Michigan’s defense is starting to come into focus before Saturday night’s opener against Western Michigan, even if Jay Hill isn’t pretending all the uncertainty has disappeared.
Michigan coaches like to describe Week 1 as Christmas morning - the moment when the wrapping paper comes off and everyone finds out what they really have. For the Wolverines, that reveal arrives at 7:36 p.m.
ET on Saturday. Hill said Wednesday that there’s “still mystery” about the group, but he also laid out plenty of the expected pecking order on defense.
The biggest jumpers in camp, according to Hill, include a handful of players who have pushed themselves into clearer roles. “Chase Taylor has done an amazing job to this point.
Troy Bowles continues to get better and better. Nathaniel Staehling has done a good job.
So those three backers, I think, are playing a pretty good level. Alex Whittingham has done a really, really good job with those guys.
" Nate Marshall made a big jump from spring ball. He's really made some good strides forward. And then I would say Shamari Earls has done some really good things."
At linebacker, Taylor, Staehling and Bowles appear set to lead the rotation. Bowles also sounds like the man handling the communication in the middle.
Hill pointed to that role when asked about defensive organization, saying, "The middle linebacker does a good job, so Troy Bowles does a good job of getting people lined up," Hill said. "But the expectation is that everybody gets the call from the sideline and knows how to get lined up."
Aisea Moa and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng are also expected to play, with “maybe Max Alford” in the mix as well.
Up front, the defensive end picture looks just as clear at the top. Dom Nichols and John Henry Daley are the likely starters, with Cam Brandt next in line. Hill said, "Those three guys probably taking the majority of the load as far as the starters go," Hill said.
The depth behind them could get interesting fast. Nate Marshall and Benny Patterson are next, and Tariq Boney may have played his way into the conversation too.
"Tariq Boney, as a young freshman, has really done some great things. So you very well could see six, seven defensive ends in there," Hill said.
At defensive tackle, Trey Pierce and Enow Etta have secured the starting jobs, while Jonah Lea'ea sits in that next tier. Bobby Kanka and Deyvid Palepale should also get work when the game starts.
Michigan’s corner group is headed by Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry and Smith Snowden, with Berry and Snowden both expected to work at nickel depending on the matchup. Shamari Earls, after a strong camp, looks like the first option off the bench at corner.
And then there’s the safety room, where Rod Moore is the biggest name to watch. Kyle Whittingham earlier this week identified Chris Bracy as the team’s best and most consistent safety in fall camp, and Hill backed that up by emphasizing how often Bracy has been around the football.
"He just makes plays," Hill said. "It seems like every scrimmage, Chris Bracy has had an interception.
The bigger the stage, the better he's played. I'm hoping that continues in games.
He just shows up and makes plays."
Bracy is part of a three-man rotation with Mason Curtis and Moore. Moore, working his way back from a multi-year injury rehab, is set to play.
Michigan is still monitoring exactly where he stands, but Hill said, "He's playing, he's going, taking all the practice reps," Hill said. "Every day, I would say he looks more and more like himself, which is huge for us."
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