Michigan football has one of nation's top DL/LB/DB trios
Michigan Wolverines football lost a lot of talent from its 2021 defense, but plenty still remains, including one standout at each level of the unit. On3 national writer Mike Huguenin pegged senior defensive tackle Mazi Smith, sophomore linebacker Junior Colson and senior cornerback DJ Turner the eighth-best defensive lineman/linebacker/defensive back trio in college football.
The schools ahead of Michigan are: No. 1 Georgia (T Jalen Carter, LB Nolan Smith, CB Kelee Ringo), No. 2 Alabama (E Byron Young, LB Will Anderson Jr., S Jordan Battle), No. 3 Clemson (T Bryan Bresee, LB Trenton Simpson, S Andrew Mukuba), No. 4 Iowa (T Logan Lee, LB Jack Campbell, CB Riley Moss), No. 5 Penn State (T P.J. Mustipher, LB Curtis Jacobs, CB Joey Porter Jr.), No. 6 Notre Dame (E Isaiah Foskey, LB J.D. Bertrand, S Brandon Joseph) and No. 7 Oregon (E Brandon Dorlus, LB Noah Sewell, CB Christian Gonzalez). At No. 12, Ohio State (E Zach Harrison, LB Tommy Eichenberg, S Ronnie Hickman) joined Iowa and Michigan as Big Ten teams to appear on the ranking, which included 13 programs.
“The Wolverines lost a lot from their defense, including their coordinator, but they again will have a good unit this season,” Huguenin wrote. “Smith (6-3, 326) is developing into a force in the middle of the line. Colson (6-2, 225), a sophomore who is native of Haiti, is a star on the rise. He was a freshman All-American last season and flows well sideline-to-sideline. Turner (6-0, 181) earned some honorable mention all-conference honors last season, when he had two interceptions and seven pass breakups.”
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Michigan had one of the country’s best trios last season, too, with defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, outside linebacker David Ojabo, a second-team All-American, and nickel/safety Daxton Hill, a first-round pick to the Cincinnati Bengals. That it is expected to have another trio considered to be one of the best in the sport is impressive and speaks to what is still on the roster for first-year coordinator Jesse Minter to work with.
Smith made 37 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, four pass breakups and four quarterback hurries last season. His numbers weren’t flashy, but putting up gaudy numbers wasn’t what his role called for. As Michigan’s nose tackle, he’ll still eat up blocks, including double-teams, this season, but he’ll be asked to bring more of a pass rush from the interior of the line, and it appears he’s up for the challenge.
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“Mazi Smith may turn out to be our best defensive player,” Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said on the In The Trenches podcast in April.
Colson finished fourth on the Michigan team with 61 tackles last season, adding a shared tackle for loss, a shared sack, three pass breakups and one fumble recovery. He broke out halfway through the season and became one of the Wolverines’ top defenders. No longer a breakout player, Colson is a cornerstone on the defense and even admitted this spring that, despite being just a sophomore, he feels like a veteran on the unit at times.
“I love Junior. Junior really has it all,” Harbaugh said. “He’s got a great work ethic, great attitude, and all the physical skills. Really smart guy that you know can run the defense. He is capable of being one of the best linebackers we have ever seen around here.”
Similar to Colson, the second half of last season was Turner’s time to shine. He made his first career start in the seventh game of the year, versus Northwestern, and took over the job from there. He finished the year with 33 tackles, including one for a loss, nine pass breakups and two interceptions. His 83.3 PFF coverage grade ranked first on the team, with the 6-0, 181-pounder allowing just 26 receptions and 267 yards on 59 targets.
