Michigan football kicks off fall camp with its first practice tomorrow, and by all accounts, it’s been a great summer for many. There are plenty of question marks at a number of positions, but there are a few players who still have a lot to prove.
There’s a handful of expected to carry the group this year, starting with junior end/outside linebacker Aidan Hutchinson. He’s a projected early-round NFL Draft pick next year, and he’ll be a captain. Redshirt junior linebacker Josh Ross could return to form, and fifth-year senior Brad Hawkins has been steady in the backfield for years.
Sophomore safety Dax Hill, though, is the one player most are talking about after his ‘freakish’ spring game. He can play safety or corner — will probably play both — and could be the best safety the Wolverines have seen in a few decades.
“Wow,” head coach Jim Harbaugh said, shaking his head. “Every time you think Dax [has peaked], then he finds another rung. He’s doing some stuff …
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“We have these plyo-stairs we have … if you had to look at one thing guys do in our weight room, watch him go up those plyo-stairs. The force that takes moving the mats at the speed they’re moving … he’s the fastest on our team going up those, and it looks like he’s just floating up.
He did it in a team-best 2.55 seconds a few weeks before Big Ten Media Day. A few weeks later, he was at 2.29 with other guys chasing him.
“It’s pretty cool,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t know (what he’ll do), but there’s a lot in there in terms of athletic ability and speed, power and force.”
He’s the most talented player on the team, and he’ll be put in position to prove it this fall. The secondary is the best of the defensive position groups, with redshirt frosh D.J. Turner having made a move and inching ahead of redshirt sophomore Vince Gray heading into camp, and Hill and Hawkins will be the anchors.
The front seven, however, has a lot to prove. Redshirt frosh Mazi Smith is up to 326 pounds and is ‘ready to dominate,’ according to many. He needs to prove it in games and go hard on every down, but he has the potential. Ross is in the best shape of his life at 225 pounds, too, and has All-Big Ten potential.
The ‘other linebacker’ spot remains one of the biggest question marks. Youngsters Nikhai Hill-Green and Junior Colson are the future, but redshirt sophomore and former Viper (safety/linebacker) Michael Barrett is up to 239 pounds now, per Ross, and ready to prove he can play inside, where it’s much more physical.
He’d be the wildcard on a defense with modest expectations, a player who could elevate the defense dramatically with a good year.
“Mike right now is lining up as a starter at Inside ‘backer along with Josh Ross,” Harbaugh said. “He’s played a lot of football and been outstanding. He’s quiet, but just going about his business.
“Mike is poised to have one of those really good years. Nobody wants to see that happen more than me.”
He’s also got versatility to move around in new coordinator Mike Macdonald’s defense.
“You talk about the inside ‘backers — it’s not going to be just a static, where that’s where he lines up every single time,” Harbaugh said. “He could line up and look like a WILL [weakside] ‘backer. He could line up as a MIKE (middle), line up on the edge, could be in any of those spots, just like other defensive players — like you can’t find Aidan Hutchinson because he’s always going to be there, or be there. He could be any of those spots.
“[This defense] takes advantage of what guys can do well, gives them some versatility to do that. So, [Barrett’s] played on the line of scrimmage, and he can play more in the middle. It’s better to let the opponent think there are all kinds of possibilities where he could line up.”
Wherever it is, he’ll get first crack over the young guys, who are pushing. But a good year from Barrett could go a long way toward surpassing modest expectations for a defense coming off a tough year with a lot to prove.
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