The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1422614
NOVEMBER 2021 THE WOLVERINE 29 tackle Andrew Stueber have had outstand- ing years, and redshirt sophomore left tackle Ryan Hayes continues to improve. DEFENSIVE LINE: A- The front four on the defensive line has been the most pleasant surprise of the year. As much as defensive line coach Shaun Nua has been criticized, he's done an outstanding job with the interior guys, led by third-year players Chris Hinton and Mazi Smith. Hinton had a sketchy spring and a slow start to the fall, but he's stepped up and continued to improve. He's getting off blocks and holding the line, whereas last year he was getting pushed backward too often. Smith has gotten better and better in the middle and is also stout at the point of attack — you rarely see anyone get push on him — and redshirt frosh Kris Jen- kins and redshirt junior Donovan Jeter have contributed. Redshirt freshman Mike Morris has been a huge help playing across the front, dictated by situations. LINEBACKERS: A- This group has been another of the de- fense's most pleasant surprises. Junior Aidan Hutchinson has turned himself into a high first-round draft pick with his play — absolutely dominant most of the time, and one of the best pass rushers in the Big Ten — while redshirt sophomore David Ojabo has also had his moments as a pass rusher. These guys aren't quite the new 'salt and pepper' (the name former Wol- verine Josh Uche and Hutchinson gave themselves as complementary ends), but Ojabo has come on strong. Redshirt junior Josh Ross is having an All-Big Ten year. Despite a few struggles in coverage on wheel routes, he's been outstanding. He reads plays as well as any inside linebacker we've seen in a long time. Redshirt freshman Nikhai Hill- Green and true frosh Junior Colson have missed a few assignments but are only going to get better. Hill-Green ranks third on U-M with 31 stops. CORNERBACKS: B- This group has looked much better in new coordinator Mike Macdonald's more traditional, NFL-style, bend-but-don't- break defense. There's still plenty of man coverage, but not nearly as much, and the corners like it much better. "I'm very excited to show I can do more than just stand in front of a guy and press him," redshirt sophomore corner Vincent Gray said in September. "We learned a lot this offseason just conceptually." Redshirt sophomore Gemon Green, in his second year as a starter, has had is- sues finding the ball at times, but redshirt freshman DJ Turner has come on strong and stood out in a 33-7 win over North- western Oct. 23. Sophomore Daxton Hill has excelled at the nickel, while Gray has been much improved. The bigger plays in the passing game really haven't come at the corners' expense, and that's an upgrade. SAFETIES: A- Hill is as good at getting off a perimeter block as anyone we've seen in a long time, and his athleticism as a blitzer has been game-changing at times (he knocked Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz out of the game). Redshirt frosh R.J. Mo- ten has been very solid in his first year, and fifth-year senior Brad Hawkins is the unheralded star of the defense. This group has been really good, mi- nus the occasional broken play (backup Rod Moore a couple times, though he's a true frosh with a bright future) and the last drive of the first half at Wisconsin, in which Hill was beaten by some really good throws. SPECIAL TEAMS: A Redshirt junior kicker Jake Moody has been Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week twice this year (Wisconsin, Ne- braska) after making seven straight field goals, including three from 39-plus yards plus the game winner in Lincoln. He's 14 of 16 this year, has made all 28 of his extra points and put 75 percent (39 of 52) of his kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks. Punter Brad Robbins is having an All- Big Ten type season, averaging 45.5 yards per kick, and the coverage teams have been outstanding. Opponents have just 21 yards in punt returns, while U-M is sec- ond nationally in kick coverage defense (11.57 per return). Redshirt freshman A.J. Henning has added some spice to the return game, ranking 16th nationally at 10.5 yards per punt runback. ❏ Sophomore Daxton Hill ranks second on the defense with 35 tackles through seven games, and he has two of the squad's four picks. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN