On the back end of Michigan’s defense, next to senior Josh Metellus, there is a hole at the other safety spot.
With Tyree Kinnel out of eligibility, the Wolverines are looking for a replacement to fill Kinnel’s shoes. The candidates to do so are juniors Brad Hawkins, J’Marick Woods and Jaylen Kelly-Powell, redshirt freshman German Green and incoming freshman five-star Daxton Hill.
While there are many names who could start next to Metellus, defensive coordinator Don Brown believes in the talent at the position.
“With Metellus, J’Marick, Hawkins – with our incoming recruits, I feel really good about the back end,” Brown said before the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl.
As spring practice begins, there will be significant competition at the safety position.
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Projected Starters: Josh Metellus (senior) and Daxton Hill (freshman)
One of the two safety spots is locked down by Metellus. He is an experienced player for the Wolverines and has played in just under 1,500 snaps in his three years in Ann Arbor. Starting 12 games last season, he is an extremely consistent safety with a PFF defensive grade of 73.3 in 2018, 72.4 in 2017 and 73.1 in 2016.
Last season, he was excellent in coverage with a reception percentage of 41.9 and a PFF coverage grade of 75.9. He only gave up one touchdown in coverage, but struggled to wrap up, missing seven tackles
Not only is Metellus experienced, he is one of the most talented safeties in the Big Ten, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors by both the media and coaches in 2018. If he continues to develop, he could be one of the best players on Michigan’s 2019 defense.
The other safety spot is up-in-the-air.
Hill has the most raw talent of any safety on the roster as he comes to Ann Arbor as the top-rated player at his position in the class of 2019.
While Hawkins, Woods and Kelly-Powell have more collegiate experience than Hill, they don’t possess the speed of Hill. Hill is too physically gifted not to challenge for the starting safety position as he has been clocked running a 4.3 40-yard dash.
“Really gifted athletically and also a playmaker,” Harbaugh told the Inside Michgian Football radio show. “You watch his games, and the plays that he makes, fumbles that he causes, interceptions that he makes, hits that he makes – he’s got, from the safety position, he’s a hitter. He’s not afraid of contact. He’s got great contact courage. Maybe the fastest guy on the field. In high school, he definitely did. I didn’t see a game where he wasn’t the fastest guy out there. I think he’s [going] be that type of player in college.”
The only thing holding back Hill is experience in Brown’s defense. He has the requisite quickness to keep up with the most athletic teams on Michigan’s schedule, but coming in the summer to the program, he will have an uphill climb trying to learn how to play the position on the next level.
Key Reserves: Brad Hawkins (junior), J'Marick Woods (junior) and Jaylen Kelly-Powell (junior)
If Hill doesn’t earn the position, Hawkins is the most experienced player that could win the other starting spot. He primarily played as backup role last season, starting in one game and playing in eight other games.
Getting off to a rough start against Notre Dame where Hawkins had his worst PFF coverage grade of the season, he was inconsistent the rest of the season, vacillating between average to below average PFF defensive grades. Hawkins was a serviceable safety in 2018, earning a PFF grade of 65.3, which is slightly above average.
Woods played in 11 games last season in reserve, racking up only three tackles. While he played in a good amount of games, according to PFF, he only played in 76 total snaps, earning a below-average defensive grade of 58.6. Where he struggled the most was in coverage where he had a grade of 46.5.
Kelly-Powell was injured most of last season and played at safety in only two games. In his freshman season, he played two games at cornerback. Green did not see game action in his freshman season.
Final Verdict
Metellus is very likely to continue his development and turn into the best at his spot in the conference, but the other safety will be an unknown until Michigan takes the field in the fall. The Wolverines could go with the experienced option in Hawkins or go with the raw talent and speed of Hill.
If neither emerges, both could play significant snaps in a rotation in the fall as the competition continues. Michigan is set with Metellus, but the answer to who replaces Kinnel still needs to be found. There’s quality options there that just have to emerge.
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