The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 121 DEFENSIVE BACKS times when he turns and runs, tries to change direction. Then I think he can be really good this year, too." Clark (6-4, 210) moved to corner from safety after the 2013 season and has continued to progress. "Two or three years ago, I knew he was a corner that you wanted to play to the boundary, the short side of the field where you see a lot of zone corner work and where the field is not as wide on verti- cal routes," Ray explained. "But he's very athletic, has long arms, so even though I don't think he's an every-down, man-to- man corner, he can be a good zone corner and pretty decent in space." Bump and run might not be his forte, but he's very capable for the role he'll be asked to play, Ray added. That should also be true for redshirt sophomore Brandon Watson (5-11, 191), another converted safety. Coaches pressured Watson to up his game after an inconsistent start to the spring, and that's what he'll need to do to hold off some of the talented young corners. Ray believes he has it in him. "He's kind of a forgotten man, and I still think he's a natural safety," Ray said. "I don't know how fast he is, but he can play foot- ball. Going into his third year, it's about time for him to shake up the lineup … don't just sit back and wait for those other three to graduate and catch all the reps. "He needs to get out there and work on his man-to-man coverage, because Don Brown is going to play man to man. But he's more of a zone corner. I think he can play his best football reading routes sitting in a particular area, waiting for the ball to come that way." Redshirt freshman Keith Washington (6-2, 170) arrived in Ann Arbor last year having played very little corner; he was a prep quar- terback who excelled on offense. A year under his belt has also put him in contention for playing time. "I saw a kid who loves to compete — he's just raw, one of those kids if you put him in a game, he might get you an interception but might give up a crucial third down just off technique, not being used to the game," Ray said. "I could see him in a few nickel and dime packages depending on the offense Michigan faces. "He'll keep getting better, but when you switch positions like that there can be a huge learning curve." Watson and Washington's level of consistency could determine whether a freshman or two sees the field. U-M will welcome an extremely talented duo in Califor- nian David Long and Detroit King standout Lavert Hill, both Rivals. com four-star prospects. Los Angeles Loyola's Long (6-0, 187), Rivals' No. 81 senior na- tionally, is good enough to play either side of the ball, Zordich said on National Signing Day in February. "He is a really good athlete, a tough kid … the kind of guy we want representing our program," he added. "David's speed, athleticism and agility are what make him a really good man-to-man corner." Brown added that Long is expected to play early, but Detroit King's Hill (5-11, 175) will also get his shot. "Lavert is a really smart, fundamental, technique-oriented kind of football player," Zordich said. "He really understands the ins and outs of technique and how you should handle how we play man-to-man coverage here at Michigan." How quickly the young guys learn will determine how good the secondary will be overall, but there's plenty of talent — enough to put this group among the Big Ten's best. ❏ When Michigan secondary coach Greg Jackson took a job with the Dallas Cowboys this offseason, U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh didn't take long to fill his shoes. He leaned on new defensive coordinator Don Brown to help him find a replacement, and it took just a few phone calls and interviews to pluck Brian Smith from the Philadelphia Eagles. Smith was a four-year letterman and three-year starter in the secondary for UMass under Brown, and was a member of the program's 1998 NCAA Division I-AA national champion- ship team. He started his coaching career under Brown at the school in 2004 and didn't hesitate when Harbaugh called this spring. "Coach Brown's influence, having a chance to work with him was a big reason I decided to move here — him and Coach Harbaugh," Smith said. "[Brown] is the one that got me into coaching in the first place, gave me my first job. My college coaches and high school coaches made the biggest impact on me, and he probably had the most impact of any- body. "Coach Brown took me under his wing, and his philosophy is one I've grown to like on defense … an attacking, aggressive style. All that's come from him, just how passionate he is about everything." He's always been that way, Smith added, bringing energy to the field. If a player comes to practice not focused on the task at hand, he'll quickly get there with Brown's encour- agement. In addition to working with great football minds like Brown and Harbaugh, working with college kids again was high on Smith's wish list and a big reason for the move. "I'd wanted to move back to college for the last several years, and this was just the perfect opportunity to take advantage of it," he said. "Just the chance to work with college students … they are more impressionable and you can have a greater impact on their lives down the road. "That's kind of why I got into coaching in the first place, to try to help mentor kids." Just like Brown did several years ago when Smith was looking for his career path. And though Smith is much more subdued than his mentor, there's a clear mutual respect between them. — Chris Balas "They are probably the best [group in the Big Ten]. They aren't young anymore and they have all really matured." FORMER WOLVERINE SAFETY MARCUS RAY ON U-M'S CORNERBACKS Smith played for Brown at UMass and then got his first coaching gig under him at his alma mater in 2004. PHOTO BY TIM SULLIVAN New Assistants Brian Smith And Don Brown Share A Bond