During the first five years of Michigan Wolverines football coach Jim Harbaugh’s tenure in Ann Arbor, cornerback was arguably the position that performed at the highest and most consistent level.

The play at the position unfortunately slipped in a big way last season, with a pair of redshirt sophomores in Vincent Gray and Gemon Green struggling mightily all year long. U-M’s secondary allowed an average of 287.3 passing yards per game over its first three contests, but saw that number dip to 223.6 over the final three.

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No, the latter stat isn’t elite or even close to it, but it’s important to try and find any silver linings on a Wolverine defense that didn’t have many things go right in 2020. Green’s play, in particular, improved throughout the year though, with the DeSoto, Tex., native at least having been consistently around the ball.

This was evident by the fact he tied for the Big Ten lead in pass breakups with nine.

“That [the 2020 season] was my first time playing cornerback in two years,” Green recalled to the media this afternoon on a Zoom presser. “I was still getting back into my groove.

“I was starting to get it all together toward the end of the year, but am hoping to start off strong this season.”

U-M’s defense will have a new look to it in 2021, with co-coordinators Mike Macdonald and Mo Linguist now running the show following the firing of Don Brown. Some of the staples of Brown’s defenses — cornerbacks consistently on an island, heavy doses of man coverage, etc. — are likely to change, an element that should benefit both Green and Gray (assuming they re-earn their starting jobs).

We saw very little action from any other cornerbacks last season, despite the immense struggles of Green and Gray. The competition this time around, however, has heated up, according to the former.

“It’s very competitive in the position room,” Green insisted. “They just moved my brother [redshirt sophomore German Green] over to cornerback as well so I’m competing with him now too.

“[Redshirt freshman] D.J. Turner has taken a big step, so you’ll probably be seeing him a little bit more. Those guys all push me and I push them as well — whenever I need help, I ask them and [vice versa].

“Everything is situational, so we all have to teach each other.”

Green was also asked straight up who the current starters are in Michigan’s secondary, and singled out five names in the ensuing order — Turner, Gray, sophomore safety Daxton Hill, freshman safety R.J. Moten and fifth-year senior safety Brad Hawkins.

He also quickly mentioned how “they all rotate every day though.” Another reason many are optimistic U-M’s secondary will be better in 2021 is due to the addition of Linguist.

Harbaugh hired him in January away from the Dallas Cowboys, with the 37-year old having done outstanding work with defensive backs at several of his past stops, including Minnesota in 2017 and Texas A&M in 2019.

“Coach Mo brings a lot of stuff from the NFL technique-wise and has taught me what guys in the NFL do,” Green explained. “It has helped me with my own technique from last year and has allowed me to develop.

“He’s like a mentor to me. Whenever we get down a little bit, he tries to get me going. I don’t get down like that much but was a little bit once in practice, and he get on me and got me going again.”

Linguist and the other new coaches have brought a newfound energy to Michigan’s spring practices, according to several players who have talked to the media over the past month.

Green was in agreement with that notion, while specifying a few other elements that have raised the intensity level.

“Since I’d been here, we never turned on music in practice,” he said. “The music now brings us out the dogs and that aggressiveness and energy. The energy has been a big difference than in recent years.

“There’s been a lot of smack talk. We talk smack every day when someone gets punched in the mouth — we bring the dog out in each other.”

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