The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1202829
FEBRUARY 2020 THE WOLVERINE 29 Many expected this group to go as junior Josh Ross and red- shirt junior Devin Gil went, but Ross got hurt early in the year (and redshirted) while Gil became a special teams guy. Ross' absence didn't help the defense, but it did open the door for redshirt freshman Cameron McGrone, U-M's breakout defender. Mc- Grone earned honorable men- tion All-Big Ten honors after starting nine games at middle linebacker and finishing with 66 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and five quarterback hurries while serving as one of U-M's better blitzers. Fifth-year senior Jordan Glasgow was a Butkus Award semifinalist and capped an outstanding final campaign with 89 tackles and five sacks, while senior Khaleke Hudson was inconsistent but still led the team with 102 stops. The group as a whole exceeded expectations (especially after Ross went down), though Hud- son never did find his sophomore-season form again. He was limited to three tackles for loss this year after posting 17.5 two seasons ago. StatuS Of SchOlarShip playerS GRADUATED: Jordan Glasgow* Khaleke Hudson GOING PRO EARLY: Josh Uche TRANSFERRED: Jordan Anthony ELIGIBILITY REMAINING (YEARS): Devin Gil (1) Josh Ross (2) Michael Barrett (3) Cameron McGrone (3) Anthony Solomon (3) Charles Thomas (4) Joey Velazquez (4) * Former walk-on B+ MVP SENIOR JOSH UCHE Uche was Michigan's Defensive Player of the Year after earning second-team All-Big Ten honors from the league's coaches and Pro Football Focus, and third-team notice from the media. He became more of an every-down player this season but still did most of his damage as an edge rusher, racking up a team-high 8.5 sacks (65 yards in losses) and finishing second with 11.5 tackles for loss among his 35 stops with eight quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. Even then, like most of his teammates, Uche was held in check in the biggest games. He managed only one tackle in a loss at Wisconsin, and was held to just an assisted stop in each of losses to Ohio State and Ala- bama, though he was credited for two quarterback hurries against the Crimson Tide. Uche could have petitioned for a fifth year, but he opted to leave. Many believe he'll be a day-two pick in this year's NFL Draft. 2020 PLAYER TO WATCH MICHAEL BARRETT Someone is going to need to emerge at viper linebacker, and Barrett would be the next man up at the position. He is extremely athletic (played quarterback in high school) and is now up to 227 pounds on his 6-0 frame. He has played primarily on special teams in his first two seasons, so they'll be asking him to take a huge leap as a redshirt sophomore. He's notched only seven career tack- les as Hudson's backup. OVERALL GRADE PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL linebackerS NUMBERS TO KNOW Hudson and Glasgow were not only U-M's two leading tacklers in 2019, but also two of the Big Ten's best. Hudson's 102 stops checked in as the fifth most in the conference, while Glasgow's 89 tack- les were tied for seventh. No other team in the league had two players finish among the top seven in tackles. Josh Uche