12

Thursday, August 10, 2017
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS

a 
hard-working 
central 

midfielder, and Marc Ybarra, 
who Daley believes could become 
a “top-class holding midfielder.” 
Osman, however, is the biggest 
name of the group, and with good 
reason.

As a senior in high school, 

Osman contributed to 28 of 
his team’s 30 goals, scoring 
63 goals and adding 45 assists 
in 
all. 
Osman 
joins 
fellow 

Ghanaians Francis Atuahene and 
Mohammed Zakyi on Michigan’s 
roster, and will once again team 
up with Atuahene after they 
played together at the Hotchkiss 
School in Connecticut. Despite 
his youth, his speed, skill and 
versatility should allow him to 
contribute anywhere and possibly 
have the game-changing impact 
Atuahene had as a freshman.

Forwards
The names to know here are 

Atuahene and sophomore Jack 
Hallahan, who were first and 
second, respectively, in goals 

for the Wolverines last season. 
Hallahan, a member of Ireland’s 
U18 and U19 national teams, 
impacted games last season with 
his pace and skill on the wing.

Atuahene, though, has been the 

centerpiece of Michigan’s offense 
throughout his career. He ranked 
fourth in the Big Ten in goals per 
match last season, tallying eight 
for the season, and was named 
First Team All-Big Ten for a 
second straight year. His speed, 
physicality and finishing ability 
should keep him in Big Ten team’s 
nightmares once again.

The biggest loss among the 

Wolverines’ forwards is that of 
Yamann Salool, who scored three 
goals last season and was their 
top goal-scoring threat off the 
bench. Finding someone to give 
Atuahene a breather on occasion 
will be key. Zakyi, a product of 
Manchester City’s Academy and 
the Ghana U17 National Team 
who scored 60 goals his last 
two seasons for the Canterbury 
School in Connecticut, and junior 
Johann Bittner, who appeared 
in six games last season, are two 
candidates to do so.

SOCCER
From Page 11

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Tyree Kinnel looks to take on a leadership role in Michigan’s secondary this season.

Kinnel looks to take on leadership 
role in inexperienced secondary

The 
adjectives 
“young”, 

“talented” and “inexperienced” 
effectively 
describe 
every 

position group on the Michigan 
football team.

However, they are perhaps 

most 
applicable 
to 
the 

Wolverines’ secondary. While 
the defensive line returns four 
players who saw significant 
playing 
time 
last 
season, 

including two Bednarik Award 
candidates in Maurice Hurst 
and Rashan Gary, and fifth-
year senior Mike McCray — an 
All-Big Ten Honorable mention 
honoree — will anchor the 
linebacking corps, not a single 
one of Michigan’s defensive 
backs have even started a game.

Gone 
is 
First-Team 
All-

American 
Jourdan 
Lewis. 

Gone are All-Big Ten honorees 
Channing Stribling, Delano Hill 
and Dymonte Thomas. Gone is 
Jeremy Clark, who was denied 
a sixth year of eligibility after 
a knee injury ended his final 
season.

“If people will say that it’s 

because we did lose a lot, it’s 
obvious,” said junior safety 
Tyree Kinnel after practice 
Tuesday. “But the talent’s still 
there, the system’s still there.”

Kinnel received substantial 

playing time last season on both 
defense and special teams last 
season, playing in all 13 games 
and recording 17 tackles and 
a forced fumble. He’s likely 
to start at free safety this 
season, and along with another 
relative 
veteran 
— 
redshirt 

junior 
cornerback 
Brandon 

Watson — he has been thrust 
into a leadership role almost 
by default. But according to 
special teams coordinator Chris 
Partridge, Kinnel is more than 
capable of stepping into those 
shoes, both on and off the field.

“Tyree is a leader. Natural 

leader,” Partridge said. “He gets 
those guys going, another guy 
that loves the game and loves all 
aspects of it.”

