The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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wants nothing but the best from us. He's a great coach. "I already had a good bond with him be- fore he even got here. I stayed in touch with him. Now that he's here, it makes it even better." Miller would love to see Hudson with the football in his hands again, knowing how effective his former player proved in a rush- ing role. "I think it would be neat if he got to touch the football a little bit, because he's pretty special with the ball in his hands," Miller said. "Most of our kids here are pretty ag- gressive kids, and most of them, when they do go on to play college football, are on the defensive side. "He brings a tenacity to it. He's got that defensive mindset, but I'd like to see him touch the ball a little bit. I think he would surprise some people." Hudson touched it in Minnesota's end zone a year ago, in the middle of a record-setting effort against the Gophers. His eight tackles for loss amid 15 overall stops tied an NCAA record and set a new Michigan standard. But it was a near pick-six that had Miller — and a few hundred thousand more Michi- gan watchers — hollering. The pass went off Hudson's hands and fell harmlessly, a near-miss precursor to other opportunities in 2018. "I was watching that right from my living room," Miller said. "I was yelling up to my wife, 'He almost got a pick-six!'" Hudson himself never did much yelling. He just inspires it. "He led by example," Miller observed. "He's never been a rah-rah guy. He laughs and jokes with his friends, but he's never been a boisterous type of person. He led by example constantly. The practices were intense because he didn't take plays off. "He didn't go out to hurt anyone, but he was very intense in practices, in games. That really inspired people around him — hey, this is the intensity that you have to bring, day in and day out. That's what really stood out to me." That intensity hasn't diminished one bit. Hudson knows what he wants, and he's go- ing after it like he'd attack an unsuspecting cornerback. "Covering, blitzing, blitz moves, playing off blocks," he mused. "I just want to perfect my craft at this point." As far as his former coach is concerned, Hudson couldn't be in a better spot to do so. "He speaks so highly of the university and all the people he's gotten to meet through football," Miller said. "It's been a pretty awesome experience for him. "It's been cool to see he's very happy at Michigan." ❏ Don Brown's Vipers Can Bite Jabrill Peppers didn't mark the beginning of Don Brown's successful hybrid linebackers. For all the skills the unanimous All-American brought to Michigan, Peppers didn't mark the end of them, either. Peppers enjoyed a sensational 2016 season, securing 72 tackles, recording four sacks among 16 tackles for loss, picking off a pass, forcing a fumble and notching eight quarterback hurries. He drew national at- tention, getting invited to New York with the other Heisman Trophy finalists, and made the jump early to the NFL, following three seasons in a winged helmet. Brown, the veteran defensive coordinator for the Wolverines, knew what he'd get when he placed someone with Peppers' natural athletic ability in the hybrid linebacker, or viper, position. He'd pulled it off before, with others getting no Heisman mention. One year before Brown arrived in Ann Arbor, he fielded the No. 1 total defense in the nation at Boston College. Matt Milano served as his hybrid linebacker, a skilled performer who would eventually get drafted into the NFL in the fifth round, but not Peppers-hot in terms of overall skills. Milano earned All-ACC honorable mention in 2015, getting the job done in efficient fashion. He secured 60 tackles, leading the Eagles with 6.5 sacks among 17.5 tackles for loss. Peppers became Brown's viper at Michigan in 2016, contributing mightily to another crew that wound up as the nation's No. 1 total defense. Some worried about how big a dropoff might occur when Peppers packed his bags for the pros. Brown had been through the process before and knew what he sought in a viper. Then-sophomore Khaleke Hudson fit the bill, and got the call to take over. Hudson's totals once again underscored that Brown's aggressive system, combined with the right talent, can put up big numbers — in this case, bigger than Peppers' statistics. Hudson finished third among Michigan defenders last season, with 83 tackles. He tied fourth-year defen- sive end Chase Winovich for the team lead in sacks, with 8.0, and led all Big Ten players with 18.5 tackles for loss. He also picked off two passes, broke up nine more, hurried the quarterback four times and forced a pair of fumbles for the No. 3 total defense in the nation. Hudson topped Peppers' numbers in every category except for quarterback hurries. Now, the Michigan junior is looking to better his own 2017 totals. He takes a why-not attitude into the process. After all, the hybrid spot was new to him a year ago, and he admitted a little tentativeness at times, due to not wanting to make big mistakes. Now, he's seen what 13 different teams have thrown at him and absorbed Brown's teaching for two years, building on what he observed watching Peppers in 2016. Former Michigan linebacker Mike Wroblewski noted, regarding Hudson: "I'm a little biased. I think every single one of those guys who ends up starting and playing should be the best linebackers in the country at their position." He won't get an argument from the man they call Dr. Blitz, who keeps stirring success into the mix, with different ingredients. — John Borton Jabrill Peppers was a Heisman Trophy finalist and eventual first-round pick after one year as Don Brown's starting viper, then Hudson eclipsed Peppers' statistics in his first year at the position last fall. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 105