Michigan football has a defensive back that's a 'heat-seeking missile,' draws comparison to Brian Dawkins
Facing a high-flying USC passing attack that threw the ball 51 times and used four wide receivers on 16 of its 55 dropbacks, Michigan Wolverines football had to utilize more defensive backs. That allowed sophomore safety Brandyn Hillman to play a career-high 37 snaps.
He’s played more and more the last two weeks, with 64 of his 80 defensive snaps coming in those games. Head coach Sherrone Moore has mentioned how pleased he is with the 6-foot-0, 200-pounder, and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale echoed that sentiment Wednesday.
“B-Hill is just going to keep getting better and better and better,” Martindale said. “He’s like a heat-seeking missile back there. He likes contact. He falls into that old school type of football player — [former four-time All-Pro NFL safety] Brian Dawkins, those type of guys, the way he attacks the football and attacks going after the football when somebody’s going after it and everything else.
“He’s going to be fun to watch here the next few years.”
While Hillman is just beginning his college career after playing mostly on special teams as a freshman in 2023, graduate safety Quinten Johnson is at the tail end of his. Johnson is a full-time starter on the back end of the Michigan defense for the first time, though, and his versatility has proven crucial. Johnson lined up at linebacker in dime packages, with 30 of his 67 defensive snaps against USC coming in the box.
“Wherever we need him, and he has that skill set that he can play wherever you need him, and he’s smart,” Martindale said of where he reps in practice.
“I think Q has a tremendous, tremendous chance to [play in the NFL]. I don’t know how he’s going to get there, but once he gets there, he could have a long career in the NFL, because of how smart he is with football. He knows the spots, and it’s really cool to see.”
Michigan LB Jimmy Rolder ‘can play the game’
Michigan junior linebacker Jimmy Rolder, like Hillman, is playing more and more. He battled injuries earlier in his career but has stayed healthy enough to compete in all four tilts this year. He’s accumulated 11 tackles, including 1 for loss, and a pass breakup.
“Jimmy has had a really good year,” Martindale said. “It’s just, once again, the battle with the little dings and the nicks, and he’s fought through those well for me this year. I think he has.
“Just to get him fully healthy will be fun to watch, because he’s grown and he’s getting it and he has really good ability. He can play the game.”
Michigan’s linebacker play has been up and down this season, but junior Ernest Hausmann had a big game against USC, with 5 tackles, a half-stop for loss and a pass breakup. He’s also worn the green dot for in-helmet communication and stepped up as a leader.
“He’s led since I’ve been here, Ern has,” the Michigan coordinator said. “And he’ll be the first to tell you that it didn’t start out well for him here, but you can just really see him getting comfortable and playing better in the games, the actual games.
“His best game was ‘SC to date, so I’m really excited. He had a really good practice yesterday, too. Whatever it was he needed to do, he did it — he and BJ [position coach Brian Jean-Mary] did it.”
Junior linebacker Jaishawn Barham missed a key tackle on a 65-yard run by USC but, per Martindale, has been a catalyst with his physicality.
“The No. 1 thing that I see with him is when he hits somebody, it’s probably, when you ask that player, it’s the hardest they’ve ever been hit, because you can just see it on tape,” Martindale noted. “He sets the tempo for his defense when he does it. I think that he’s just going to keep growing in this system, he understands it every week.
“And I think BJ, Brian Jean-Mary, has done a great job with those guys on the inside, and you’re going to see them just keep getting better, keep getting better, keep getting better.”
