The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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APRIL 2021 THE WOLVERINE 39 "But the pass rush overall, you just don't know where it's going to come from. Maybe someone like Taylor Upshaw?" The redshirt sophomore did notch three tackles for loss and a sack in six games last year, and he's got potential. But the team overall needs an upgrade. "They were so shal- low last year that each level of the de- fense had a walk-on as part of the rota- tion," Karsch noted. "With all due respect to them, that shouldn't happen at Michigan." LINEBACKERS The obvious question here, besides 'Who replaces Cam McGrone?' is, 'What happens to the vipers?' The hybrid safety/linebacker position was important in Brown's defense, but Macdonald will have to find a place for all of those that were recruited for a different defensive scheme. Word from early spring practice is that former viper Michael Barrett has slid over to try to fill McGrone's spot in the middle. The redshirt sopho- more had a big game last year in the opener, including a sack and forced fumble in a win over Minnesota, be- fore tailing off — though he still fin- ished third on the team with 44 stops. "Barrett played spectacularly in the opener, and it strikes me there's a world of potential there. For some reason, it didn't translate every Satur- day," Karsch said. "Don Brown used to rave about him and [underclassmen] William Mohan, David Ojabo, Kalel Mullings and others, but now you're not sure where these guys fit in Mike Macdonald's defensive schemes." Sources have said Mullings (6-1, 233), a second-year freshman out of West Roxbury, Mass., is battling with classmate Nikhai Hill-Green (6-1, 225) for the second spot behind Barrett and redshirt junior Josh Ross at the Mike (middle) and Will (weakside) line- backer positions, respectively. Ross is the one who needs to step up and lead for new linebackers coach George Helow, and Macdonald said he's seen him do that in the early going, even though he's missed some time (he's presumably banged up). The numbers were solid in six games last year — a team-high 53 tackles, plus one sack and an interception — but he struggled at times. "He needs to be really solid," Karsch said. "I don't expect him to be spectacular, but he's the kind of guy who can make an All-Big Ten team." There are rumblings, too, that the Sam (strongside) linebacker will be important in Macdonald's 4-3 "under" defense. A few will have to step up here, too, perhaps redshirt freshman Ojabo, who has plenty of raw talent. Others, like freshman William Mo- han, redshirt freshman Joey Velazquez and sophomore Anthony Solomon, aren't big, but they're talented. "There's a lot of work to be done on the defensive side in recruiting and upgrading the talent," Karsch said. "But it looks like it's started." DEFENSIVE BACKS If there's a bright spot on the de- fense, the secondary might be it. The Wolverines were carved up on the back end in a number of games, but some of that might have had to do with scheme and asking defensive backs to play on an island when there was little to no cover from the pass rush. Losing senior Ambry Thomas, pro- jected to be one of the Big Ten's better cover corners last year, was a critical blow, though nobody blamed him for opting out. His battle with colitis the previous year left him vulnerable in the COVID era. Redshirt sophomore Vincent Gray had to take over as the No. 1 corner af- ter a solid 2019, but he just wasn't ready for that challenge. "He's a great kid, and I love talking to him," Karsch said. "I think if that ability is there, he'll get the most out of it. They had a system last year that asked a lot of their corners, and Vince really wasn't supposed to be in that [No. 1] position." He was picked on repeatedly and finished with three passes broken up. On the other side, redshirt soph- omore Gemon Green was a some- what pleasant surprise. He batted away nine balls, and while he had his struggles in coverage, too, he also made some plays. "Gemon has the makings of be- ing very good, and he probably still wouldn't have been on the field if Thomas had stuck around," Karsch said. "When thrown into the fire, you either get exposed quicker or grow up quicker. If I had to bet on one guy this year who struggled some last year, it's Gemon Green." Karsch also knows who he'd pick as a potential third corner for 2021. "One guy I love on film with his attitude and wonder where he'll fit is [freshman] Andre Seldon," he said. "It's really hard for true freshmen to play, but I think he's going to have a good career." Finally, the safety spots should be in good hands with fifth-year se- nior Brad Hawkins and sophomore Daxton Hill. The former is one of the team's most experienced defenders, the latter perhaps the most talented player on the team. "Maybe it's a bit optimistic, but I think that can be one of the best safety duos in the Big Ten," Karsch said. "It's a matter of finding the depth behind them. [Freshman] Ma- kari Paige got thrown into the fire last year before he was ready, too, but he has talent." So do many of the others. It's bringing it out of them that will be paramount in improving a defense that struggled more than it should have in 2020. ❏ Redshirt junior linebacker Josh Ross led the defense with 53 tackles last year and boasts a team-high 136 in his career. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Michigan football sideline reporter Doug Karsch "They need to get back to having the kinds of teams that can win in the trenches in the third and fourth quarters."