The Wolverine

2013 Football Preview

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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db Solid On The Corners Countess (5-10, 181) is high on the list of those the Wolverines could least afford to lose again this year. There are more capable bodies at the position than last campaign, though, and the competition has been fierce, both at corner and safety. Countess will be called upon to anchor the group after missing all but a few plays of the Alabama game. He'd earned the John F. Maulbetsch Award for a freshman based on desire, character, capacity for leadership and future success both on and off the field last spring before going down early in the second quarter of the opener, that after starting six games and appearing in 12 his freshman season. He earned Big Ten All-Freshman honors after notching 44 tackles (30 solo) and six passes broken up and was primed for a big season. Avery (5-11, 174) would be the starter on the other side should the season begin tomorrow, having taken another step in his development Quick Facts Position Coach: Curt Mallory (third season). Returning Starters: CB Blake Countess (7 career starts), CB Courtney Avery (14), CB Raymon Taylor (11) and S Thomas Gordon (26). Departing Starters: S Jordan Kovacs (46) and CB J.T. Floyd (34). Projected New Starters: S Jarrod Wilson and nickel Dymonte Thomas. Top Reserves: S Jeremy Clark, CB Delonte Hollowell and S Josh Furman. Newcomers: Thomas, S Delano Hill, CB Reon Dawson, CB Ross Douglas and CB Channing Stribling. Moved In: None. Moved Out: None. Rookie Impact: Thomas and Hill. Most Improved Player: Wilson. Best Pro Prospect: Countess. FYI: Channing Stribling hails from Matthews (N.C.) Butler High, the same school as former Michigan and NFL safety Jamar Adams … Raymond Taylor was the only U-M cornerback to notch an interception last year, picking off two passes with 70 return yards and a touchdown … The Wolverines' secondary was responsible for only 10 passes broken up last year, down from 26 in 2011 … Defensive backs registered 114 interception return yards and one touchdown last season … Avery is a relative of George Jewett, the first African-American football player at Michigan (1890) and in the Big Ten Conference … Gordon is the only projected starter in the secondary to hail from Michigan, having played at Detroit Cass Tech … Reserve cornerbacks Delonte Hollowell and Terry Richardson also hail from Cass Tech … Walk-on defensive back A.J. Pearson, a redshirt freshman, is the only player on the roster from the state of Georgia. preseason analysis: Secondary Starter ✪ ✪ ✪½ Redshirt sophomore cornerback Blake Countess has All-Big Ten ability, at least, and there are plenty of athletes around him. There's experience, though no star power at the other corner, and fifth-year senior safety Thomas Gordon seems primed for a big year. If freshman nickel Dymonte Thomas and sophomore safety Jarrod Wilson play to their potential, this should be a very solid unit. ✪✪✪ Depth Defensive backs coach Curt Mallory came out of spring with four corners he really liked in Countess, senior Courtney Avery and juniors Raymon Taylor and Delonte Hollowell, and the others — including the freshmen — will push them. There's not much proven talent at safety, however, so someone will have to rise to the occasion this fall. Gordon is the only one with a lot experience, and he still has more to give than he's shown. X-Factor Thomas is an incredible athlete who can be used in a variety of ways, and he has the inside track at the nickel position. He could be a force in blitz packages. He's also been practicing a bit at cornerback, though he's never played it. If he translates his athleticism into game speed, he could bring an element to the defense not seen for awhile in Ann Arbor. Overall ✪ ✪ ✪½ Countess isn't Charles Woodson, but he is potentially one of the Big Ten's best cornerbacks. They should be able to lean on him in man coverage, and there's plenty of experience on the other side. Safety play will be the key. Wilson will have to prove he can put bad plays behind him, and depth needs to emerge. If Gordon plays to his potential, this has the makings of a very solid secondary. Note: Star rankings are made on a scale of 1-5 stars. in the spring. Last year's Frederick Matthaei Spring Award winner for the junior-to-be who displayed leadership, drive and achievement on the athletic field and in the classroom, he shook off getting beaten for a long touchdown in the opener against Alabama to put together a solid season. Avery started five of 13 games and notched 19 tackles. "He can put bad plays behind him. Where he's gotten better is his confidence," Mallory said. "You can see it in him being more vocal. We're getting good reports about him from the weight room, too, and from what we hear he's doing a great job out there getting groups together for drills, whether it's seven-on-seven or conditioning." He's also put some of last year's injury issues behind him. "He's had a really good offseason health-wise, too," Mallory said. "He was hindered by back issues, but it's been good. We didn't have to restrict him at all in the spring, and we really didn't have to slow anything in the weight room right now. He's had a great offseason and done a really good job as a leader, too." Taylor and Hollowell also have put in the work to improve and provide options. A junior, Taylor (5-10, 186) has plenty of experience, having started 11 of 23 games in two years. Taylor has all the physical tools to excel, but consistency is what he needs to secure a starting position. "The thing he's got to improve on is his eyes," Mallory said. "He's gotten sloppy with his eyes. If they are at the right place, he can be as good as there is. He's strong, physical and fast, and he's got the hips. It's just his eyes at times get locked in to the quarterback when he needs to get locked into the man or vice versa. "There were times he showed signs of being a good player, but other times he wasn't as good because he did something undisciplined. But he's got it in him. That's why you get excited, because you can see him do some really things before he reverts back. We've got to keep challenging him, and this sumSenior Courtney Avery, a veteran of mer will be big for him." 39 career games and eight starts, is Hollowell is the fourth who one of many Wolverines vying for a separated from the pack after a starting job at cornerback. photo by lon horwedel spring in which he went from special teams standout to competent corner. Not big — he's 5-9, 175 — the junior has nonetheless proven he can hang with bigger receivers and make plays. He might also be the strongest kid on the team pound for pound, Mallory added. "He can bench 225 pounds 20 times, so he's a strong kid," Mallory said. "The thing we always talked to him about was, 'You played fast on special teams — you were aggressive and scrapped — so now you've got to do the same thing as a defensive back and let it go.' "There were times he looked like he was thinking too much, whereas maybe he wasn't thinking as much on special teams. He showed how fast he could play, and that's what we challenged him to do in the spring. "We said, 'You've got to play as fast as you are, with that type of confidence.' He did. He did some good things and showed he's a guy who can help us, maybe as a starter but definitely as a backup. He was a pleasant surprise." Hollowell still needs to improve his tackling, Mallory added, but he's aggressive enough to get on top of a receiver and stay on him. The Wolverine 2013 Football Preview  ■ 155

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