The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 109 LINEBACKERS know who you have coming in, and then someone flourishes. One of the young guys is all of a sudden making a ton of plays, and he adds to your depth." The Wolverines were looking for linebacker leadership in the spring and discovered it in a seasoned veteran. Senior Ben Gedeon (6-3, 248) has taken the field in 37 games as a U-M linebacker and started once last season. He made seven stops against Ohio State last fall, including a tackle for loss. In the Citrus Bowl against Florida, Gedeon delivered four tackles, including one TFL. At the end of Michigan's spring camp time in Bradenton, Fla., head coach Jim Harbaugh referred to him as a "stud." Gedeon has waited an entire career for the opportunity to step up and deliver as a regular starter, and the chance is dead ahead. "Ben is just a hard, tough, aggressive, physical linebacker — a throwback type of kid," Partridge said. "He has good feet. He takes off and shows his strength when he's snapping off of blocks and run- ning into fullbacks, getting off and making tackles. "He's, through and through, a hard-nosed kid who is going to get to the ball and make the play when he gets there, be physical about it. He's a really smart football player, who gets the scheme and knows what to do. You couldn't really ask for anything more in the spring. He was tremendous." Brown and Partridge stressed on multiple occasions the efficiency and sharpness with which redshirt junior Mike McCray (6-4, 240) performed throughout the spring. He sat out last year after suffering a labrum tear in spring practice, but he's back full strength. He's no rookie, after appearing in 11 games as a redshirt freshman in 2014. Last year proved difficult, sitting out the season when the Wolverines were enjoying so much first-year success. McCray wasn't behind, though, when spring practice arrived in 2016, given that his coordinator and position coach were both new on the scene. "McCray is very athletic," Partridge said. "He can run, he's quick, he bends well, and he's big — almost a 250-pounder. The main thing we wondered was, how physical is he going to be coming off the shoulder injury? "And he was. He practiced every rep of every practice and was physical. He was snapping people back and knocking people off the ball, running around and making tackles. "We're excited about him. He was able to feel good and come in like he never missed a beat." Redshirt sophomore outside linebacker Jabrill Peppers (6-1, 208), of course, represents the spice in the sauce. His incredible quickness can give linemen fits if he comes off the edge on a pass rush. His ability to drop into coverage makes him valuable against the pass a different way. Peppers' increasing ability to diagnose plays allowed him to make some key stops a year ago on quarterbacks who dropped as if to pass then began to scramble out. And of course, on any given play, he could drop to a cornerback or safety spot, depending on what Brown has drawn up. The new DC understands well the type of athlete he has in Pep- pers and has promised — without getting specific — that all of his talents will be tapped. Such action should boost his production from last season — 45 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 10 pass breakups — even if the offense occasionally borrows him for spot duty. "He's a freakish athlete," Partridge marveled. "He's going to be the most athletic guy at that position in the country. You can do so many different things with him, in coverage, in the blitz game and even in the box. "Pep has got a real heart for learning the game. He's a football junkie. So learning the new position excited him and doing the differ- ent things he's done really brought his energy level up to say, 'Wow — this is kind of cool.' QUICK FACTS Position Coach: Chris Partridge (first season). Returning Starters: Ben Gedeon (one career start), Jabrill Peppers (13 starts at DB). Departing Starters: Desmond Morgan (40 career starts), Joe Bolden (28), James Ross III (21), Royce Jenkins-Stone (8). Projected New Starters: Mike McCray. Top Reserve: Noah Furbush. Wait Until 2017: Joshua Uche. Newcomers: Devin Bush, Devin Gil, Elysee Mbem-Bosse, Uche. Moved In: Peppers (from DB). Moved Out: None. Rookie Impact: Bush. Most Improved Player: Gedeon. Best Pro Prospect: Peppers. FYI: Michigan's top two tacklers last season were inside linebackers Joe Bolden (83) and Desmond Morgan (71) … Five of the Wolverines' top 11 tacklers were linebackers, Gedeon pacing the returners who played there last year with 34 stops … Michigan's linebackers spearheaded a defense that finished fifth in the Big Ten for fewest points allowed in Big Ten play (21.0 average) … Michigan wound up second in the conference in total defense, giving up 320.1 yards per game … Peppers, a Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America last year, was named a preseason All-Amer- ican by Athlon Sports (second-team linebacker) and Sporting News (first-team returner) … Sporting News dubbed him the best athlete in the Big Ten, in addition to "the most versatile athlete in college football." … McCray blocked a punt in his first-ever appear- ance for the Wolverines, against Appalachian State in 2014, and Gedeon recovered it for a touchdown … Gedeon has consistently earned academic honors, making Academic All- Big Ten in 2014 and garnering the U-M Athletic Academic Achievement Award in 2013 … Bush's father and prep coach, Devin Sr., was a first-round pick in the 1995 NFL Draft and played seven years in the league … Bush Sr. is now on the Michigan football staff. Redshirt sophomore Jabrill Peppers earned several All-America lau- rels last year while playing defensive back, including second-team honors from Sports Illustrated, Sporting News and CBS Sports. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN