ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Secondary coach Tony Gibson was swept out in the staff changes when Rich Rodriguez was fired, and new coach Brady Hoke hired Curt Mallory as his secondary coach.

Mallory had a tall order. The unit was perhaps the worst on a historically bad defense in 2010. Michigan ranked 112th nationally in pass defense, surrendering nearly 262 yards per game.

The expectations for the secondary were low coming into this season, to say the least. Give Mallory and his players a ton of credit: The secondary is the most improved group on Michigan's roster and one of its best overall.

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Michael Rothstein | email

Reporter, WolverineNation

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• Reporter for WolverineNation
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• Joined ESPN in 2011