Look Ahead: Will Michigan Be Better At Safety In 2020?
Senior safeties Josh Metellus and Brad Hawkins have been very, very solid all season long despite not having many splash plays. Hawkins and Metellus are third and fourth on the team in tackles respectively and have really never been out of position. They are on their way out as seniors so two new faces will be roaming the deep part of the secondary next fall.
Michael Spath has been asking about positional situations for next year on Twitter and on Inside the Huddle, and we've been discussing how U-M looks in each area. Here are the numbers when discussing the safety room.
More than 350 people voted and 69 percent of the voters see the position being better in 2020. That's a pretty interesting number given how good Hawkins and Metellus have been but it's not hard to figure out why. Daxton Hill.
The super frosh has been very good in spot duty in 2019 and is the fastest, most explosive athlete on the roster. He's got star potential and is viewed as a lock to be a high draft pick in a couple of years. It's easy to get excited about Dax but no other safeties have received any sort of playing time, which is a bit concerning when thinking about next year's starting lineup.
The only possible candidates to play alongside Dax next year are redshirt freshmen Sammy Faustin and German Green or true freshman Quinten Johnson. That's it.
Incoming freshmen Jordan Morant, Makari Paige and RJ Moten are certainly talented but they'll be brand new and even more unproven than the previously listed trio.
Fans are always looking for the next big thing, and Dax is certainly that, but as a whole, I think the safety position could take a step back next fall. There just isn't a proven commodity on the roster at the position when you look at potential starters for next fall.
Who do you think starts alongside Daxton Hill? What will that duo bring the defense? Comment below!!!
