Michigan Wolverines Football: Position By Position Review — Linebacker
Heading into the 2019 season, linebacker looked to be in pretty good shape but did have to replace one of the best to ever do it at Michigan in Devin Bush. The group was expected to led by senior leaders Khaleke Hudson and Josh Uche, with a talented and intelligent Josh Ross also contributing in a major way. Fast forward to the end of the year and you have guys like Jordan Glasgow and a redshirt freshman Cameron McGrone as two the of the stalwarts on a solid defense.
When considering those four guys, Michael Spath recently asked a very direct question about the group on Twitter — who was Michigan's top linebacker this season?
Almost 1,200 people weighed in and McGrone came away with a pretty large majority of the votes at nearly 64 percent. Uche was next in line with 22.5 percent of the votes, with Glasgow and Hudson bringing up the rear. If I had voted, I would've actually tabbed Uche, but McGrone certainly provided some excitement once he entered the lineup and will be viewed as a potential star next season.
McGrone entered the lineup in the Army game after Ross went down with an injury and immediately provided a spark with his speed and athleticism. The second-year player finished with the season 59 total tackles, including 8.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks, but was a little up and down. He made some mistakes because of his inexperience and actually finished the year averaging less than five tackles per game. Still, he looked like U-M's most talented linebacker this year and definitely will be next year.
Uche didn't have the overall numbers that McGrone did but he was also used in a very different way. He finished the year with 34 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and a team high 8.5 tackles sacks. He proved that he's a terror as a pass rusher and also showed an ability to defend against the run and even cover receivers down the field. He recently announced the he'll be foregoing his final year of eligibility at Michigan in order to pursue the NFL.
Glasgow was the biggest surprise of the year at his linebacker spot. The senior took home the Roger Zatkoff Award (Top Linebacker) and the Blue Collar Award, which is given to the hardest worker on the team, at this year's Schemmy Awards. Glasgow, a former walk on, finished the year with 79 total tackles, six tackles for loss and five sacks. He also recovered a fumble and blocked a kick on the season.
Even though he led the team with 96 tackles, Hudson brought up the rear in the Twitter vote. He only had three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, which left a lot to be desired. He also appeared to be out of place several times in Michigan's losses to Wisconsin, Penn State and Ohio State, but is still very crucial to U-M's success on defense. Hudson had a monstrous sophomore season where he made recorded 18.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks en route to an 83-tackle season. He never recreated those numbers but was very valuable as the viper in Don Brown's system.
Which linebacker do you think was the best? How good can Cameron McGrone be next year? Comment below!!!
