They're not seeing stars yet. But the way Jim Harbaugh sees it, that's just fine. In fact, Michigan's head coach seems to think his "no-star" defense will be a constellation worth watching this fall. Maybe even more so than the lights-out unit that helpe d lead the Wolverines to their first Big Ten title since 2004 last season. "When you lose players like (David) Ojabo and Aidan Hutchinson, Dax Hill, Josh Ross, that's gonna be the first question: How are you going to replace those guys?" Harbaugh said ea rlier this week on Michigan's "In the Trenches" podcast. "I really think that our defense could be better as a 'no-star' defense. I've been a part of many of those that were great defenses and it creates more competition. … Guys are more hungry." And s o far, at least, his players seem to be eating up that idea, along with the opportunities that come with it. Nine days into fall camp, and barely three weeks from the season opener at Michigan Stadium, the Wolverines are rallying around the promise that a "more cohesive unit" will be their best defense in the face of understandable skepticism. "When our guys buy into that, and they play really hard, they're not worried about who makes the play," said Jesse Minter, the new defensive coordinator re placing Mike Macdonald, who returned to the Baltimore Ravens after just one season in Ann Arbor. "When somebody makes a play, we all make a play. I've been very, very pleased with the mentality in that regard." That mentality certainly has been embraced by Mazi Smith, the 337-pound senior defensive tackle whose gravitational pull as a leader is just as impressive as his explosive athletic traits in the trenches. Earlier this week, fellow senior Mike Morris found himself repeatedly quoting Smith when he talked about some of these issues. And when asked why, he laughed, "Oh, I have to." "Because we've been separated in the past," Morris added, "and Mazi wants us to be one unit...There's no defense running through just a couple guys. It's 11 men on the fi eld getting to the passer. It's 11 people working together to be the best defense it can be." - Detroit News
Jr/2023  DT *Mazi Smith, Michigan
News Source: Detroit News
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