The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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true junior's emerging game. He re- corded 54 tackles for the Wolverines last year, notched his first career sack in the Ohio State game and posted eight tackles against Michigan State. Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison indicated after spring practice that Bolden is one to watch. "Joe Bolden was the most im- proved player in the spring, based on what I evaluated he didn't do well in the past," Mattison said. "I felt at times he wasn't very physical. At times he didn't fit as well as he should have, and that could have been about getting off a block. This spring you saw that. "When he didn't do what he was supposed to, I didn't even need to say something to him because he would turn to me and say, 'I get it.'" Fellow linebacker Jake Ryan called Greatest Risers Among Last Year's Top 25 Every football season brings with it all sorts of unexpected twists and turns. From injuries to missed opportunities to meteoric ascensions in fall camp and beyond, a member (or non-member) of the top 25 could finish the year very differently than he began it. Here's a list covering last year's preseason and postseason top 25 lists by The Wolverine. In it, we detail which five Michigan players made the greatest leap in the rankings. THOSE WHO ROSE IN 2013 1. TE Jake Butt (+15) — True freshman tight end Jake Butt made a huge impression his first fall in Ann Arbor. He wasn't on the top 25 radar in August, and moved 15 spots up to No. 11 following his rookie campaign. 2. DL Jibreel Black (+13) — The senior defensive line- man turned in a very solid last year in a Michigan uniform. He moved from No. 22 in the preseason all the way up to No. 9 among Wolverines in 2013. 3. LB Cameron Gordon (+10) — Outside linebacker Jake Ryan's injury opened a door for this well-traveled fifth-year senior, and he stepped up. Gordon wound up No. 7 on the postseason list of indispensible Wolverines. 4. RB Fitzgerald Toussaint (+7) — Toussaint didn't experience the 1,000- yard final year he might have hoped for, but coming off a serious leg injury, he provided 648 yards and 13 touchdowns, more than any other Michigan back. He finished No. 12 on the postseason list. 5. DE Brennen Beyer (+7) — Beyer also stood in for Ryan at times, as well as supplementing the Michigan front defensive wall. Not listed in the preseason, he came in No. 19 on the final list. — John Borton BUTT