The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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14 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2020 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS MICHIGAN'S TOP PERFORMERS High school ice hockey forward Jackson Hallum: The Mendota Heights (Minn.) St. Thomas Academy forward committed to Michi- gan Sept. 3, after compiling 18 goals and 17 assists in 25 games for his Ca- dets squad last season. Known for his speed, Hallum will next spend a year playing juniors in the Upper Midwest High School Elite League before even- tually arriving in Ann Arbor in 2022. "He's obviously regarded as one of the fastest, if not the fastest, skater in the state of Minnesota," St. Thomas Academy head coach Trent Eiger told The Michigan Daily. "His first three steps allow him to get sticks in lanes and disrupt plays." Former ice hockey center Jacob Hayhurst: He signed a contract with the East Coast Hockey League's (ECHL) Worcester Railers for the 2020-21 cam- paign. The squad is an affiliate of the NHL's New York Islanders. As a fifth-year senior last season, Hayhurst appeared in all 36 games and compiled 15 points, eight goals and seven assists, and came out victorious on 51.4 percent of his faceoffs. The highlights of the former Wolverine's 2019-20 campaign oc- curred when he tallied two game-winning goals, against Wisconsin Feb. 8 and versus Michigan State Feb. 17 in Detroit. Football senior defensive end Kw- ity Paye: ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. pegged him the No. 20 overall pros- pect for the 2021 NFL Draft on his big board Sept. 3. The writer also tabbed Paye as the third-best available defen- sive end, behind Wake Forest's Carlos Basham and Miami (Fla.)'s Gregory Rousseau. "I don't think he has scratched the surface of his talent just yet," Kiper wrote. "He is an extremely gifted defender with an impressive physical frame. I think he'll test really well at the NFL Combine next year." The senior defensive end recently confirmed he'll re- turn for his final season at Michigan. Women's swimming and diving senior Sierra Schmidt: She was one of five current or former Wolverine swimmers named to the 2020-21 U.S. National Team Aug. 19, and will participate in the 800- and 1,500-meter freestyles. Schmidt took home a gold medal as part of the 4x200-meter freestyle relay at the 2019 World University Games, and a bronze in the 400-meter freestyle. The senior also won three medals at the 2019 Phillips 66 National Championships, and is a four-time College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) All- American during her time at Michigan. — Austin Fox Don Brown's 2020 Unit Will Return To Elite Status By Austin Fox Each of coordinator Don Brown's first three defenses at Michigan (2016-18) fin- ished in the top three na- tionally, before last year's "slipped" to No. 11 in the country. It's fair to expect the 2020 edition to once again reside among the nation's best, however, when considering the amount of experienced production it has returning. The Maize and Blue bring b a c k f i v e p l a y e r s t h a t started at least 10 games in 2019 (fifth-year senior de- fensive tackle Carlo Kemp, senior defensive end Kwity Paye, senior safety Brad Hawkins, junior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and redshirt sophomore linebacker Cam Mc- Grone), to go along with two other experienced contributors in redshirt junior linebacker Josh Ross (413 snaps played in 2018) and redshirt sophomore cornerback Vincent Gray (525 snaps played last season). After U-M's defense allowed 343.6 yards and 25.6 points per game through its first three contests last year, it clamped down significantly and yielded just 239.8 yards and 12.6 points over its next eight games from Sept. 28 through Nov. 23. With the taste of sustained success under its belt, expect Michigan's 2020 defense to resemble the dominant unit we saw during last season's aforementioned two-month stretch. The 2020 Defense Will Take A Slight Step Backward By Chris Balas Don Brown's defenses have been chewed up in big games the last couple years, especially by Ohio State, but he's still one of the better coordinators in the game. The Wolverines continue to dominate defensively in many games, and that will be the case again, but this year's defense will inevitably take a small step back. The line will be good and the linebackers outstanding, but depth is lacking at both of these positions. If they don't stay healthy — and it's almost inevitable a few guys will miss games with injuries, not to mention COVID-19 concerns — that could be an issue. But the biggest concern is in the secondary. Barring a last- minute return, the Wolverines lose their best player back there in cornerback Ambry Thomas and have no proven cover man in a defense that demands it. Redshirt sophomore Vincent Gray exceeded expectations last year and is a good corner, especially in run support, but he doesn't have the fluidity and speed of some of the recent greats. And if depth appeared to be a problem at the other posi- tions, it's going to be magnified this year in the defensive backfield. There are bodies, but none of them are proven. POINT ❙ COUNTERPOINT WILL MICHIGAN'S DEFENSE BE BETTER THAN LAST YEAR'S? D e f e n s i v e c o o r d i n a t o r D o n Brown's unit returns five players that started at least 10 games in 2019, but the secondary is largely unproven. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL