The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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120 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW SPECIAL TEAMS SPECIAL TEAMS SPECIAL TEAMS the ball in a location," Partridge stressed. "He's improving his steps and his drop an- gle, based on direction. But the biggest thing for him is getting stronger and more flexible, and he'll take off from there." As a group, the punters are taking off as well, Partridge offered. "They've definitely progressed, strength- wise and in understanding, especially with the directional stuff," he said. "They're tak- ing steps every single day to be what they want and what we want." Michigan's punt return game appears in good hands, with sophomore wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones having established himself as a threat in his first season. His 79-yard punt-return touchdown against Air Force gave a glimpse at what he can do, and Partridge hopes it's a preview of coming attractions. Peoples-Jones averaged 8.0 yards per try on 40 returns last season, learning how to gauge high hangers in swirling winds with headhunters racing towards him. He'll be better for it this season, along with some other hopefuls. "I'm really excited about those guys," Par- tridge said. "They're catching the ball better than at any point last year." Again, doing it all as a younger player isn't as simple as some would like to make it, the coach assured. "That's another hard thing to do, espe- cially when the elements hit, with the wind and guys bearing down on you," Partridge said. "We've got to find a natural guy back there. We need to find a game-breaker, a guy who can make plays like Donovan last year. "He probably needed a year to get com- fortable. He's comfortable now, and [redshirt freshman wideout] Oliver Martin is comfort- able right now. He looks really good. [Ju- nior cornerback] David Long looks natural back there. [Junior cornerback] Lavert Hill is working a little bit back there. "We've got some guys that are just more natural after working for a year." They'll get plenty more work in before the season, Partridge noted. "We treat the punt returners like special- ists," he said. "They're on their own all spe- cial teams period, before and after practice, catching the ball as much as possible. It's a little different — a higher level of what you need to do as a punt returner, rather than a kick returner." Sophomore defensive back Ambry Thomas brought back 20 kickoffs last year, averaging 19.8 yards per return. He'll be looking to build on those numbers, while redshirt freshman running back O'maury Samuels and sophomore defensive back Brad Hawkins could also be called upon. "We didn't do much in the spring in terms of finding out our who kick returners are go- ing to be," Partridge cautioned. "Ambry and O'maury Samuels are in the kick-return mix. Brad Hawkins is pretty good back there." Overlooked But Important Redshirt sophomore long snapper Cama- ron Cheeseman handled his business last year without much notice — just as anyone in that position likes. Partridge insists the Wolverines will enter the fall in a better spot Sophomore Donovan Peoples-Jones electrified with a 79-yard punt runback touchdown against Air Force last year, but the coaches still think he can improve as a returner. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Ambry Thomas Feels Like A Veteran Everywhere you looked on Michigan's special teams a year ago, a true or redshirt freshman faced a huge opportunity/responsibility. The School of Hard Knocks accompanied the or - dinary freshman class load at Michigan, and rookie defensive back Ambry Thomas wasn't any excep- tion. But he, like the others, learned a lot of lessons along the way. Now, they're ready to cut loose. Knowing what to do makes anyone that much faster, Thomas insisted. "I'm already pretty fast, but now I can go 100 percent without worrying about a mistake," the sophomore said. "It feels really good." Thomas broke out for one 43-yard kickoff return among the 20 he brought back a year ago. He's hoping for more in 2018, given the chance to see how quickly holes can close at this level. "Hopefully, I get a few to the house this year," he said. "Just run, [it's as] simple as that. Just run. Whatever you see, take it and just run." Thomas likes that side of his duties as well. He earned plenty of repetitions as a defensive back in the spring, but he won't shy from taking the ball in his hands. "I've always been a good special teams player," he said. "Punt returner, kick returner … I'm on all of them. That's where I've been getting my money, and I'm going to keep focusing on that." Returning kicks is largely instinct, he cautioned, but there are other aspects to it. "The coaches give me a few places to look, and I look at their spots," he said. "If I don't feel com - fortable with their spots, I make something out of nothing." Thomas arrived early a year ago, starting classes in January and getting to go through spring ball in 2017. That proved a big boost for him, he stressed. While there were plenty of mistakes to work out even when fall camp and the season hit, he was able to absorb a lot of missteps — and the com - mentary that comes with it — in the spring. That applied both in special teams and in the secondary, Thomas recalled. "It helped me a lot with schoolwork and on the field," he said. "On the field, I came in, and Ben [St- Juste] and I got chewed out every day by Coach Z [cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich]. "I'm just playing now. I don't have to think … I was messing up, and now I really know what I'm doing." — John Borton