Michigan football: What used to be an annual concern is now a perennial position of strength

With a few exceptions (including, of course, the 1997 team), Michigan football always seemed to be one questionable position away from being a national championship caliber team. Offensive lines were occasionally exposed, but usually it was a couple of defensive positions — the line and safety — that fell just short. 

Not surprisingly, those were also a few of the more (we’ll call it) “competitive” positions to bolster, with many of the best of the best ending up in the south. Other schools, including Michigan, had very good position players and playmakers, but when you have a line that can’t be run on and 330-pound linemen who run like linebackers? That was often the difference. 

Even in a year the Wolverines were outstanding up front (2006), teams got them on the back end in the passing game. 

Michigan has been back to competing nationally the last several years, culminating in a national title in 2023. This year’s line loses three outstanding players and some starting safeties who played great ball in Makari Paige and Quinten Johnson, but Johnson provided some good news a few months ago.

“Those young guys,” he told us, “are going to be better than we were.” 

Two in particular — Mason Curtis and Brandyn Hillman — have the makings of an outstanding duo, and there’s plenty of depth there, too. With Rod Moore returning as the quarterback of the group, there’s talent and experience to rival anyone in the Big Ten.

“Mason can do a lot,” secondary coach LaMar Morgan said. “I always talk about Makari Paige. He thinks Mason can be better than him just because he’s a young player. Mason’s still growing with his body. He’s so big and tall … in the first game you’ll probably see him playing nickel and safety, both safeties left and right in the back end and playing nickel.

“Hillman is a kid that’s very unique … a high school quarterback who came in here and just was trying to just learn everything. That’s what’s kind of hard … these kids develop. It takes them a little bit. It’s different if you are playing DB your whole career, but you go to a place like Michigan, the best of the best, and then you’ve got to go play safety and you’ve got to backpedal instead of just playing quarterback.”

He’s spending most of his time at safety, and “throwing his body around.” A big hitter, he plays with reckless abandon at times, and he needs to be more in control, Morgan said (reminiscent of former running back Brandon Minor — being too physical is absolutely a thing). At the same time, he’s got incredible potential.

“The kid is super athletic,” Morgan continued. “Hillman will be a guy that’s going to play one of the high safeties for us, and then we’ll mix in some nickel for him, as well. Right now he’s focused a little bit more on safety just because his role has increased there. 

“But you saw the best of him last year with just what he can do — the physicality, throwing his body around … I think that’s where he’s got to understand when it’s a big-time knockout shot and when he just needs to get the guy on the ground. He’s always running with his hair on fire, and I think he’s going to be a really good player. This is all new to him. He’s going to have a new role being a guy that can be a starter here and all those different things, and I think that could be another set of challenges for him. But I love him … all of him.”

Setting up the defensive backfield of the future with Curtis. But don’t forget about Jaden Mangham, either. The veteran was a starter at Michigan State, took a redshirt after getting banged up last year, and is looking at a bounceback season.

“I like Mangham. He kind of got a hard spot … you come to any school when you’re a starter at another school, you think you’re going to walk into a place and it’s just going to come easy, whether you’re a freshman or not,” Morgan said. 

“… But I think he’s done a great job this last scrimmage. He probably had five really good tackles, running the alley, being physical. He has range. His role will definitely be increased this year. We’re excited about Mangham.” 

And excited about the group as a whole, now and for the foreseeable future.