The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/970722
MAY 2018 THE WOLVERINE 43 senior cornerback Brandon Watson, sophomore corner Ambry Thomas, redshirt freshman walk-on corner Hunter Reynolds and early enrollee true freshman Myles Sims. He's not sold on the reason for so much opportunity, indicating he'd like to see Hill on the field. Hill missed workouts last spring as well, before coming on to enjoy a very strong season. His position coach made it clear he wishes the pattern were different. "You've got an opportunity to get better or just to find out what really is wrong," Zordich said. "You're not going to find out by not participating. It's frustrating for us as coaches, but at the same time those other guys, we're getting to see them blossom. That's good for us. We're creating depth. "There's a concern. Certainly we'd like to get him healthy. As I said, I'm just confused by how do we know what the injury is if he doesn't come out? I think practicing is the way to find out what that injury is. I've always said this game is not a comfort- able game, so you've got to learn to play with some nicks." Thomas is playing strongly in Hill's place, according to both Zordich and Brown, who cited the sophomore among Michigan's "big- gest jumpers" in status this spring. "This Ambry Thomas, now? Dif- ferent level — confident, fast," Brown said. "He ran through on a sweep play … and it was like, 'Wow, that was fast.' I'm so happy with him." Backups as safety include sophomores Jaylen Kelly- Powell and J'Marick Woods, both of whom show flashes of strong play. But Zordich revealed that sophomore defensive back Benjamin St- Juste missed bowl prep and the bulk of spring ball with hamstring issues. Overall, though, mark Zordich down as another big believer in this defense, like the rest. "We can be really good," Zordich said. "That's no secret. We can be. That's a positive for us. And I think we're taking those steps to continue to get better dur- ing the spring." ❏ Head coach Jim Harbaugh put extensive offseason effort into fixing an offense that dropped the ball all too often a year ago. That doesn't mean he ignores the other side of the line of scrimmage, despite his deep trust in defensive coordinator Don Brown. Harbaugh keeps a close eye on the unit he expects to combine with a revamped offense to produce a strong overall team in the fall. He spoke recently in various venues about the defenders that stood out over the course of Michigan's spring workouts. In the Big Ten teleconference — three days prior to what would have been Mich- igan's spring game — Harbaugh pointed to "individual players who are asserting themselves, that are going to find a lot more playing time." "Probably the number one guy who is in that position of really having a great spring is [ junior] Mike Dwumfour, defensive tackle," he continued. "[Sophomore] Am- bry Thomas, defensive corner, and [sopho- more] Josh Ross, inside linebacker — those three I would highlight on the defensive side of the ball." On his "Attack Each Day" podcast, the Michigan head coach noted the stal- warts haven't gone anywhere. But in this setting as well, he underscored the work Dwumfour has done, injecting op- timism into the post-Mo Hurst era for the Wolverines' defensive line. "[Junior defensive end] Rashan [Gary] is arguably our best player, no doubt about it," Harbaugh said. "[Fifth-year senior defensive end] Chase [Winov- ich] is also having a great spring, and [fifth-year senior defensive tackle] Bryan Mone, too. [Sophomore defen- sive tackle] Aubrey Solomon has really stepped up. "One person who has really emerged, though, who wasn't a full-time guy last year is Michael Dwumfour. He's been very Mo Hurst-like, in that he's disrup- tive and tough to block. He's poised to have a great year. Michael is putting it together every day too, in back-to-back- to-back-to-back practices. "There are other guys standing out, but if I had to mention one guy who comes to mind, it'd be him." — John Borton Jim Harbaugh Highlights Spring Defensive Standouts Junior defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour was singled out for having the best spring among all U-M players. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN An injury to starting cornerback Lavert Hill has provided surging sophomore Ambry Thomas (above) an opportunity to impress this spring. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN