The Wolverine

April 2020

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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APRIL 2020 THE WOLVERINE 45 Evans, so we should have some com- petition brewing there." 4. The Kicking Game: Veteran punters Will Hart and Brad Robbins both have big legs, and Hart was the Big Ten Punter of the Year two sea- sons ago. Hart, a rising fifth-year se- nior, was inconsistent last season, av- eraging 44.2 yards per punt to the 47.0 he posted the year prior, opening the door for Robbins. Robbins, an honor- able mention All-Big Ten performer in 2017 and rising redshirt junior, aver- aged 42.8 yards on four kicks in 2019. Junior Jake Moody and fifth-year senior Quinn Nordin have both had their share of big moments in Michi- gan uniforms and will continue to push each other. Nordin eventually took over the duties after the two shared them for much of the year and made his last 10 kicks, including a 57-yarder just before the half against Alabama in the Citrus Bowl. 5. The Starting Linebackers: Red- shirt sophomore Cameron McGrone emerged last year as a force, both against the run and as a blitzer, and he's a potential All-Big Ten defender. Redshirt junior Josh Ross returns after being sidelined last year, and redshirt sophomore viper Michael Barrett has earned praise for his offseason work. "It really starts with Cam Mc- Grone, Josh Ross and Michael Bar- rett," Brown said. "Those are three guys that we feel really, really good about, in terms of experience, in terms of their ability to make plays. "I thought McGrone really matured well during his redshirt freshman campaign. We've just got to keep Josh Ross healthy and obviously get mean- ingful repetitions here this spring." The latter won't happen now, but it will likely occur in the fall. TOP FIVE CONCERNS 1. Offensive Line Inexperience: There are plenty of options across the board after a number of very good recruiting hauls up front over the last few years, but there are only a few guys who have actually played significantly. Redshirt sophomore right tackle Jalen Mayfield looks the part of a future All-Big Ten guy, and he'll likely stay on the right side after starting 13 games there last year. Junior wideout Ronnie Bell has caught 56 passes for 903 yards and three touchdowns so far in his Michigan career. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL

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