Sherrone Moore names two Michigan football freshmen who can help on defense

Michigan football head coach Sherrone Moore mentioned two freshman who will play early for the Wolverines on defense.
2024 Big Ten Football Media Days
2024 Big Ten Football Media Days / Michael Hickey/GettyImages
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Michigan football should have one of the best defenses in college football this season but that doesn't mean that the Wolverines are without question marks.

One of the questions being asked about this Michigan defense is will it have the same depth as last season? The answer is no. At least at the start of the season but that doesn't mean that Michigan football can't develop that depth as the season goes along.

Defensive line, linebacker, and the secondary will all need reinforcements to develop. Michigan football added some veterans to the secondary via the spring transfer portal. They tried to do the same thing on the defensive line but missed.

It's hard when you don't have starting jobs available and Michigan football's defensive line is spoken for at this point. The linebackers are too with Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham.

There's no doubt that the defense has stars. But Michigan football head coach Sherrone Moore also mentioned some freshmen who could have a role this season.

One who shouldn't surprise Michigan fans at all: Cole Sullivan. The four-star linebacker stood out this spring and Sherrone Moore said at Big Ten Media Days (via The Wolverine) that Sulivan will play this season. He also said he's going to be a beast.

Sullivan was also over the place during the spring game and looked poised to crack the two-deep this fall. That's easier said than done, but the Michigan football linebacker is athletic, versatile, and plays downhill. He's going to be one to watch in the future.

Yet, Moore mentioned another Michigan football defender to keep an eye on and that's three-star EDGE Dominic Nichols out of Virginia. Moore said he was "most excited" about the 6-foot-5, 251-pound EDGE. Sometimes you have to forget about the rankings. The Wolverines knock it out of the park with their evaluations and they also require depth to emerge at EDGE.

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So even if Michigan wasn't expected to play freshman a lot on defense, it certainly seems possible that Sullivan and Nichols could have roles this season.