The Wolverine

2021 Michigan Football Preview

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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[ D E F E N S I V E B A C K S ] 116 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2021 FOOTBALL PREVIEW PLAYER BIOS POSITION COACH Defensive passing game coor- dinator and cornerbacks coach Steve Clinkscale is entering his first season at Michigan, joining the staff following five seasons as Kentucky's defensive backs coach. UK was top-four in the South- eastern Conference in pass defense during Clink- scale's final three seasons, and led the league in 2019 and 2020. The team also topped the conference and ranked third in the nation with 16 interceptions in 2020. The 2019 secondary replaced its top six pro- ducers from the 2018 season and still slotted second nationally in fewest touchdown passes allowed (nine) and third in passing yards allowed per game (167.8). The Wildcats intercepted 57 passes in Clinkscale's five seasons, and the secondary was responsible for 43 of them (75.4 percent). Safety Mike Edwards, who won the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past year, earned three straight All-SEC nods while being mentored by Clinkscale from 2016-18, and became the second defensive back in program history to record 300-plus tackles in his career. He also recorded 10 interceptions in his time at the school. Prior to his stint in Lexington, Clinkscale was Cincin- nati's defensive backs coach for two seasons, and he was elevated to defensive coordinator during his final campaign there, 2015, when the squad ranked third in the American Athletic Conference in passing yards allowed. Clinkscale coached cornerbacks at Illinois for one season in 2012, after a three-year stint as Toledo's special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach. He came to Toledo from Western Carolina, where he served as defensive backs coach for one year (2008). He got his start in coaching at his alma mater, Ash- land, where he coached defensive backs at the Divi- sion II program for seven years (2001-07). As a player, Clinkscale was a four-year starter and team captain, while earning his degree in sports sci- ence with a concentration in therapeutic recreation. Ron Bellamy is in his first year coaching safeties at his alma ma- ter, where he played wide receiver from 1999-2002. He joins the staff after 11 years as the head coach at West Bloomfield (Mich.) High, where he won his first state title last season and made one other appearance in the finals in 2017. He finished his time there with seven straight playoff berths. Prior to his tenure, the school had qualified for the playoffs only twice. During his years at West Bloomfield, he helped 165 players earn college scholarships, 50 of them at the Football Bowl Subdivision level, including current U-M freshman running back Donovan Edwards and fresh- man safety Makari Paige. Bellamy, who graduated from U-M with a bachelor's degree in sport management and communication in 2003, received his master's degree in education from Wayne State in 2011. The New Orleans native started 25 of the 36 games he played in at U-M, and racked up 67 receptions for 888 yards and nine touchdowns, including 46 catches for 530 yards and five touchdowns as a senior. Bellamy signed with the Miami Dolphins as an un- drafted free agent in 2004. He resided on the team's practice squad for two seasons, before playing for the Baltimore Ravens (2005) and Detroit Lions (2007-08). RETURNING PLAYERS EAMONN DENNIS • CB Fr. • Worcester, Mass. Ht.: 5-10 • Wt.: 180 • Did not see game action in 2020. • Ranked by Rivals as a three- star prospect and the No. 5 player in Massachusetts. SAMMY FAUSTIN • S R-So. • Naples, Fla. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 200 • Made one appearance on spe- cial teams in 2020. • Appeared in nine games on special teams and played de- fensive back in three in 2019, and recorded two tackles. • Redshirted his first season in Ann Arbor. • Regarded as a three-star talent and the No. 62 cornerback in the nation by Rivals. VINCENT GRAY • CB R-So. • Rochester, Mich. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 190 • Started all six games at cor- nerback in 2020, and led his position group with 25 tack- les while also notching three passes broken up. • Played at cornerback in all 13 games with one start during the 2019 season, and notched 20 tackles, 1.5 stops for loss and five passes broken up. • Appeared in two games in 2018. • Rivals rated him as a three-star prospect and the No. 60 cornerback in the nation. Year GP/GS Tkls. TFL PBU INT 2020 6/6 25 0 3 0 2019 13/1 20 1.5 5 0 2018 2/0 0 0 0 0 Totals 21/7 45 1.5 8 0 GEMON GREEN • CB R-So. • DeSoto, Texas. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 181 • Started all six games at cornerback in 2020, and compiled 22 tackles and a team-high nine passes broken up. • Made five tackles while play- ing in 11 games on special teams and one on defense in 2019. • Did not see game action his first year in Ann Arbor. • Tabbed as a four-star prospect and the No. 39 cornerback in the land by Rivals. Year GP/GS Tkls. TFL PBU INT 2020 6/6 22 0 9 0 2019 11/0 5 0 0 0 Totals 17/6 27 0 9 0 GERMAN GREEN • S R-So. DeSoto, Texas Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 181 • Appeared in all six games on special teams and played cornerback in one during the 2020 campaign, totaling one tackle. • Made his career debut in 2019, competing on special teams against Rutgers. • Redshirted his first season at Michigan. • Listed by Rivals as a three-star talent. DARION GREEN-WARREN • CB Fr. • Torrance, Calif. Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 180 • Did not make a game appear- ance in 2020. • Played in the 2020 All-Ameri- can Bowl. • Regarded as a four-star recruit, the No. 17 pros- pect in California, and the No. 12 cornerback and No. 123 overall player in the nation by Rivals. Redshirt sophomore Gemon Green started all six games at cornerback and led the team with nine passes broken up in 2020. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL

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