The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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side the 20-yard line. He'll be the fulltime punter this fall with Hagerup suspended for the season. 3. Blake Countess — The 5‑10, 181-pounder would likely rank higher on this list had he been able to play in his sophomore season, but Countess went down in the first quarter of the 2012 opener with a torn ACL. That he is even on this list speaks to his freshman-year performance. Countess started six games in his rookie campaign — the most by a true freshman corner at U‑M since Donovan Warren started 11 in 2007 — recording more passes broken up (six) than famed Michigan corners Ty Law (four), Charles Woodson (four), Marlin Jackson (four) and Leon Hall (three) did in their first seasons. 4. Raymon Taylor — Taylor drew a personal foul penalty in the very first quarter of his very first game, against Eastern Michigan in 2011, and he played sparingly in his rookie season, so when Countess went down in the 2012 opener, everyone assumed Courtney Avery would take his place. And for two games, he did. But Taylor burst onto the scene two weeks later when he started against UMass, and he never looked back, starting the Wolverines' final 11 games. He amassed 45 tackles and two picks, and he consistently showed the promise of a physical man-to-man cornerback. Ready To Make An Impact This Fall Frank Clark — The 6-2, 277-pounder's résumé so far is reminiscent of many former Wolverine defenders that experienced breakout seasons later in their careers. He has experience (four starts among 24 games played), promising numbers (two sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss) and a dominant stretch under his belt (six tackles for loss in November last year). Buoyed by his late-season success, the confidence of his coaches, the promise of a bigger role and inner motivation, Clark could be in line for a 10-sack, 15- to 18-tackle-for-loss campaign this fall. Brennen Beyer — Beyer 's rather ho-hum stats — he has just 0.5 tackles for loss among 19 tackles despite appearing in 22 games defensively with eight starts — certainly create the appearance of an unproductive player, but Beyer has also moved around more than a nomad searching for his oasis. He arrived at Michigan as a defensive end, but played strongside linebacker in 2011. Last season, he transitioned back to weakside end, and this fall he'll be a Sam linebacker again. Stronger against the run, Beyer will likely start most games and give way to senior Cam Gordon on passing downs, but with his playing time he should contribute more significantly than he has thus far. Jack Miller — In 2012, Elliott Mealer had the unenviable task of trying to replace All-American David Molk at center. In 2013, Miller is the leading candidate to replace Mealer, and that is a far easier burden to carry after the offensive line, and its center, struggled terribly last year. Miller is no lock to win the job; he finds himself in a bat-