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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- When it comes to the Michigan football defense, there's a lot of confidence externally in the secondary, confidence internally in the defensive front, but then a big question mark surrounding the linebackers.
The Wolverines lost Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham, the senior starters at the outset of the last two seasons. But they had hoped to retain Jimmy Rolder and Cole Sullivan, but Rolder departed for the NFL draft as well, while Sullivan ended up transferring to Oklahoma -- arguably the biggest loss for the team via the transfer portal.
On Thursday, defensive coordinator Jay Hill gave his assessment of the linebacking corps, noting there are three players he feels are ready to be in rotation, but some work will be necessary for the group to succeed at the level he hopes.
"Yeah, they're young, and they haven't played a lot, but I see a lot of talent," Hill said. "Troy Bowles has stood out as someone that's doing some good things. Nate Owusu-Boateng has done some great things. Chase Taylor. Bottom line, the group is going to continue to get better and better. There's guys behind them pushing hard right now.
"So, I like where they're going to be. I see potential, and I see a lot of talent in that group. We've just got to get some experience. But the best part about spring ball and fall camp is we have 40 practices or so to get those guys ready."
Two years ago, while at BYU, Hill's top tackler was a sophomore linebacker in Isaiah Glasker. Siale Esera, a sophomore last year, had some success as the sixth-best tackler, but Hill says don't expect a second-year linebacker -- Osuwu-Boateng or Taylor -- to follow in the footsteps of Glasker this season.
"Well, that's a big deal because we're not necessarily going to have that this year at Michigan," Hill said. "We need some backers to step up and to be experienced in the defense, even though it's going to be their first year starting in it. But I would say this: in general, I think linebackers just get better and better and better the more they play. And you'll see the same thing with our guys, and that's what happened at BYU is our guys, the first year they were good, the next year they were better. And then last year, Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker were two of the best in the country. So you'll see the same progression in the guys here."
Michigan concluded its second practice of the 15 spring sessions, with eyes on the April 18 spring game at The Big House.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football linebackers have 'potential, talent'
Continue reading...
The Wolverines lost Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham, the senior starters at the outset of the last two seasons. But they had hoped to retain Jimmy Rolder and Cole Sullivan, but Rolder departed for the NFL draft as well, while Sullivan ended up transferring to Oklahoma -- arguably the biggest loss for the team via the transfer portal.
On Thursday, defensive coordinator Jay Hill gave his assessment of the linebacking corps, noting there are three players he feels are ready to be in rotation, but some work will be necessary for the group to succeed at the level he hopes.
"Yeah, they're young, and they haven't played a lot, but I see a lot of talent," Hill said. "Troy Bowles has stood out as someone that's doing some good things. Nate Owusu-Boateng has done some great things. Chase Taylor. Bottom line, the group is going to continue to get better and better. There's guys behind them pushing hard right now.
"So, I like where they're going to be. I see potential, and I see a lot of talent in that group. We've just got to get some experience. But the best part about spring ball and fall camp is we have 40 practices or so to get those guys ready."
Two years ago, while at BYU, Hill's top tackler was a sophomore linebacker in Isaiah Glasker. Siale Esera, a sophomore last year, had some success as the sixth-best tackler, but Hill says don't expect a second-year linebacker -- Osuwu-Boateng or Taylor -- to follow in the footsteps of Glasker this season.
"Well, that's a big deal because we're not necessarily going to have that this year at Michigan," Hill said. "We need some backers to step up and to be experienced in the defense, even though it's going to be their first year starting in it. But I would say this: in general, I think linebackers just get better and better and better the more they play. And you'll see the same thing with our guys, and that's what happened at BYU is our guys, the first year they were good, the next year they were better. And then last year, Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker were two of the best in the country. So you'll see the same progression in the guys here."
Michigan concluded its second practice of the 15 spring sessions, with eyes on the April 18 spring game at The Big House.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football linebackers have 'potential, talent'
Continue reading...
