These two players will determine if Michigan football's defense is elite

In football, there's only so much time before opponents start catching up to what you're doing. Michigan's defense knows this well.

"You’ve got to move with how football’s changing," VIPER linebacker Khaleke Hudson said.

The Wolverines have fielded an elite unit each of the past three seasons, thanks in large part to defensive coordinator Don Brown. His system — predicated on creating pressure on the quarterback in a variety of ways while playing almost exclusively press-man coverage on the back end — has flustered many a Big Ten offense.

 But it also faces more questions than it has since Brown arrived in 2016. The Wolverines faltered down the stretch against Ohio State and Florida. On top of that,  they lost a considerable amount of star power to the NFL.

How they adapt will depend in part on the unit's two most versatile players — Hudson and strongside linebacker Josh Uche.

Hudson, a two-year starter, mans a position that is a key cog within Brown's scheme. While his production was down in 2018, he still played a big role.

Uche, meanwhile, has played sparingly throughout his career. He broke out last fall in a limited pass-rushing role, leading the team with seven sacks. 

Now, Michigan believes Uche is ready for more responsibility. And that means there will be plenty of occasions where he'll be on the field alongside Hudson.

"We can be out there at the same time," Uche said, "or I can be at that defensive end spot, but it looks like different packages and things like that.”

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Hudson has the physicality to play in the box and has proven an adept pass rusher while still maintaining the ability to drop in coverage. It's why Michigan recruited him for the "VIPER" position, which was previously manned by Jabrill Peppers. "(Hudson's) got about as much a broad skill set as anybody I've ever been around," linebackers coach Anthony Campanile said. "There's not many guys like him."

Uche has proven himself as a pass rusher, but hasn't gotten a chance to showcase the rest of his game. He'll get to do so this fall — which appears to have opened up different possibilities for Brown's defense. 

"In this system, we have more packages than anywhere I’ve ever been," Campanile said. "The ability to be creative, and what Coach Brown has developed in this system, is pretty amazing. It gives you a chance to get a myriad of different guys on the field.

"So you will see Josh and Khaleke on the field at the same time, and there’ll be times when they won’t be on the field at the same time.”

Uche bulked up this offseason to 250 pounds and says he has maintained his speed and explosiveness. He also asserts he has become a more complete player. His coaches agree. 

"He’s a great pass rusher, as people know," Campanile said, "but he’s really stepped his game up, in my opinion, as a linebacker fitting in the box, playing on a tight end, doing some different things."

If that's the case, then Michigan has a pair of uniquely versatile chess piece. Packages featuring both Hudson and Uche aren't going to be a gimmick. And it could be part of Michigan's response to the end of last season as it continues to adapt.

“I think they’re very complementary (to) each other," he said. "Josh is a little bit of a bigger body, has some hybrid type of qualities in terms of being a pass rusher, fitting in the box as a true SAM linebacker.

"And then Khaleke is a little bit different. He has a lot of properties you’d be looking for in a safety. Capability to play in the post, on the hash, cover down. And he can also rush the passer. There’s some pretty amazing athletes out there, some great qualities that you got a chance to coach and be creative with.”

Said Hudson: "Football’s changing. Teams are going more in the spread area, spreading guys it, doing it with 11 personnel. Just throwing the ball. So we’ve got to change up a couple things, we’ve got to add in different types of personnel and stuff to keep up with the game.”

Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.