The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2021 THE WOLVERINE 25 listening to what he has to say about things — his perspective, anybody we bring in in recruiting," Macdonald said. "He sees it through our lens. I think you see that in how he's changed his body over the last few months. "He's one of the guys that really understands both inside 'backer posi- tions. People say hey, inside backer, Mike, Will, whatever you want to call, it's the same. "It's really two different worlds. It's a testament to him that he's really able to play both right now." Colson, a true frosh, is the future, Hutchinson said last month. "He's really attacked it since he got here. He's always asking for advice, always having conversations about anything," Macdonald said. "Harry Potter … he sends me books to read. "He's an interesting guy. He loves football, loves Michigan. I think he's got a great future. He's a great young person." SECONDARY What was thought to be a potential strength of the defense hasn't disap- pointed in the early going, though there's still plenty of work to do. The safety duo of fifth-year senior Brad Hawkins and sophomore Daxton Hill figures to be one of the Big Ten's best, if not No. 1 overall. First-year assistant and former Michigan receiver Ron Bellamy has enjoyed his time with them in the first few weeks of camp and is excited about the experience he inherited. Hawkins has started 17 games on the back end, while sophomore Dax- ton Hill has opened nine, and there's emerging depth behind them. "The thing I love about the guys is that they're students of the game. They prepare; they're diligent in ev- erything that they do," Bellamy said. "When you have Brad … having the experience in our group, having the leader in our group, and then obvi- ously having Dax back there, it helps my transition, making the transition from high school to college. "Those guys have been awesome. [Second-year freshman] R.J. Moten has come into his own, and [class- mates] Jordan Morant and Makari [Paige have as well]. It's a good group — high-character kids that … bring it every day." Hill, specifically, provides a lot to a coaching staff. He'll move around from safety to nickel to corner, and of- fenses will have to account for where he is on any given snap. Bellamy acknowledged his sopho- more will have more responsibility, and for good reason. "He's versatile. You'd be a fool not to take his skill set and just watch him do special things with it," Bel- lamy continued. "A lot is put on his plate, and he's a kid that wants that. He has some high goals for himself individually, and in order for him to reach some of those goals, he has to expand his game. "He's risen to that challenge." At corner, only one player — red- shirt sophomore Gemon Green, who saw his first significant game action a year ago — appears to have a job locked up, Harbaugh said. Redshirt sophomore Vince Gray had his strug- gles last year, especially in coverage, and that's opened the door for redshirt freshman DJ Turner. Turner answered the bell after an outstanding spring and would be the likely game one starter. "He definitely stepped right back into the role. He's got great aware- ness … physically, he's fine," second- ary coach Steve Clinkscale said. "He's picking things up for us and gives us another element, too. He's very similar to Dax in that he's a guy that can play corner and nickel, as well. "I've coached a couple players that don't make the same mistakes. DJ is one of those guys. He corrects himself and challenges himself." But he and the others will need to continue to work to earn their time, the coach noted. There are others pushing them, hungry for playing time. "In life, nothing's locked up," Clink- scale continued. "I tell the players all the time, if I don't get my job done, there will be somebody here to replace me. You've got to feel that pressure. "So I'm rotating everybody. We'll get some of the young guys the oppor- tunity to show what they can do. But those three — Gemon, DJ and Vince — have really set a rotation with each other." Redshirt freshman George Johnson, too, is making a push. Junior receiver Ronnie Bell called him one of the tougher corners he'd played against this fall, and he's a team favorite for his work ethic and personality. All of them will continue to com- pete, Clinkscale said, and they'll count on many to help them this season. "The more we keep that where it's a challenging situation, they're always competing, I think we can elevate everybody's game," he said. "And you need it. I've been in a conference where you can't just play with two guys. You need two, three, four — you need guys to be able to build off it. "Some games maybe are good matchups for one, maybe not the other. You continue to build off that and put those guys in the right position." ❏ Sophomore Daxton Hill will move around from safety to nickel to corner, and offenses will have to account for where he is on any given snap. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL