Michigan Football: Examining Daxton Hill’s role on Wolverines defense

Michigan football takes on Middle Tennesee State this Saturday and one key question is how many snaps will Daxton Hill play on defense?

After months of talk and conjecture, the Michigan football team finally hits the field this Saturday night when the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State travel to the Big House.

Leading up to the game, head coach Jim Harbaugh spoke to the media Monday and spoke a lot about the depth chart, starters and even true freshmen that will make an impact.

While he revealed who will start at quarterback and put into doubt who will start at running back, one player of note Harbaugh mentioned Monday was former five-star recruit Daxton Hill.

Hill is the five-star defensive back that flipped to Alabama, only to flip back to the Wolverines on the first day of the early signing period. In terms of recruiting, that was a huge win for Michigan football and this Saturday will provide the first glimpse of what it means for the defense.

When asked about Hill, Harbaugh said that he was good as expected and that the Wolverines would have Hill on the field Saturday. But how much Hill will play, especially on defense is the lingering question.

It sounds like he will be a gunner on special teams which isn’t surprising given his 4.3 speed and the fact that he is a sound tackler. But Michigan football fans weren’t over the moon about his signing because of what he can on special teams.

MTSU comes to the Big House as a 33.5 point underdog, but the Blue Raiders have been to five consecutive bowl games. They also return their top wide receiver in Ty Lee and running back Chaton Mobley.

The Blue Raiders will have a new starting quarterback, which should be an advantage for the Wolverines, but this still isn’t a team that should be taken lightly. And Lee is exactly the kind of speedy wideout that his given this defense trouble.

When Lee is in the slot, it will be interesting to see if Hill is used at all in coverage. Brad Hawkins has gotten plenty of snaps at both safety and nickel and he could drop down into that role along with Jaylen Kelly-Powell.

But at the end of the day, if Hill has been as good as Harbaugh says he’s been, then he should get an opportunity to prove it Saturday. He should get some snaps on defense, even if it’s just time at safety.

Ever since the losses to Ohio State and Florida, the objective for the defense has been to get faster and Hill helps make that a reality. So here’s hoping he gets some extended playing time Saturday, because the sooner he is up to speed, the sooner he can assume a full-time job.