Michigan Football Fall Practice Preview: What To Watch for on Defense

I took a look at the offensive side of the ball last week and now I will turn to the word most Michigan fans have dreaded the past few years: defense. The good news is that it won't be as bad as it has been. The bad news is that it is still not going to be pretty at times.

I remember talking to a former Big Ten head coach (think Bo Era) who happens to be close friends with former Michigan DC Greg Robinson in the fall Robinson took over and he said that "Greg was stunned at the talent level and depth when he arrived."

He wasn't stunned in a good way either. I can't help but think that deep down new defensive coordinator Greg Mattison may have some of the same thoughts as he works with this year's group.

Those statements aren't meant to sound as bad as they do; they are meant to say that Michigan historically has a very high pedigree in defensive talent and it's just not quite been where it has been the past several years. The talent and experience is getting better, but still not there, especially when it comes to depth.

On a happier note, the Wolverine are moving back to a 4-3, which is an instant upgrade in and of itself.

Key Player

On offense, I started by talking Denard Robinson and while he may not get as much press, the defense has an equally talented playmaker in Mike Martin, so I'll begin there.

Mike Martin is a defensive tackle that is of a very rare breed. He is big and getting bigger under the new staff, but has the ability to play all over the line. He is as athletic a defensive lineman as I have seen in a long time. He hasn't been given an opportunity to really make plays yet as he has primarily been the guy taking up triple-teams on the world's silliest defensive scheme the past three years.

Mattison knows what he has in the senior tackle and will not waste his talents. He expects to move Martin all over the line to get him in position to make the most plays. In order to be effective in using Martin's flexibility, he is going to need another defensive tackle (or two) to step up and fill Martin's primary role as the nose tackle.

The one guy that has to step up is Will Campbell. The former 5-star recruit is a junior now and Wolverine fans have been waiting for him to become the dominant player he is capable of being since the day he set foot on campus.

Campbell has shown a new commitment to getting his body in shape for this new staff and he is excited about the opportunity in front of him. He still has some consistency issues with his effort and pad level, but he appears to be much more engaged and will have to be because Hoke and Mattison appear to be making him their project on top of working with D-line coach Jerry Montgomery.

Needless to say, if he doesn't get it going under this staff, he probably never will.

The rest of the line will be filled out by Craig Roh, who should be able to get back to pressuring the quarterback off of the edge and senior Ryan Van Bergen at the other defensive end position. Also, Jibreel Black is a guy who can help out at the defensive end position. I think he is a guy who could really contribute this year and even battle Roh for significant playing time.

There isn't much depth outside of those five guys, so the defensive line group finds itself in a similar position to the offensive line: praying for everyone to stay healthy. The remaining hopefuls include an offensive line convert, three freshmen and two walk-ons. Keep an eye on the walk-ons, Will Heininger and Nathan Brink. They will look to go all "Jordan Kovacs" over the two-deep. 

Key Position Battle

The linebacker will be led by returning starter Kenny Demens, which is a very good thing. He is the first middle linebacker to provide consistency at the position since David Harris. He has great instincts and is built to play the position. It is early in the practice season, but several people have him as the best defensive player in camp so far and that includes Mike Martin.

Questions abound at the other two linebacker positions. 

On the strong-side Cam Gordon and Jake Ryan seem to be the early leaders with Jake Ryan garnering the "spring superstar" tag from many. Last year this tag went ironically to Cam Gordon, who was playing safety at the time. So, you can see my hesitation in penciling him into the starting lineup as many have.

I do think each of the two players has exceptional physical ability, but in this defensive scheme this position is incredibly important and comes with a lot of responsibility.

The only question on Ryan will be whether or not he can grasp the scheme well enough to realize his full potential. I think Ryan will ultimately win out, with Gordon backing up both the strong-side and the weak-side positions in certain situation. Gordon just does not have enough size or strength right now to be an every-down player.

In front of Gordon, on the weak side, it really is a toss-up right now. We could finally see the emergence of Brandon Herron, but my money would be on Mike Jones with Brandin Hawthorne having an outside shot.

It will be truly interesting to watch what becomes of this group. Outside of Demens, I don't think the coaches have a clear idea of the starters at this point.

