The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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24 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2021 talented guy, very sharp — and he's another guy we're really counting on to build out the defensive line for us." Veteran Jess Speight, redshirt fresh- man Kris Jenkins and redshirt sopho- more Julius Welschof are the others expected to be in the rotation. "It's a different-looking front — it looks stouter, looks bigger," Har- baugh said Aug. 13. "The front is coming together, and I'm feeling bet- ter — and actually good — about it." LINEBACKERS Significant changes are on display in Macdonald's new-look defense, the most drastic being edge responsibili- ties. Junior Aidan Hutchinson lost a few pounds (he's now around 260) and is expected to play more as an out- side linebacker, though he'll still have plenty of pass-rushing responsibilities, while redshirt sophomore Taylor Up- shaw, redshirt freshman David Ojabo and others will be relied upon for some pass rush in similar fashion. Redshirt freshman Mike Morris is another making an impact, picking up where he left off after an impressive spring. "I thought it was going to be a bit more difficult with this new defense coming in — a lot of new schemes, a lot of new techniques, positions," Hutchinson said while appearing on former Michigan All-American Jon Jansen's In the Trenches podcast. "It's really all different, so I thought I was going to struggle a little bit getting used to the techniques at first. "But I thought I hit the ground run- ning and was playing well from the start. That was really encouraging for me. I think I picked up the defense re- ally well. I'm feeling great in the posi- tion that I'm in, and I'm ready to roll." In the middle, the linebackers have plenty of responsibilities of their own and a lot to prove. Redshirt sophomore Michael Barrett moves from Brown's hybrid viper position, while redshirt junior Josh Ross — now cut and 224 pounds of muscle — is the leader of the group. Second-year freshman Nikhai Hill- Green said Aug. 20 he couldn't remem- ber Ross making a mistake two weeks into camp. "I'm very excited about him, but really more excited about the type of person he is," Macdonald said of Ross. "I think his personality really came out at [Big Ten] Media Days. … I was just shocked listening to him. "This guy could just skip right to the media right now. He's pretty sharp. He's got great control of what we're doing on defense. I'm fired up about Josh." Barrett has been around, but he's fighting for his job. Hill-Green has moved past him with an outstanding fall, to date. "He understands football. The tran- sition from being out in space a little more to being in the box, maybe the first couple days it's getting used to it, but he's put on some good weight right now, is rocked up and ready to roll," Macdonald said. "I'm expecting big things from Mike. We're counting on him." But Hill-Green is the one to watch. Harbaugh praised him as having ev- erything coaches look for in a line- backer. He and true freshman Junior Colson, who self-reported missing the first two weeks of camp on social me- dia with a presumed injury, are stars in the making, per teammates. They'll likely play plenty this fall, including special teams. "Nikhai is a Michigan man. I love Three Young Defenders To Watch Michigan has plenty of returners with experience on defense. Here are three who will likely impact in the future. 1. Mike Morris — The 6-6 Florida native and redshirt freshman is up to 278 pounds and looks the part as both a run stopper and a pass rusher. He's posi- tioned out on the edge and will play this year, likely a lot more in the future. 2. Rod Moore — The true freshman safety will have a hard time cracking the two-deep this year, but he's likely to play on special teams. He has great instincts and is a quick learner — he picked off two passes during a second-week scrim- mage and, per practice observers, is always around the ball. 3. Ja'Den McBurrows — The true freshman corner has a "very good skill set," per secondary coach Steve Clinkscale, and will be one to watch in the future. He's another candidate for special teams based on his attitude and ability, but he'll be one to watch in a few years. Redshirt junior Josh Ross, who is expected to be a leader of the linebacker group this season, has performed well so far this fall, both in practice and at Big Ten Media Days. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL