28 Days Until Michigan Football

Junior Royce Jenkins-Stone, Linebacker

Number: 52

Hometown: Cass Tech HS; Detroit, MI

Height/Weight: 6'2, 234 lbs.

Three Things To Know About Royce

1. So far in his career, Royce has played almost exclusively on special teams, but the move to a 4-3 over could be good for the junior, who will be playing at strongside linebacker this year.  That position seemingly fits his skillset better.  Magnus from TTB explains:

While I normally wouldn't expect much of a guy who has essentially only contributed on special teams, I am making an exception for him. I have never viewed him as a read-and-react guy, so his new position as a SAM linebacker in the Over fits well - he should be able to blitz from that position and play downhill if flow comes his way.

2. That would explain Royce's move in the spring, where he actually moved past James Ross III into the starting lineup.  While this probably won't stick through fall camp (Ross is, after all, a two year starter), it bodes well for Jenkins-Stone, who could be much more of a factor.

3. Want further confirmation that this could be a good year for Royce?  Brian Cook basically called it two years ago:

From both a roster standpoint and a player fit standpoint, that seems like the move. Most of the evaluations above hint that he's better as an athlete who can operate in space instead of a play-reading, traffic-evading inside linebacker. SLB is the land of insane athletes who can terrorize quarterbacks and take on tight ends without having to worry about guards or seam routes, and that sounds like Jenkins-Stone.

My excitement level for RJS just went up a notch.