The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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160 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2014 FOOTBALL PREVIEW DB Peppers in the future," Mallory said. "We don't know yet because one day Dymonte may have been with the ones, and the next day it was Jeremy. Towards the end of spring ball, Delano started to be the most consistent, but it's still wide open. "You were waiting for one of them to kind of break away and take that position." The 6-0, 205-pound Hill was considered by many to be the un- dercard in the class of 2013 to Thomas. Though both were four-star recruits, Thomas was ranked the No. 12 safety nationally and the No. 109 overall player in the class while Hill was the country's No. 23 safety and was included among the Rivals250. Yet Hill will at least begin fall camp the frontrunner to start at strong safety alongside Wilson. "He has size and he has speed — he's 205 pounds, runs a 4.4, and has a lot of physical tools," Mallory said. "He's still very young for his age. He just turned 18. He was 17 forever it seemed. He's still very young, but you see a lot of physical and mental maturity that will come with him getting older. "He's kind of what you want in a safety that you bring down in the box, and there were times in the spring where he put it together. Roy Manning remains a relatively new football coach, beginning his career as a defensive assistant with Cincinnati in 2010 following a three-year career in the NFL. The former Wolverine linebacker (2001-04), Manning has been with Michigan since the start of the 2013 season and will coach the corner- backs this fall after one year working with the outside linebackers. Though he envisions a long, fruitful career in coaching, Manning admits if he wasn't working in sports, he would love to pursue another passion of his. "I love computers and I really love music," he said. "I grew up playing the drums, and if I could do anything else, I would love to go on tour playing the drums for some band or singer. "I think I'm pretty good. I've been playing since I was 10 years old or even before that. Really since I came out of the womb. "I did band in middle school and high school, but I quit when I started playing varsity football because I knew if I gave it everything it could take me somewhere. But I'm always listening to music, and just love the whole part of it." Manning doesn't have a single, specific band he would like to tour with — anyone that gave him a call would suffice. "I enjoy so many different genres that I wouldn't care," he said. "For me, it's just about being onstage and jamming out, but it could be rock music, R&B, hip-hop, old-school soul. I like the older bands, like Frankie Beverly and Maze. Motown." — Michael Spath Growing up the son of Bill Mallory, a collegiate coach at Miami (Ohio), Colorado, Northern Illinois and Indiana, Curt Mallory was the youngest of three brothers to play at Michigan (1988-91), and it came natural to follow his father into coaching. He began his career as a defensive assistant with U-M straight out of school in 1992, and earned his first full-time job with Ball State from 1995-2000. He had four more stops before returning to Ann Arbor in 2011, and while he loves what he does, he did consider pursuing another professional career. "I got my master's degree in park and wildlife management," he said. "It was easy for me to get into coaching because it was such a passion for my dad. And for me and my brothers, watching our father coach was a joy, and he always instilled in us that whatever we do, make sure you enjoy it. "Don't pick a profession for money or prestige, do it because you love it. And I enjoy the outdoors. So I was either going into coaching or into park and wildlife recreation. Something outside." Mallory earned his graduate degree from Indiana in 1999, but by then he was fully ingrained in the collegiate coaching lifestyle. Still, his zeal for the outdoors remains a part of his life. "Whether it's taking my kids fishing or if I have time to go hunting, the experience of being outside is awesome," he said. — Michael Spath Roy Manning (left), who is in his second year as a coach at Michigan, will oversee the cornerbacks, while Curt Mallory (right), in his fourth year on the U-M staff, will handle the safeties. PHOTOS BY LON HORWEDEL What I Would Be Doing If I Wasn't Coaching 159-165.DBs.indd 160 6/19/14 1:33 PM