The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/279958
times tries to do someone else's job. "When he plays within the con- structs of the defense, he's a good player. Especially against the run, he can be a real asset to the defense. He also makes some really timely, athletic plays in coverage. He had the one-handed interception last year, and he makes plays in big moments and understands that's what wins games in col- lege football — making plays at critical junctures of the games. "I look for him and Jake Ryan to be two of the biggest leaders going into next year. They're guys who have played a ton of football, played a ton of football together, and know what it takes." Ross' transition will be more significant, rotating from the Will, where he was protected by defensive linemen, out to the Sam, where he will often find himself in space against a slot receiver or lining up opposite a physical tight end. "He's going to be a pain to block off the edge when they send him on a 'fire' Sam blitz," Ezeh said. "But there are going to be times when the physi- cal play might bother him because he's not the biggest guy [at 6-1, 225 pounds]. "It will be very interesting to see how they use his athleticism because that's his biggest strength, and they're going to want to put him in positions where his lack of size does not make him a liability." Ryan, Morgan and Ross will benefit from the increased tutelage of Mattison, who has moved from coaching the defensive ends to coaching the linebackers in a staff restructuring Hoke announced that included Mark Smith moving from lineback- ers to the line, and out- side linebackers coach Roy Manning taking over cornerbacks so that secondary coach Curt Mallory could focus on safeties. "I'm personally really excited to be back; I coached linebackers a long time," Mattison said. "The reason we did this is for a lot of the years I've coordinated, you're right in the middle coaching the linebackers, al- ways seeing what's going on with the defensive line and the back end. Last year, we had to take it off film to see that." ❏ an outside linebacker in 2010, a weakside end in 2011 and a strongside end in 2012. The final move required a 15-pound weight gain and greater run-stuffing responsibilities. Roh responded with a career-high four sacks among 38 total tackles. — Michael Spath Desmond Morgan started all 13 games last season, and he posted 79 total tackles, good for third-most on U-M, while notching 4.5 tackles for loss. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL