Michigan Football: Wolverines need to find Josh Uche replacement

Don Brown, the defensive coordinator of Michigan football spoke about some of the Wolverines up and coming defensive ends.

One of the biggest questions facing Michigan football heading into the 2020 season is who will rush the passer or more appropriately who will do it effectively.

Last season, the most effective pass rusher on the roster was Josh Uche, who is looking like a second round draft pick April’s NFL draft.

Over the last two seasons, Uche registered 15.5 sacks and was a terror on the edge for opposing teams. He was also versatile, playing with his hand in the dirt at times and also standing up.

Yet, even though he had a season of eligibility left, he won’t be back and Michigan football must now find a way to replace his production.

With Aidan Hutchinson coming back and also Kwity Paye, another more traditional defensive end, the Wolverines have some solid depth returning. But they need that force on the edge, the stand up/hand in the dirt guy that Chase Winovich was.

Don Brown, the Wolverines defensive coordinator, spoke with Jon Jansen, the former Michigan football great, about who might step into that role. Here is what Brown said: 

"“Really feel good about (them). We’re developing depth there with Luiji Vilain – who I think is coming along – Taylor Upshaw – who is definitely taking strides. He ran very well during the winter testing. And David Ojabo. And David has that type of what I call hybrid type ability, somewhere between a linebacker and defensive end. Very similar to Josh Uche. A little bit different body type, but, hopefully, similar results. It starts with those guys on the edges.”"

David Ojabo is one name to watch. He’s a guy that has earned praise in the past from Brown and while he didn’t make an impact last season, with Mike Danna and Uche there weren’t many snaps to be had.

Luiji Vilain is another pass rusher to watch and he did score a sack against Notre Dame. He’s long and athletic and it would be interesting to see what he can do.

In reality, Michigan football needs both Vilain and Ojabo to turn into reliable sack artists. The Wolverines already have to replace Uche and Danna but they also need a stronger rush than last season if the defense wants to be better against the likes of Ohio State and Alabama.

Getting Ojabo and Vilain to reach the level of Hutchinson and Paye would be a good place to start.