The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/798849
36 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2017 2017 SPRING FOOTBALL PREVIEW. DEFENSIVE LINE PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL BY THE NUMBERS 1 M i c h i g a n's s t a n d - ing in total defense nationally after the 2016 football season, the group led by a veteran defensive line yielding just 261.8 yards per game. 28 The number of tack- les for loss Michigan's returning defensive linemen recorded in 2016, led by Hurst's 11.5. 33.5 The number of tack- les for loss posted in 2016 by Michigan de- fensive linemen who will be in this year's NFL Draft. 119.2 Rushing yards per g a m e s u r re n d e re d by Michigan in 2016, good for No. 15 in the nation. WHO'S GONE TACO CHARLTON Charlton piled up 9.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss among his 43 stops on his way to All-Big Ten first-team honors, and a number of teams are now wondering whether or not Charlton will last beyond pick No. 10 in the draft. CHRIS WORMLEY Wormley provided a captain's leadership, countless hours of mentoring to players like Gary, plus six sacks and nine tackles for loss among his 40 stops as a fifth-year senior. RYAN GLASGOW Glasgow proved relentless as a pass rusher and tough as a two-dollar steak (in Jim Har- baugh parlance) against the run, earning sec- ond-team All-Big Ten status and the Richard Katcher Award as Michigan's best defensive lineman with his four sacks and 9.5 stops be- hind the line of scrimmage among 42 tackles. MATT GODIN Godin stayed rock steady as a senior, proving tough to move out of the middle in extensive playing time. WHO'S BACK FIFTH-YEAR SENIOR MAURICE HURST Hurst consistently put pressure on quarter- backs, becoming a disruptive force for the Wol- verines up the middle, and will be a clear leader among the new wave for defensive line coach Greg Mattison and defensive coordinator Don Brown. REDSHIRT JUNIOR BRYAN MONE Mone has missed chunks of the past two season with injury (including all of 2015), and Michigan will be hoping for health on behalf of someone who can be an anchor inside for the defense. SOPHOMORE RASHAN GARY Gary is a physical freak who put in his time learning behind Wormley and others, but who clearly wants to become a force for the Wolver- ines up front from the get-go in 2017. TOP NEWCOMERS FRESHMAN AUBREY SOLOMON From a defensive tackle spot, Solomon piled up 77 tackles, 16 stops for loss, 12 sacks, 18 quar- terback hurries and a forced fumble as a senior, and possesses all the tools to quickly become a contributor in Michigan's two-deep. FRESHMAN LUIJI VILAIN Vilain makes it happen off the edge, and al- though he hasn't dealt with Big Ten offensive tackles, he'll learn quickly — and it's tough to teach speed and explosiveness, which come with him to Ann Arbor. FRESHMAN DERON IRVING-BEY Irving-Bey is yet another newcomer with the size (6-5, 271) and motor to get the job done at a defensive end, and he'll be looking to carve out time in the two-deep, like a host of other rookie Wolverines. The Wolverines could have a former defensive lineman taken in the top 10 picks of the 2017 NFL Draft and as many as three others snatched up in the rounds that follow. So the loss is real, but the cavalry is coming, in terms of those who have already played extensively and the talented newcomers joining them. "The first guys out there will be very solid — guys like Hurst, Mone, Gary. The challenge becomes getting them a breather once in a while, and having the depth to do it. … Some of those guys that are going to be freshmen, you don't necessarily want them out there for 30-35 plays a game, but they can go out there and gain some experience." — U-M All-American Jon Jansen QUOTABLE POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH The biggest battle involves the "twos," across the board. Gary, Hurst, Mone and Winovich figure to form a potentially daunting front wall, but how the combination of veterans and rookies fill in behind them will be intriguing throughout spring and into the fall. — John Borton BRYAN MONE