A possible Michigan football position move with a lot of potential
Michigan has a lot of bodies on the defensive line, but not a lot of proven pass rushers. The defensive coaching staff might have to get creative to create pressure this year — or, potentially, they could find someone who is ready to break out.
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There were some of the same concerns last year, remember, outside of Aidan Hutchinson. The junior went on to an incredible season and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting, but it was David Ojabo who really surprised and broke out. His skillset and 11 sacks were the perfect complement to Hutchinson and really helped make the defense what it was.
There’s been talk of Michigan veteran Jaylen Harrell, perhaps true freshman Derrick Moore stepping it up in Ojabo and Hutchinson’s absence. Some, though, believe there’s another option in grad student Julius Welschof. There’s talk he can bump outside and bring something to the defense there.
“He’s one of those guys who is an absolute freak, but he needs to go out and show he can make plays,” former Michigan All-American offensive tackle and new radio color analyst Jon Jansen said. “That what he does in the gym, what he does when they’re running drills. If he can convert that when they put the pads on and there’s somebody across from him …”
Then the sky is the limit.
But the German’s potential hasn’t translated yet. Keeping in mind he’s still relatively new to the game of football, he’s only recorded 19 tackles, one for loss and one sack in 21 games played at Michigan. If they do ask him to play on the edge, Jansen said, he’ll have one responsibility.
“Uh … kill,” Jansen quipped when asked. “Just seek and destroy. If you can run the way he runs and get downhill … there are some guys that pass rush moves matter, and they always do. But if you can be a 290-pound missile …
“I could tell you from my perspective, when you’re running backwards and a guy like that is running forward, that is really, really hard to stop.”
It doesn’t always mean getting to the quarterback either, Jansen continued.
“This is where it all comes together,” the former Michigan great said. “Even if he doesn’t get home, now you’ve got [senior tackle] Mazi Smith inside, you’ve got other guys that are handling their business in there and putting pressure and collapsing the depth of the pocket. Now you get a guy like Julius out there who is collapsing the width of the pocket. Then you get linebackers who can run the way Michigan does …”
Then mobile quarterbacks like Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud don’t have room to escape, Jansen noted.
“It’s a non-issue when you have that combination. That’s what you have to do,” Jansen said. “You’ve got to get him off his throwing mark and disrupt the timing of the offense. If you can do that, now with the pressure coming from outside, even if it’s just a bull rush, the pressure coming up the middle, you can disrupt the timing so he can’t just sit back there and find his receivers.”
Time will tell if Welschof is that guy for Michigan. But he’s back for a fifth season for a reason. Now, it’s time to produce.
He’s got the skillset and the work ethic to do it if he puts it all together.
