This offseason, Michigan football lost two of the greatest special teams players in program history. Jake Moody and Brad Robbins both got drafted to the NFL, leaving the starting kicking, punting, and kickoff duties all open for taking.

Michigan football has strong depth in special teams after offseason acquisitions

After bringing in multiple transfer portal targets, Michigan football has loaded up on depth in special teams and will have a massive position battle on their hands this fall. Back in April, kicker James Turner transferred to Michigan from the Louisville Cardinals.

The Michigan native from Saline High School was a three-year starter at Louisville and brings some much-needed experience to the Wolverines’ special teams room.

Shortly after Turner joined the Wolverines, Mississippi State kicker and punter Hudson Hollenbeck decided to transfer to Michigan as well. While Hollenbeck didn’t see any action in his freshman season with the Bulldogs, he was a highly touted prospect out of high school. According to Kohl’s Kicking, Hollenbeck was a 4.5-star kicker and 5-star punter entering college.

Also joining the mix is high school recruit Adam Samaha. Kohl’s Kicking gave Samaha a 5-star ranking at kicker. Samaha does not hold a ranking in punting and will likely just be competing for kicking duties.

Lastly, returning from last year’s roster is Tommy Doman, who saw brief game time in the 2022 season. Before the transfer portal acquisitions, Doman was expected to be the starter based on experience and availability. Here are some early predictions for what the Wolverines’ special teams might look like in the fall.

Kicker – James Turner

The most important aspect of a kicker is accuracy and consistency. If there’s one thing Turner has that none of the other contenders do, it is experience playing meaningful football. Turner has started in three full seasons and has carried consistent numbers throughout his career.

Across his entire career, Turner has only missed once from inside 40 yards. He converted 97.6 percent of his extra points at Louisville, and holds a career-long field goal of 50 yards.

Overall, Turner is the most battle-tested option Michigan has. While his leg might not be the strongest on the roster, it is proven to be reliable and accurate. The Saline, MI native will be a strong candidate to win the starting job for the maize and blue this fall.

Punter – Tommy Doman

While Doman could hypothetically handle both kicking and punting duties, it’s more likely that he will primarily focus on punting. With the amount of depth Michigan has in special teams, there is no reason to force Doman to take both punting and kicking duties.

Out of high school, Doman was a 5-star kicker and punter according to Kohl’s Kicking. Last year, Doman saw limited action in four games. Doman converted both extra points he attempted, punted once, and kicked off eight times.

Doman will likely be the kickoff specialist for 2023 as well. Turner handled kickoff duties his freshman year for Louisville but struggled to hit consistent touchbacks. Doman kicked six of his eight kickoff attempts for touchbacks last year, making him the likely contender to handle kickoff duties.

Future Outlook

While it’s not impossible for Hollenbeck or Samaha to break out this fall and win a starting job, they will most likely be sidelined for at least a year. Both players have multiple years of eligibility remaining which gives Michigan football no rush to start either of them.

Sitting behind Doman and Turner for a year or two will allow these newer players to develop. When Doman and Turner graduate, Michigan football special teams will be in good hands with the young talent behind them.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

ANN ARBOR, MI – With conference play returning to action, Big10 baseball teams with lackluster nonconference records get a chance to “reset” their season’s trajectory. Michigan baseball started the season just 9-11 through nonconference play. However, this weekend the Wolverines started their conference schedule with a three-game series sweep over the Penn State Nittany Lions. Michigan baseball now boasts an overall record of 12-11 and an undefeated conference record of 3-0.

The Wolverines outscored the Nittany Lions 28-8 in the three games combined. Penn State entered the weekend with a 12-5 overall record and a 1-4 record against ranked opponents. The Nittany Lions end the weekend last in the Big10 standings after their 0-3 conference start.

While still very early in the season, the Wolverines sit tied for first in the Big10 standings. Here are a few takeaways from the Wolverines series sweep.

Michigan Bats Get Hot

After a slow start to the year offensively, the Michigan lineup is starting to come alive again. The Wolverines amassed 33 hits and drove in 28 runs in their best offensive production of the season.

Entering the weekend series against the Nittany Lions, Michigan baseball averaged just 4.4 runs per game. Multiple returning veterans in the Wolverine lineup have been unable to match their productivity from last year. With Michigan bats slumping, they relied heavily on dominant pitching to keep games close.

This weekend however, the Wolverines averaged 9.3 runs per game, scoring 13 runs on Friday, 12 runs on Saturday, and 3 runs on Sunday.

Senior pitcher Noah Rennard talked about how conference play can be a “reset” for certain players. “I think it offered a lot of guys kind of a fresh start,” said Rennard, adding “Our season was what it was in the preseason. We had some good games, we had some bad games. I think once Big10 play rolls around, a lot of guys mentally can have that reset.”

