Michigan Football: Mike McCray Leading Solid Core Of 'Backers

Fifth-year senior linebacker Mike McCray carries himself differently this year, according to his position coach.

That’s completely understandable, explained Chris Partridge, Michigan’s linebackers boss. McCray has now seen and done things at the college level that allow him to not only play with confidence, but to lead with a certain swagger.

“Mike came in last year and won the starting spot, but the prior two years, he’d been coming off some injuries,” Partridge observed. “Last year, he was kind of feeling it out early. He started gaining confidence, and became a tremendous football player for us.

“This year, he’s coming in having that background. He imposes himself on the other guys, and on the young guys. There’s an aura about him that is different than it was last year. That’s important, because guys look up to him.

“He’s a tough, Big Ten linebacker. Now with that aura and a sense of leadership, he’s stepped his game up.”

McCray finished second on the team in tackles a year ago, securing 76 stops, 12.5 of them behind the line of scrimmage. He posted 4.5 sacks, broke up seven passes, and picked off a pair of throws, including one in the Orange Bowl that sparked a Michigan comeback nearly putting the Wolverines over the top against Florida State.

McCray leads a very talented crew of ‘backers, including the aggressive, speedy Devin Bush Jr., a sophomore who has been focusing on the middle linebacker spot of late. Another sophomore, Khaleke Hudson, is stepping into Jabrill Peppers’ considerable cleats at the viper position.

Partridge noted both of the younger players bring a particular set of skills to the push making sure Michigan’s defensive savvy isn’t taken.

Regarding Bush, Partridge noted: “It’s just a year of maturity. That’s a big thing — a year of development in the weight room. He’s a guy that works just as hard off the field as on the field. He really enjoys the game in all aspects of it.

“His ceiling is high, and he just keeps getting better and better. He’s obviously a very savvy football player, with his background and his father playing. We’re excited about what he’s going to be able to do.”

As for Hudson, the words that came to mind for Partridge were: “Violence, aggression, hammerhead — he’s just a guy that loves contact. People feed off that, too. He’s becoming very well-rounded as a player. He’s going to be enjoyable to watch.”

Sometimes aggressive players have to learn to gear it back a bit to not overrun plays. Gearing it back isn’t necessarily in the playbook of defensive coordinator Don Brown, Partridge noted.

“You’re never going to tell Coach Brown you don’t want someone to run full speed into things,” Partridge quipped. “That’s a small part of it. Khaleke played as a freshman last year, but he’s young. He’s going to round out his game, just like anyone would.

“Coach Brown will never say, take away the physicality. You learn how to play with that physicality, maybe. Overall, he’s just learning the game.”

As for depth, freshmen, anything beyond those who appear to be clear starters, Partridge kept things close to the vest in the early going of fall camp.

“There are a lot of guys competing, and it’s really early,” he said. “It’s hard to determine anything or say who are going to be the guys. There’s a big group of guys who are all trying to fight for it and who are all pretty much on equal footing right now.”

Partridge definitely doesn’t back away from the notion that the linebackers, as a group, know they’re a big part of making Michigan’s defense feared once again.

They’re ready for the challenge, the assistant coach assured.

“There’s pressure at all moments, and that’s something you’ve got to learn how to deal with,” he said. “You’ve got to just put your head down and keep working.

“I tell these guys all the time, ‘If you want to be tough, you do tough things.’ Pressure is a part of being tough. Camp is a part of being tough — fighting through things and working together. We’ll take on all comers. Anything that will make us tougher and make us a better unit is something we embrace.”

---

• Talk about this article inside The Fort

• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine

• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @BSB_Wolverine, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42and @Balas_Wolverine

• Like us on Facebook