8 — Friday, April 5, 2019
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Position review: Linebackers

Back in 2015, the Michigan 
football team landed a coup.
Devin Bush was supposed 
to go to Florida State. His dad 
played for the Seminoles and 
was a legend for them. Bush was 
a legacy, a highly-touted South 
Florida kid who’d have his pick 
of colleges.
But Florida State didn’t have 
Jim Harbaugh or Don Brown. 
And those two convinced him 
to leave Hollywood, Fla. for Ann 
Arbor. Along with him came two 
high school teammates — now-
senior safety Josh Metellus and 
now-senior linebacker Devin 
Gil. The elder Bush got a job 
as a defensive analyst for the 
Wolverines.
And anchored by Bush, the 
Wolverines’ defense began a 
new era.
In 
his 
final 
season 
at 
Michigan, the junior linebacker 
was 
electric. 
Though 
just 
5-foot-11 and 233 pounds, Bush 
finished with 79 tackles, nine 
tackles for loss, five sacks and 
six pass breakups. Bush was 
a 
consensus 
All-American 
and a finalist for the Butkus 
Award, for the best collegiate 
linebacker, and the Nagurski 
Trophy, for the best collegiate 
defensive player.
Though 
overshadowed 
by 
Bush, VIPER Khaleke Hudson 
was named an All-Big Ten 
honorable 
mention 
after 
a 
strong junior season. Playing a 
hybrid role, Hudson’s versatility 
was a boon to the Wolverines’ 
defense.
The 
graduation 
of 
Mike 
McCray in 2018 allowed others 
— including Gil and then-
sophomore Josh Ross — the 
chance to show their stuff 
at linebacker. Ross was also 
named an All-Big Ten honorable 
mention.
However, when Bush got 
injured and sat out the Peach 
Bowl, his absence proved that 
he was the true anchor of 

Michigan’s linebacking corps, 
leaving the Wolverines with 
a hole they struggled to fill. 
How others step up to fill that 
hole could determine how high 
Michigan’s ceiling is in 2019.
HIGH POINT: Bush stood 
in the center of the painted-
white logo at Spartan Stadium. 
Headphones in one hand, he 
went to work, kicking and 
digging his feet into the turf, 
defacing 
the 
once-pristine 
spartan.
This was, after all, a rivalry 
game — one with no dearth of 
disrespect from either side. But 
it wouldn’t have been a good 
look for Bush to have that kind 
of pregame outburst without 
backing it up on the field.
So Bush went in and showed 
Michigan State who was boss.
Perhaps no play was more 
emblematic of the game than 
one Bush made in the fourth 
quarter, with the Wolverines 
up 21-7 and the Spartans facing 
second-and-1 
at 
Michigan’s 
24-yard line just after the 
two-minute warning. Score a 
quick touchdown and recover 
an onside kick, and a Spartan 
comeback 
would 
still 
be 
possible.
Instead, Bush came after 
Michigan 
State 
quarterback 
Rocky Lombardi and sacked 
him for an 11-yard loss. On 
third-and-long, Lombardi was 
sacked again. The attempted 
fourth-down 
conversion 
fell 
short, and the 
Wolverines bled 
out the clock on 
a 
much-needed 
win.
In 
a 
game 
where 
the 
defense 
made 
plays 
all 
day 
long, 
Bush’s 
pregame 
antics 
were symbolic.
LOW POINT: In the fourth 
quarter of the Peach Bowl, 
Florida attempted a punt from 
its own 20. Hudson came up and 

blocked it in the end zone for a 
safety.
Unfortunately for Michigan, 
all that did was decrease the 
Gators’ lead from 28 points to 
26. And the linebackers were a 
large reason for the deficit.
Bush had injured his hip 
in 
the 
third 
quarter of the 
loss 
to 
Ohio 
State and failed 
to get medical 
clearance 
to 
participate 
in 
bowl practices or 
play in the game. 
So he withdrew 
and focused on 
preparing for the 
NFL draft.
The Wolverines’ first taste of 
life without Bush wasn’t pretty, 
to put it nicely.
Ross 
started 
at 
middle 
linebacker in his place, flanked 

