The Wolverine

2021 Michigan Football Preview

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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3. Develop 'good' depth at every position Notice we didn't just say 'depth.' The Wolverines have had walk-ons in the two-deep at times the past few years, especially in the front seven, and that shouldn't be the case for a program with champion- ship aspirations. The 'expectation is for the position' mantra is much more realistic when a back-up is skilled enough to step up where a starter left off, and Harbaugh and Co. have recruited well enough that they should be able to accomplish that during the year. 4. Find an identity on offense Harbaugh's Stanford teams were physical, disci- plined and confident, and opponents always knew what they were going to get, similar to Bo Schem- bechler's Michigan teams (a few of which Harbaugh contributed to). That's an area in which the Wolver- ines have been lacking the past few years. There's not been one spot in which they've really excelled on offense. Whether it's explosive passing plays, an outstanding running game, a lead back, etc., they need to better define roles and consistency to develop areas on which they can rely. 5. Improve weekly This is cliché, and we normally wouldn't go there, but it applies to this team more than ever. Getting better game to game, whether it be in wins or losses, is a sign of a well-coached football team and bodes well for the future. They need to get back to consis- tency, and that starts by building a foundation early in the season and adding to it. THE WOLVERINE 2021 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 49 Defense DE Aidan Hutchinson This one's a no-brainer. Hutchin- son has his dad's (former Michigan All-American defensive tackle Chris Hutchinson) DNA, couldn't even think about leaving on last year's note, and loves the program and the school. He said he returned to help restore the winning culture, and he's looked upon as one of the defense's (and team's) top leaders. The dark horse — Fifth-year se- nior safety Brad Hawkins: Hawkins has quietly had a very good career, though injuries have hindered him at times the last two seasons. He's the quarterback of the secondary and a veteran, part of arguably the best pair of safeties in the Big Ten, and now he needs to develop into the leader he should be in year five. Offense WR Ronnie Bell The junior receiver is clearly the emotional leader of the team and busts his butt on ev- ery play, something his team- mates need to emulate. As coach Jim Harbaugh once said, "I'd take 100 Ronnie Bells if I could get them." He leads by his example and plays with incred- ible heart. The dark horse — Redshirt junior right tackle Andrew Stueber: The big guy isn't the most vocal or outgoing on the team, per his teammates, but he's another of those 'brings his lunch pail' types who shows up for work every day, never relents and always gives an honest day's work. He's very well-respected by his peers. Michigan's 2021 Captains: Best Bets Michigan has some obvious choices for team captains and a number of others who are worthy. Here are our picks for U-M's leaders this season: 2021 SEASON PREVIEW BELL PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL

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