The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Carlo Kemp got moved to a defen- sive end spot. According to one knowledgeable source, the younger linebackers, as well as Kemp, all have strong points about them. "Devin Bush is a little small, but moves extremely well and looks like he'll get a lot of playing time this season," Brown said. "Carlo Kemp and Reuben Jones, while very differ- ent physically, are very impressive to look at. "Kemp is thick and strong while maintaining good movement skills where Jones almost looks like a run- ning back. He is very athletic and has the ability to do a lot of things because of the way he can move in space and off the edge." AGGRESSION IS CRUCIAL Brown brings a highly engaged, high-decibel approach to coaching the defense. He's paying particular attention to the linebackers, given their lack of starting experience. He's made it clear Michigan in- tends to be the hammer rather than the nail, and that certainly includes the second wave in what Brown himself regards as a system that is "friendly to the linebackers." "I feel like we're a lot further right now than we were last year," McCray said. "Being under Coach Harbaugh for a year and a half now, I feel like we've learned a lot. We've gained a lot of knowledge from every coach." For his part, Partridge is excited about the position group. He knows that outside observers will project the 2016 Michigan defense to be very strong … if an all-new corps of line- backers can hold up its end of the bargain. He smiled at that observation, in- sisting he'll take it as a challenge and get after it in the same way all of the linebackers will. Peppers embodies that competitiveness, and they're all embracing the opportunity together.