Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown is a tough guy to impress, but he likes plenty in early spring … including strength coach Ben Herbert.
Junior linebacker Devin Bush is one guy whose body has changed, and he’s not alone.
“Some guys you wouldn't think could get [more cut] are now one big muscle,” he said. “You think, ‘how much better can they get?’ These guys have maximized their conditioning and their strength improvement.
“I can’t say enough good things about Herb and the strength staff. They really gave us a really solid group of guys in terms of cardio and bigger, stronger, faster.”
The kids, too, have taken advantage of the great opportunities they’ve been given, Brown continued. He spoke highly of the depth at linebacker, but he loves what he has up front and in the defensive backfield, too.
“Rashan Gary is Rashan Gary,” he said of the junior end. “He’s a tremendous player. [Fifth-year senior end] Chase [Winovich] gives you everything he’s got every single day. [Sophomore end] Kwity Paye came in here 235, 236 out of nowhere in Rhode Island, he’s 263 right now, like a muscle from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. He’s exceeded expectations. [Fifth-year senior] Lawrence Marshall has done a good job, and [sophomore] Aubrey Solomon … the sky is the limit.”
Junior Michael Dwumfour excelled at tackle in the bowl practices and hasn’t slowed, Brown continued.
“I just hope I’m not missing anyone up front because I really feel very strongly we have seven or eight guys,” he said. “I’m glad Lo Marshall is back. [Fifth-year senior tackle] Bryan Mone is playing really well. I don’t know what his weight is, but it’s just so much better distributed throughout his body. He’s a very strong, very physical guy, let’s make no mistake about it. When he’s in there, he’s in there to do one thing — knock back whoever is in front of him and play the run.”
Junior cornerbacks David Long and Lavert Hill are as good as advertised in the secondary, Brown noted, but one player in particular has made a huge jump — sophomore Ambry Thomas.
“He’s practiced extremely well for three practices,” Brown said. “He’s at a different level — confident, fast. He ran through on a sweep play … again, in pajamas the other day. Not a physical thing, but wow, that was fast. I’m so happy with him. Jaylen Kelly-Powell, we’ve got him at safety. He’s a really smart football player, so much better. Those would be two guys.
“[Junior safety] Josh Metellus, some people were critical of him in the fall … not me, some people. The bottom line for him, he’s taken this offseason as an opportunity to get better. It’s a beautiful thing. Some guys just wallow. He’s taken it, his arrow is completely up, doing a really good job directing traffic back there.”
Sophomre J’Marick Woods is also rotating with the ones and doing a ‘very good job,” Brown said.
“Even though he played some, I don’t evaluate freshmen,” Brown said. “If you’re evaluating freshmen, you’ve got rocks in your head.
“When they get through this install, college life, the grind of winter workouts and all those things, you see what you’ve got. We’re starting to see what we’ve got there. I’m very pleased.”
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