The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JUNE / JULY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 65 M ichigan football's new defen- sive coordinator, Jesse Minter, inherits a defense that just said goodbye to its two star edge rush- ers. Aidan Hutchinson graduated after becoming the best defensive end in pro- gram history, setting the school record for sacks in a single season and finish- ing as the Heisman Trophy runner-up and No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft. David Ojabo elected to head to the NFL after a monster breakout campaign and would have been a first-round pick if not for an Achilles injury during his pro day. Naturally, the question that has been asked as Michigan prepares to defend its Big Ten championship is who replaces Hutchinson and Ojabo on the edge. It is an important question, but it is not the question to ask. The query that Minter needs to be asking himself and his staff is whether Michigan can pressure the quarterback without Hutchinson and Ojabo. This is the right question because Michigan is going to have to discover a different approach from last year. Hutchinson and Ojabo were the most fearsome edge tandem in the country. Hutchinson was third overall in sacks (14.0), and Ojabo was tied for 10th (11.0). They were the only pair of teammates in the nation to each record double-digit sacks in 2021. With each of them on the edge, offenses could not double team both of them. Hutchinson beat double teams thrown at him anyway, and Ojabo raced around offensive tackles in a blur and honed in on signal-callers in a flash. With the talent Hutchinson and Ojabo had, Michigan did not have to use many tricks to pressure the quarterback. Mich- igan was one of the best at rushing three or four defensive linemen. The Wol- verines were third nationally and first among Power Five schools in pressure rate (35.2 percent) and sack rate (15.9 per- cent) when rushing only three or four defensive linemen and no other defend- ers, according to Sports Info Solutions. It is a luxury for a defensive coordinator to be able to generate pressure like that while keeping seven back in coverage. Michigan, however, most likely will not have that luxury this season. The Wolverines do not have another edge rusher waiting in the wings ready to make that type of immediate impact. The candidates to replace Hutchinson and Ojabo are redshirt sophomore Mike Morris, redshirt junior Taylor Upshaw and sophomore Jaylen Harrell. Morris received the most hype and has been mentioned by seemingly ev- ery coach and player as the star of the spring, but he has been responsible for only 0.5 sacks in his career. Upshaw pro- vided more production as a reserve last season, tallying 2.5 sacks and ranking 84th nationally in pressure rate when only three or four defensive linemen are rushing (12.7 percent). However, Upshaw tended to get his numbers in garbage time against backup offensive linemen. And Harrell has not had any hype or pro- duction as a pass rusher, and he flashes more as a run stopper. Michigan would be thrilled if one of these three Wolverines can ascend to where Ojabo was last season, but that individual would see the double teams that Ojabo did not. The odds that two of these three unproven edge players can take their game to that next level are probably pretty slim. Therefore, Minter and the Wolverines are going to need to find pressure from other positions. The problem is that Michigan generated very little pressure from other positions last season. De- spite Hutchinson's and Ojabo's presence on the field, Michigan was not an elite pass-rushing defense. Wolverines not named Hutchinson or Ojabo combined for just nine sacks last season, and as a result, U-M was only 53rd in sacks per game (2.43) and 59th in sack rate (6.95 percent). The pressure metrics are not much better either. Last season, Michigan was 92nd in pressure rate by defensive tackles (6.6 percent), 116th by linebackers (6.7 percent) and 98th by cornerbacks (0.6 percent). Although the Wolverines were 24th by safeties (3.1 percent), neither of Michigan's starters, Brad Hawkins or first-round selection Daxton Hill, will be back in 2022. With these numbers, it should not be a surprise that U-M was a lowly 98th in pressure rate (39.9 percent) when blitzing (five or more rushers). So, entering this season, Michigan is going to transition from having two of the best pass rushers in the country to having no surefire pass rusher at any defensive position. Minter will need to find answers somewhere — anywhere — if U-M wants to have another top-15 defense. Minter will have some cushion early in the season to find that answer since all three of Michigan's non-conference opponents (Colorado State, Hawaii and UConn) were 98th or worse in pressure rate allowed. But if he does not find it by Week 4 versus Maryland (eighth in pres- sure rate allowed with a dynamic quar- terback in Taulia Tagovailoa), it won't be opposing offensive lines that will be caving in this season. Instead, it will be Michigan's conference championship hopes instead. ❏ INSIDE THE NUMBERS DREW HALLETT Can U-M Pressure The QB In 2022? Staff writer Drew Hallett has covered Michigan athletics since 2013. Contact him at drew.c.hallett@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @DrewCHallett. First-year defensive coordinator Jesse Minter faces the challenge of replacing the nation's top sack tandem from a year ago when Aidan Hutchinson (14.0) and David Ojabo (11.0) terrorized opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL