Michigan Wolverines

Michigan begins spring practice on Saturday with both some question marks and some major returning talent. Brady Hoke says of his team: "We're very young. But these guys have a lot of fight to them." There will also be a lot of fighting for starting jobs, beginning in a few days. I recently caught up with the third-year Wolverines coach for his thoughts on the approach of spring ball:

What are the main things you're looking for this spring?

Brady Hoke: Well, you know, we've got a lot of open spaces. Some guys graduated, some guys aren't with the program anymore and we've got a lot of young guys. I think we only have 11 starters back on both sides of the ball, so there's going to be a lot of great competition, which is exciting. I think the leadership of our seniors, they've done a nice job of holding everybody accountable. But when you get out there with the pads on, it's a little different than just running around in shorts.

Some of that competition will be on the offensive line, where you've got three open jobs on the interior. How do you see those battles right now?


BH: Well, I think the interior of both lines, there's going to be a lot of competition. We've got to find a center, and that's between [Jack] Miller and [Graham] Glasgow, and Joey Burzynski will try to figure that out a little bit, too. At the guard positions, Ben Braden is going to move down inside and start out at the left guard, but he'll have a lot of competition because Burzynski is back and so is Blake Bars. Kyle Kalis will move into the right side, and it will be interesting again with [Kyle] Bosch and some of the guys who have been here a little bit. I think it will be a really good competition at all three of those inside positions.

Having Taylor [Lewan] back is huge. I think it's great for him and great for Michigan. Mike Schofield has had a really good winter. He had some real bright spots during the course of last season, and I think his development is going to be something special.

You mentioned the defensive line, where you also lost a couple of veterans. How does that shape up?

BH: I think inside, we get Jibreel Black for another year and Quinton Washington. But once you get through that, there are a lot of young guys ... Willie Henry, Ondre Pipkins, Ryan Glasgow, Richard Ash and Chris Wormley are all guys who can either play the inside tackle or the strongside end. We'll find out the guys who are competitive. Tommy Strobel is another guy we think had a real good winter, and Keith Heitzman. So it's going to be fun to see them compete.

Does having so many young guys in key spots on the line make you nervous? Or do you have a lot of confidence in them because you recruited most of them?

BH: I think it makes you nervous if you think you may have recruited the wrong guys. But we like the work ethic. We like how they've come in to learn and with a lot of enthusiasm. I think there's some competitiveness that we need to keep pushing as a program. You know, we lost five games on the road. We've played pretty well at home but we've got to do better on the road and that's a mindset, a mentality that you have to compete through everything, on every down.

Devin Gardner goes into spring practice as your starting quarterback. How has he developed as a leader?

BH: I have been really excited about the progress he's made. I'm seeing that maturity that it takes and the leadership it takes and the competitiveness it takes to be the quarterback at Michigan. I think that's a real big part of how he's grown, and I think he's done a nice job with it. I'm liking the direction he's going, and hopefully he can just keep going and keep growing.

What about your running back position this spring, with Fitz Toussaint hurt and Derrick Green not there yet?

BH: You know, Fitz has come along pretty well. I don't think he'll do a lot of contact or anything like that, but I think he'll be cleared for a lot more drill work. That's gone real well. We've moved [Dennis] Norfleet back to running back and we're going to give him an opportunity. Dennis, he's a smaller guy, but he's a very competitive, very tough young man. Drake Johnson is a guy we redshirted a year ago, and we really liked the way he competed in scout situations. In the bowl practices, we did some scrimmages and gave him a lot of carries, and we're very excited about what he has to offer.

Thomas Rawls is coming back, and I think he learned a lot last year about the vision he needs to play with, and I like how he's competed through the [winter]. And Justice Hayes is a guy who gives you a little bit different look because of how he can get on the perimeter. He did some things in a couple of games last year, but now I think he'll have a big stage to prove himself more this spring. And he's a bigger guy now, he's 190-something pounds, so he's a little bigger.

You have Jeremy Gallon back at receiver, but you lost Roy Roundtree. You sounded excited about some of the younger guys there during bowl prep. Is spring their time to step up now?

BH: Yeah, I think so. First of all, I think the leadership with Gallon and Drew Dileo, they've done a really nice job being leaders at that position. They're not big guys, but they have a real spirit for the game and really do a nice job of working and leading. We have Amara Darboh, who played a little last year, and Jehu Chesson, who we redshirted a year ago. And I think Jeremy Jackson has had a very good winter; we're very excited about some of the progress he's made. Joe Reynolds is a guy who walked on here, and he's done a very nice job. And Bo Dever, his dad played here and he walked on. I think that during the course of the spring, we'll be in pretty good shape there. I think as we keep going, we'll keep improving at that position.

Linebacker was a strength for you last year and looks to be so again. Do you see some good competition there this spring, particularly at the weakside spot?

