The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2021 THE WOLVERINE 11 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS The Linebackers Are Proving To Be A Pleasant Surprise By Chris Balas The Michigan front seven was a huge question mark heading into camp, but some of the con- cerns appear to have been al- leviated. J u n i o r A i d a n H u tc h i n s o n's addition helps here — he's now listed as an outside line- backer and has lost a bit of weight to play the position in a 3-4 scheme, but he'll still have plenty of defensive end duties, too — but even if he weren't, this crew would be impressive. Redshirt junior Josh Ross lost weight and is off to a great start at 224 pounds, while second-year frosh Nikhai Hill- Green looks like a future star. True freshman Junior Colson is going to play and will have a breakout season next year (book it), while third-year redshirt freshman David Ojabo is becoming a nice pass rusher opposite Hutchinson. Veteran Michael Barrett is also in the mix, while second- year freshman Kalel Mullings has played well, and two- sport man Joey Velazquez has surprised. This group will be a team strength, something nobody would have predicted in the spring. There's leadership, ath- leticism, star power and depth, and that should help bring along the U-M front seven. The Backs Run Away With It By Clayton Sayfie M i c h i g a n d i d n't h a n d o u t team awards last season, but redshir t sophomore running back Hassan Haskins was the Wolverines' MVP in our eyes. He led the squad with 375 rushing yards and scored a team-high six touchdowns while averag- ing 6.2 yards per attempt (fifth in the Big Ten), after racking up 622 yards and four scores the year prior. Second-year freshman Blake Corum, meanwhile, showed flashes last season (26 rushes for 77 yards and two touchdowns), but has raised his game to the point that head coach Jim Harbaugh has essentially said he and Haskins are interchangeable. The two backs are a stellar one-two punch with Haskins more of a downhill, power runner and Corum a quicker, shiftier one that can turn on the jets in the open field. Freshman early enrollee Donovan Edwards, who was recently ranked by ESPN as the No. 41 impact newcomer nationally (which includes redshirt freshmen, true fresh- men and transfers) is also in the mix, and Harbaugh has said he'll play right out of the gate. That'll add depth to an already talented group, the best and most solidified out of any on the roster. POINT ❙ COUNTERPOINT WHAT'S MICHIGAN'S TOP POSITION GROUP HEADING INTO GAME ONE? DE/LB AIDAN HUTCHINSON RB HASSAN HASKINS MICHIGAN'S TOP PERFORMERS Former women's lacrosse goalie and current volun- teer assistant coach Mira Shane: Playing in Athletes Unlimited's pro- fessional lacrosse league, she was awarded Defensive Player of the Week honors Aug. 17 while helping Team Glynn win two games in week four of the five-week campaign. Former men's basketball forward Moritz Wagner: The first Michigan men's basketball player to compete in the Olympics since Phil Hubbard in 1976, Wagner averaged 11.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per out- ing in five games for Team Germany, which advanced to the quarterfinals before being eliminated by Slovenia. Wagner's Olympics were highlighted by his 17 points, three rebounds, three steals and one assist in just 12 minutes of play (due to foul trouble) during Ger- many's tight, 99-92 win over Nigeria to advance out of Group B. Football junior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson: He checked in at No. 2 in The Athletic insider Bruce Feld- man's rankings of the biggest 'freaks' in college football, or "guys who generate buzz inside their programs by displaying the rare physi- cal abilities that wow even those who observe gifted athletes every day." Feldman cited some of Hutchinson's measurables in combine drills as proof. "While at Michigan, [Kwity] Paye clocked the second-best 3-cone time on the team at 6.37. This offseason, Hutchinson timed 6.54, which would've been better than anyone at the 2020 combine," he wrote. Hutchinson also recently appeared on ESPN.com's ranking of the top 50 NFL Draft prospects at No. 40. Football redshirt freshman defensive tackle Julius Welschof: The German was also named a freak by Feld- man, slotting No. 33 on the rankings despite having registered only six tackles and one half- sack during his career to this point. "When Aidan Hutchinson first saw Welschof, a 6-6, 250-plus pound for- mer champion moguls skier from Ger- many, broad jumping 10-5, it blew his mind," Feldman wrote. "'It was insane,' Hutchinson recalled. 'I was like, who the hell is this guy, this German freak?' "The 24-year-old first got on Euro- pean football scout Brandon Collier's radar with videos of a then-220-pound Welschof doing backflips on his skis and walking 50 yards on his hands. Welschof is now up to 288 pounds and can still do some ridiculous athletic feats, running a 4.68 40 and still broad jumping 10-5, and Hutchinson said his friend could be in line for 'a breakout season' in a new defensive scheme." — Clayton Sayfie