The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/122487
four November contests with two sacks and six tackles for loss — he too would go a long way toward filling the gap Ryan leaves behind, but it can't be only Clark. It will take a team effort to replace Ryan, putting the onus on senior safety Thomas Gordon, junior cornerbacks Raymon Taylor and Blake Countess, senior defensive tackles Quinton Washington and Jibreel Black, and on and on the list goes of U-M defensive players that need to raise their games. The bad news is that Ryan is slated to return, at the earliest, in November, but the good news is that the injury occurred six months out from the Aug. 31 opener against Central Michigan, providing Michigan plenty of time to groom Ryan's successor. ❏ Position Battles Continue Throughout The Defense The Michigan football team has concluded spring practice and the competition for starting jobs has only just begun. However, frontrunners emerged at safety, middle linebacker and along the defensive line this spring. Here is a summary of where things stand. Safety: Fifth-year senior Thomas Gordon is entrenched at one starting position, likely the strong, and has taken cues from his former safety counterpart, Jordan Kovacs, in becoming the leader of the defense. Sophomore Jarrod Wilson has outshined the rest of the field, which includes senior Marvin Robinson and redshirt freshman Jeremy Clark, in jockeying to start at free safety. The 6-2, 196-pound Wilson had eight tackles in 2012 and was last seen chasing South Carolina wide receiver Ace Sanders down from behind in the Outback Bowl. "He's very mature," defensive coordinator Greg Mattison said. "He's a young man who studies the books, studies exactly what he is supposed to do by position. He has great pride in the way he plays, and is a very good athlete, and all he needs now is continued reps in game-like situations. "He is a very consistent football player, too. A lot of times, the young guys will show you flashes of why you recruited him, and then you'll say, 'Oh man, he took a step back.' This guy has continued to improve every day he is out there." Middle Linebacker: With the departure of Kenny Demens, Michigan has a major hole to fill in the middle of its defense, but it has two very good options to replace Demens in junior Desmond Morgan and sophomore Joe Bolden. Morgan started each of the past two seasons at the Will, recording 144 total tackles and 9.5 stops for loss. Though not the best athlete, he was quick enough and fast enough to perform at the weakside position. However, U-M wants someone with a little more speed and explosiveness (James Ross III), and the 6-1, 227-pound Morgan is perhaps better suited to play in the middle.