The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2021 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 105 [ L I N E B A C K E R S ] on campus, played with a purpose and showed he'll be a good one … in time. "He would have seen more time last year, in my opinion, if not for COVID," the former GA said. "It was hard for an in- coming freshman. All of a sudden, things get shut down, you don't even know if you'll be playing at all. "He just came in with the attitude that he wanted to get better, and I think that's half the battle right there." The other half is the physical and ath- letic part, and Ross saw enough to know Hill-Green has everything it takes in those departments. "He's a rangier guy with long arms … I think he can scratch his kneecaps stand- ing straight up," Ross said. "He's physical, and though he's still a developing young guy, I think this is the perfect situation for him to learn from some great coaches and really continue to keep building to be where wants to be. He's going to be good, for sure." The other backup position is up for grabs — all are, really, this fall — but true freshman early enrollee Junior Col- son appears to have a leg up on the others based on reports gleaned on and off the record. The 6-2, 230-pounder notched an incredible 175 tackles his junior season at Brentwood (Tenn.) Ravenwood, including 30 tackles for loss and 14 sacks, and while teams tried to run away from him last sea- son, he still finished with 59 stops with 7.5 TFLs and 3.5 sacks. Ross' reports from his brother, Josh, indicate Colson has the potential to be the next elite U-M linebacker. "I've heard amazing things about him," he said. "They say he's physically gifted, one of those really good kids who is eager to get better. Josh has said great things about him, and I'm excited to see his tran- sition." The key, Ross continued, is to learn from the guys in front of him the way for- mer star Devin Bush Jr. did his freshman year. By next season — if not sooner — he should have the opportunity to dominate. "Look at Devin. His freshman year he learned behind Ben Gedeon and Mike McCray, and took as much as he possi- bly could from them," Ross explained. "When you have the right attitude, you un- derstand that even if you don't have it right now, you're going to get there." That's the advice he'd give four players vying for the two-deep. Second-year freshman Kalel Mullings (6-1, 233) has all the tools, he just needs time to put it all together, while sophomore Anthony Solomon (6-1, 212) and redshirt frosh Joey Velazquez (6-0, 224) have similar but also different challenges ahead of them. "All of a sudden after last year, the whole defense changes," Ross said. "Kalel's head is swimming a little bit, I'm sure. At the same time, he's an athletic freak, who is big and can move. There aren't a lot of guys that size that can move like him." Solomon was a great fit at the viper position and made an impact on special teams as a freshman, playing in 11 games. His battle will be adding good weight to play in the middle while still maintaining his speed, a balance that's not easy. "That's just going to be his deal, and he's been working at it," Ross said. "He has pure athleticism. It's just a matter of putting that weight to it, because he's a physical guy. He's one of those guys that will keep plugging away, do everything he can to add weight, but at the same time has what you need. It's about getting to a point where it looks good and still feels good for him. "The new linebacker is smaller than he's been before overall in football. In- stead of that 6-2, 240 guy, you see the 6-2, 225-pounder. If you can play at that weight and utilize your athletic gifts, you're going to be a problem." Velazquez, meanwhile, is putting his athletic gifts to use on the baseball dia- mond. He's been a factor for coach Erik Bakich's team, and that's taken away from his football time. "He is as hard a worker as you'll see," Ross said. "He has [former U-M end] Chase Winovich tendencies. I'm not say- ing he plays like Chase, but Chase was always looking to get better and studying film. He was always working to get better. That's Joey." Finally, it remains to be seen how Mac- donald will use his Sam (outside) line- backers, but he will find a use for redshirt freshman David Ojabo (6-5, 250), Ross predicted. Ojabo spent his first year learn- ing from Josh Uche, now with the New England Patriots, and is an outstanding athlete that has developed some pass-rush skills. "People have to remember, he's only been playing football since his junior year in high school," Ross said. "He's got the skills. He just needs the experience. He's only going to get better and better." Overall, the linebackers remain a group with plenty to prove, and all eyes will be on them this fall. There's a lot of talent and upside, though — and how quickly it comes together will go a long way toward determining the 2021 defense's fate. ❑ Redshirt freshman David Ojabo switched from defensive line to linebacker prior to the 2020 season, and he saw snaps in three games at his new position last fall. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN X-FACTOR X-FACTOR Can the Wolverines get some good pass rush out of this group, starting with Sam linebacker David Ojabo? Former defensive coordinator Don Brown liked to blitz his linebackers, and it appears new D.C. Mike Macdonald would like to do the same, but there are no proven play- ers in that role. "This year, I think everything will be clicking on all cylinders for those guys. I'm excited to see a lot of play- ers transition into the players they're supposed to become." FORMER U-M LINEBACKER (2012-15) AND GRADUATE ASSISTANT (2017-20) JAMES ROSS