2008 Michigan Preview: Secondary
Projected Depth Chart
Safeties and Nickels
Safeties Jamar Adams and Brandent Englemon are gone, but Junior Stevie Brown will be given another chance to start at safety, and the other spot will likely be manned by senior Brandon Harrison or 5th-year senior Charles Stewart. At nickel, redshirt freshman Michael Williams may get some playing time, or he could even move into the safety rotation.
Stats
Corners
5th-year senior Morgan Trent and sophomore sensation Donovan Warren are back to man the corner positions. Trent is blessed with speed, and Waren is a pure cover man. Woolfolk may be one of the first backups, along with Nickelman Brandon Harrison. Freshman Boubacar Cissoko will likely contribute as well.
Stats
Notes: Rogers is expected to move to offense this year.
Analysis
After the implosions of the App State and Oregon games, Johnny Sears was booted from the team, Stevie Brown was relegated to backup duty, and the Michigan secondary quietly became one of the best in the country. Trent and Warren comprise one of the best cornerback duos in the conference if not the nation. Stevie Brown is a good athlete and big hitter, and if he has taken the time to grasp the mental aspects of the position, should become a great safety down the line. Brandon Harrison is little and speedy, but most known for whiffing on sacks in nickel blitz situations. Several of Michigan’s backup DBs have had injury issues in the past, which are hopefully gone with the reign of Mike Barwis. The freshmen will contribute some, but mainly to get playing time for future years, not because their services are absolutely required.
| CB | FS | SS | Nickel | CB |
| Warren (So) | S. Brown (Jr) | Stewart (rSr) OR Harrison (Sr) | Harrison (Sr) | Trent (rSr) |
| Dutch (rSr) | Williams (rFr) | Chambers (So) | Williams (rFr) | Woolfolk (So) |
| Cissoko (Fr) | Smith (Fr) | JT Floyd (Fr) |
Safeties and Nickels
Safeties Jamar Adams and Brandent Englemon are gone, but Junior Stevie Brown will be given another chance to start at safety, and the other spot will likely be manned by senior Brandon Harrison or 5th-year senior Charles Stewart. At nickel, redshirt freshman Michael Williams may get some playing time, or he could even move into the safety rotation.
Stats
| Michigan Safeties and Nickels 2007 | ||||
| Name | Tackle | TFL | Sacks | Int |
| Jamar Adams | 92 | 2.5 | 1 | 3 |
| Brandent Englemon | 86 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Brandon Harrison | 42 | 6.5 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Stevie Brown | 28 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Charles Stewart | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Anton Campbell | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Artis Chambers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shakir Edwards | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Corners
5th-year senior Morgan Trent and sophomore sensation Donovan Warren are back to man the corner positions. Trent is blessed with speed, and Waren is a pure cover man. Woolfolk may be one of the first backups, along with Nickelman Brandon Harrison. Freshman Boubacar Cissoko will likely contribute as well.
Stats
| Michigan Corners 2007 | ||||
| Name | Tackle | TFL | Sacks | Int |
| Donovan Warren | 52 | 1.5 | 0 | 1 |
| Morgan Trent | 41 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| James Rogers | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Troy Woolfolk | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doug Dutch | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Analysis
After the implosions of the App State and Oregon games, Johnny Sears was booted from the team, Stevie Brown was relegated to backup duty, and the Michigan secondary quietly became one of the best in the country. Trent and Warren comprise one of the best cornerback duos in the conference if not the nation. Stevie Brown is a good athlete and big hitter, and if he has taken the time to grasp the mental aspects of the position, should become a great safety down the line. Brandon Harrison is little and speedy, but most known for whiffing on sacks in nickel blitz situations. Several of Michigan’s backup DBs have had injury issues in the past, which are hopefully gone with the reign of Mike Barwis. The freshmen will contribute some, but mainly to get playing time for future years, not because their services are absolutely required.
Labels: depth chart, football, personnel, preview
This entry was posted by Tim, on
Tuesday, August 19, 2008.
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