Devin Gil To Transfer, Looking At Linebacker Depth

Linebacker Devin Gil announced yesterday via Twitter that he will be finishing his collegiate career elsewhere.

I’m not done yet. pic.twitter.com/EBuvgblnDl
— Devin Gil (@devin_gil) March 10, 2020

Gil, a 6-1, 236-pounder, had played sparingly during his career at Michigan and appeared to have been passed by at least a couple of younger players. In his four years at Michigan, Gil piled up 45 tackles including 3.5 for a loss and a sack.

With Gil off the roster, the linebacker picture gets a little clearer. Cameron McGrone is entering his third year at Michigan, while Josh Ross is ready to return to the field after missing most of last year due to injury as a redshirt junior. Those two guys seem like clear starters and likely will not come off the field, which likely led Gil to explore other opportunities.

Sophomore Anthony Solomon played in 11 games last year as a true freshman, so the staff clearly likes what he brings to the table. Fellow second-year player Charles Thomas is also on the roster and brings some speed and aggression to the linebacker room and could probably play just about all of the different positions if need be.

Redshirt sophomore Michael Barrett seems most likely to replace Khaleke Hudson at the viper position but spring football and fall camp will be huge for him to grab ahold of that spot.

Throw in the fact that U-M signed six different kinds of linebackers in the 2020 class and you have a very stocked room and not much playing time for Gil. It's a smart decision for him to move on and look for an opportunity elsewhere, and he won't be missed in 2020. That's not a knock on Gil as a person or player, but the writing was on the wall that he was likely a special teams player at best.

Michigan essentially plays three linebackers. Against Alabama, the Wolverines were on the field for 57 defensive snaps and only four LBs got on the field. Three if you count Josh Uche as a defensive end/pass rusher only. McGrone played all 57 snaps, Hudson played 55, Jordan Glasgow played 47 and Uche played 36.

To me, that means McGrone is never going to come out of the game in 2020. Ross will play a lot, like Glasgow did, but will likely trot off in obvious passing situations in order for Michigan to put a nickel on the field. Whoever the new viper is, which wouldn't have been Gil, will also be on the field for almost the entire game. If U-M does try to find someone to replace Uche, he'll be in when the skill set calls for it. Gil doesn't possess that skill set, which overall, means he just wouldn't have been on the field.