The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1477128
24 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2022 BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan head coach Jim Harbaugh has played and coa c h e d o n d oze n s o f teams over all levels in his long and storied career. That's given him more experience than most in knowing what he's got in a football team. Last year in the spring, for example, he said it "felt different," and he could sense something about his squad. The Wolverines proceeded to win the Big Ten title for the first time since 2004. This year, Harbaugh is seeing more great qualities among his squad, and some on defense that convinced him to save some of his highest praise for that group. "That was a great defense last year, and we talked about some of the stars like [edge] Aidan Hutchinson, [safety] Dax Hill and [edge] David Ojabo," Har- baugh said. "We had some real stars there, and people are asking, 'How are you going to replace those stars?' "I have been a part of many a team where the no-star defense was the better defense, because there's more competi- tion within the position groups. There are more guys hungry like David Ojabo was a year ago — a hunger to be great. As I watch it, I just have a sneaking suspicion that we could even be better on defense." Last year's group, led by coordinator Mike Macdonald, came out of nowhere to help lead the Wolverines to a title. There are several great players on this year's defense, as well, and they played together as a tight-knit group this spring under new coordinator Jesse Minter. One only needs to look at the other side of the ball from last year's Michigan team for proof it's possible, Harbaugh added. "Last year offensively was a perfect example," he said. "That was a real no- star offense last year, and they played really good together … everybody meshed. Now you have some real le- gitimate stars over there." That could be the same this year. Like Ojabo last season, Michigan has several hungry defenders ready for their own breakout seasons. THE COMPETITION CONTINUES With so many guys vying for playing time and having had a taste of a title, the Senior defensive tackle Mazi Smith is poised and ready for a monster season on the U-M defensive front. He was recently recognized as the nation's No. 1 athletic "freak" college football player by The Athletic's Bruce Feldman. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS REVAMPED AND READY Jim Harbaugh Believes The Michigan Defense Could Be Better Than Last Year