Ann Arbor — Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham and defensive coordinator Jay Hill have said the defensive line is the strength of the defense heading into this season, but they have also suggested the depth in the secondary is nothing to sleep on.
Returning starters Zeke Berry and Jyaire Hill appear to be set at the corners, while two-time captain Rod Moore, who said he’s fully healthy after dealing with multiple knee surgeries since April 2024, and UAB/Memphis transfer Chris Bracy are the safeties. Michigan still has plenty of time left in preseason camp to make determinations at all positions, but the staff is feeling fairly confident about the versatility of the secondary.
“This is the only school I’ve ever been at where I really believe we could have three great nickels, and I can put different guys in there based on mismatch,” Hill told reporters recently. “So Smith Snowden, Zeke Berry, Sug (Hill) … I’ve never had three interchangeable guys that are so different at that position. It’s a fun luxury to have, and I’m kind of excited to see how I come up with how we do it.”
There is a versatility required to play nickel requires, and Hill is relishing the options at his disposal as he assembles his defensive chess board.
“You got to be able to cover man to man,” Hill said. “You got to be able to tackle. You got to be very intelligent because we use those guys in a lot of disguises. We use them to blitz. We use them in zone coverages. We use them in man coverages. So those guys really are a real premier spot in this defense, and they got to be pretty adaptable to what we’re doing with them.”
While Hill and Berry are projected the starters at corner, Snowden, who played nickel for Utah last season, also is definitely in the mix there but more than likely will be at nickel. It is Hill who has had the most preseason hype nationally, however, and is considered a strong NFL prospect. Whittingham said Hill has a “ton of upside and talent.”
“Smith Snowden would be, if we played tomorrow, would be a combination of Smith and Zeke and Sug,” Whittingham said this week. “Depending on the matchups, we can have either Smith inside at the slot corner or Zeke. Obviously, the other guy would be on the outside corner. Sug is just 100% on the outside. He’d be our third nickel in emergency. Shamari Earls is really right up there, too with those guys and really a guy that’s played good football through five practices. And then there’s two or three other guys that are battling to try to get that fifth and sixth corner spot.”
Whittingham said it’s ideal to have five corners you can trust and said Michigan is almost at that bar.
Moore said last week he’s feeling better than ever and on the third snap of Michigan’s first practice of camp, he had an interception. Bracy, who was transferred from Memphis, is the other projected starter at safety.
“Right now, Chris Bracy and Rod Moore are really at the top of the list,” Whittingham said, adding that there are several others, including Mason Curtis, who are in contention for playing time.
Bracy, who was at UAB for two seasons, made 11 starts for Memphis last season. He finished with 81 tackles, including 9.5 for loss, broke up 10 passes, had one interception and forced one fumble, and recovered another.
“Toughness, good tackler,” Whittingham said when asked to describe Bracy’s strengths. “If you’re in our scheme, safety’s gotta be great tacklers, and he brings that to the table. He’s athletic. Ball skills are really good. He’s got great ball skills up the field. He’s got great angles to the football. That’s so key. A free safety that runs 4.4 that has poor angles is not as valuable as a 4.6 guy that takes great angles. So he’s very instinctive and takes great angles.”
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan’s defensive backfield brimming with versatility, depth
Reporting by Angelique S. Chengelis, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Angelique S. Chengelis, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
