The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DEFENSIVE LINE praise from several sources centers around his football IQ and 'want to' qualities that can't be taught, but the on-the-record com- pliments have been just as encouraging. "He's becoming a dominant player, has elevated his game, played in all 13 games as a true freshman and is just doing an incred- ible job," Harbaugh said at the end of spring. Kemp is among those who witnessed it up close. "Aidan Hutchinson is a guy who has really emerged," Kemp said. "Playing last year was phenomenal for him, and it's go time for him now as a sophomore." Others still need to emerge for depth, but they're making progress. German redshirt freshman Julius Welschof didn't play last year but has "made a move," Harbaugh noted, and was backing up Hutchinson at the end of spring. Another redshirt frosh, Taylor Upshaw, has serious upside and is "moving up the depth chart," the head coach added. True freshman early enrollee Gabe New- burg needs to add some weight, listed in the spring at 6-5 and 237 pounds, but he's got the frame to do it. "Gabe Newburg is a talented guy, but he's got to get bigger and stronger, faster, should be [still in high school] at prom," Brown said. All of them could have trouble holding off experienced graduate transfer Mike Danna. The former Central Michigan standout was named team MVP last year after notching career bests with 66 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. Brown is looking for pass rushers, and Danna — a first-team All-American accord- ing to Pro Football Focus — could fit the bill. "Mike Danna is going to help us. Does he help us at end, anchor? I don't know," Brown said. "At anchor, Aidan Hutchison is a big dude. Football is important to him, and he has a charismatic way about him. I just like the guy. "He's still working on some things getting cleaned up in footwork, but his upper body, length [using his arms] … that's hard to do. Not a lot of guys can do that." Overall, Brown said, Nua's first defensive line should be more than capable of continu- ing the Wolverines' success up front. "I think we'll end up with at least eight [in the rotation]," Brown said. "But I've got a good feeling about that D-line group … they're learning the schemes and we'll keep giving them those reps so they get better fast. The key will be how many guys can be good pass rushers." If they are able to find those, this line could exceed expectations that, despite the losses, are already pretty high. ❑ THE WOLVERINE 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 95 Heart And Perseverance Put Luiji Vilain On The Cusp Of Contributing Watching teammates struggle with injuries isn't easy, especially when the wounded is among the team's hardest workers. Many players, even coaches, get emotional when seeing one of their own persevere to make it all the way back. Redshirt sophomore Luiji Vilain hasn't quite reached full comfort on his twice-repaired knee, but he's getting closer. The former top-100 recruit — one of just two on this year's defensive line, along with five-star freshman Chris Hinton — showed signs this spring that he's ready to contribute. "He made it through the whole spring, and all he did was go like this [up]," defensive coordinator Don Brown praised. "It's always good to see him, because that first year he's working to get back onto the field and he's there," senior defensive tackle Carlo Kemp added. "He's with us. And boom — another [injury]. Then it's like, 'Keep your head up, keep working.' "It took him two years, but now he's at this point. We're just so excited to see him play. We can only imagine what he's got inside, and I would really, really hate to be an O-lineman [playing against] him." Vilain wasn't made available to the media this spring, but he made it clear in late De- cember he wasn't feeling sorry for himself. He sent a message to the fan base via Twitter just before the Peach Bowl. "These past two years have been a physical and mental journey for me, from the 2017 season to today and all the time in between I've spent my God-given time, blessings and energy on developing myself off the field, as an athlete, as well as an individual with countless opportunities," Vilain wrote. "Every day is a new chance, and [for] the 365 [days] in 2019 I have nothing but hope for what's in store for me." He backed it up this spring. "He got out there and I thought he would be rusty, but he's off to a great, great start," Michigan defensive line coach Shaun Nua said. "He's had some injury problems, but I'm crossing my fingers because he's a good, good athlete." — Chris Balas Vilain was ranked as a top-100 recruit by Rivals.com coming out of high school, checking in at No. 74. He and five-star freshman tackle Chris Hinton (No. 15) are the only former top- 100 recruits along the defensive line. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN Sophomore end Aidan Hutchinson earned high praise immediately from all of his teammates last season, and many think he can have a ca- reer similar to his father, Chris, an All-Ameri- can who played at U-M from 1989-92. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN