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    • The future of Michigan football’s defense is bleak without increasing depth
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    The future of Michigan football’s defense is bleak without increasing depth

    Pabio Posted on

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    When defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has officially signed with Michigan football At the end of winter, he could never have imagined what the Wolverines’ secondary looked like in Oregon’s offensive opener Saturday.

    Will Johnson, All-American last season, was not there. The team’s other starter at cornerback, Jyaire Hill, wasn’t either. Security guard Rod Moore was also absent.team captain who has been sidelined since suffering a serious knee injury in March.

    To fill the voids, Martindale shuffled his roster. He moved Zeke Berry from the nickel spot to the outside. He inserted Aamir Hall and Wesley Walker, two transfers who didn’t join the team until late spring. Hall replaced Johnson. Walker was deployed at safety, a position Makari Paige had played in the previous eight games. To make room for Walker, Paige was moved near the line of scrimmage to take Berry’s place in the slot. Over the next three hours, this patchwork grouping of substitutions and moved plays was repeatedly drilled by Dillon Gabriel and the mighty Ducks, who rushed for 470 yards. in a 38-17 victory.

    This is the latest disappointing performance from Martindale’s unit, now 57th.th in the country in points allowed per match. It’s a far cry from where the defending national champions were at the end of last season, when they dominated the Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring and total defense.

    REMOTE RESUME: Shades of 2020 disaster becoming more visible with Michigan football

    As appellant, Martindale received the lion’s share of responsibility for the decline. But certain extenuating circumstances caused this decline.

    On Wednesday, Martindale cited one.

    “Injuries,” he said, “are something that happens during the season. That’s why, really, in college football you have to be three deep, not two deep, but three deep. And I know that’s where our success the previous two years was the depth that we had.

    Martindale’s predecessor, Jesse Minter, benefited from a deep team that remained healthy. The defensive line, in particular, was loaded to the point that the Wolverines had a rotation of edge defenders they nicknamed the “rally group.”

    A player would come in for a few snaps, then come out and a comparable talent would replace him.

    As former Michigan starter Braiden McGregor said last fall, the goal of the initiative was to keep everyone “fresh.” The Wolverines, in all areas of defense, managed to do this during a 15-game schedule that they managed during their unbeaten run to a title. Four starters missed a total of nine games, and the first team was able to rest after halftime in a series of lopsided affairs. The continuity and downtime were beneficial.

    Martindale and Michigan didn’t have that luxury this year. They’ve been in dogfights since the start of Week 4, going 3-3 during that stretch. Throughout that span, they were shorthanded, as four starters were ruled out for at least one game and several backups, such as Hall, Walker and defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny, also missed time.

    The players who have always been available therefore had to carry a heavier load.

    WINK SPEAKS: Michigan DC Wink Martindale not a fan of new college landscape, but ‘happy to be here’

    Kenneth Grant has already surpassed his snap count from last season. Star defensive tackle Mason Graham is expected to match his 2023 total at some point during the first half of Michigan’s game against No. 10 Indiana on Saturday.

    None of this is surprisingaccording to Grant.

    “We knew what it was,” Grant said Tuesday. “We were going to have to play more snaps. We mentally prepared for it. Not just mentally, but physically too.

    Still, the increased workload presented a dilemma for Martindale, who attempted to strike the right balance in satisfying his need to consistently use Grant and Graham without deploying them too often and risking diminishing returns as the season progressed.

    “When the game is on the line, you want Mason, you want KG, you want your guys in the game,” he said. “And you know, a lot of these games we’ve played lately, the game has been on the line for four quarters. So it’s difficult to find that place, that sweet spot.

    NO SHOW GAME: Michigan’s defense slipped and Wink Martindale lost control of his narrative

    Next year, the problems could become even more difficult to solve. After all, Grant and Graham are expected to declare as early entrants to the NFL Draft after this season. The same goes for Johnson, another junior. The departure of three potential first-round picks would demolish a strong core that also includes senior captain Josaiah Stewart, who became the team’s best passer with 6½ sacks and two forced fumbles. The voids left by Grant, Graham, Johnson and Stewart would be significant, further depleting a roster weakened by two disappointing recruiting classes in 2023 and 2024. The future of Michigan’s defense therefore appears rather bleak, particularly if an injured Moore decides also not to return. But Martindale doesn’t buy it, saying it can be a quick fix if Michigan rebuilds and increases its talent base.

    “We’re going to have to attack this offseason as hard as we can to turn some positions around and free some up,” Martindale said. “It will be interesting to see how it goes.”

    In the meantime, Martindale will play the hand he’s been dealt, which hasn’t been as good as he hoped when he took the job eight months ago.

    Contact Rainer Sabin at [email protected]. Follow him @RainerSabin.

    Pabio
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