by Hudson and Gil. But where 
Bush once sped down the field, 
chasing the quarterback and 
wreaking havoc on opposing 
offenses, 
his 
replacements 
looked lost.
Florida quarterback Feleipe 
Franks noticed the hole and 
took advantage. Franks not 
only threw for 173 yards and 
a touchdown, he was also the 
Gators’ second-leading rusher 
with 74 yards and a touchdown 
— this for a quarterback not 
exactly known as a dual-threat. 
Without Bush there to clog the 
running game, four different 
Florida players had runs of 30 
yards or longer.
Michigan could only watch as 
the Gators sped away.
THE FUTURE: Losing a 
talent like Bush — especially 
one that has started for the past 
two years — is always going to 
hurt. But what the Peach Bowl 

showed is that the Wolverines 
may miss Bush even more than 
they thought, for the simple fact 
that he made the linebackers 
around him better.
Hudson and Ross are talented, 
to be clear, and another year 
of experience can only help. 
But 
they’re 
not the same 
without Bush in 
between them. 
Ross 
started 
at 
middle 
linebacker 
in 
the Peach Bowl, 
indicating that 
he may be the 
future choice at 
the position — 
albeit one with 
a big learning curve.
Gil, 
fifth-year 
senior 
Jordan Glasgow and redshirt 
sophomore 
Cam 
McGrone 
are others who could fill the 

vacant linebacker spot, but none 
incite particular excitement. 
Newcomer Anthony Solomon 
was a four-star recruit as an 
outside linebacker, but as with 
most freshmen, he is unlikely to 
contribute right away.
And even if one of them does 
step up, none have 
the kind of talent 
that Bush did, and 
they won’t be the 
kind of defensive 
centerpiece 
that 
Bush was. 
Only time will 
tell 
what 
the 
future holds for 
the 
linebackers, 
but of all of the 
Wolverines’ 
position groups, it may be the 
one with the most questions 
entering 2019. The way the 
season ended only makes those 
questions louder.

Position review: Secondary

The stats don’t jump off the 
page.
Michigan’s 
secondary 
had 
just 11 interceptions last season, 
tied for 60th in the country 
with 
middling 
teams 
such 
as 
Minnesota 
and 
Nebraska. 
Despite 
that, 
the Wolverines’ 
defensive backs 
played at an elite 
level most of the 
year.
But the story 
— as with many 
of the Michigan 
football 
team’s 
other units — had 
a familiar ending. Secondary 
play crumbled in a loss at Ohio 
State in November and then 
again in the Peach Bowl against 
Florida, calling into question 

whether the unit was really ever 
that elite in the first place.
That’s not to say there weren’t 
positives. Cornerbacks Lavert 
Hill and David Long had their 
praises sung all season long and 
for good reason. Regularly rated 
high by advanced stats, Hill’s 
and Long’s reputations preceded 
them. The pair 
received 
fewer 
targets as other 
teams 
feared 
their 
abilities, 
and when passes 
did come their 
way, they were 
almost 
always 
broken up. Hill 
and Long were 
both 
All-Big 
Ten First Team 
selections; Hill was also honored 
as a Third Team All-American 
by the Associated Press.
The safeties also got their 
share of accolades. Senior safety 

Josh Metellus was a Second 
Team All-Big Ten selection and 
then-senior safety Tyree Kinnel 
garnered an honorable mention.
HIGH POINT: There was 
Brandon Watson, and then there 
was open space.
Maybe Penn State quarterback 
Tommy Stevens overthrew the 
ball, 
or 
maybe 
he 
underthrew 
it. 
Either 
way, 
Watson was the 
only 
player 
in 
the vicinity. The 
then-fifth-year 
senior cornerback 
caught the ball, 
ran 
and 
didn’t 
stop until he was 
in the end zone.
The touchdown 
put the Wolverines up, 28-0, late 
in the third quarter and all but 
shut the door on any potential 
Nittany Lion comeback. The rest 
of the secondary also dazzled, 

holding Penn State passers to a 
collective 8-for-17 with two pass 
breakups.
Then, in the fourth quarter 
following a touchdown, Long 
intercepted Trace McSorley on 
the first play of the next drive, 
giving Michigan the ball back at 
the Nittany Lion 12. Four plays 
later, 
running 
back 
Chris 
Evans punched 
it in for a one-
yard touchdown 
to 
put 
the 
Wolverines up, 
42-0.
What 
had 
been a much-
anticipated 
matchup 
against 
the 
No. 14 team in the country had 
become a laugher.
LOW POINT: In Columbus 
three weeks later, Watson was 
once again the story. But this 

