What Losing Ambry Thomas Means For Michigan's Secondary
Michigan cornerback Ambry Thomas became the second Wolverine in three days to declare for the 2021 NFL Draft after he released a statement regarding his intentions on Thursday. U-M offensive lineman Jalen Mayfield also declared for the draft.
While several Big Ten programs have lost one key player over the offseason (see: Rondale Moore at Purdue, Rashod Bateman at Minnesota or Micah Parsons at Penn State), no program from within the conference has lost two critical components ... except for Michigan.
Heading into the 2020 season, Thomas was dubbed as the natural replacement for Lavert Hill as Michigan's No. 1 cornerback, and since U-M defensive coordinator Don Brown's defense relies heavily on blitzes to create pressure, having a dependable lockdown corner on the outside is pivotal in terms of overall success. But without Thomas as part of the Wolverines' secondary moving forward, Michigan will be left having to replace not only Thomas and Hill but safety Josh Metellus as well.
At the safety spot, senior Brad Hawkins is a returning starter that will help stabilize the unit, and last year sophomore Dax Hill showed flashes he can be an All-Big Ten performer in due time. Having Hawkins and Hill back at safety is important, but there is still a lot of minutes to go around among the corners.
Who can help replace Ambry Thomas?
On the surface, that seems like a tough task for cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich and safeties coach Bob Shoop, and that might be an accurate assessment. Regarding the top cornerback spot, redshirt sophomore Vincent Gray is the most likely candidate to assume that role after a steady performance as a freshman with 20 tackles and five pass deflections on his record.
Since those are not gaudy statistics at first glance, it is important to take a deeper look into how Gray was utilized to understand his true effectiveness. Last year, Gray posted the fifth-lowest completion percentage allowed (32.4%) out of any Big Ten defensive back since 2014, so although he might not have been tested as much as Hill or even Thomas, the U-M corner was exceedingly difficult to throw on.
Now without Thomas, Hill or Metellus in the secondary, Gray will need to start next season ready to go from Week 1. Gray will be tasked with the toughest wide receiver matchups on a weekly basis, and though Moore and Bateman are no longer in the conference, each week will provide a separate difficult task for the rising Michigan defensive back.
Behind Gray, Michigan does not have a lot of experienced depth, so a crop of new players will be presented with considerable playing time and will have an opportunity to secure their position in the Wolverines' lineup.
Redshirt freshman cornerback D.J. Turner is one of the more heralded defensive back recruits to pick Michigan in recent years, and his name keeps popping up during media availability. Although Turner only saw the field in a special teams capacity last year, he is one player that could take a leap forward and transition to a predominantly defensive role moving forward.
If Turner does not make that leap then another defensive back will have to, and based on early reports coming out of fall practice, that player could be redshirt freshman Jalen Perry.
Hailing from Dacula (Ga.) High, Perry was a four-star cornerback from the 2019 class that ranked as a top 200 overall prospect in that cycle. This lofty designation shows that Perry is looked at as a guy who can compete at the Power 5 level in time, but that time may be rushed since U-M has so many holes in its secondary.
As the tweet above details, Perry received the “Guy” moniker from Brown after a strong practice session on Thursday, and although that is not as high of praise as being named a “Dude,” it is still indicative that Perry is getting the job done on the practice fields. Since not many reports emerge from fall practice, this can be looked at as a positive sign for the sophomore.
Apart from those two youngsters, the Michigan corner with the greatest chance to lock down a healthy chunk of playing time might be true freshman Andre Seldon Jr.
Coming out of high school, Seldon earned a reputation as a high-level cover corner that has the athleticism, speed, agility and ball skills to hang with any wide receiver in the country. Seldon has not had the opportunity to prove himself in college yet, so while it's rare that a true freshman makes an impact right away, Seldon could quite conceivably develop a regular position as a nickel back for Michigan.
His slight build lends itself to the nickel spot, so Seldon fits in that respect too, and he is as competitive as any player on the Wolverines' roster. Depending on how fall practice goes, Seldon might be primed as the go-to nickel whenever the next season rolls around.
Michigan has a tall challenge to overcome by replacing three defensive back starters in one extended offseason, but the young talent in Ann Arbor could get the job done. The players certainly have the high school credentials to meet that task, but time will tell how ready they are once Week 1 rolls around.
What do you think about Michigan's ability to replace Ambry Thomas going forward? Is there a clear cut player that can walk into the No. 1 cornerback role right away? Let us know!
