The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2021 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 113 [ D E F E N S I V E B A C K S ] PRESEASON ANALYSIS: STARTERS What could have been a strength last year simply wasn't, and inconsistency was a big reason. Lack of pass rush left the corners on an island, and Vincent Gray in particular was picked on by quarterbacks. Gemon Green was solid in his first signifi- cant taste of game action, but the Wolver- ines struggled in their heavy man-coverage packages and lost confidence. This could be the best safety duo U-M has had in years should Daxton Hill and Brad Hawkins play to lofty expectations; all of them will see more zone packages that should take pressure off the back end of the defense. DEPTH There are capable bodies here, including a couple corners that had great springs in DJ Turner and Andre Seldon. Makari Paige played a lot in his first season — that should help his development — and R.J. Moten also had an outstanding spring. There are plenty of veterans here, too, who have been in the program a while and waited their turn. There should be plenty of competition. OVERALL There is a lot of talent here — as Ron Bellamy noted, it's just a matter of putting it together. They need one more corner- back to emerge, but the safeties should be among the best in the Big Ten. "He's not a big 'rah rah' guy or a loud guy, but he comes out every day and goes about his business," he praised. "One of those things I learned throughout the course of my coaching career is you've got to have some fun in doing it, too. He does." Next to him, the 6-0, 192-pound Hill might be one of the most athletic safeties the program has ever seen, a freak athlete with incredible instincts and ball skills. He's started nine of the 19 games in which he's appeared at free safety, finished with 46 tackles in six games last season and should be in line for an All-Big Ten season, if not more. Hill was all over the field in the spring game in a dominating half, per sources, and is probably the most talented player on the defense. "He's a star in the making," Bellamy praised. "The kid just approaches the game the right way every day. He's a super competitive kid. "Dax is a kid with flexibility because he can play multiple positions in the defense. That's why he was highly touted coming out of high school. Everyone wanted him in their programs." He only scratched the surface last year, the assistant noted. "He made some plays, did some good things, but this year we're expecting huge strides from Dax," Bellamy continued. "I think he's more than capable of delivering that." Two young players, second-year freshmen Makari Paige and R.J. Moten, emerged on the two-deep this spring. Paige played 118 snaps per Pro Football Focus (PFF) last year, and is a lanky, rangy safety with cover skills and confidence. The 6-3, 192-pounder notched six tackles, and will be expected to take a leap forward this fall. He also played for Bellamy at West Bloomfield, and made an immediate impact when he was thrown into the fire, notching three tackles in a win at Minnesota in his first game. Bellamy knew his standout wouldn't need long to get acclimated to the college game. "He came in and played early because we ran the same defense at West Bloom- field, or very similar, and he had a lot of traits they were looking for," the coach noted. "We spent this spring learning a new scheme and new techniques and new verbiage, but they did a great job recruiting those guys, because they went after cerebral kids that understand the game of football, are passionate about the game. "For Makari, that's why he was able to play early. That's why we expect Gemon Green broke up nine passes in six games in his first season as a starter, a rate of 1.5 per game. That was second both in the Big Ten and nationally behind Maryland freshman Tarheeb Still, who notched eight in four games (2.0 per contest). The Wolverines got only one interception from a defensive back last year, an end-zone pick from Daxton Hill in the third overtime that secured the victory at Rutgers. U-M defenders notched two total, the other from linebacker Josh Ross in the opener at Minnesota. Lindy's annual preseason publication ranked Michigan's secondary eighth nationally and second in the Big Ten behind Ohio State (third overall). "This unit has teeth," they wrote. "Daxton Hill is a top safety who someday will be cashing NFL paychecks, while safety Brad Hawkins is savvy and a hitter." They also praised Green and fellow corner Vincent Gray's improvement last year. A Michigan secondary that led the nation in pass defense in both 2016 and 2017 under Don Brown finished second to last in the Big Ten (and 96th nationally) by allowing 255.5 yards per game in 2020. The Wolverines finished 70th nationally in pass efficiency defense after finish- ing in the top seven each of the previous four seasons. [ F Y I ] THE WOLVERINE 2021 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 113 [ D E F E N S I V E B A C K S ] YEAR-BY-YEAR PASS DEFENSE Yards TD Year Yards Per Game Allowed 2020* 1,533 255.5 12 2019 2,412 185.5 16 2018 1,921 147.8 14 2017 1,951 150.1 11 2016 1,853 142.5 11 2015 2,060 158.5 8 2014 2,324 193.7 14 2013 3,007 231.3 23 2012 2,203 169.5 16 2011 2,476 190.5 12 *Only played six games due to COVID-19 X-FACTOR X-FACTOR Sophomore Daxton Hill is a difference-maker and needs to be used as such. He'll be asked to cover teams' best receivers at times, at which point the young safeties are going to have to rise to the occasion behind him.