He is now transferring to Ann Arbor to be closer to his Mom who is no longer able to fly to an ear condition.   Will Ty get a waiver from the NCAA to play right away?  From a depth perspective we would love to have him for next, on the other hand we need all hands on deck.   I see Ty as a RB who can catch the ball out of the backfield, a guy that DC's hate.   I'm looking forward to see what he can do in Coach Nuss's offense.

There are plenty game changers here on both sides of the ball.   What we need to see is all these players get developed properly to reach their potential.   That is on the coaches and as we mentioned earlier we feel very good about the coordinators we have in role. 

We all know it's time to play better on both sides of the ball.  The above players could be a big part of Michigan's future success.    It's time to develop impact players that impact football games.