The Wolverine

May 2017 Issue

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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MAY 2017 THE WOLVERINE 27 Redshirt junior Noah Furbush has excelled at SAM linebacker and will likely be called upon against run- heavy teams, as well. He was banged up for much of last year but is healthy now. "He's had a really good spring," Brown said. SECONDARY Brown said earlier this spring that sophomores Lavert Hill and David Long would be the likely starters at cornerback, but the competition is on- going. Long, especially, earned rave reviews from teammates for being a Jourdan Lewis, sticky cover corner type. "Obviously they get first dibs, and if they can hold on to it, great," Brown said. "But they're just such young guys … just let them compete and it'll take care of itself." He also listed early enrollees Ben- jamin St-Juste and Ambry Thomas among those vying for time, and said both progressed well. Redshirt junior Brandon Watson can play there and has also been very solid, his spring ex- ploits included an interception return for a touchdown in the spring game, while redshirt sophomore Keith Wash- ington was one of the scrimmage's bigger surprises. He notched five to- tal tackles, including a half tackle for loss, and was especially good in run support. "The nice thing is, I don't think a lot of guys are misplaced," Brown said. "They're in the right place in terms of their level of competition." Michigan safeties coach Brian Smith, meanwhile, knows he's dealing with plenty of inexperience this spring, but he also has plenty of young talent to work with. "It's been really enjoyable," Smith said midway through the 15 sched- uled practices. "We've got a lot of new guys in the room, a lot of young guys that don't have much experience, but they're eager to learn. They're starting from square one, so they're listening to everything you tell them, and they're holding onto it. It's been good so far." Junior Tyree Kinnel (free safety) and sophomore Josh Metellus (rover or strong safety) are the leading candi- dates for the starting spots. Metellus played in nine games as a true fresh- man, getting the start at viper in the Orange Bowl against Florida State — he's continued to get some work there this spring, as well — and he has im- pressed in the early going. "Very solid" are the words Brown used to describe Kinnel, who played in all 13 games last year. "Tyree is the oldest guy back there in the safety room," Smith said. "Coach- ing may be in his future. He's kind of taken to that role. He's taken young guys aside and is trying to show them all the little details of the position. He's definitely helped me back there. "He was a four-year starter in high school, so he loves the competition. When he did get called on last year, when he had an opportunity to play, he stepped up and did a nice job, whether it was on [special] teams or whether he came in for a relief role for Delano [Hill] or Dymonte [Thomas]. "Kinnel and Josh Metellus are the leaders of the pack in my eyes. They've done a good job, just from a leadership standpoint. Tyree has done a good job of communication, getting guys lined up and making checks. I feel comfortable with him in the game right now." They'll need depth there, and a pair of freshmen will have to provide it. J'Marick Woods had a huge spring and is a big hitter, according to team- mates, while Jaylen Kelly-Powell is also improving by the day. Glasgow can help back there, as well, as evidenced by his 100-yard in- terception return for a touchdown in the spring game. *** The bottom line on the defense is there's a lot of talent on that side of the ball in Ann Arbor, even if it's un- proven. Rivals.com national recruit- ing director Mike Farrell believes the Wolverines will have the fifth-best de- fense in the country behind Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State and Florida State because of the talent influx. "How the heck do I pick a Michigan defense that loses so many players? One reason — defensive coordina- tor Don Brown, the best in the busi- ness, has some amazing young talent to work with," he said. "Rashan Gary and Maurice Hurst will dominate the middle, and players like Mike McCray, Ambry Thomas, Lavert Hill and even true fresh- man Aubrey Solomon could be up- grades in some sense. … Experience will be missing, but just watch what Brown does with his young talent." ❏ Redshirt junior cornerback Brandon Watson had one of Michigan's two pick-sixes in the spring game, running back his interception 32 yards to put the Blue team up 17-14 in the third quarter. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN

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