2012 Positional Breakdown: Linebacker

As far as defense is concerned, the Linebacker position was arguably the least hit at the end of the 2011 season. The only two players lost to graduation were backups Brandon Herron and J.B. Fitzgerald. All starters return, and there is a lot of depth to back them up the already great talent going out there.

What really makes these players special is the scheme they play within. Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison loves mixing up the look he gives an opposing offense and does a tremendous job of disguising the pressure from Linebackers. It's one of the biggest reasons the Wolverines were able to make that huge jump in defense from 2010 to 2011. They did an incredible job of keeping the offense on its toes and mixing things up.

Recapping 2012 Commit Kaleb Ringer

Another one of the great 2012 commits is Kaleb Ringer out of Northmont, HS in Clayton, OH.  Kaleb happens to be the cousin of former Michigan State RB Javon Ringer so he made a bit of noise when he picked Michigan.  The sad news is that we won't be seeing Kaleb in 2012 because of a season-ending injury during fall camp.  It was already likely that Kaleb was going to a redshirt anyways, but still a big loss to the team in terms of depth and experience as time goes on.  Kaleb doesn't have the recruiting profile of some players, but he is experienced to be a pretty reliable guy during his career.

Kaleb is a versatile kid playing linebacker and also running back in high school.  He's one of those guys that has great speed and can make plays moving sideline to sideline.  He's not the tallest guy at 6'0" or the biggest at 220 pounds, but he is very mobile.  He's one of those physical guys that isn't afraid of contact and is good at fighting off blocks and getting to runners.  He looked pretty decent in the Spring Game and you can definitely tell he's progressing, but he will take some time to develop.

Recapping 2012 Commit Royce Jenkins-Stone

Michigan's 2012 linebacker recruits were outstanding and one of them is Royce Jenkins-Stone out of Detroit Cass Tech.  Cass Tech is one of the top high school programs in the country and certainly in the state of Michigan.  Along with this, it's almost a forgone conclusion that any elite player from Cass Tech will take a scholarship offer from Michigan.  Royce is another elite guy and he's dominant at the Inside Linebacker position and will do great things to sure up the Michigan defense.

I truly believe that Royce is one of the better players in the state and one of the best linebackers in the country.  He's a pure athlete and has great strength and speed.  I am a huge fan of aggressive guys that aren't afraid to attack the line of scrimmage in the run defense or can drop back and play coverage and Royce is one of these players.  Versatile linebackers are hard to come by, but I believe that Michigan got one in Royce.  Royce also happened to play some Running Back for Cass Tech, had good speed, and could catch the ball, so he's versatile in that aspect.  He tends to overrun plays, but I think it's due to his aggressiveness so he could work on his patience in defending the run.  I believe that Royce is very coachable and can improve while he's at the next level.  Greg Mattison is a phenomenal defensive coach and he will get the best out of Royce.  I may be considered by some to be a little bit too "high" on Royce, but he just has that kind of potential.  He's not quite developed yet, but his potential is astronomical.

Recapping 2012 Commit Joe Bolden

One of the bigger needs as far as the defensive side of the ball heading into recruiting 2012 was the Linebacker Position.  Well, one of the more hyped commits at the position in 2012 was Under Armour All-American Joe Bolden out of Cincinnati, Ohio.  Hoke has done a magnificent job getting top talent from the state of Ohio and Joe definitely fits the billing.  He measures at around 6'3" and 230 pounds.  Joe is one of the top linebackers in the country and was definitely a huge grab for Michigan.  Mattison and Hoke have found some younger contributors at the linebacker position, but having a player like Bolden waiting in the wings to take over should be a major advantage in the future.

If you didn't watch the Under Armour game, you missed one of the better performances in the game by Joe.  He was flying all over the field and making tackles.  He showed that he has great sideline to sideline speed and is a phenomenal tackler.  Joe is a good pass rusher, can play out in coverage, and can stop the run.  His 230 pounds is good size, but look for him to put on a bit of weight because he does struggle a bit in shedding blocks.  Playing in the Big 10 conference he is going to go up against big monster offensive linemen so whether it's using his speed to beat blockers or actually shedding them off once they make contact, it's something that he will need to improve on.  Joe has had the privilege of enrolling early and it has helped him big time.  Coach Hoke has praised Joe on a couple of occasions already and in terms of the freshmen, he is already standing out.  I think that he will continue to improve now that fall camp is upon us and they are practicing in full pads.  He's got some outstanding talent and should be very key as time moves on.