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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — One of the big questions every year before the season begins is who of the first-year players will of the instant impact variety? Given the oddness of 2020 — the postponed start, a nine-game Big Ten schedule, and COVID-19 still being out there — we might be seeing some younger players on the field sooner-than-not.
On the defensive side of the ball, Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown says that he anticipates playing some younger players earlier, because you never know who will be needed should a player or handful of players test positive, thus meaning a 21-day period where those affected must sit out.
“Yes, I think we will (play younger players earlier),” Brown said. “Obviously, keeping your fingers crossed with this COVID issue as well, you just don’t know what’s gonna happen on a week-to-week basis in terms of your roster. So you’ve gotta be prepared. The one thing that Coach Harbaugh has stressed to all of us coaches is, ‘Coach everybody! Make sure everybody gets coached!’ And that has all got taken to heart. And we are coaching the first-day freshman and the senior that’s never got on the field, because you just don’t know who’s gonna end up playing for you on Saturday afternoon. So that’s been an important battle cry.
“If you ask me what’s been the biggest difference having this extended period: we’ve been able to teach the defense to every human being that’s in the unit. If you don’t know the defense, it’s your fault, because they’ve all had opportunity to practice, they’ve all had opportunity to run with upper-level units, and we’re making sure everybody gets coached.”
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During his 40-plus minute media availability, Brown named several true freshmen who have stood out to him thus far. He mentioned William Mohan at VIPER, Jaylen Harrell at SAM linebacker, Nikhai Hill-Green at WILL linebacker and Eamonn Dennis at cornerback as potential contributors at one point or another.
But he also singled out an in-state early-enrollee who is all-but-ensured to see the field this season in some capacity.
“I’ll give you a name that I’m kind of excited about,” Brown said. “This Makari Paige is playing at a high level. And he’s a young man that we feel he can jump in there and help us at early stages, for sure. And you can never predict that until you’re out there on the practice field and guys are kinda going through the paces. He’s a safety all the way, tremendous length. I’m gonna be conservative and say he’s 6-foot-2 – I think he’s taller than that. He really plays well over the slot. But we have a number of guys playing pretty well over the slots, and the good thing is we have good, young receivers, so we’re getting challenged every day. It’s nice to be able to get a good look at our guys in terms of competitive situations.”
Beyond that, who else has been impressing Brown since arriving on campus?
He went deeper into some of the names that were already discussed as well as a few others who very well could see early playing time in 2020.
“It’s so hard when you start saying ‘this freshman’ and ‘that freshman’ and then you forget a guy,” Brown said. “I think the guys that have really stood out, starting with the linebacker position: Kalel Mullings – he’s 6-foot-2.5, he’s 241-pounds and he’s 17-years old playing the MIKE linebacker position. He can run now. Nikhai Hill-Green plays the WILL next door to him. They were both just in my office. They love football, they love being around it. I just see the sky’s the limit for those guys. Cornell Wheeler from West Bloom is another guy. Has lost some time but is back now. And obviously, we need to see more out of Cornell, but I think he’s got real ability as well. R.J. Moten at safety is gonna be a real good player. I’m not sure he’s in the right position exactly yet – we’re trying to figure that out. There’s really a lot of good players. Seldon is a good player – we’re playing him at nickel, but he missed a little bit of time as well.
“Those guys are good players, you know? Kris Jenkins is a defensive lineman from Good Counsel. His dad played in the NFL for a very long time. He’s got tremendous upside as well. We’re happy with him. I’m whipping around in my head here – I know I’m gonna miss some significant guys on you.
“But we’re very happy with that freshman class overall. High character. Really good football players and guys that can really help us.”
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