The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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26 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2018 second on the team in tackles for loss (18), tied for the lead in sacks (eight) and was fourth in tackles (79). The first-team All-Big Ten performer (me- dia) chose to come back for a fifth year, highly motivated to win big. 4. SHEA PATTERSON, JR., QB Patterson has plenty under his belt coming in as an immediately eligible transfer — two years of starting in the Southeastern Conference, 3,139 passing yards, 23 touchdown passes, etc. His mobility could add an ex- tra element to an offense expected to take a big step forward from a disap- pointing year in 2017. National pun- dits have Patterson as a key piece of U-M's 2018 puzzle. 6. LAVERT HILL, JR., CB Hill earned second-team All-Big Ten status from the league's coaches in 2017, when he picked off two passes and broke up seven more to go with 25 tackles. Hill is part of a cornerback combo Pro Football Focus (PFF) regarded as one of the best in the nation in 2017. That tandem fea- tured two rookie starters and should only get better this season. 7. DAVID LONG, JR., CB The other half of the elite corner- back duo, Long posted PFF's lowest passer rating allowed by a corner- back ever (11.9) last year. His two in- terceptions included one he ran back for an 80-yard touchdown at Mary- land. He also posted six pass break- ups with 21 tackles on the season. 8. KARAN HIGDON, SR., RB Higdon enjoyed a breakout sea- son in 2017, becoming Michigan's leading rusher with 994 yards and 11 touchdowns on 164 carries (6.1 yards per run). He'll be looking to become Michigan's first 1,000-yard rusher as a tailback since Fitzgerald Toussaint topped that mark in 2011. 9. TARIK BLACK, R-FR., WR Many thought of Black as Michi- gan's best receiver entering last season. He did nothing to dissuade observers from that notion early, making 11 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown in non-conference play. A foot injury forced him out for the season, but he's back in business — good news for the Michigan of- fense, bad news for defen- sive backfields in the Big Ten and beyond. 5. KHALEKE HUDSON, JR., LB Hudson put up numbers superior to those of All-American predecessor Jabrill Peppers at the viper position, posting 83 stops and a team-leading 18.5 tackles for loss, while tying for the team best with eight sacks in 2017. The second-team All-Big Ten member (media) picked off two passes and broke up a team-high nine more, and has declared his intention to improve his numbers across the board this year. With all the experience from 2017 tucked away, he just might. Defensive coordinator Don Brown noticed right off in the spring how Hudson had ad- vanced his recognition and ability to pass defend in the post-snap maelstrom. "Khaleke Hudson is playing at a tremen- dous level," Brown said. "I think he's a much better cover guy, and he's playing at a much faster rate." Some of the improvement came from combining his former position with a growing comfort level for the hybrid spot he a s s u m e d l a s t y e a r, Hudson pointed out. "Coming from safety and going to linebacker really helped me a lot," he said. "Covering is some- thing that's not new to me. Both positions require you to cover, and I feel like starting off at safety really helped." Matt Miller, Hudson's coach at McKeesport (Pa.) High School, insists his former standout could be in for a very big year, providing plenty of bite as a viper in an intriguing defensive deployment. "It is a perfect scheme," Miller said. "It's a lot of fun to watch. We sit down as a staff and watched the games we taped, try to emulate their intensity on that side of the ball. It's pretty special." PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN