The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1386887
THE WOLVERINE 2021 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 107 [ L I N E B A C K E R S ] • Received a nod for Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association All-State team as a senior. • Listed as a four-star talent, and the No. 8 outside linebacker and No. 92 overall player in the na- tion by Rivals. DAVID OJABO • LB R-Fr. • Aberdeen, Scotland Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 250 • Switched to linebacker ahead of the 2020 campaign. • Made one tackle on the sea- son while appearing in all six games on special teams and three contests at linebacker. • Did not see game action in 2019, but was named U-M's Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year. • Tallied 85 tackles, 18 sacks and four forced fum- bles in his only two seasons of prep football, which came at Blair Academy in New Jersey. • Won the 2018 state title in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.93 seconds. • Ranked by Rivals as a three-star prospect, the No. 12 player in New Jersey and the No. 34 strongside defensive end in the country. JOSH ROSS • LB R-Jr. • Southfield, Mich. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 230 • Started all six games in 2020, and notched 53 stops, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and a quarter- back hurry. • Started the first three games of the 2019 sea- son before going down with an injury against Wisconsin. • Recovered and was able to play in the Citrus Bowl against Alabama, but appearing in only four games meant he was able to redshirt. • Finished with 18 tackles. • Played in every game in 2018, and recorded 61 tackles, five stops for loss, one sack and two passes defended. • Got the start at middle linebacker against Florida in the Peach Bowl and totaled a career-high 11 tackles. • All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2018. • Appeared in every game during his true freshman season, contributing primarily on special teams. • Notched 142 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and one interception as a senior at St. Mary's. • Named the USA Today Defensive Player of the Year for Michigan and first-team All-State in 2016. • Ranked as a four-star prospect, the No. 3 player in Michigan, and the No. 15 outside linebacker and No. 222 overall recruit in the nation by Rivals. Year GP/GS Tkls. TFL Sacks INT 2020 6/6 53 1.5 1.0 1 2019 4/3 18 0 0 0 2018 13/1 61 5.0 1.0 0 2017 13/0 4 0 0 0 Totals 36/10 136 6.5 2.0 1 ANTHONY SOLOMON • LB So. • Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 212 • Participated in five games, in- cluding four on defense, and posted five tackles during the 2020 season. • Played in 11 games on special teams and made one tackle in 2019. • Finished his senior season at St. Thomas Aquinas with 63 stops, seven tackles for loss, three sacks and three fumble recoveries. • Named to the 2018 USA Today All-State first team. • Competed in the 2018 Under Armour All-Ameri- can Game and recorded two tackles. • Regarded by Rivals as a three-star talent, the No. 62 player in Florida and the No. 25 inside linebacker in the land. JOEY VELAZQUEZ • LB R-Fr. • Columbus, Ohio Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 224 • Did not see game action dur- ing the 2020 campaign. • Appeared in one game on spe- cial teams his freshman year. • Filled the stat sheet in his senior season at St. Francis DeSales, tallying 76 tackles, 21 stops for loss and six forced fumbles on defense, while adding more than 1,000 yards and 13 touch- downs on offense. • Three-time Division II first-team All-State selec- tion in baseball. • Named the Ohio Player of the Year in 2018 after breaking a school record with his .545 batting average. • Also plays in the outfield for the U-M baseball team. • Ranked by Rivals as a three-star talent. NEWCOMERS JUNIOR COLSON • LB Fr. • Brentwood, Tenn. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 230 • Named a semifinalist for the 2020 Butkus Award, handed out to the nation's top high school line- backer. • Selected to participate in the 2020 All-American Bowl. • Rivals rated him as a four-star prospect, and the No. 6 outside linebacker and No. 83 overall player in the nation. JAYDON HOOD • LB Fr. • Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 212 • Landed on MaxPreps' All-Florida second-team defense as a senior, and earned an invite to the 2021 Under Armour All-American Game. • Ranked by Rivals as a four-star recruit, and the No. 14 inside linebacker and No. 225 overall player in the class of 2021. TYLER MCLAURIN • LB Fr. • Bolingbrook, Ill. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 220 • Selected as one of the 250 best players in the Great Lakes Region and top 50 prospects in Il- linois by MaxPreps prior to the 2020 campaign. • Regarded by Rivals as a three-star prospect and the No. 39 outside linebacker in the country. Freshman Junior Colson put up eye-popping numbers in high school — including 30 tack- les for loss and 14 sacks as a junior — and has the size, athleticism and opportunity to make an immediate impact. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND Kalel Mullings saw action in all six games for the Wolverines during his rookie season in 2020. PHOTO VIA TWITTER