The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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24 THE WOLVERINE ❱ APRIL 2025 should be higher here, but they'll only be as good as their receivers and offen- sive line. This is still a work in progress, and it seems the offense is still going to be a year away, even if Lindsey is as good as advertised. Then, it will be up to the defense again (which can be outstanding) to win games the way it did last season. Moore is going to want to run the ball, and Lindsey's on board. He's coached plenty of high-octane rushing offenses in his time. But the passing game needs an overhaul, and he has a plan. "Throwing the football is not just the receivers or just the quarterbacks," he said. "Everything goes with it. It all works together. "When you go back and look, I think there were opportunities that were missed from the quarterback room, and there were opportunities that guys maybe didn't make plays when you count on them to make plays. "From my standpoint, we're starting from ground one. We're moving for- ward on that, and I want to see it for myself. Because the one thing you try to do when you're new — especially when you come into a situation like this — is really try to make your own decisions on things and not let things cloud you up." Running backs have been involved in the passing game everywhere he's been, he added — ditto tight ends. "We've got to do a great job detailing those guys and letting them understand how to run routes," Lindsey said of the backs. "And the tight ends here are go- ing to play a huge part. The last two years I was fortunate, we had a couple of really good tight ends at [North] Caro- lina, and those guys were a huge part of our passing game." DEFENSE IS THERE ENOUGH TOP-END TALENT TO DOMINATE BIG TEN OFFENSES AGAIN? Michigan coaches have been ridicu- lously spoiled at the amount of talent at their disposal on this side of the ball over the last several years, but especially up front. Defensive tackles Mason Gra- ham and Kenneth Grant are projected first-round NFL Draft picks, and that's where defenses are made. Cornerback Will Johnson, another first-rounder, was usually outstanding when he was able to play, and edge Josaiah Stewart will also be tough to replace. Unlike last season, the Wolverines might not have any surefire first-round picks, Martindale noted. "I'm not sure," he said. "We'll wait and see how this season goes. But we've got some Day 2 draft picks sitting there ready to go right now. I can say confi- dently that we have more depth in every room. … But it's just not something that happens overnight." In other words, it takes time to work with them and get them there. But Michigan coaches have been some of the nation's top developers of talent for a while — the hope is that it will continue, and the fact that the defense made huge strides last year under Martindale with many young guys contributing is encouraging. They were without five starters on defense against Alabama, he noted, but they dominated at times with the "new" guys. "We've been trying to replace them through recruiting and the development of the other guys," Martindale said. "We did a nice job in the portal with the two veteran tackles that we got in here [Tre Williams and Damon Payne]. So, it's going to be interesting to see how it all works out. "I feel really confident in the depth that we have in that room. I feel more confident now than I did last year at this time with the depth, just starting off initially." As Jim Harbaugh proved, you can win a lot of games with "Day 2" guys, too. ARE THEY DEEP AND TALENTED ENOUGH AT CORNER TO DEAL WITH THE NATION'S BETTER PASSING TEAMS? The Wolverines have done a great job in the past few years finding portal ad- ditions at cornerback who have contrib- uted mightily and improved as the year progressed. Last year it was Aamir Hall, the year prior Josh Wallace. While the Wolverines' defense might not have any surefire first-round picks on this year's roster, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is plenty confident about the depth and overall talent level ready to go right now. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL