Stellar, Standard & Subpar: Gemon Green In 2020

Michigan is going to need to find some depth at cornerback in 2020.

Author:
Brandon Brown
Publish date:
Jul 14, 2020 3:46 PM EDT

We continue our series as we look at each potential contributor on Michigan's roster in numerical order and look at what would be a stellar, standard and subpar season in 2020.

We're on to No. 22, redshirt sophomore cornerback Gemon Green.

Gemon Green didn't play as a true freshman in 2018 and played on just special teams in 11 games last year. Michigan cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich has brought up Green's name occasionally as someone who could help the secondary but so far we haven't really seen him out there.

At 6-2, 180 pounds, Green has great length and can really run based on how he was scouted coming out of high school. It's very likely that Ambry Thomas and Vincent Gray will hold down the two starting cornerback spots but behind them, it's wide open.

Could Green be 2020's version of Gray? It's possible. If he is, what kind of season would be considered stellar, standard and subpar for him?

Stellar

A stellar season for Green would involve him pulling even with or surpassing Vincent Gray on the depth chart. Gray did some nice things last year in his first season on the field and Don Brown is extremely high on him. With that said, Mike Zordich has brought up Green on occasion as someone who has what you're looking for physically, but who hasn't quite ready for the prime time yet.

If Green can climb up high enough and play almost as much or more than Gray this year, that would be a stellar season and a pretty surprising development. If he does, he'll likely record 25-30 tackles with a few passes broken up and maybe a few turnovers via interception and fumble recovery like we saw out of Ambry Thomas last year.

Standard

A standard season for Green would involve him clearly being third on the depth chart but part of a three-man rotation at cornerback. We saw last year with Lavert Hill, Ambry Thomas and Vincent Gray that Don Brown and Mike Zordich like to keep guys fresh at corner as they run around in man to man. With Hill off to the NFL, Gray and Thomas are it for returners with experience. That's where Green could jump in and provide depth and some opportunities for rest for Thomas and Gray.

If Green is that clear No. 3 guy, he could easily put up numbers like Gray did in 2019. Gray played in all 13 games and recorded 20 tackles, including 1.5 for loss while breaking up five passes. If Green can achieve those numbers in year two I'd call that a solid season.

Subpar

Given the lack of depth at cornerback, a subpar season for Green would be like 2019, meaning he's only playing on special teams and not even in every game. If the snaps that should be available due to Lavert Hill's departure don't go to Green, that would be a pretty big disappointment for the third-year man.

Based on what we've heard, Green could be in line to see action at cornerback, but just how much is still to be determined.

My Thoughts

Don Brown's comments about Vincent Gray really made me think that they like No. 1 and No. 2 on the depth chart at cornerback. Throw in the praise that second-year man DJ Turner has received and I think Green could fall somewhere between Subpar and Standard.

I'm not sure Green has what it takes to hold off Turner based on what we've heard from Zordich. If Green can prove that he's more ready during fall camp that he has been in year one and two, maybe he'll be the No. 3 guy at cornerback, but I think that spot will go to Turner. Because of that, I see more special teams action for Green and pretty pedestrian production if he does manage to get in and play some defensive snaps.