The Michigan Football LB Unit Is Quietly One Of The Best Out There

The Wolverines have one of, if not the best, defenses in the nation. A ton of that has to do with the Michigan linebackers.

Through seven games, the Michigan defense boasts the top-scoring defense (6.7 PPG) and the nation's second-best total defense (233.1 YPG allowed). The Wolverines have one of the best, if not the best, defenses in the nation and it's because all three units on the defense are legit. 

Michigan has incredible linemen, the secondary is lockdown and has been forcing turnovers at a rapid pace the past few games, and as good as the linebackers are -- it feels like that unit could quietly be one of the better linebacking corps in the country. 

Both Junior Colson and Michael Barrett returned after great 2022 campaigns and the Wolverines solidified depth by going out and grabbing sophomore Ernest Hausmann out of the transfer portal from Nebraska. 

The trio of Colson, Barrett, and Hausmann make up one of the best trios and you would be hard-pressed to find a better trio out there. Colson has played the second-most snaps this season, Barrett has the sixth-most, and Hausmann is right behind Barrett. 

On Wednesday, Chris Partridge met with the media and he was super excited when talking about the depth at linebacker. Hausmann doesn't start but he's a super sub that can play and relieve Colson and Barrett at any given time. Youngsters like Jaydoon Hood and Micah Pollard have both played in five games and have made plays. 

"It's been really good," Partridge said when talking about linebacker depth. "It's funny, I was joking with Junior [Colson] just now. He's sitting in my office, 'Dude, have you played in a fourth quarter this year'? At some point that's going to have to happen. It's great. It builds depth, it lets you see other guys in there. It gets them experience. It's like you get good at football by playing football and practicing but also playing in games. Even you can say it doesn't matter what the score is. When you go in the fourth quarter playing in that game, that experience is huge."

"It's allowed us, Ernest [Hausmann] has allowed us to keep Mike [Barrett] and Junior fresh throughout those first three quarters for sure which has helped and he's done a phenomenal job going back and forth and being able that. That's something that goes unnoticed. He's playing both spots series to series, sometimes within a series. Getting Jaydon Hood and Micah Pollard some really good experience is great for the future."

Junior Colson and Michael Barrett / Photo by: Christopher Breiler

One of the reasons it feels like the linebackers have been slightly underrated is because of how much the interior defensive linemen eat. When teams run the ball, the ball carrier doesn't get up to the second level very often, usually Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Kris Jenkins, and Co. take care of business. 

Even though that may be the case, the trio leads the Wolverines in tackles. Colson has 34, Hausmann with 26, and Barrett is in third with 25. According to PFF, Hausamann has only missed one tackle this season and Colson has missed just two. Not only do they make plays, but they don't miss many tackles either. 

"I don't care if we keep kicking people's butts and stopping the run and doing all that," said Partridge. "The linebackers have really taken on a tremendous role in this because they're fitting runs so fast and they're right and they're on it and their eyes are so good. They are taking all the double teams off the D-line. That's what you're seeing in a big way. You can't single-block these guys up front. They're monsters, they're awesome. They play with such good technique."

"It does go hand-in-hand and we have to continue to do that. We have to continue to fit runs the right way. The floodgates open in this defense, everybody eats. It's so well designed and put together. If we're all fitting the right way and doing the right thing, everybody is able to gain plays and make plays and make impact plays like you saw from Mike Barrett last week. I think we're doing a really good job of fitting in the scheme and seeing things really well right now. I thought the linebackers played at a high level, it was their best game last week."

Michigan and its linebacking trio will take the field on Saturday night in East Lansing against the Spartans. The game will kick at 7:30 p.m. ET and air on NBC.