For 
Kinnel, 
the 
most 

important aspects of his new role 
are trust and communication. 
At safety, Kinnel will be tasked 
with anchoring the back of 

the defense and making sure 
the defense is lined up in their 
proper positions. But he feels 
confident 
and 
comfortable 

with 
these 
responsibilities, 

especially 
because 
while 

much of the leadership of the 
secondary 
may 
fall 
on 
his 

shoulders, Kinnel knows he 
won’t have to do it alone. He has 
already seen a wealth of other 
players contribute.

“Being one of the older guys 

there, I feel like I do need to 
take 
that 
leadership 
role,” 

Kinnel said. “I feel like I’ve 
done a good job this camp, as 
well as Josh Metellus, he’s been 
taking 
leadership, 
Brandon 

Watson and Keith Washington 
too. 
I 
don’t 

think 
it’s 
just 

one of us that’s 
leading. 
We’re 

all 
together, 

we’re 
all 

communicating 
together, you can 
tell 
everyone’s 

talking, 
even 

the 
freshman. 

We 
all 
feel 

good 
together, 

trusting 
each 
other 
and 

communicating.”

Watson, who appeared in all 

13 games last year and recorded 
13 tackles, and Washington, a 
redshirt sophomore who had an 
impressive showing in spring 
camp, are both in the running 
to start at cornerback. Metellus, 
meanwhile, started the Orange 
Bowl at the VIPER position 
in place of Jabrill Peppers but 
moved back to the secondary, 
where he played alongside and 
developed a strong connection 
with Kinnel in last season and 
this spring’s practices.

“He’s 
doing 
really 
well,” 

Kinnel said of Metellus. “We 
trust each other and that’s the 
key. 
We 
communicate 
back 

there and just trust each other.”

Kinnel 
also 
pointed 
to 

sophomore cornerbacks David 
Long and Lavert Hill, both of 
whom saw action as freshmen, as 
players that have improved and 
benefited from their experience 
last season in maturing behind 
an 
experienced 
and 
skilled 

stable of defensive backs.

“You can tell especially the 

guys that came in in the spring, 
some of the guys that came in 
the games last year,” Kinnel 
said. “You can tell that the game 
started moving just a little bit 
slow for us. We’re just trying to 
take every rep as it can, mental 
reps, physical reps and get 
better every day.”

Kinnel’s comfort with his 

enlarged role is also increased 
due to having a second offseason 
and camp with Don Brown as 
defensive coordinator.

“I had two springs with 

Coach Brown, this is my second 
camp with him,” Kinnel said. 
“It’s great and I feel really 
comfortable. I’m good with my 
plans, just trying to help the 

other guys.”

Having 

comfort 
in 

Brown’s 
scheme 

has also helped 
freshmen such as 
safeties J’Marick 
Woods 
and 

Jaylen 
Kelly-

Powell, who both 
enrolled 
early 

at Michigan and 
participated with 

the team in the spring.

“They’re getting even better, 

which is a really good thing,” 
Kinnel said. “You can tell that 
they came in the spring, it was 
a good thing they came in the 
spring because now they came 
in knowing the plays, knowing 
what they have to do, so now 
they’re playing much faster in 
Coach Brown’s system.”

While Kinnel recognizes how 

much talent and experience 
the 
Wolverines 
lost 
from 

last season, the schemes and 
gameplans behind the nation’s 
No. 1 pass defense are solidly 
in place. Now it’s up to Kinnel, 
Watson, Metellus and anyone 
else who might step up to ensure 
the networks of trust between 
the 
defensive 
backs 
remain 

strong as well. And in Kinnel’s 
view, it’s off to a solid start.

“We’re all hungry and you 

can tell watching the film every 
day 
at 
practice 
everybody’s 

going hard,” Kinnel said. “No 
lows. High expectations, as 
Coach 
Brown 
always 
says. 

Competition brings out the best 
in all of us, we’re competing.”

JACOB SHAMES

Summer Managing Sports Editor

“We all feel good 

together, trusting 

each other and 

communicating.”