Rennard Makes First Start

Noah Rennard has been a dominant bullpen arm for the Wolverines who lack pitching depth in the late innings. So far this season, Rennard holds an earned run average of 2.63 and an opposing batting average of .188. Before this weekend, all of Rennard’s innings pitched had come from late relief appearances.

However, this Sunday, Rennard took the mound for his first start of the 2023 season and pitched 5.2 innings while giving up only one earned run. Michigan baseball has struggled to find the “third man” in their rotation, with Connor O’Halloran and Chase Allen being their only consistent starters so far.

Rennard may be the final piece to Michigan’s rotation as conference play continues. Michigan baseball head coach Tracy Smith said, “We’re trying to find that six to eight guys that are going to be the core nucleus of the leverage innings”. He added, “We’re getting closer on that… Every one of those [bullpen] guys can step up and continue to develop.”

Every Game Counts

“They all matter”, said coach Smith when asked about the impact of a series sweep. “Every game matters whether it’s the first weekend or the last weekend”.

Michigan baseball will play 24 conference games this season before Big10 tournament seeding is established. Last season, Michigan made the tournament as the fifth seed after going 12-12 in conference play. With a 3-0 conference start, the Wolverines will look to build on their performance from last season and finish even higher in the standings.

Coach Smith also emphasized how the Wolverines will remain competitive in the rest of their nonconference games throughout the season. “I hate the mentality of throwing away games in the middle of the week so that we win on the weekend”, said coach Smith. “Our mentality is that we want to win every single game one at a time.”

The Wolverines return to action in Ann Arbor this Tuesday against the Central Michigan Chippewas at 4 PM ET.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

Another fantastic weekend of Big Ten hockey has come and gone, and while the standings may look similar, the power rankings do not. Let’s dive into this week’s Big Ten hockey power rankings.

1. Minnesota

This one feels pretty obvious seeing as the Golden Gophers are the undisputed Big Ten Champions for the second year in a row. Over the weekend, Minnesota walked into Pegula Ice Arena in State College, PA, and left with back-to-back victories over the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions. Not just anyone can sweep a bona fide top-10 team like Penn State, which leaves the Gophers at the top spot in our power rankings.

2. Michigan

It was a rough weekend for the Michigan Wolverines, who went 0-1-1 against the Ohio State Buckeyes during a two-game road trip to Ohio. Still, the Michigan hockey team holds sole possession of second place in the Big Ten standings, are ranked No. 4, and are one of two Big Ten programs with 20-or-more wins so far this season. One rough weekend doesn’t make or break a team, so we are leaving the Wolverines in 2nd place heading into their series with Notre Dame at Yost Ice Arena this weekend.

3. Ohio State

You don’t beat the nation’s No. 4 by two and take the season series (2-1-1) without being a true contender. Ohio State has seen its ups and downs so far this year, but as of late, it seems that the Buckeyes are trending in the right direction. OSU is ranked No. 8 in the nation right now, which leaves them in a good spot come Big Ten and NCAA tournament time.

4. Penn State

It was a tough weekend for the Penn State Nittany Lions, which seems to be a theme as of late. Over the most recent weekend, the Lions dropped both games to now-No. 1 Minnesota at home — both were lost in different fashions. On Friday night, the Nittany Lions were obliterated by Minnesota, 7-2, before dropping Saturday’s game by one in a heart-breaker. Still, the Nittany Lions are ranked No. 10 in the country and No. 4 in our Big Ten hockey power rankings.

5. Michigan State

Despite a 16-16-2 overall record, the Michigan State Spartans are still the 5th-best team in the Big Ten and ranked in the top-20 nationally. The Spartans have had a rough few weeks as of late — especially being swept by the Michigan Wolverines just over a week ago — yet MSU is still in good shape. That said, we aren’t so sure that the Spartans will make it come NCAA tournament time.

6. Notre Dame

Somehow, despite being up-and-down all season long and sitting at .500 on the season, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are not the worst team in the Big Ten hockey power rankings. In fact, the Irish are currently ranked in the most recent top-20 poll after going 1-0-1 against the Ohio State Buckeyes in their most recent series. The Irish will face No. 4 Michigan in the final series of the season this weekend.

7. Wisconsin

Yikes is pretty much all I have to say. So far this year, the Wisconsin Badgers have not been doing too hot — they’re the only Big Ten team below .500 on the season (12-20-0) and have an abysmal Big Ten record (5-17-0). Additionally, the Badgers are the only Big Ten team not ranked in the top-20 polls. It’s been a rough year for the Badgers to this point, so they come in last in our weekly Big Ten hockey power rankings.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other steaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!