The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2021 THE WOLVERINE 31 Harbaugh said Sept. 20 in his pre-Rut- gers press conference he expected his standout to command more attention. "That's been the formula so far — quick passing game, get the ball out quick and also max protect," Harbaugh said of how offenses approached it. "Particularly, they've been finding Aidan and blocking him with a running back and a tight end, and a tackle or a guard and running back. They pull … they try all sorts of ways to slow him down." It hasn't deterred him from going all out, though, or frustrated him in the least, the head man praised. "He understands that. He goes hard every play," Harbaugh continued. "That's the thing about our team. They're play- ing so hard. They're having fun. You can see it in their eyes, and they're having fun playing hard." That includes the middle lineback- ers, who have been outstanding through three games. Second-year freshman Nikhai Hill-Green was all the talk in camp, and he's been solid, but redshirt junior Josh Ross has been the leader of the group. He's been playing the best football of his life, and he's been out- standing as a captain and a communica- tor. "Josh Ross just continues to play so well — all out, all the time, playing with great instincts," Harbaugh said. "And the strength is there. "I'm thinking of one play in particular, the guard had the angle on him, came off a deuce block, had him right in his sights and Josh was able to take on the hit, duck and get in on the tackle. The run went for three or four yards, but he still made the play. "He's doing some great things … as good as any linebacker play I've been around since I've been here." While Hill-Green still has a bright fu- ture, true freshman Junior Colson has been tough to take off the field when he's gotten playing time. He notched four of his seven tackles against Washington and continues to ascend after missing much of fall camp with an injury. "He's really playing well," Harbaugh said. "I was going to say he doesn't look like a freshman out there, but physically he's really ahead of his years. He really studies and prepares. "I probably should just stop there. Ju- nior's going to be good, and the longer it takes him to figure that out, probably the better off he'll be. He's really on a good track." We'd pegged this group as the top po- sition coming out of fall camp. Along with the running backs, they're right on track to finish that way. THE DEFENSIVE LINE IS EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS Entering the season, much was made of Michigan's lack of depth and proven experience on the interior line. Most ana- lysts figured that group to be the weak link on the entire team, a fact not lost on the guys playing the position. Third-year redshirt freshman Mike Morris was among those expected to help make a difference up front this year, and he has. He admitted he and his teammates took it to heart when they read the clip- pings about their expected inadequacies. "We definitely took that personally," Morris said of those doubting the de- fensive line entering the season. "Aidan always says it all the time, and we just changed our mentality to being the dogs of the team, just going out every day and doing what needs to be done in the trenches and just being some monsters. "That's what we have to do, and that's what we have to be." So far, so good. Redshirt freshman Mazi Smith transformed his body in the offseason and has gotten better each game. Sophomore Chris Hinton is im- proving, and freshman Kris Jenkins — like Morris — has been a pleasant surprise. But the line will go as far as Smith and Hinton take them, and they've put in the work. Watching their transformation in the offseason was a joy for line coach Shaun Nua. "It was awesome, because both are good young men, first and foremost," he said. "To see the competitiveness of Mazi kick in when we told him he had to lose all that weight … he had to get in great, tip-top shape for him to even smell the starting position, get some playing time. He spent a lot of time talking to nutri- tionists, learning what to eat, what not to eat, being with us coaches. He's probably in the office more than we are. "Same with Chris Hinton. He's always wanting to perfect the craft. Just to see them out there is awesome." Time will tell how they hold up in Big Ten play, but they're off to a good start. The same can be said for the defense as a whole, a group with plenty of poten- tial but whose success will ultimately be determined by how well they play together. ❏ Junior defensive end/outside linebacker Aidan Hutchinson was tied for the national lead with 4.5 sacks through the first three games. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL