Michigan Team 137 Preview: Defensive Overview

By Kevin Schroeder
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Updated: August 5, 2016

Key Losses: FS Jarrod Wilson, DL Willie Henry, LB Desmond Morgan, LB Joe Bolden, WDE Mario Ojemudia, WDE Royce Jenkins-Stone, LB James Ross III, DC DJ Durkin, DB Coach Greg Jackson

Next Men In: FS Dymonte Thomas, LB Ben Gedeon, LB Mike McCray (back from injury), NT Bryan Mone (back from injury), WDE Chase Winovich, DC Don Brown, LB Coach Chris Partridge, DB coach Brian Smith

Key Arrivals: DL Rashan Gary, LB Devin Bush Jr., LB Elysee Mbem-Bosse, DE Carlo Kemp

For much of last year, Michigan’s defense was outstanding. Then Ryan Glasgow went down and Indiana happened. Then DJ Durkin had a brain fart and OSU happened. It is what it is. As a whole, the unit was still quite good. This season, Michigan returns most of the heavy hitters, gets one (hopefully two) back from injury, and brings in a freakbeast defensive lineman whose physical talents defy logic.

The defensive line was stellar a year ago and there’s no reason to think it won’t be again. In fact, it should be even better. Michigan lost Willie Henry to the draft and Mario Ojemudia and Royce Jenkins-Stone to graduation. Ojemudia’s career ended in a rather unfortunate way: he was looking like he had finally put it all together, then he went down with an Achilles injury. Jenkins-Stone was mostly fine in his stead. Willie Henry is a big loss; he was excellent a year ago. Fortunately, Michigan still has many Dudes who should be excellent and in addition, they’ve replenished their stock with the aforementioned freakbeast. There is so much talent still on the team that said freakbeast doesn’t even have to start. He probably will though, because freakbeast. Even if freakbeast doesn’t go full freakbeast this season (after all, that’s a lot to ask of a freshman, even one who’s a freakbeast), he should still be pretty good. Taco Charlton should slide over to WDE in order to get Michigan’s best linemen on the field more. Chase Winovich figures to get some snaps at the position to spell him. Chris Wormley slides inside to 3T, opening the starting SDE spot for the freakbeast Gary, and thus clearing the way for Matt Godin to more snaps at SDE than 3T, a great idea based on Godin’s play a year ago. Maurice Hurst figures to be the backup at 3T, though he’ll get plenty of snaps. Ryan Glasgow returns to start at NT. If Mone is as advertised, he could get about half the snaps there.

The linebacker group does not have the same luxury the DL group does. They were thin a year ago and lost three guys. The only player returning with any experience at the position was unable to unseat Joe Bolden, who could be downright frustrating at times. Once could chalk that up to coaching preferences, though, as Gedeon graded out higher a year ago than Bolden did despite seeing a bunch fewer snaps. Jabrill Peppers is getting called SAM this year in addition to a bunch of other things. That’s mostly a nominal change; his job is mostly the same as what it was a year ago: make opposing offenses miserable (defenses, too. More on that when we get to the offense.). Mike McCray is finally healthy enough to take on a major role for the Maize and Blue. He’ll start with Gedeon at the mostly-interchangeable non-SAM LB spots. My guess is Gedeon plays MIKE and McCray plays WILL, but you could flip the two and still be fine. McCray’s got plenty of hype around him after spring camp. Said hype is pretty believable considering the potential he came to Ann Arbor with. Devin Bush should see some snaps as well.

The secondary loses free safety Jarrod Wilson, who didn’t make many big plays, but didn’t give up many, either, and there’s something to be said for that. Dymonte Thomas takes over the role; he could make some big plays, but could give some up as well. At the other safety spot, Delano Hill should enjoy playing in incoming defensive coordinator Don Brown’s aggressive system. At CB, Jourdan Lewis returns to stake his claim for the title of “best corner in the country.” He was certainly in the discussion a year ago. Had he left for the NFL, he likely would have been a day two pick. After this season, he could go in the first round. Channing Stribling and Jeremy Clark will split time at the other corner spot, with Stribling likely getting more of the work. I would’ve given Clark the starting job, but whatever man, both were quite good last season. Either one’s fine. David Long and LaVert Hill should see the field a bit to get ready for next year.

DJ Durkin left Ann Arbor to take the head coaching job at Maryland. We all pretty much figured Durkin was going to leave at some point – his potential as a coach was just too high for that to not happen – however, we didn’t think it would be so soon. Head coach Jim Harbaugh (something that one might think the novelty of typing would have worn off of by now, though that one would be wrong for thinking that; it is, in fact, still quite fun) was on it. Harbaugh landed Don Brown, a move that I thought so improbable that I didn’t even bother talking about Brown when I took a look at the potential replacements for Durkin. But that’s Harbaugh, man. Brown built awesome defenses at Boston College, where he did not enjoy the same kind of ability to recruit that Michigan has. At Boston College, he turned two and three-star guys into Guys and then Dudes. At Michigan, he’s got plenty of dudes who are already Dudes, Guys who should become Dudes, and is able to recruit guys who are either already Guys or Dudes or should become such shortly. Got it? Good, because there’s a test. Anyway, follow Don Brown on Twitter. That’ll explain much of this. Also, it’s a close race between him and Jay Harbaugh for 2^nd-best Michigan coach Twitter account, behind Head coach Jim Harbaugh (yup, still fun), who is one of the most entertaining follows anywhere. Brown espouses an aggressive system designed to get to the passer and apply pressure from multiple spots so the offense doesn’t know where the pressure’s coming from. In pass coverage, he used quite a bit of zone at Boston College. At Michigan, he’s got some serious Dudes and can play more press coverage.

Durkin wasn’t the only coach to leave; defensive backs coach Greg Jackson left for a job with the Dallas Cowboys. That’s a bit of a bummer, as he did a great job last year and the secondary players pretty much all took major steps forward. Michigan still has Mike Zordich, though, and they’ve added Brian Smith, who’s worked with Brown previously, to coach DBs, so things should be fine. Former Paramus Catholic High School coach Chris Partridge comes in as linebackers coach.

So, what should you expect from the defense this year? Well, a good bit of that depends on the linebackers. There is enough talent everywhere else on the defense that, even if the linebackers are just okay, the defense as a whole should still be great. Brown’s track record is outstanding, though, so it’s reasonable to think that he can get the linebackers to take a step forward. If McCray gets anywhere near his ceiling and Gedeon steps up in taking over a starting role, “the ’85 Bears of college defenses” is in play.

Twitter: @KSchroeder_312

E-mail: schroeder.giig@gmail.com