Best Group Of LBs In The Nation? McGrone Doesn't Shy Away From That Notion
Michigan Wolverines football linebacker Josh Ross started the first three games of the 2019 campaign, but was injured in the Sept. 21 loss at Wisconsin and lost for the rest of the regular-season.
Cam McGrone stepped into his place as a redshirt freshman, and did not disappoint. In fact, McGrone was a revelation as a starter, emerging as one of the best players on the defense while racking up 65 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
With Ross healthy once again and back in the fold, both he and McGrone are expected to earn starting jobs in Michigan’s linebacking unit heading into 2020.
“It’s like being out there with myself sometimes,” McGrone said of the redshirt junior this afternoon while speaking with reporters. “We look the same, move the same, and take the same steps — it’s kind of crazy.
“We were roommates at one point and had talked about playing together and how much fun it would be, and now we finally get that chance. I’m just scared for everybody else, honestly.
"Me and Josh both know the Mike and Will positions, and have played both of them. That’s an advantage for us. We also know everything going on around us. No other linebacker core can say they have linebackers with those abilities, so I think that’s an advantage.”
Ross spoke to the media last week and revealed he believes the Wolverines will have the nation’s best linebacking group in 2020. McGrone didn’t shy away from that notion and echoed that exact sentiment today.
“I totally agree with that statement,” the redshirt sophomore said. “We have the best combination of speed and physicality and we’re so smart, even the young guys.
“They’re catching on really fast. My knowledge of the game has grown and the game has slowed down for me. I see the little things a lot more and my eyes have been opened wider.
“We literally have not stopped working since we came back on June 13, so that’s why I feel we’re way ahead of everyone in terms of conditioning and having a football mindset, and what we have to do on the field.
“I also feel like this is one of our fastest defenses.”
The only new starter in the linebacking unit will be redshirt sophomore Mike Barrett, who will step into the viper role after Khaleke Hudson manned it each of the last three years.
Barrett has little experience on defense during his time at U-M, but got his feet wet on special teams last season while serving as the team’s primary kick returner alongside then-freshman wideout Giles Jackson.
“Mike and I are boys, and we’ve been talking about playing together for a long time,” McGrone said of Barrett. “He’s more than ready both physically and mentally. Mike was itching to get in last year while waiting his turn.”
U-M’s linebackers will have a new position coach in 2020 in Brian Jean-Mary, who takes over for the departed Anthony Campanile. The aggressive, attacking style Michigan’s linebackers have played with under defensive coordinator Don Brown is unlikely to change with Jean-Mary now at the helm, with McGrone explaining he likes what the new position coach has brought to the table.
“He’s the perfect person for this job,” the redshirt sophomore noted. “He makes the linebacker room feel like a true family. We all come in there and it’s all family vibes. On the practice field, we just have normal conversations even though it’s football time.
“It’s relaxing and comfortable.”
Though he’s just a redshirt sophomore, McGrone will be viewed as one of the leaders and most experienced players on what should be a dominant Michigan defense.
The front seven as a whole, in fact, is filled with veterans who have turned into exceptional leaders, McGrone revealed this afternoon.
“I try to do my job and lead by example most of the time,” he began. “The leaders I see on defense are [fifth-year senior defensive tackle] Carlo Kemp, [senior defensive end] Kwity Paye, [junior defensive end] Aidan Hutchinson, Josh Ross and [senior safety] Brad Hawkins.
“They’ve played a lot and have been here and have taken the next step to make this defense even better than it was.”
Notes
• McGrone was asked today which young linebacker has impressed him the most since practices began, and he didn’t hesitate in singling out a freshman.
“Nikhai Hill-Green has progressed the fastest, from a mental aspect of being a linebacker — knowing his keys, reads and assignments. He’s faster than I was and that has impressed me.
"There have been times where he’s been next to me on the field and sometimes he makes the calls before I do — that excites me for his future here.”
• Both McGrone and fifth-year senior running back Chris Evans hail originally from Indianapolis, and as a result have known each other since their prep days.
“Sometimes I have flashbacks of me and Chris Evans going against each other in high school,” McGrone laughed. “We line up against one another sometimes and it’s like he’s dominating me again.
“I never beat him in high school — he had like 400 yards against us my sophomore year. I used to be at the same camps he was, so we’ve always been around each other. We’d ride back home my freshman year and talk a lot, so he’s been like an older brother to me since I’ve been at Michigan.
“I truly believe he wants football again more than anybody, even more than I do. Chris has had a rough journey but has stuck it out and tried his hardest to give back as much as he can — especially to the kids, with his foundations.
“The Michigan coaches are utilizing his speed and elusiveness, getting him out in space. I saw him and [redshirt sophomore running back] Hassan [Haskins] in the backfield together yesterday, and was like ‘Oh my!’
“I’m excited to see what our offense can do this year.”
• McGrone gained a reputation last season for both his blazing speed and his bone-crunching hits, fielding a question involving the latter this afternoon. The question was simple: how much do you enjoy hitting?
“Hitting is something I feel like I need at this point in my life,” he said. “I’ve been doing it since I was eight years old. To have it taken away for over a year was kind of mentally taxing, because of all the work we put in.
“It’s back and I have a chance to dominate another man for 60 minutes on the field. It’s a surge of energy throughout my body [when I deliver a big hit]. I try to stand over them without making it too obvious to let them know I’m better than them.”
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