Fall Camp News And Notes

Delano Hill injured

Michigan already has questions at strong safety, where sophomores Delano Hill and Dymonte Thomas were battling for the starting job.  Now, Hill looks likely to miss all of fall camp with a broken jaw, leaving Michigan devoid of options at the position.

Strong safety was one of the bigger question marks heading into fall camp.  Michigan has plenty of depth and competition at corner with two returning starters pushed by two promising sophomores, all of whom are looking over their shoulder at the spectre of Jabrill Peppers.  Free safety is also set with Jarrod Wilson returning (and backed by Jeremy Clark).  But the strong safety position features no returning players with any real experience at the position.

Hoke has made it clear that the coaches will not move Peppers over to SS now, preferring to keep things simple in an effort to help him get on the field early.

"Right now it's just strictly keeping him at nickel. That's a unique position. I think the positive thing is he's a pretty good athlete. He's got good recovery skills, so he may take a step the wrong way, but he's got makeup speed. He's physical and he's instinctive. So those things all help. But that position, if you're in slot, if you're blitzing him, or is it going to be just man coverage, or are you going to tweak Cover-6 a little bit, quarter, quarter half, three-by-ones - there's enough there that's on his plate. And you have to remember that those guys [in the freshmen class] are also finishing a semester, so that's a lot on their plate."

Instead, freshman Brandon Watson has moved over to practice at the position.

Under the Lights 2.1

In a bit of a surprise move, Michigan will host an open practice at Michigan Stadium under the lights on 8/16 at 8pm.

U-M will host an Open Practice on Sat., Aug. 16 (8 p.m.) at Michigan Stadium. Add'l details will be released on http://t.co/mkUFXoDS5b.

— Michigan Football (@umichfootball) August 6, 2014

This could be a really cool experience for all those able to attend.

Lost Legacy

Michigan won't be adding legacy recruit Tyriq Thompson to its 2015 class, as the linebacker has decided to attend Michigan State.

The writing has been on the wall for this one for quite some time now.  Thompson has been considered an MSU lean for months, and while Michigan made a late push, it never seemed like enough.  Michigan pulling in a commitment from Mike Webber certainly helps soften the blow here, but losing a legacy to MSU still doesn't feel good.

New Faces At Tackle

Countdown To Kickoff talks Ben Braden and the competition at tackle.