The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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108 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW LINEBACKERS Hudson sees plenty of help behind him, from redshirt junior Jordan Glasgow as a regular viper, to fifth-year senior Noah Furbush and junior Josh Uche, who can play a more typical Sam linebacker role against beefier rushing attacks. Glasgow has bounced back and forth between viper and safety, and Brown likes him where he is now. The fourth-year Wolverine played in all 13 Michigan games a year ago, with 11 tackles and one pass breakup. "He was a beast on special teams last year," Wroblewski said. "He makes plays, no matter where you put him or no matter what job you give him. "He needs to just continue to get more comfortable in his job on defense. He was given pretty free rein on special teams — just go make the play. Once you've got more of an assignment, you've got to really hone down on it." The 6-5, 240-pound Furbush stands out as a veteran contributor, who recorded 30 tackles — including 2.5 TFLs and a sack — along with an interception, two fumble recoveries, a pass breakup and a pair of quarterback hurries in 2017. "I expect a lot out of him," Wroblewski said. "He's so fast for his size. You can put him in run pack- ages, and he can play linebacker. You can put him in pass-rush packages, and he can get off the ball just as good as an end. "He can cover. He's incredible for his size. I expect the abso- lute best from every single one of those guys, especially him. He's a big guy, and you can see time and time again where he just throws his body in there and makes plays." Uche, Brown noted, is moving from a special package performer to becoming more of an all-around linebacker. He notched a sack Junior Khaleke Hudson was awarded the highest grade of the year for a FBS player by Pro Football Focus, when he posted a 99.9 out of 100, after he tied an NCAA record with eight tackles for loss among his 15 total stops (12 solo), three sacks and a forced fumble versus Minnesota. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN "I made the comparison of somebody dropping a steak in a tank of piranha. You see the quarterback drop back, and it's overwhelming. The speed is lighting quick, they're physical and they're smart. LINEBACKERS COACH AL WASHINGTON