Michigan Team 137 Preview: Linebacker

By Kevin Schroeder
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Updated: August 3, 2016

Back from last year (the press of your clicker makes this bigger)

Projected starters: Jabrill Peppers (SAM), Ben Gedeon (MIKE, I guess), Mike McCray (WILL, I guess)

Could make an impact: Devin Bush, Jr. (MIKE/WILL), Elysee Mbem-Bosse (MIKE/WILL), Noah Furbush (bigger SAM)

Watch out for next year: Bush, Mbem-Bosse, Devin Gil

Redshirt sophomore Jabrill Peppers came to Ann Arbor as a corner, played a corner/nickel/safety mashup position I simply referred to as “defensive weapon” a year ago, and now is going to do mostly the same thing this year, with extra pass rush and screen blowup responsibilities and will be called SAM while doing so, unless he’s being called one of Don Brown’s numerous other names for “guy who wreaks havoc on opposing offenses.” A freakish athlete, Peppers can play all over the field on either side of the ball. Peppers graded out positively in every game he played in last year, which is pretty impressive considering he was a redshirt freshman and quite a lot was asked of him. He should thrive in Don Brown’s system. A Heisman candidacy is not out of the question.

The type of guys (who hopefully become dudes) who play MIKE and WILL in Brown’s system are more or less interchangeable, so I’ll call Ben Gedeon the MIKE solely because he’s the most experienced LB Michigan’s got. A senior because the concept of the redshirt eluded Brady Hoke, Gedeon was mostly fine to decent last year. This is where one might begin to worry a bit. The worry should be contained to a bit, as the LB position is the closest thing Michigan has to an actual problem on defense and they should be at least competent. But still, a bit of worry is understandable as the only guy Michigan returns at LB with any real on-field experience at LB couldn’t usurp a starting position from Joe Bolden, who drew the ire of the fan base on more than a couple occasions last year, many times deservedly so. Now for some optimism: Gedeon graded out slightly better than Bolden did a year ago, and the gap was much wider until the bowl game, where Bolden had a day and Gedeon, well, Gedeon did not. Gedeon’s always had a pretty high ceiling, he’s just never put it all together. It’s not unreasonable to think that Don Brown could get him to make the leap. Even if he doesn’t quite reach his ceiling, “pretty good” seems like a reasonable expectation.

The WILL will be redshirt junior Mike McCray. McCray came to Ann Arbor with a very high ceiling and has spent a good chunk of the interim injured. Now he’s finally healthy and generating some buzz. If reports are to be believed, he should be a good run defender and as a result, Michigan’s LB corps will be at least as good as they were a year ago and likely a good amount better.

The Wolverines are pretty thin at the position, so the opportunity is there for freshman Devin Bush, Jr. to see the field a good bit this year. Bush enrolled early, so that will help. Though he’s only 5’11, which isn’t ideal for the position, 4-star recruit Bush has a big enough build to play right away. He’s got a good nose for the ball and should develop into a very nice player in time.

Redshirt sophomore Noah Furbush looks poised to play SAM against manball-style teams. When he’s in, expect Peppers at SS/Rover. At Michigan, he’s played only on special teams thus far.

Freshman Elysee Mbem-Bosse could use a year to develop, but the depth chart may not afford him that year. The 3-star recruit from Georgia is of college linebacker size, so he could see some snaps this season. I’m very excited about Mbem-Bosse’s upside – he’s got the tools to be a nice player when he develops.

Freshman Devin Gil played safety in high school and comes to Ann Arbor as a 3-star prospect headed for (probably) WILL in Don Brown’s system. He’s got the mental tools to play the position, but needs to add weight and develop the physical tools. He’ll redshirt this year.

Twitter: @KSchroeder_312

E-mail: schroeder.giig@gmail.com