michael barrett shatter machine

UFR GLOSSARY is here. Note: "Amoeba" means they drop a DE.

FORMATION NOTES: I did my best but the BTN camera work is the worst, and Michigan was doing a lot of pre-snap shifting off-screen so the secondary looks are not going to be accurate. Michigan had a safety high and one teasing the box which isn't new but I'm going to start labeling 1.5. The front is a 5-1 with one of their ILBs on the edge, which they used a lot, occasionally shifting to something else right before the snap.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: Much tighter rotation. Grant started for Graham, same rotation on the DL otherwise. Hausmann got a third of the snaps at WLB and a series at MLB. Will Johnson went most of the way; Wallace moved to nickel late and Harris came in, with DJ Waller getting a few reps at the very end. Rod Moore and Quinten Johnson actually split snaps evenly; Moore returned for the drive after The Disaster, and got the 3rd quarter. Q-Jo got the 2nd and 4th quarters. We'll discuss this below.

[After THE JUMP: Gonna run Cov3 until morale improves.]

Previously: Podcast 15.0A, 15.0B, 15.0C. The Story. Quarterback. Running Back. Wide Receiver. Tight End. Interior OL. Defensive Interior. Edge.

LINEBACKER: LINEBACKING IS HARD

Not a Depth Chart

It's a fair bet the plurality of position-specific praying in 2022 was for the linebackers. Michigan went into the season with two playable options, one of those a true sophomore who could explode in any direction, and lost the other to a thigh injury for the whole of it. Options past Colson and NHG were Don Brown viper Michael Barrett, RB-ish Brown recruit whom Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and everybody at Michigan's spring game thought better left at RB Kalel Mullings, and freshmen. By the bowl game they were asking a former starting safety to move down.

And now? Different story. The twitching ball of azidoazide azide has reached the age of draftability. The viper used the opportunity to turn himself into a bona fide WLB. The thigh guy was sent down to Charlotte to make room for the top free agent in the portal. Last year's semi-playable freshman is now a playable sophomore trying to hold off a Don Brown doom squirrel we were getting ready to write off this time in 2022. The guy everyone wanted to play running back? He actually gets to play running back!

Depending on what happens with the immigrant infante's irises, this unit is headed towards something between pretty good and 12-15 Christmases.

SHADY'S BACK

It may or may not make a difference beyond recruiting, but the guy who rivaled Santa in gifts he's brought to Michigan reputably also knows his way around the second level.

You said five, so I'm here for five. [Barron]

Once and future Chris Partridge returned to Michigan this offseason after a rocky attempt to coordinate a defense at Ole Miss. The top recruiter among all the Harbaugh lieutenants who've come through Ann Arbor, Partridge was also the linebacking coach during the position's best years in the history of our charting. Granted, they had Devin Bush Jr. (a Partridge recruit) for most of those years. Events not related to Bush:

• Jabrill Peppers (a Partridge player in HS) was a Heisman candidate as a Viper.
• Ben Gedeon developed into a solid starter.
• Mike McCray hit his ceiling.
• Devin Gil became a serviceable Big Ten player.
• Josh Ross had an extremely promising early career.
• Khaleke Hudson did too.

Things got a lot worse in the years after Partridge. One reason to think they might take a leap forward is there isn't another LBs coach in the MGoBlog era with that kind of track record. Another is they have an elite athlete on hand who's badly in need of coaching.

[After THE JUMP: Back again.]

It's been nearly two full days and I still cannot get over the redirection and closing speed of Michael Barrett on this play.

All the good feels for Donovan Jeter, one who stayed, and now has started and scored.

[Much more from the game, including more Barrett, after THE JUMP]