The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/480355
Potential Position Switches And Their Impact On Michigan Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh has said any position moves this spring were largely the brainchild of the players themselves; the coaches are still learning their personnel, where their deficiencies are and how versatile players could help them. Still, U-M unveiled a roster with sophomore Brady Pallante at fullback (previ- ously nose tackle) and junior Ross Douglas moving from tailback to cornerback. Those two we know for sure. There have also been rumors of sophomore Chase Winovich moving from linebacker to tight end/fullback, classmate Noah Furbush from linebacker to defensive end — along with senior Royce Jenkins- Stone making the same move — and even that junior Dymonte Thomas might slide down from safety to linebacker eventually. Let's look at how these moves could impact Michigan. Brady Pallante: At zero-technique/nose guard, there were concerns the 6-0, 276-pound Pallante lacked the arm length to get into blockers and would not be effective against interior offensive linemen. Pallante's size becomes an as- set at fullback, though, with the built-up momentum he would have charging through a hole. Pallante didn't play any fullback in high school — he started at offensive guard in addition to defensive tackle — but he has exactly the kind of lunch- pail attitude required at, arguably, the most selfless position on the field. Ross Douglas: He began his career at defensive back only to feel a logjam there necessitated a move to the offensive backfield, but with that position becoming crowded once again, and the window for playing time shutting, Douglas has returned to cornerback. Could he contribute? One cannot rule it out, especially under a new coaching staff that has vowed to wipe the slate clean, but it appears, at best, Douglas is fifth on the pecking order behind seniors Blake Countess and (incoming trans- fer) Wayne Lyons, and juniors Jourdan Lewis and Channing Stribling. Royce Jenkins-Stone and Noah Furbush: This really isn't a significant posi- tion change because in a 3-4 defense an outside linebacker is employed like a speed rusher, and both Jenkins-Stone (6-2, 240) and Furbush (6-4, 217) have the length and burst off the ball to develop into promising 3-4 outside linebackers. Both were working in practices at strongside linebacker under former head coach Brady Hoke in a similar vein — put on the field in passing situations to get after the quarterback — but have a better chance to earn minutes in in a 3-4 than in 4-3 situations because of perceived struggles in coverage and stop- ping the run. Chase Winovich: With so many linebackers on the roster, the chances of