ANN ARBOR — In 2020, Michigan football is in the market for a new starting viper linebacker. So far, there’s one candidate for the position who seems to be leading the way.
“I've seen enough out of Michael Barrett to be excited,” defensive coordinator Don Brown said last week. “Runs a 4.51 [40-yard dash], that's fast at 220 pounds. So that's a good place to start.”
It’s been awhile since Michigan football had to replace a starter in this unique role that has become a staple in Brown’s defensive schemes.
For the past three years, it has been Khaleke Hudson. He led the team in tackles in 2019 and was drafted by Washington in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL draft with the No. 162 overall pick. Before that, in Brown’s first season as defensive coordinator, Jabrill Peppers manned the position.
When it comes to evaluating who may be a good fit for the position, there’s a few factors for Brown and Co. to consider. A good viper candidate is typically someone who could play both as a strong safety and as a nickel cornerback, but who also the abilities of a linebacker and edge rusher. Maybe most important of all is having a high football IQ, considering the variations of angles, gaps, and split-second decisions that need to be made.
While Barrett can play inside linebacker, the move to viper makes sense for him given his speed and his time training there already as a backup.
When asked if Barrett was considered for an inside linebacker role, Brown said: “Some guys can play inside linebacker, but they can't play viper. Most guys [who] can play viper can move to the inside linebacker position. And he's one of those guys.”
In 2019, as a redshirt freshman, Barrett appeared in 12 games for the Wolverines. Most of his action came on special teams, but he did get defensive reps in two games.
Fans likely remember him because of two converted fake punts from last season. The first came against Army, when he threw a 25-yard pass, and the second came against Maryland, when he ran 14 yards to keep a drive alive. As a high schooler in Georgia, Barrett played on both sides of the ball and was also a dual-threat quarterback.
In 2019, Barrett recorded seven tackles. He also developed relationships with key teammates on the defensive side of the ball.
“He's had a tremendous role model in Khaleke Hudson that showed him the way,” Brown said. “He's worked extremely hard and has a very close relationship with Cam McGrone in particular, and Josh Ross. So that chemistry, that camaraderie that you search for that allows some groups to be exceptional, I think is there. So that's the place we'll start.”
But the starting job won’t just be handed to Barrett. When asked about filling the role, there were also two other players Brown brought up. Anthony Solomon was a true freshman last season and appeared in 11 games on special teams. The Florida native was rated as a four-star recruit in high school, per 247sports.
“There's another young man, Anthony Solomon, who was light in his loafers a year ago, meaning he's about 195 pounds,” Brown said. “He's now 215. And we know how fast he is and how quick he is. So he's another guy that will give him competition.”
Brown also mentioned incoming freshman William Mohan, a three-star linebacker from Brooklyn, N.Y.
Brian Dohn, a national recruiting analyst for 247sports, wrote in his evaluation of Mohan that the linebacker has a “frame built for hybrid role in college of safety/linebacker.”
“I don't want to put undue pressure on William Mohan,” Brown said. “I think he'll be a very good player. We call him ‘Apache.’ He's a true freshman, but has that kind of ability. And obviously, we have a number of guys at the safety position that it would be smooth as silk to drop them into the viper position with one of those guys if need be.
’I think the viper might be — even though there's a lot of jobs there — I think that might be a little bit easier for guys can grasp than the rover free safety position that we utilize on the back end.”
First Published May 26, 2020, 9:05 p.m.
