It’s always a good thing to see when a player who was spoken of highly in fall camp ends up getting their opportunity to showcase their skills during the season. It doesn’t always work out that way, but Michigan football linebacker Cole Sullivan is making the most of his newfound playing time.
The sophomore was a special teams stalwart last year, but was the talk of fall camp. His first game, he saw increased playing time and looked the part, but even against Oklahoma in Week 2, with starter Jaishawn Barham out for the first half, Sullivan (along with Jimmy Rolder) made plays and didn’t look overmatched or like he had stars in his eyes.
His position coach, Brian Jean-Mary, shared more of what he’s seen from Sullivan as he’s getting into games on defense more and more. At this point, Jean-Mary wouldn’t be surprised to see him in games earlier and more often.
“Oh, it’s very impressive. And to me, it’s a long season and he’s just building up his resume to gain more and more playing time,” Jean-Mary said. “We got to find ways to get him on the field more. He’s shown the ability to be a game-changer. And that’s what we want.
“Obviously (we think) very, very highly of Cole and what he’s put on the field the first two games is exactly what he showed in preseason camp. So I would expect his playing time to increase. And he keeps putting out what he’s been doing. We always thought the sky was the limit for him. And we’re going to be better on defense from it.”
Linebacker is one position group that has done well through two weeks, even last week against Oklahoma. Sullivan finished the game with three tackles, including one of the rare sacks on OU QB John Mateer. That makes it two sacks on the season for the second-year linebacker — and that means he’s currently the team leader.
But with competition getting tougher in the upcoming weeks — the Wolverines go on the road to Nebraska and USC and host Washington — players like Sullivan will be needed more than ever.
This week, Sullivan may have more of an opportunity if Michigan does its job. The Wolverines host Central Michigan for a Week 3 contest at The Big House, with the game taking place at noon EDT on Saturday.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Sack-leader Cole Sullivan impresses Michigan coaches and could see more playing time
Reporting by Isaiah Hole, Wolverines Wire / Wolverines Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
