Michigan Wolverines football first-year linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary remains a bit of an unknown to most Maize and Blue fans, when considering last night’s appearance on the Inside Michigan Football radio show was the first time he’d spoken publicly about how his new job is going.
Jean-Mary was hired by head coach Jim Harbaugh in January to replace the departed Anthony Campanile, and brings 17 years of experience as a position coach with him to Ann Arbor.
“Coach Harbaugh, [defensive coordinator] Coach [Don] Brown and the whole staff have welcomed my family and I in,” Jean-Mary told Inside Michigan Football host Jon Jansen last night.
“The players have been great as well, and have been attentive and fired up since the day I got here. I think my wife was more excited than I was to come work here, and I was very excited to work at such a prestigious university.
“A couple of her friends reached out, and all they talked about was how much they loved the area, community and people of Ann Arbor and the neighboring towns. Her and the kids are fired up to be here.”
Jean-Mary had never crossed paths in the coaching profession with either Harbaugh or Brown prior to his hiring at Michigan, but has loved the pedal to the metal approach both veteran coaches take on a daily basis.
“Coach Harbaugh is a blue blood, and I’m not saying that because it’s Michigan — he lives and breathes football,” Jean-Mary said. “Once you get to know him, his biggest thing is ‘empty your tank every day.’
"If you have something you can do to make this a better program, you should do it. If not, then find a way to get it done. That’s the kind of guy you want to work for as a head coach, because he challenges you and the players to be the best they can be.
“I’ve been blessed to be around some great coaches in my career, and Coach Brown is, in my opinion, the best defensive coordinator in the country.
“As I learn the system and learn under him, I’m taking notes and am enamored with the way his defenses perform. I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”
Jean-Mary will have a bit of a revamped Michigan linebacking unit to teach in 2020, seeing as how the Wolverines lost three significant contributors from last year’s group — Khaleke Hudson, Josh Uche and Jordan Glasgow.
Redshirt junior Josh Ross and redshirt sophomore Cameron McGrone both return, however, leaving the viper spot as the only linebacker position that will be starting a primarily inexperienced player.
“Viper is a special position,” Jean-Mary noted. “It’s part defensive back and part linebacker, and takes a special athlete to execute what we ask them to do. There are some coverage aspects they need since we have the guy playing all over the field.
"They need to understand formations and know how people are going to attack us. Coach Brown prides himself on stopping the run first and foremost, so the viper will have to take on offensive linemen who look like you [Jansen] at times.”
Redshirt sophomore Michael Barrett is heavily expected to earn the starting job, but has only seen playing time on defense sparingly during his two years at Michigan. He came to U-M as a high school quarterback and bounced around at several positions before finally settling in as a viper on defense.
“Everything defensively was new for him when he got here, but he’s taken to the challenge and had a great mentor in Khaleke Hudson,” Jean-Mary recalled. “Michael is the most experienced guy in the viper room — he started off a little slow, but these last two to three weeks has been the best player we’ve had, whether it be at [the] Sam [linebacker spot] or at viper.”
Sophomore Anthony Solomon is viewed as Barrett’s top competition for the starting job, but like the redshirt sophomore, is also very inexperienced.
He appeared in 11 games last year as a freshman, though nearly the entirety of his action occurred on special teams (played just three defensive snaps all year).
“Anthony was considered a tweener out of high school, but had some great pass rushing abilities and fit what Coach Brown saw in a viper,” the linebackers coach explained.
“He’s up and coming, but has to learn some technique and fundamentals about playing off the ball. Anthony is super talented and we’ll hopefully have a chance to get him on the field.”
A newcomer has been added to the viper competition as well in freshman William Mohan, who came to U-M as a four-star prospect out of Brooklyn, N.Y.
“We call him Apache — he came to Michigan with the nickname, so I’m not sure how he got it,” Jean-Mary laughed. “He’s one of the most explosive young men I’ve ever been around, and I’ve been coaching for 20 years.
"He has natural abilities you can’t take credit for as a coach. William has that instinct and that knack for getting to the ball — it’s not always done the right way, but his production is through the roof as far as rushing the passer.
“He’s a unique individual and we’ll keep working him in within the framework of the defense.”
Notes
• Redshirt sophomore Ben VanSumeren was moved from running back to linebacker this offseason, and even though he's new to the defensive side of the ball, has had a very smooth transition, per Jean-Mary.
"The biggest surprise on the defense has been Ben VanSumeren," the position coach revealed. "He didn’t really have a home and has taken to the position as a big athletic kid.
"He’s in the 250-pound range but runs fast. Ben is aggressive and matches Coach Brown’s mentality for a defensive player. He doesn’t mind putting his pads on people and has shown the aggressiveness to be successful.
"[Redshirt freshman] David Ojabo has also been repping there [at the Sam spot] and has done some good things. He’s still learning the position but is a very athletic kid who can add to the pass rush.”
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