The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1490206
FEBRUARY 2023 THE WOLVERINE 35 FEBRUARY 2023 THE WOLVERINE 35 2023 LOOK AHEAD BY ANTHONY BROOME RETURNING STARTERS Graduate Michael Barrett U-M has asked a lot of Barrett in moving positions throughout his ca- reer, but he has found a home over the last two seasons at linebacker. Barrett has made 20 starts in 49 career games and was a third-team All-Big Ten se- lection in 2022, finishing second on the team (behind Junior Colson) with 72 tackles, while adding 5 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks and 2 interceptions (both at Rutgers), including a 31-yard pick-six return. Junior Junior Colson Colson took a sophomore leap for the Wolverines, earning All-Big Ten honors (second team, coaches; third team, media) and led the defense with 101 to- ta l ta c k l e s ( 29 m o re stops than Barrett, t h e n ex t - h i g h e s t total). He also had 6 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. He made a career- high 15 stops in the Big Ten Championship Game versus Purdue and received the team's Roger Zatkoff Award for best linebacker in 2022. OTHER RETURNERS Graduate Joey Velazquez A dual-sport athlete in football and baseball, Velazquez made 11 appearances in a reserve/special teams role in 2022, recording 6 total tackles. Senior Nikhai Hill-Green Hill-Green was anticipated to be a starter, but his entire 2022 season was lost due to a soft tissue injury. He is expected to return and com- pete in the linebacker rotation next year. Senior Kalel Mullings Mullings started the season opener at linebacker next to Junior Colson and then played a reserve role much of the season before a late switch to running back due to injuries. He finished the year with 12 total tackles and added 14 rushes for 31 yards and 3 touchdowns. Two of his scores came in the Big Ten Championship win against Purdue. Junior Jaydon Hood Hood played in two games for the Wol- verines during the 2022 campaign, re- cording 3 tackles in the win over Hawai'i on Sept. 10. Sophomore Jimmy Rolder U-M mixed Rolder into the lineup dur- ing his true freshman season. He played in 13 games in a reserve role and finished the year with 14 total tackles. Rolder should factor into the future competition at linebacker. Sophomore Micah Pollard Primarily a special teams contributor, Pollard saw action in 12 games in 2022 and finished with 8 total tackles. NEWCOMERS Sophomore Ernest Hausmann The Nebraska transfer was thrown into the fire in his lone season in Lincoln, starting seven games and notching 54 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 fumble recovery in 2022. Freshman Semaj Bridgeman Bridgeman, the fifth-highest rated signee in the 2023 class, is a four-star prospect and the No. 284 player in the country, per the On3 Consensus rankings. Freshman Jason Hewlett The Youngstown, Ohio, native is a three-star signee and the No. 573 player in the country. Hewlett's addition came quickly after U-M's win over the home- state OSU Buckeyes. Freshman Hayden Moore Moore is the 1,232nd-ranked player in the nation and a three-star signee, per the On3 Consensus. LINEBACKERS PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER 2023 ANALYSIS Michigan's linebacker room is set at the top with Junior Colson entering his third year in the program. He led the team in total tackles this year with 101, and his instincts and ability to clean things up at the second level of the defense have made him one of Michigan's most valuable players. There are still questions about who may start next to him in 2023, though. Nikhai Hill-Green was supposed to be that guy last year, but an injury kept him off the field for the entire season. Michael Barrett, who chose to return for a sixth season, filled in admirably and was tabbed as a third-team All-Big Ten performer by the coaches. Coming into last season, depth at linebacker was a concern. It feels less of one now after Jimmy Rolder showed flashes during the 2022 campaign. The former prep baseball star has a future in Michigan's defense. The Wolverines went into the transfer portal for help at the position, bringing Ernest Hausmann in after one season with Nebraska. Hausman was thrust into a starting role due to in- juries on a bad Cornhuskers team, but his athleticism makes him an intriguing long-term piece for the U-M defense. Position coach George Helow has done a nice job maximizing what he gets out of the linebackers over the last two years. Colson is currently the only star in the room, but the injection of youth at the position should be fun to gauge. For a lot of these guys, their best football is very much ahead of them. — Anthony Broome