The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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NOVEMBER 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 29 son he'd like to see a group of defensive ends better than his pair in veterans Der- rick Moore and TJ Guy. Moore has been limited a bit by injury and has started to emerge (4.5 sacks in the last five games), but Guy has lost time to senior edge Jaishawn Barham, who moved from line- backer, and some of the younger players. Barham had an incredible game on the edge at Nebraska —Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule found him after the game and told him he thought he could be a top-10 NFL Draft pick after he notched 4 tackles with 1 sack, and brought re- lentless pressure off the edge — but he's still learning the nuances of the position and hasn't been as good against the run or maintaining rush lanes since (though he improved a lot against Washington). "He's just got to continue, like every- body else, to do his part," Moore said of Barham. "I think the whole defense, continually, to make sure we're doing our job in every situation. That will help us tremendously. "But he's been a game wrecker and a game changer in that position. We've got to continue to evolve him, just like any other position." On the interior, the Wolverines seemed to get handled (or at least stalemated) in the two biggest games, at Oklahoma and at USC, and there were huge gaps up front in the latter, in particular. Again, it comes down to guys handling their jobs and being able to trust their teammates to be where they're supposed to be. The interior line has been solid, led by junior Trey Pierce, but grad student Rayshaun Benny seems to have more to give, and the backups need to continue to progress. LINEBACKERS — B The linebackers had a really rough game at USC overall and especially in pass protection at Oklahoma — senior Ernest Hausmann, in particular — but they've also had some big games, es- pecially in a key win over Washington. Sophomore Cole Sullivan's intercep- tion changed the game, setting up the go-ahead score late in the third quarter, and senior Jimmy Rolder also had a pick to set up another touchdown on the en- suing possession. He ranked second on the team with 42 tackles, behind only Hausmann's 47, through seven games. The linebackers all bounced back from a rough game at USC to play well against the Huskies. "They've been outstanding. Ernie, just play after play after play," Moore said. "Jimmy Rolder feels like he might be play- ing as good as anybody. He's just making plays all over the field. I think he had 8 tackles, had tackles for loss, had a pick. "Cole Sullivan, it feels like every time you see him, he's just making a play. Sometimes I forget how young he is. I forget he's a [sophomore], but he just keeps making plays over and over. So, that group's playing at an elite level." Sullivan led the team with 3 inter- ceptions through seven games and had notched 27 total tackles in his backup role, tied for third on the team. SECONDARY — B- This group didn't get grad safety Rod Moore back until the Nebraska game, and he was limited then. He came back for the Wisconsin game, however, and made three game-changing plays, in- cluding an interception. "His impact is something you can't really describe," Moore said. "He's a coach on the field, a coach in the meet- ing room. You just feel his energy when it's on the field … different and special. "Guys like him just don't come along much. He's a guy who's made plays here for a long time." Moore missed the Washington game but is healthy, expected to return for Michigan State Oct. 25 and continue to play more throughout the year. Ju- nior safety Brandyn Hillman has been a big hitter but hit or miss in the tackling and assignments area, while Arkansas transfer TJ Metcalf has been solid at nickel and moving around the back end of the defense. He's tied for third on the team with 27 tackles. Junior corner Jyaire Hill has taken his game to the next level, tied for the team lead in pass break-ups with veteran Zeke Berry (4). But there have been holes in the zones at times, and the Wolverines rank only 41st in team pass efficiency defense. There's room for improvement, but Moore's return elevates the ceiling. SPECIAL TEAMS — D+ The biggest head scratcher here — what's happened to senior kicker Domi- nic Zvada? He'd made only 9 of 13 field goals through seven games after missing only one kick all of last year. Two of this year's misses were short ones (at Okla- homa, versus Wisconsin). He did have a critical 56-yarder at Nebraska, but he needs to be better. Beyond that, there's a lot to improve here for the second straight season. Ju- nior punt returner Semaj Morgan was only averaging 2.8 yards per return through seven games, ranking 59th in the country, and he's had several games in which he hasn't fielded the ball before it bounced, giving up critical field position. Freshman Andrew Marsh is averaging 20.3 yards per kick return to lead the team, but he only has 6 returns on the season. The Wolverines ranked 26th in punt return defense through seven games (3.9 yards per return), tied for 31st in kick re- turn defense (17.0), 123rd in kick returns (15.75), and 86th in net punting (39.04), senior Hudson Hollenbeck having been inconsistent. None of this is good enough for a team that prided itself on outstanding special teams during the Jim Harbaugh era. ❑ Senior linebacker Ernest Hausmann led the team with 47 tackles in seven games, including 28 solo stops, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1 sack. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL