Gemon Green Surging Towards Starting Spot At Cornerback
With just over two weeks remaining until the 2020 season begins with Michigan traveling to Minnesota on Oct. 24, the Wolverines are still searching for a few more starters on both sides of the ball.
Defensively, the majority of the positions are locked up. Aidan Hutchinson and Kwity Paye will be the team' main defensive end combo. Cameron McGrone and Josh Ross will anchor the linebacking corps. Brad Hawkins and Daxton Hill will take the starting safety spots with Vincent Gray occupying the No. 1 cornerback position, but the question of who will start opposite of Gray in the secondary still remains.
On Monday, U-M defensive coordinator Don Brown was a guest on Jon Jansen's Inside Michigan Football show, and he tackled that very question head on.
“We challenge those guys everyday,” Brown said. “Vincent Gray is the unquestionable leader and who’s gonna be the second guy? Well, that’s why we call it practice. One day, one guy looks really good. Another day, another guy looks really good. But I also lean on Gemon Green’s done a good job there. I’d say he’s the leader in the clubhouse right now. That challenge is far from over.”
As a 6-2, 181-pound redshirt freshman, Gemon Green is a player who's seen the field sparingly for the Wolverines thus far. In his first year with the team in 2018, Green did not register any game time, but he did feature in 11 games a season ago, logging five total tackles in what was mostly special teams work. Now with a vacancy at the No. 2 cornerback position, Green has focused over the offseason to take the step from the special teams unit to Michigan's starting lineup on defense.
"But D.J. Turner’s been working really hard, Jalen Perry also working really hard," Brown said. "Gemon Green has really played well. He’s a guy that’s been with us for a period of time. Always had the athletic ability. Conceptually, he’s put it all together. So we feel really good about him."
Hearing that one or even a few players are separating themselves for the secondary cornerback position is an important development for Michigan's defense overall, but the positive strides do not end with those three Wolverines.
“Young guys [like] George Johnson, Andre Seldon really doing well," Brown said. "This Keshaun Harris who’s a former track guy here, he shows that track speed every day. And we've got a young guy from Massachusetts, this Eamonn Dennis, that can flat-out fly. Most of his high school play was on the offensive side. Well, he’s learning to play corner. The one thing that shines is his 4.38 [second] 40. We’re trying to get him up to speed, but he’s with the best corners coach in the country, so he’ll be just fine.”
Overall, Brown listed seven young players that will receive a significant uptick in playing time this season during his conversation with Jansen. While that may be a scary proposition to some, Brown's defense traffics in creative blitz packages and defensive designs that create pressure on the quarterback. With that carrying over in 2020, Michigan's cornerbacks should be benefited by Kwity Paye and Aidan Hutchinson's presence along the defensive line.
Still, the secondary will be a young group overall, and one that could very well be capped off with Green earning a starting spot once Week 1 against Minnesota rolls around.
How do you think the U-M secondary will fare in 2020? Will the team see a significant step back or no? Let us know!