What”s in the Defensive Cupboard?

Some would argue that a lot of the Wolverines struggles this year can be attributed to a defense that has consistently proven themselves mediocre at best. It’s hard to believe with talent like Brandon Graham, Donovan Warren, Mike Martin, and Stevie Brown, the D would be as inconsistent as its been. Yes, there are two games left in the season with the hopes of a third. After this year, though, what’s next? Brown and Graham have been the most consistent this year and both are seniors. If all the juniors come back, Michigan will return 7 starters to a defense that is statistically worse than last year.

So how full is the cupboard for Coach Rodriguez and company. Craig Roh, Will Campbell, and JT Turner highlight the crop of true freshman that should be significant contributors in years to come. JB Fitzgerald, Brandon Smith, and Brandon Herron represent a faster breed of linebacker that should be greatly needed heading into next year. Ryan Van Bergen and Mike Martin will return to round out the defensive line.

The weakest part of this year’s defense is the secondary which already suffered the loss of Boubacar Cissoko due to his violations of team rules. If Donovan Warren returns, this unit could come back next year with more depth and talent than we’ve had in a few years. Including Warren, the cornerback position would contain senior Troy Woolfolk, with the JT’s (Floyd and Turner) along with the potential for a very talented incoming group of freshman for next year’s class. Top prospects, Cullen Christian and Tony Grimes are two of the top corners in the country. Both have been quoted on many occasions saying that Michigan stood out significantly above the rest. Safety is a concern but with Michael Williams entering his second season, and the emergence of Jordan Kovacs as a walk-on, this team will have experience returning. Youngsters Vlad Emilien, Thomas Gordon, and incoming freshman Marvin Robinson look to provide depth at a position that has been lacking that very thing all year.

This defense has talent scattered across the entire depth chart. Talent however isn’t all that it takes to win football games. All of these players need to grow and mature both mentally and physically to turn around a really bad run of Michigan defenses. If Michigan can solve their defensive woes, Coach Rodriguez would have a lot easier time winning the close games and moving this program in a direction that we all long for.

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