lavert hill fulfills the prophecy

Our ongoing series covering Michigan's 2010s. Previously: Our Favorite Blocks, QBs, RBs, and WRs, TEs, FBs, and OL, Defensive Line, Linebacker, The 2000s.

Methodology: Going by individual years but only one per player can be nominated. We discussed them and decided together, then split the writeups. There will be a special teams and then we're taking requests on offbeat editions to fill the long offseason.

SAFETY: Jordan Kovacs (2011)

Today, even after Michigan has exhausted the eligibility of an entire generation of Glasgows, we call the walk-ons who emerge into draftable players members of the "Blessed Order of St. Kovacs." Secondaries of the rest of the decade would be filled with top-100 types whose natural abilities contributed to top-five defenses. But to get there first Michigan had to survive Never Forget plus three years of Rich Rod and Tony Gibson.

In 2009 I made a sad depth chart to introduce a series—The Decimated Defense—about the recruiting and attrition that led us to the program's defensive back nadir. On said depth chart, all walk-ons, including a redshirt freshman student body one that then-DC Greg Robinson had recently mistook for Matt Cavanaugh, were represented by suicidal cats.

Corner	Safety	Safety	Corner
NFL-ready junior guy (Donovan Warren)	(Jordan_Kovacs)	Current Infinite Safety Disaster, who is worse than the walk-on (Michael Williams)	Legacy who is halfway decent and was our FS until a few weeks ago (Troy Woolfolk)
Dust mite true freshman who was a running back until a few weeks ago (Teric Jones)	(Floyd_Simmons)	True freshman recovering from knee surgery who can't be that great if he hasn't seen the field (Vladimir Emilien)	Redshirt freshman with clear talent deficiency to be serviceable (JT Floyd)

Cats were all the rage on the internet back then, as was abject failure in Michigan's secondary. Many players who might have helped plug the holes abandoned Michigan. We even had a banner.

But then a funny thing happened that we did not expect. In 2011 Michigan was suddenly getting impact safety play from the unlikeliest of creatures: a Hobbit.

And then there's Kovacs. That is a record-shattering performance for a member of Michigan's secondary and it is absolutely deserved. Kovacs led the team in tackles, only half-missing a couple of those. He led ballcarriers into other defenders, which is why Western had to go on long marches—they couldn't bust it past Kovacs. He annihilated Carder on two sacks, one of which produced a game-sealing fumble. While Mattison got him those runs at the QB, his execution was flawless. On the first, he had the agility to slash back inside of Herron and the technique to put his helmet directly on the ball. And he added two PBUs for good measure.

His Kovacsian limitations made him not the guy you want carrying a future NFL slot receiver down the seam—particularly in 2012 when they slapped a Legends jersey on him to honor three historic linemen and Mattison tried to get away with some Ed Reed crap. But even in 2010 Kovacs thrived as a two-high box safety who could come down and play a Viper-like role, and in 2011's patchwork secondary those edge blitzes were a feature.

Also a feature: busts in the front seven that never, ever, ever, ever led to a gain of 40 yards. Remember this was a defense playing high-risk up front because the serviceable depth chart was guys Lloyd Carr recruited and Jake Ryan. After the afore mentioned WMU game Mattison was asked if having a guy like Kovacs allowed him to do more with the defense. Answer: "Well… he allows you to call it without wincing."

This was the Kovacs you had to be a bit of a wonk to fully appreciate, but over the course of 2011 the Kovacs who was ALWAYS THERE when that guy was supposed to arrive was the main thing giving viewers a sense of peace they hadn't felt since the days of…Jamar Adams? Marcus Ray? Tripp? When an option pitch went outside the last defender on the screen, it was Kovacs who appeared, already at top speed, at the perfect angle to end it at the sideline. When a linebacker went the wrong direction on a stretch run and you braced for a long chase, Kovacs came. He was our binky.

We could go with 2011 or 2012; we chose '11 only because there was more Alex Carder annihilation, and because that's the year, at the moment everything was about to fall apart, it didn't, because Kovacs was always there.

-Seth

[After THE JUMP: The Old, the Boring, and the Cat-like]

My goodness, the levels to this one. You have Tarik Black's initial flex, the theatrical shock at the taunting flag, and the slow turn to Josh Gattis, who Black somehow senses is right behind him. Then Jim Harbaugh emerges from the depths of the sideline and, well, he's not pleased. Gattis appears more resigned to the whims of the refs. This isn't a GIF; it's a three-act play.

[After THE JUMP: speaking of tragedies, MSU tried to football.]

What this is: Our take on preseason all-Big Ten lists, drafting position-by-position.

Previously: Quarterbacks and Running Backs, Receivers and Tight Ends, Offensive Line, Defensive Line

How things stand:

We're skipping past LBs because we're going to do a four-guy LBs/FLEX round afterwards. And the draft is randomized again.

======CORNERBACKS======

CB #1: Lavert Hill, Michigan (Ace)

One of the best corners in the country two seasons ago. One of the best corners in the country last year, again, and among the leaders in the conference at pretty much any fancystat. A press man specialist who can line up on the outside or in the slot, the latter an increasingly important factor in today’s game—his ability to nerf Penn State’s slot fades helped turn that series around dramatically last year. Has significant NFL Draft interest despite non-ideal NFL size—Kiper has him as the #5 senior corner and a potential riser.

You know all this, but it’s nice to hear again.

[After THE JUMP: Lots of nickels drafted to safety, and we make up a new cornerback stat]