Strongest Group

I could take some heat on this one because the consensus is that the defensive line is the most proven group, but I think the secondary has tremendous potential and something that the defensive line doesn't have—depth. Also, no longer having Tony Gibson as the secondary coach is probably the single biggest boost a position group could ever receive.

Sophomore free safety, Carvin Johnson, is poised to lead the secondary to a level that they haven't seen since at least 2006. He was starting to come on late in the season last year and looked great in the Spring Game.

On a side note, isn't it scary that we point to Brandent Englemon and a young Jamar Adams as the best safety play in over five years?

Johnson doesn't have 4.3 speed and he isn't the next Shawn Taylor, but he is a playmaker. He has outstanding instincts (especially for a true sophomore) and is always around the ball. Look for him to pick off a few passes this year and limit the big plays that have become a staple of the Michigan defense for years.

Let me just say this before I go any farther...I love Jordan Kovacs. He works hard, he tackles well and he is an incredibly intelligent football player. If he didn't do even one of those things, he wouldn't have any reason to be playing football at the Big Ten level, much less a multi-year starter for the winningest program in college football history.

The only thing Jordan Kovacs doesn't possess is the level of athleticism necessary to truly excel at this level of college football.

Conversely, there is Marvin Robinson. Robinson is a an absolute specimen who has the potential to be the hardest hitter on the team, if he isn't already. Much like everyone under the previous defensive coaching staff/staffs, Robinson has been shuffled around from safety to linebacker a few times because they were unable to find a suitable position for the 6'2", 200-lb athlete. The good news is that this staff can and they have put him where he belongs.

I expect Robinson to claim to role the strong safety role that Kovacs has manned over the past couple of years at some point this season. It is his time and he is already a nightmare for running backs when he comes up in run support. He came on a blitz in practice over the weekend that would have most likely ended Devin Gardner's life had he been allowed to actually tackle him, but the potential was obvious. He's coming along in pass coverage, which is the area of concern, but he has all the tools to succeed.

Thomas Gordon is another guy that looks primed to contribute this year. He is in absolutely incredible shape and flat-out loves to play football. He provides excellent depth to either safety position and is the type of guy who will find a way on the field.

Josh Furman provides a 6'3" frame combined with excellent straight-line speed. He is an intriguing prospect in the secondary, but has yet to show that he has the right skill set to play in the defensive backfield. If he can put it all together though, watch out. He showed flashes in the Spring Game and in early practices this fall and could be truly special if he can become more fluid in his turns in coverage.

At the two corner positions, expect senior Troy Woolfolk and junior J.T. Floyd to provide solid play and reclaim the starting roles that they had before they went down with season-ending injuries last year.

The upperclassmen will be challenged plenty by Courtney Avery, Blake Countess, Greg Brown and former walk-on Tony Anderson. Anderson has been extremely impressive so far in camp and should not be overlooked. I think he could see meaningful minutes at least in the beginning of the season while younger guys like Blake Countess get their feet wet. Terrence Talbott is another guy who has some game experience that will provide depth going forward.

That makes a solid group of nine or 10 players that you can feel relatively comfortable having on the field, which is definitely something that I would not have dreamed of saying in the past few seasons.

The Rest

Punting shouldn't have been an issue this year. Sophomore Will Hagerup has a tremendous leg and a year of experience under his belt, but he was suspended for the first four games of the season due to a violation of team rules. There are plenty of rumors about why he was suspended, but I'm not going to get into that other than to say he's not a bad kid and it wasn't necessarily that big of a deal.

He did, however, break team rules and he understands that so he will serve his punishment and the team will move forward.

In the interim, expect the pressure to fall on the same freshman that will likely assume the place kicking duties—Matt Wile.

Plenty of people have argued that there is no way that he can handle both, but if you know anything about the kid you would understand my confidence in him handling both duties. Physically, he has the leg and experience (he averaged 42 yards per punt) and mentally he is plenty capable of handling it.

Sure, he might have the jitters on his first punt and/or field-goal attempt, but he should be fine after he has a kick or two under his belt.

Check out my website, www.5thQuartersports.com, which features this story along with other articles and reports on college and other major sports. You can also follow me on Twitter for real-time updates on recruiting and other breaking news, @5thQuarterMatt.