The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 31 STATE OF THE DEFENSE improve," he said. "I feel like we have five guys who can run there, and ev- erybody improved from spring going into the fall." Of course, Khaleke Hudson is back to man the all-important viper spot. DEFENSIVE BACKS In early August, Brown reiterated his spring comments that his back seven was more in tune with each other than any U-M group he had ever coached. Cornerback is a bit of a concern, how- ever, given that junior Ambry Thomas has been limited by an illness. Brown admitted he wasn't sure when they'd get him back. "He's moving forward, working on the side, following all the trainers' and doctors' orders, but all systems are positive going forward," Brown said. "[His return date] is probably not an answer I'm not equipped to give you. He's in doctors' care … that's between the trainers, Coach [Jim] Harbaugh and Ambry." Redshirt freshman Vincent Gray continues to excel, though the depth could be better. The Wolverines lost freshman Myles Sims to transfer af- ter the one year and will need to find more bodies. "I'm always worried about it, espe- cially if somebody else goes down," Brown said of the corner position. "But … Vincent Gray is a player. That's a real positive. I feel like we just did the flip because [senior] Lavert [Hill] sat out a bunch in the spring. He's back playing like Lavert Hill, so that's a real positive. "[Junior] Jaylen Kelly-Powell has just continued to improve and is firmly entrenched in the two-deep, so I feel good about that. [Junior] Brad Hawkins, we've kind of used his cov- erage ability on the slot some. We've got a ways to go and make our adjust- ments, but we're really happy with the way those guys have performed." Hawkins is close to being the team's best safety, Brown added, but the posi- tion is led by senior Josh Metellus. He has been a rock in the spring and again early in the fall. "Josh Metellus is playing at an ex- tremely high level, giving a quality maturity to the group," Brown said. "Him and Brad are neck and neck as to who is our best, second best. I can't really tell you that. "Our third safety right now [is ju- nior] J'Marick Woods. He's played a lot of football for us, has vastly im- proved as a football player, then there's a bunch of guys in competition. "[Redshirt freshman] Sammy Faus- tin would be one, [former walk-on and redshirt sophomore] Hunter Reynolds, obviously [freshman] Daxton Hill is on our radar and practicing extremely well, but again he's a true freshman five practices in." Hill could be the X-factor here, a player Metellus calls one of the best ath- letes he has ever seen. Senior linebacker Khaleke Hudson said in July that Hill might be the fastest player on the team. "He's kind of a unique guy," Brown noted. "I think he's going to end up playing like James Ihedigbo, who played for me at UMass in 2006 and ended up playing 11 years in the NFL. "That kind of guy, maybe not as tall, but long limbed, can run, rush, explode on contact. I see that in him, but obviously that poor guy is working his way through the bridge program and playing football at the same time, which is no easy task." Regardless, Brown said, he feels pretty good about the top end of the safety group. The secondary won't face a proven passer until Iowa comes to town with Nate Stanley Oct. 5, so there should be plenty of time to work out the kinks. ❏ Don Brown is one of the top defensive coordinators in the country, having led some of the nation's elite defenses over the past several years, both at Boston College and Michigan. Head coach Jim Harbaugh called him one of the best coaches he had ever been around, high praise given how long he played and has now coached. Brown has a number of challenges facing his group this year and plenty to figure out. Here are five of the biggest questions facing his defense heading into the 2019 season: 1. Will the cornerbacks be good enough to allow Brown to be as aggressive as he likes to be? Michigan's corners are on an island most of the time in a Brown-led defense, and as cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich said last year, "that's a lot of pressure." It's even more on guys who have never played before, like redshirt freshman Vincent Gray. Even veteran and junior Am- bry Thomas hasn't played a whole lot at corner, leaving the top two heading into the opener with Middle Tennessee State as elite cover man Lavert Hill and an unknown … especially if Thomas is slow working his way back from an illness. 2. Are the Wolverines deep enough at safety? The Wolverines have an elite player on the back end in senior Josh Metellus, and junior Brad Hawkins is right on his heels after an outstanding spring and early fall. Hawkins, though, was expected to be the No. 1 nickel corner … the fact that he's playing more safety means they're still searching for answers. Junior J'Marick Woods emerged from spring as a starting safety, but probably needs to elevate his game while freshman Daxton Hill will have to grow up quickly. 3. Will the interior pass rush be good enough? That was one of Harbaugh's cited concerns heading into the fall, and this one is a work in progress. Redshirt junior tackle Michael Dwumfour is extremely quick off the ball and has a chance to be great in that role, but others will need to step up complement him. 4. How will the defense hold up against teams with elite athletes? Penn State in 2018 and Ohio State in 2019 exploited some weaknesses in coverage by scheming to their strengths, often player on player. Brown adjusted against the Nittany Lions last year and will have to do it against the Buckeyes as well. OSU exploited U-M's defensive backs with faster receivers. Brown insisted U-M would be more versatile in coverage this year to help combat some of the difficulties seen last year. 5. Will U-M's new up-tempo offense affect the defense? Michigan was one of the slowest teams in the Big Ten in terms of offensive tempo last year — according to TeamRank- ings.com, U-M ranked 74th out of 130 teams nationally with an average of 70.8 players per game last year — but now it will be no huddle. That means the defense will be on the field longer and will face more possessions per game. Time will tell whether or not the Wolverines are deep enough at all positions to hold up under these circumstances. — Chris Balas Five Questions To Consider On Defense