Michigan linebacker Ben Gedeon ready to be starter: “Ready to go/Sky’s the limit”

Michigan middle linebacker Ben Gedeon will be the signal caller on defense this season, after spending his previous years as a reserve for Michigan. There are many positives to Gedeon’s game, attitude, and how his coaches feel about him. At spring practice, Jim Harbaugh said no player had more competitive reps than Gedeon, and called him a stud.

Although Gedeon hasn’t seen extensive snaps in his career at Michigan, he comes into the season more seasoned than may be assumed. He’s played behind a handful of solid linebackers ever since he’s been a Wolverine.

"I’ve learned from some great linebackers, Jake Ryan, Dez (Morgan), Joe (Bolden) and those guys. I’ve been around, I’ve been playing with these guys even though I may have not gotten as many game reps. So I think it’s kind of just earning the respect of your teammates by knowing that you’re going to make the right call, and you’re going to be where you need to be as a middle linebacker."

When it comes to expectations, they are as high as what Gedeon thinks of his defensive unit.

"The sky’s the limit for us. There’s nothing like playing behind that defensive line, having guys behind you that can make the plays they do that makes our job tens time easier and we’re hoping we can make plays for everyone else."

With the talent on defense and a new defensive coordinator in Don Brown who has a proven track record of success, it’s easy to see why Gedeon and company have such high expectations for 2016.

From the initial conversation between Gedeon and Brown, they were on the same page. "First time I talked to him I could tell that he’s a fiery guy, passionate about what he does. He made it clear that he needs someone ready to step up as a linebacker with so many people leaving and all that and I knew it was a challenge I wanted to accept."

Is Gedeon ready to step up? He sounds like a player who has become confident in his abilities and is ready to show fans, teammates, and coaches alike that he’s going to step up and perform.

"I’m pumped, I’m ready to go. Mike (McCray) and I are ready to go. We came in together, we got recruited together, and we think can be scrappy, good linebackers for this Michigan defense. And we’re biting at the bit, we’ve been waiting three, four years for this."