Michigan Football: Predicting the two-deep for defense after spring

Defensive Backs

Starters: Lavert Hill, Ambry Thomas, Josh Metellus, Daxton Hill, Brad Hawkins, Vincent Gray

I realize I have listed six individuals as starters in the secondary, but that’s just how I see things. I figure with the number of sub-packages needed, the Wolverines will certainly have five defensive backs on the field a lot, as well as six at times.

Hill and Metellus may be the only sure-fire starters, after starting last season, but others such as Thomas, Hawkins and Gray have proven during the spring and even last fall that they deserved next in the secondary and they have backed it up. However, Jim Harbaugh also talked about how Daxton Hill would play early and in my mind, he will either be a starting safety or playing in the slot. Either way, he is going to play early and often.

Backups(s): Jaylen Kelly-Powell, Sammy Faustin, Gemon Green, J’Marick Woods, Hunter Reynolds, Jalen Perry, German Green

With so many spread offenses, you are going to need lots of guys to play and that is certainly the case with Michigan football. Kelly-Powell has impressed this spring, along with others like Reynolds, Woods, Faustin, Perry and both Green’s, even if Gemon is the one making more noise.

Many people want to see Michigan play more zone defense, but against so many run-pass options, that is going to difficult to do. The better solution may be just getting better horses to play in Brown’s man-to-man scheme and with a bunch of long, athletic dudes, it appears UM has done that.

Don’t expect the man-to-man defense to leave Michigan anytime soon and that’s why when it comes to defensive improvements, no group means more than the secondary.