BH: Yeah, I think with Desmond Morgan and James Ross, there's going to be great competition. Joe Bolden and Royce Jenkins-Stone and Mike Jones are all guys who are very competitive, and I think the three young guys coming in are going to be guys who will give us a lot of good competition and a lot of good depth. Kaleb Ringer is coming back from injury, so we'll see what he can give us. At the sam linebacker, Jake [Ryan] is coming back, and we really like what Cam Gordon has done during the winter. So I think we feel a little stronger at that position.

How do you replace what Jordan Kovacs gave you in the secondary?

BH: I don't know if you ever replace that kind of leadership, but I really think Thomas Gordon, he's played a lot of football here, and it's time for him to demonstrate the leadership. And he's doing that. Because of the number of snaps and everything he's done, he's really fallen into his own a little bit. Courtney Avery has played a lot of football, and whether he's a corner a nickel or wherever, he's got to give us great leadership and great reps. Blake Countess is getting healthier; he'll do some things during the spring. Josh Furman, I think, has come on.

We've got to see where Terry Richardson is and where Marvin Robinson is. Both those guys have played a number of snaps. We've got Raymon Taylor back, who I think started every game for us last year, we're excited about his development. Dymonte Thomas is a guy who's going to compete, and he'll pressure some guys. Jarrod Wilson is another guy who played some last year for us. Ross Douglas is here early. Jeremy Clark is a 6-foot-4, 210-pound safety we redshirted a year ago, and it's going to be a big spring for him to make some moves.

So I think we may have more personnel back there. And even more in the fall when Channing Stribling gets in, and Reon Dawson gets in and Jourdan Lewis. I think it's going to add something to our secondary.

Finally, what has your message been to the team this offseason after last year's 8-5 season?

BH: Well, our message has been, we haven't met the expectations at Michigan. That's something that as a football community… that we really feel that we have to do a much better job in all areas, from the coaching aspect of it, from learning and playing with the competitiveness we want to have, from every player at every position playing with the intensity we want to play with. It's about having a mindset and a mentality of how we want to play the game. We make no excuses, but at the same time, we know we have a lot we can do to play better football.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- All fall, fifth-year senior Elliott Mealer said he was competing to win the job at left guard. But even then, there were hints of something else in his future.

On Saturday in the season opener, in the first start of his career, Mealer played not at left guard, but as Michigan’s starting center.

Ricky Barnum, thought to be Michigan’s starting center, ended up playing left guard.

“They had been both playing a lot of center, a lot of guard,” Michigan coach Brady Hoke said. “Just felt some of the shotgun stuff with Elliott was a little better.”

Both ended up being integral parts of the offensive line.

Also, Michigan showed how it would adjust due to injury after left tackle Taylor Lewan left the game in the fourth quarter. If Lewan misses any time, right tackle Michael Schofield will move to left tackle, right guard Patrick Omameh will move to right tackle and Joey Burzynski will come in at right guard.

Injury concerns: Michigan saw two of its best players leave Saturday’s game due to injury, cornerback Blake Countess and Lewan.

Lewan, who was injured in the fourth quarter with the game no longer in doubt, could barely walk to the locker room after the game, limping badly on his right leg and eventually needing help from a staffer to reach the locker room.

Countess was injured on punt coverage in the first quarter and was seen after the game leaving the field on crutches.

Michigan coach Brady Hoke had no update on either player after the game.

Freshmen in action: The Wolverines knew they were going to use a lot of first-year players against Alabama. Depth and the overall talent level of the class they recruited necessitated it.

But if Saturday is any indication, expect to see a large youth movement at Michigan this season. At least 10 freshmen received some playing time -- linebackers Royce Jenkins-Stone, James Ross III and Joe Bolden, defensive linemen Mario Ojemudia and Ondre Pipkins, safety Jarrod Wilson, cornerback Terry Richardson, tight end A.J. Williams and running back Dennis Norfleet.

Of the 10, Norfleet and Ross III had the most significant roles. Ross III played often during base defensive packages for Michigan and made two assisted tackles. Norfleet was one of the bright spots for the Wolverines, gaining 177 yards on eight kick returns.

This and that: Josh Furman, who was named a starting kick returner on Monday and is a special teams standout for the Wolverines, did not make the trip to Arlington. When asked for a reason, Hoke just said, “He didn’t make the trip.” ... Michigan had two honorary captains for the game, former wide receiver Desmond Howard and former coach Gary Moeller. ... Michigan also had Russell Bellomy, not Devin Gardner, as its primary backup quarterback. Gardner, however, started at wide receiver.

The "Inside the Game" position preview series concludes with a look at the Michigan and Ohio State secondaries.

Like many of the other position groups discussed by Austin Ward of BuckeyesNation and Michael Rothstein of WolverineNation, a peek into the secondaries of Michigan and Ohio State reveals a lot of similarities between the schools.


Ohio State
Ward: No infusion of new talent is necessary for Ohio State.

All the Buckeyes need is a deep pool of veteran defensive backs to take another step forward, and throwing the ball against them could be one of the tougher challenges in the Big Ten.

