Michigan Wolverines Football Preseason Top 25: Nos. 10-6
Every preseason, the staff of The Wolverine votes on the 25 most indispensable Michigan Wolverines for the upcoming football season. Our list kicks continues today, with Nos. 10-6 revealed below.
In case you missed the first three editions:
No. 10 — Junior defensive end Kwity Paye
Paye stepped up in a big way when injuries hit last season, and this year figures to be the full payoff. He’s stepping into Rashan Gary’s vacated defensive end spot — a position he started in four times a year ago — after posting 29 tackles, 5.5 stops for loss and two sacks.
He also forced a fumble, and forced coaches and teammates to keep mentioning him frequently as a power player for the Wolverines in 2019.
He’s done more than draw attention with his play, though. Approaching his third season in a winged helmet, he’s shown a major investment in making Michigan’s younger players better.
“There’s a lot of young guys on the team,” he said. “I have to be the guy to pull the guys aside, ones who have been messing up in practice and say, ‘Let’s work on this today.’
“It’s my junior year, and I have to speak up. I can’t just be the guy who leads by example. I have to have a voice.”
Paye stands ready to fill a gap, following Michigan’s significant personnel departures on the defensive line and the defense in general. He’s convinced the Wolverines stepping forward with him will do so effectively.
“I think we’ll be good,” he said. “We’re young, but we’ve got guys that want to play. Our young guys are hungry. They’re trying to take as many reps as they can.
“I tell them my story. My freshman year, I got my opportunity because Chase [Winovich] was a little injured. Coach [Greg Mattison] made me take all his reps to learn all my plays faster and just get more comfortable.”
He’s very comfortable now.
“Kwity might be, technically, the best football player in the country,” defensive coordinator Don Brown offered. “I’m just saying. That guy, he’s hard to fool. No concerns about him.”
No. 9 — Senior viper Khaleke Hudson
Hudson appeared to take a step back in 2018, after posting numbers as a sophomore that outshone those of the early departing Jabrill Peppers at his best. But Hudson still managed 44 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, a pair of sacks and a fumble recovery.
He will have every opportunity to once again show what he can do from the vital viper position.
No. 8 — Fifth-year senior offensive tackle Jon Runyan Jr.
Runyan’s long battle to assert himself as a Michigan starter found its reward in 2018. He not only took over as Michigan’s left tackle, he climbed all the way to first-team All-Big Ten status (coaches and AP).
He also earned the Hugh H. Rader Memorial Award given annually to Michigan’s best offensive lineman, after starting all 13 U-M games. He’ll be more than motivated to up the ante as a fifth-year senior.
No. 7 — Senior safety Josh Metellus
Metellus is another big keep for Brown’s defense. He directed the show from his safety spot last year, providing considerable aggression and tying for the team lead in interceptions, with three.
The second-team All-Big Ten performer by the coaches and media — and first-teamer per the Associated Press (AP) — brought one back for a 73-yard touchdown, and always injects an attitudinal edge into the Wolverines on his side of the football.
No. 6 — Junior center Cesar Ruiz
The tip of the spear is getting sharper in every way, in Ruiz’s third year of action with the Wolverines. He took over at center last season, and managed to get third-team All-Big Ten recognition from the coaches as a sophomore.
If the Wolverines score like they aim to, and win like many are predicting, Ruiz will be the center of enhanced postseason plaudits.
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