The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/998618
THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 115 DEFENSIVE BACKS hamstring issues derailed his hopes for im- provement in the spring. "He's a very gifted athlete, but he missed all of bowl prep and he's missed spring," Zordich said. "He's got to find a way to get out there if he's going to compete for a job." Hughes could also be a factor at corner, Brown stressed. "He's a corner, but understand, there are challenges all over the place," Brown said. "All our guys have to play some form of man- to-man, so that will be an extension for him. "You could probably see him outside, some inside. That will be the fun part, trying to define his role. I can't wait to get him here." Early arriving freshman cornerback Myles Sims competed in spring ball, and he'll be joined this summer by defensive backs Vin- cent Gray and Sammy Faustin, along with brothers Gemon and German Green. They'll all be part of a strong secondary looking to get even better. Brown acknowl- edged making strides in that area this spring, although he predictably declined to get spe- cific. Some speculated the Wolverines might mix a little more zone into their in-your-face man- to-man coverage in certain situations. Brown wasn't going there, when asked to comment. "There are ways to help your guys or get guys help in certain areas," Brown said. "We're certainly doing everything we can to make sure we do that. … We're getting ready to go." ❏ Defensive coordinator Don Brown called graduate transfer Casey Hughes, who started at cornerback at Utah in 2017, "an ace in the hole." PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF UTAH ROSTER No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Year Elig. Hometown (High School) 30 Tyler Cochran* S 6-1 194 Jr. Jr. Royal Oak, Mich. (Orchard Lake St. Mary's) 23 Jared Davis* DB 6-1 180 So. So. Frankenmuth, Mich. (Frankenmuth) — Sammy Faustin DB 6-2 190 Fr. Fr. Naples, Fla. (Naples) — Vincent Gray DB 6-2 180 Fr. Fr. Rochester, Mich. (Adams) — Gemon Green DB 6-2 175 Fr. Fr. DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto) — German Green DB 6-2 178 Fr. Fr. DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto) 32 Louis Grodman* DB 5-11 188 Sr. Sr. Commerce, Mich. (Walled Lake Northern) 20 Brad Hawkins S 6-2 204 So. So. Pennsauken, N.J. (Suffield Academy [Conn.]) 24 Lavert Hill CB 5-11 177 Jr. Jr. Detroit (King) — Casey Hughes DB 6-0 185 5th Sr. Las Vegas (Legacy) 16 Jaylen Kelly-Powell S 6-0 173 So. So. Detroit (Cass Tech) 23 Tyree Kinnel S 5-11 201 Sr. Sr. Huber Heights, Ohio (Wayne) 22 David Long CB 5-11 187 Jr. Jr. Los Angeles (Loyola) 14 Josh Metellus S 6-0 199 Jr. Jr. Pembroke Pines, Fla. (Flanagan) 20 Matt Mitchell* CB 5-10 185 5th Sr. Dexter, Mich. (Dexter) 27 Hunter Reynolds* DB 6-0 188 So. So. Wallingford, Conn. (Choate Rosemary Hall) 6 Myles Sims CB 6-3 173 Fr. Fr. Atlanta (Westlake) 25 Benjamin St-Juste CB 6-3 193 So So. Rosemere, Quebec (Vieux) 1 Ambry Thomas CB 6-0 179 So. So. Detroit (King) 28 Brandon Watson CB 5-11 200 5th Sr. Wilmington, Del. (Eastern Christian Academy) 26 J'Marick Woods S 6-3 203 So. So. Florence, Ala. (Florence) * Walk-on