one didn’t have a happy ending 
for Michigan.
On seemingly every play, 
Buckeye 
receivers 
targeted 
Watson in coverage. And on 
seemingly every play, they left 
Watson in the dust.
The Wolverines’ press-man 
defensive scheme meant that the 
defensive line had to pressure 
the quarterback as much as 
possible, so as to 
avoid 
receivers 
getting 
free 
against man-to-
man 
coverage. 
But Ohio State 
was 
prepared. 
Its screen passes 
and 
crossing 
routes 
were 
intended 
to 
get 
the 
ball 
out 
quickly, 
matching its speedy receivers 
against Michigan’s secondary.
And 
the 
secondary 
— 
especially 
Watson 
— 
just 
couldn’t keep up in a 62-39 loss.
The loss was a shock in a lot 
of ways, but perhaps the biggest 
was the extent to which the 
secondary, which had played 
at a high level all year, got 
torched. It didn’t take long for 
fans to tweet in despair asking 
why Watson was still in the 
game, begging the defense to 
do anything. Of course, in all 
likelihood, it wouldn’t have 
made a difference.
Buckeye quarterback Dwayne 
Haskins threw for 318 yards and 
five touchdowns, a performance 
that cemented his status as 
one of the top 
quarterbacks 
in 
the 
2019 
NFL draft. The 
Wolverines 
never 
had 
a 
chance.
The secondary 
wasn’t 
put 
in 
a 
position 
to 
succeed 
against 
Ohio 
State, but that 
doesn’t change the fact that in 
the biggest game of the year, 
a highly-touted unit came up 
short again and again.
THE 
FUTURE: 
The 

secondary enters 2019 facing a 
lot of question marks, and not 
just because of how the season 
ended. Long decided to forego 
his final year of eligibility to 
declare for the draft, and Kinnel 
graduated, leaving two big pairs 
of shoes to fill.
The favorite to replace Long 
is likely junior Ambry Thomas, 
who showcased his speed as a 
kick 
returner 
during 
his 
first two years. 
But 
Thomas’ 
technique 
is 
raw, and the fact 
that 
defensive 
coordinator Don 
Brown did not 
trust him enough 
to try him over 
Watson 
when 
things started to 
go sideways in Columbus isn’t 
exactly a good sign.
At safety, junior J’Marick 
Woods is next on the depth chart 
behind Metellus, according to 
Jim Harbaugh, while junior 
Brad Hawkins is the favorite 
at nickel. Both played backup 
snaps 
throughout 
the 
2018 
season. But the X-factor here 
is five-star incoming freshman 
Daxton 
Hill. 
Hill 
had 
a 
whirlwind 
recruitment: 
He 
initially committed to Michigan, 
but 
decommitted 
from 
the 
Wolverines and committed to 
Alabama less than two months 
later, only to eventually sign 
with Michigan after all. The 
Tulsa, Okla. native was ranked 
the 14th-best prospect in the 
country and the 
top-rated safety. 
If 
Hill 
proves 
he’s 
ready, 
he 
could make an 
impact 
right 
away.
Meanwhile, 
Lavert 
Hill 
decided 
to 
return and man 
the 
cornerback 
position for one 
more year. If he puts up numbers 
like he did last season, he’s an 
early favorite to garner All-
Big Ten and perhaps even All-
American honors again.

ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Writer

ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Writer

EVAN AARON/Daily
Linebacker Devin Bush entered the NFL Draft after his junior season, leaving a hole in the middle of the Wolverines’ defense that Josh Ross will try to fill.

(Bush’s) 
absence proved 
that he was the 
true anchor.

Linebacker may 
be the (group) 
with the most 
questions.

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Senior cornerback Lavert Hill was selected for the All-Big Ten First Team and AP Third Team All-American last season, as quarterbacks regularly avoided him.

The X-factor (at 
safety) is five-
star ... freshman 
Daxton Hill.

(Hill is) an 
early favorite to 
garner All-Big 
Ten ... honors.

Secondary play 
crumbled in 
a loss to Ohio 
State ...

(Passes) were 
almost always 
broken up (by 
Hill and Long).

