Normally, when position coaches meet with the media, they do a quick run-through of their depth chart. Of course, starters get the most attention, and then there are some quick phrases for the rest of the group.

When Brian Jean-Mary met with the media on Monday, he went out of his way not to focus on anticipated starters Jaishawn Barham and Ernest Hausmann; each of has gotten tons of praise early in camp. Jean-Mary wanted to make sure he spoke on the entire linebacker room, a room with excited depth building behind its top line players.

"As far as the linebackers and depth goes, I want to make sure I point out everybody," Jean-Mary said. "Because I think it's a buy-in from the whole room, it's not just the guys that are playing now."

A player who received a ton of hype last season but did not carve out a role in the season was Jaydon Hood. By all accounts, Hood had a fantastic offseason but wasn't able to crack the rotation of Junior Colson, Michael Barrett, and Hausmann. Hood is very familiar with his new linebackers coach, Jean-Mary, who recruited him to Michigan in the 2020 class.

"Some of the guys that I think are playing well are Jayden Hood. He's been here for a while, very, very talented guy that says he's been waiting for his opportunity. I think he's taken advantage of it right now."

Hood hopes to be the LB3 in 2024.

Another veteran looking to carve out a role is Micah Pollard. A special teams contributor who has shown the ability to play at linebacker dealt with being blocked last season, like Hood, which Jean-Mary says he is handling well.

"Micah Pollard, I think, fits in that category, too. An older guy, a talented guy who hasn't played as much as he'd like to but is doing a solid job for us."

A special teams contributor who made a big special teams play with a blocked kick against Maryland is also making a push with the linebackers.

"You got Christian Boivin who has been a great special teams player, he's doing an excellent job for us there as one of the older guys."

Coaches and fans are excited about Michigan's youth at linebacker as well. Jean-Mary called out Michigan's talented group of second-year linebackers and suggested there is a path for at least one of them to find a role in the fall.

"Some of the younger guys I feel like have an opportunity and we want to see more from and I think they're gonna have a chance will be Jason Hewlett, Semaj Bridgeman and Hayden Moore have done a good job for us but, obviously, this back half of spring as far as depth chart goes, we're going to have to see which one of those guys are going to separate themselves."

Michigan worked hard to rebuild a linebacker room lacking depth two seasons ago. Not only did they bring in three in the 2023 class, but they added two more high end talented players in the 2024 class.

"Obviously, the young kids, Cole Sullivan and Jeremiah Beasley, guys that should be in high school and they're getting quality reps at spring practice, very, very excited about those two guys. I think they're going to be two high-end guys that are going to continue the tradition that we've had here of solid linebackers that a very, very productive. Been very, very happy with those guys."

It is crazy to think about what this room was dealing with in the 2022 season. Colson and Barrett almost never came off the field. The group had no depth to deal with an injury. Kalel Mullings was the LB3, and he's now one of the team's best running backs.

This group has elite talent at the top, hungry veterans, and a crop of talented underclassmen pushing their way up the depth chart.

Now led by Jean-Mary, the expectation is for the group to do big things in Ann Arbor moving forward.

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