Analyzing how Michigan football transfers performed in non-conference play

No. 2 Michigan Wolverines football is one quarter of the way through with the regular season, having notched non-conference wins over East Carolina (30-3), UNLV (35-7) and Bowling Green (31-6).

The Wolverines’ nine incoming transfers were big storyline coming into the season, and many have been significant contributors so far, including four who have started games. Here’s a breakdown on what each has contributed to this point.

TE AJ Barner (Indiana)

Appearances (starts): 3 (2)
Offensive snaps: 99 (first among tight ends)

Michigan senior tight end AJ Barner has taken more snaps than any other Wolverine at his position, including sophomore Colston Loveland. Barner is the in-line guy, while Loveland is the ‘H,’ a more versatile piece who also lines up out wide.

Barner has only been targeted twice down the field, with 1 reception for 12 yards. However, head coach Jim Harbaugh said after Michigan’s first game that he wanted Barner to be more involved in the pass game, so perhaps that’s in the works. Either way, Barner has been great as a run blocker, serving in that role for 60 of his 99 snaps. He leads the team with an 81.2 PFF run-blocking rating.

LT LaDarius Henderson (Arizona State)

Appearances (starts): 3 (0)
Offensive snaps: 37 (fourth among offensive tackles)

Michigan graduate LaDarius Henderson had a quiet first two games, after not earning the starting left tackle job. Graduate Karsen Barnhart started there, and senior Myles Hinton was the guy at right tackle. Both have had their struggles, though, and in the third quarter of Saturday’s contest against Bowling Green, Henderson was inserted into the game at left tackle, while Barnhart shifted to the right side of the line.

Henderson fared well — getting great push in the run game and not allowing any pressures — and Harbaugh raved about the way he played Monday. Practices this week will likely determine who gets the starting nod for Saturday’s game against Rutgers, but Henderson may well be the favorite right now.

LB Ernest Hausmann (Nebraska)

Appearances (starts): 3 (0)
Defensive snaps: 85 (second among linebackers)

Sophomore Ernest Hausmann is Michigan’s first linebacker off the bench, but position coach Chris Partridge said he considers him a “starter,” along with junior Junior Colson and graduate Michael Barrett. Hausmann got a lot of good run with both the ones and twos during the non-conference season.

Hausmann led Michigan with 6 tackles against East Carolina and has totaled 12 for the season. He also has the lowest missed tackle rate (7.7 percent) than any linebacker on the team. He’s talented, and we haven’t even seen his best yet.

RT Myles Hinton (Stanford)

Appearances (starts): 3 (3)
Offensive snaps: 136 (second among offensive tackles)

It was a mild surprise when we found out before Michigan’s opener that Hinton had won the starting right tackle job, but by many accounts he had a great fall camp and seemed to have been the best option.

He admitted he had a rough opener against East Carolina, however. He was better against UNLV but once again struggled in the Bowling Green game and was benched in the third quarter. This probably isn’t the last we’ve seen of Hinton this season, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Henderson (left) and Barnhart (right) start at tackle this weekend and going forward.

It’s important to note that Hinton could still technically redshirt this season and have two more years of eligibility after this season if he plays in no more than one further contest.

C Drake Nugent (Stanford)

Appearances (starts): 3 (3)
Offensive snaps: 149

Michigan graduate center Drake Nugent has impressed through three weeks. He may not be Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan’s Rimington and Outland trophy award winner last season, but he’s been very good, and it’s been a smooth transition.

Harbaugh said after week two that Nugent was performing the best among Michigan’s offensive linemen — high praise considering what the Wolverines have at guard between graduate Trevor Keegan and senior Zak Zinter. He leads the offensive line with a 77.9 PFF run-blocking grade and third among starters with an 80.5 pass-blocking rating. He’s given up just 1 pressure in 74 pass-blocking snaps (against East Carolina).

EDGE Josaiah Stewart (Coastal Carolina)

Appearances (starts): 3 (0)
Defensive snaps: 53 (fourth among EDGEs)

Michigan junior EDGE Josaiah Stewart hasn’t played as much as we expected him to early on, but senior Jaylen Harrell has taken a big step forward and is hard to take off the field.

Stewart only has 1 pressure on 24 pass-rushing snaps so far, but it feels like it’s more of a product of lack of playing time than anything else and that his time will come this season. He has made 7 tackles, though, and shown his speed while running down a couple defenders in the open field. His run defense doesn’t seem to be a glaring weakness.

K James Turner (Louisville)

Appearances: 3

Michigan graduate kicker James Turner had a rollercoaster of a U-M debut against East Carolina, but it’s been smooth sailing ever since. He shanked a 52-yard field goal and missed an extra point (his fourth missed PAT of his career), but also made a 50-yarder. He said the nerves of playing in The Big House — just miles north of where he grew up in Saline — for the first time may have gotten to him. It’s hard to blame him for that.

Turner has been a perfect 9-for-9 on extra points the last two games, and he drilled a 42-yard field goal against Bowling Green, in his first night game at Michigan Stadium. Turner had a low trajectory on some kicks in the opener but has since been more clean, a great sign.

QB Jack Tuttle (Indiana)

Appearances (starts): 1 (0)
Offensive snaps: 1

Michigan graduate quarterback Jack Tuttle has made a big play on 100 percent of his snaps at U-M, running for 14 yards on a read option on his lone play, before hurting his shoulder after a late hit out of bounds.

Junior quarterback Davis Warren was Michigan’s top backup entering the season, but the Wolverines weren’t settled on who the guy would be. Warren got the nod in the opener, and Tuttle was going to get extended run versus UNLV until he went down. Warren has struggled, so we’d bet this is Tuttle’s job, assuming he’s fully healthy (we’ve heard he is).

CB Josh Wallace (Massachusetts)

Appearances (starts): 3 (0)
Defensive snaps: 105 (second among cornerbacks)

Michigan graduate cornerback Josh Wallace has played the third-most snaps on the U-M defense this season, thanks in part to sophomore cornerback Will Johnson being injured. Either way, though, we expected Wallace to start, and he has.

He’s been solid, too. Wallace displayed great concentration on his near-interception along the East Carolina sideline (it got called back because the receiver touched the ball while out of bounds). He had another great pass breakup on a slant against Bowling Green. In that game, though, he got burned on a double move by the speedy Odieu Hiliare, and he’s lucky the wideout dropped the easy touchdown catch.

We haven’t seen Wallace play against anything but competition similar to what he faced at UMass. That’s why we’re still in wait-and-see mode on what kind of impact he’ll have. He’s got great length and a knack for playing the ball but lacks top-end speed. But coming out of non-conference play, he’s easily the favorite to continue starting opposite Johnson.

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