Michigan Football: News, Notes and Updates from Camp

Michigan's 2011 season-opener is only a week and a half away, and fall camp is in full swing.

This is music to the ears of the Maize and Blue faithful as they eagerly await the beginning of the Brady Hoke era in Ann Arbor.

Hoke has played things pretty close to the vest and has not released a lot of information, but here are some news and notes we could get out of the new head coach.

Only Five Starters Announced

Brady Hoke has only announced five starters so far this offseason. Denard Robinson, Mike Martin, Troy Woolfolk, Jordan Kovacs and Matt Wile are the players who have earned starting roles with the team so far.

Coach Hoke seems to be big on players earning spots through practice and competition. Michigan held a scrimmage Saturday to help fill out the two-deep roster.

Hoke likes to challenge his players and make them fight for a position rather than give it to them simply because they are upperclassmen. Hopefully this will instill some intensity into a Wolverine team that has lacked this the last three years.

Fantastic Freshmen

The word out of Michigan camp is there are some fantastic incoming freshmen for the Wolverines this year.

Running backs coach Fred Jackson stated that freshman backs Thomas Rawls and Justice Hayes are two of the most talented players he's had at the same time since he's been at Michigan.

Linebacker Frank Clark is fighting for a spot on the defensive side of the ball and will likely see some action as a true freshman this year.

Freshman kicker Matt Wile is impressing so much that he may end up doing something no Michigan freshman has ever done before...

Matt Wile to Be a Triple-Threat?

There is a big possibility you could see a freshman handle placekicking, punting and kickoffs for the first time in the long history of Michigan football.

When asked how he felt about handling all three duties, the freshman answered, "Um ... yeah, it is a lot to handle, but I did do all three during high school, so I'm trying to just look at it the same way."

Michigan was atrocious on special teams in 2010 and will look to make a huge improvement riding the leg of a freshman.

Running Back Competition Is Heating Up

Michigan has not had a featured running back in years, which should change very quickly with the new regime in town.

The competition to be the starting running back is probably the hottest one in camp, as Vincent Smith, Michael Shaw, Stephen Hopkins and freshman Thomas Rawls are leading the way for the spot.

In Hoke's pro-style offense, it's important to be able to run the ball and control the clock. Hoke also wants to limit the amount of hits quarterback Denard Robinson takes, so finding someone else to carry the ball would help immensely.

2011 may be another year of running back by committee, but look for a back or two to emerge in the next couple years to solve Michigan's running back dilemma.

Defense Still Not Acceptable

Michigan's biggest weak spot last year was undoubtedly the defense; it was shredded for 35.2 points per game. I think I've seen enough football to know that you don't win very many games when you give up five touchdowns.

There are a few walk-ons who may help jump-start Michigan's defensive resurgence. Obviously there is Jordan Kovacs, who has already been named as one of the starters, but the real surprise came in the form of D-lineman Nathan Brink.

Defensive Coordinator Greg Mattison has raved about Brink, who is challenging standout D-line recruit Will Campbell for a starting spot on the Michigan defense this year.

Brady Hoke has said his defense is "unacceptable" and far away from where they want it to be.  He specifically criticized Michigan's lack of physicality at the point of attack.

I expect that to change as Hoke drills his intense demeanor into the Michigan football team this year.

Denard Improving Accuracy

One of Denard Robinson's biggest criticisms is his accuracy. While he has shown he has very good arm strength, the accuracy has not always been there to raise his game to the next level.

Michigan now charts every pass their quarterbacks throw in camp, and most will be delighted to hear that Denard is completing about 70 percent of his pass attempts.

Granted, this is not a game situation. But if Robinson can take that 70 percent and translate it into somewhere around 60 percent, I think most fans would be very happy with the results when combined with his ability to run.

Denard has come a long way since his freshman season and should develop into an even more deadly threat if he can learn how to balance his attack.

J.T. Floyd Looking to Get Back in the Starting Lineup

J.T. Floyd was once a highly-touted recruit coming to the University of Michigan. He has since become almost forgettable throughout an injury-plagued career.

Well, this year, Floyd is finally healthy after recovering from an ankle injury that kept him out of the last four games of the season last year.

There is some stiff competition from some of the younger players Michigan has brought in, and Floyd will be forced to earn his spot.

For a defense that struggled so much with pass-defense last year, Floyd playing to his potential would be an enormous boost for the Wolverines in 2011. Hopefully he can do just that for the Maize and Blue.

Offensive Line Adjusting Well

All the offensive players are having to make an adjustment to the new pro-style offense in 2011. The good word out of camp is that most of them are having a fairly easy time doing it.

Rich Rod did install a power set to his spread offense while still with Michigan, which is making life easier on the offensive linemen this year. The pro-style requires more size and brute force than the spread, which calls for more quickness.

The offensive line will be where Michigan makes their living this year, with a new focus on time of possession. They should continue to come along and get into a comfort zone as the year progresses.

Ohio State Will Be a Focus

The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry has lost a little bit of its luster the last few years. Michigan has not been competitive, and Rich Rodriguez seemed to treat it like just another game.

Well Michigan fans, no need to fear—Brady Hoke is here now.

Hoke has this rivalry running through his blood. He talks about it every day, it fires him up and that is an encouraging thing to see.

There is now a sign hanging in the Michigan team facility displaying how many days it has been since Michigan's last victory over the Buckeyes. If that isn't enough to get these kids fired up and ready to play, I'm not sure anything will be. 

This rivalry should be reignited starting this year, which will be a treat for fans of college football.

Scrimmage Helped Determine Two-Deep Roster

As stated earlier, Michigan held a full scrimmage Saturday to help decide on the two-deep roster. It was meant to simulate a game and included everything but the kickoffs.

Brady Hoke chose to keep it closed to the fans and media, keeping with the theme of not giving away too much information this offseason.

We did get one tidbit of information from former Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard, who said via Twitter:

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"(Michigan) isn't close to where they want to be, but far from where they were."

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This should be encouraging to fans looking for a change. The Wolverines will be an interesting team as they try to get back to the basics of winning football in 2011.