Michigan's safeties/special teams coach Chris Partridge made waves yesterday by sharing his true thoughts on former U-M staffers Greg Mattison and Al Washington — who each departed for Ohio State in January, — explaining that he hasn’t spoken with either man since they left, nor does he have any desire to.
While his comments concerning those two attracted plenty of readers around the country, Partridge also discussed much more meaningful matters, such as the position battles that have been waging on in practice and the players who have stepped into starting roles.
He began with the kick and punt returners.
“[Redshirt freshman viper] Mike [Barrett] is doing a great job on both return units, and will be a guy who challenges for those jobs,” Partridge revealed. “He is just a great kid and is a blast to be around with his fun energy. Mike is also smooth catching the ball and has good feet.
“[Sophomore receiver] Ronnie [Bell] is explosive, athletic and has great ball skills, and is comfortable back there. [Junior wideout] Donovan Peoples-Jones is out right now, but Ronnie has stepped in and could be a dynamic weapon for us, along with [freshman receiver] Mikey [Sainristil].
“We might have to put two guys back there once Donovan comes back. Two years ago, we were struggling just to find one guy, but now it’ll be hard to keep four guys out of there.
“[Junior cornerback] Ambry [Thomas] needs to improve some things in terms of how he catches the ball while moving forward. We’ll try to keep getting him going, but he and Ronnie are neck and neck on kick returns.”
The fact that Bell has seemingly overtaken Thomas as the team’s top kick returner is the most notable development from the unit, seeing as how the junior served the role in impressive fashion last season (and even took one to the house 99 yards in the opener at Notre Dame).
The competition at the safety spot, meanwhile, has a much clearer picture, with senior Josh Metellus having a stranglehold on one of the starting jobs.
With junior Brad Hawkins now splitting reps between nickel and safety and serving as the starter in the former, there appears to be a clear starter who has emerged alongside Metellus.
Before revealing who it is, however, Partridge first began by praising not only Metellus’ play on the field, but also the leadership aspects and maturity he has developed.
“Josh is playing at an elite level, and his leadership qualities are unbelievable,” Partridge exclaimed. “He came to Michigan young for his age and just having had shoulder surgery, so he wasn’t that strong as a freshman.
“He has used challenges as motivation since he’s been here, and the sky is the limit for him. Josh could be one of the best safeties in the country, and that’s what we’re shooting for. He comes in every day excited and ready to work, and is running the defense from the back end — Josh is our leader right now, and there’s no question about it.
“[Junior J’Marick] Woods, meanwhile, came in standing 6-3 and only 17 years old, and was like a baby deer out there at first. He’s now controlling his body, and we first saw it in December for the bowl practices — he has been lights out this spring after having to develop a little bit.
“Woods now understands the defense, is seeing formations and taking to coaching.
“Hawkins played back there last year because of injuries in front of him, but had been a receiver his entire life — he’s only in his third year of ever playing defense. I feel so strong about our three guys back there because they’re all getting to the level I know they can be at, and yet can still get better.”
Finally, Partridge gave a lengthy update regarding the situation at kicker, which is perhaps one of the most intriguing position battles on the entire team.
Redshirt junior Quinn Nordin made just 11 of his 16 field goals before being benched prior to the Nov. 17 game against Indiana last season, only to see then-freshman Jake Moody make history.
He set a program record by making all six of his kicks against the Hoosiers, before finishing an impressive 10-for-11 on the year.
“They’re great teammates for each other, and are coaching one another,” Partridge revealed. “Quinn looked at this adverse situation in the eye and hasn’t backed down from it — he’s matured and has handled it a good way. He hasn’t changed anything, but has put a lot on himself maturity-wise and isn’t thinking about his leg swing as much.
“Quinn overthinks sometimes, but his maturity has helped him not do that anymore. We explained that guys will be trying to take his job all the time in the NFL.
“Both Jake and Quinn are neck and neck now, but we know we have two of the best kickers around. We’ll let that competition go as long as it needs to, because it’s not something you cut off. Both guys have strong legs, so I’m not ready to say it’s a two-man job.
“I think both of them have only missed two or three kicks this spring. Quinn has a few deeper ones, but there’s no separation between the two. The competition is so beneficial for both of them — if you don’t have that, you’re competing against only yourself. All competition is beneficial, and they’ll each get worlds better just by showing up every day and competing with someone who is equal to them.
“I love how they’ve handled it — they’re friends and live together, and that’s what you want as a team. I wasn’t surprised with how Jake performed last year, because he’s calm, cool and collected. For a guy to be able to kick off right away like he did, it shows he has the ability to do everything else. We felt like we had something special in him from the get-go, and he proved us right.”
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