Bradley Roby is shaping up as an emerging star at cornerback, and while Travis Howard and Doran Grant could battle for the right to start opposite him, the Buckeyes figure to be fine with either of them or backup Adam Griffin on the field.

C.J. Barnett might be poised to breakout as well at safety, though there’s plenty of experienced depth alongside him at the back of the defense. A pair of juniors in Christian Bryant and Corey Brown and senior Orhian Johnson provide plenty of options for defensive backs coach Everett Withers, who brings a proven track record of creating turnovers with him to Ohio State.

The Buckeyes picked off 13 passes last season, with Johnson and Roby tied for the team lead with three apiece. But both of those numbers will have to improve for Withers to be happy at the end of the season, and there is more than enough know-how and ability to make that happen.

Rothstein: What once was a group of players thought to have little talent and no experience has turned into this: the best unit on Michigan’s entire roster.

A few holdovers from the disastrous 2009 and 2010 seasons for the Michigan secondary remain on the roster in key positions, including starting cornerback J.T. Floyd and safety Jordan Kovacs, both of whom were thrown into unenviable positions as young players in a 3-3-5 defense few inside the Michigan program were familiar with.

But they learned and went from questionable players to two of the more reliable players anywhere on the Michigan roster. Joining them in the likely starting defensive backfield are safety Thomas Gordon and sophomore cornerback Blake Countess.

All four started at least half of Michigan’s games a season ago.

The four are just the front line of an incredibly deep secondary with both experience -- nickel back Courtney Avery -- and a youthful push, including highly touted freshman safety Jarrod Wilson and sophomore cornerback Delonte Hollowell, who stood out on special teams as a freshman.

There could be trouble if Kovacs were to be injured, but otherwise this is Michigan’s most dependable position group.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Saturday will be the first chance the public has a chance to see this season’s Michigan football team.

After their spring practices, the Wolverines will take the field in a coordinated scrimmage with the ones facing the ones and the twos facing the twos, according to Michigan coach Brady Hoke.

The coaching staff is planning on playing about 60 snaps and having a scoring system, though Hoke didn’t specify exactly what that would be.

Some players will see limited playing time and certain parts of the game will be regulated due to the fact that it isn’t a full team. Hoke mentioned the lack of depth on both lines and at the wide receiver position as reasons for this.

“You always have depth problems in the spring,” Hoke said. “We’re not at the point, program wise because of depth issues on the offensive front and defensive front, to draft like you’d want to.”

It won’t be anything compared to the Wolverines’ kick off against Alabama next September, but it is a chance to see how far the team has come since its All State Sugar Bowl victory.

“We get a chance to go in the Big House, play football and compete,” Hoke said. “Kind of assess where we’re at to some degree.”

The scrimmage is the highlight of Michigan’s annual “Victors Weekend,” which will also feature an alumni scrimmage. More than 350 former football players will be in town for the weekend.

INJURY UPDATE:

The only player that will definitely sit out of Saturday’s scrimmage is defensive tackle Nate Brink.

Brink, who has a leg injury, has done individual drills through spring practices, but has yet to compete in any full-contact drills.

Linebacker Kenny Demens will play, though he was held out of practice last Saturday and Tuesday with a mild concussion. Hoke said Demens probably could’ve gone, but they chose to be very cautious with those types of injuries.

Wide receiver Jerald Robinson has been “a little beat up” with an AC separation, but, according to Hoke, Robinson has played through it.

SPRING LEADERSHIP:

The team will vote on team captains during fall camp, but Hoke has already pointed out a few rising seniors that have stood out to him in the leadership category.

Wide receiver Roy Roundtree, safety Jordan Kovacs, offensive lineman Patrick Omameh and defensive lineman Will Campbell were the four that have impressed Hoke so far, though other names will surely pop up between now and voting.

“I’d be remiss not to name a lot of those seniors,” Hoke said. “But I think they’re really understanding this is the way we want to go about our business.”

“LONG” TIME FRIENDS:

With how intertwined college sports are these days, of course, there’s a connection between what’s going on at Arkansas with former football coach Bobby Petrino and Michigan football.

Hoke and Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long were high school football and baseball teammates.

Hoke said he reached out to Long recently.

“I texted him, ‘I’m glad it wasn’t you,’ ” Hoke said. “That’s a hard deal for anybody.”

EARLY ENROLLEES IMPRESSING:

During Thursday’s press conference, Hoke mentioned all three of the early enrollees as players that have impressed during spring football.

With Demens out with his mild concussion, it gave Joe Bolden and Kaleb Ringer opportunities to step into the MIKE linebacker spot and show their stuff.

“It was probably a great indoctrination for a young guy,” Hoke said of Bolden. “It’s been good.”

Hoke also said that safety Jarrod Wilson will take “a bunch of snaps” on Saturday and has throughout the spring.

“I’m real proud of how they made the transition,” Hoke said of the early enrollees. “When you think about it they would be going to prom [right now].”