One of the biggest concerns facing Michigan football this offseason has been the linebacker room. At this time last year, the Wolverines had at least four players who were expected to contribute, and contribute they did. Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham started out the season in the middle of the defense, but by the end of the year, Jimmy Rolder and Cole Sullivan were the primary stars there, with Hausmann out for the season and Barham having mostly transitioned to an edge rusher role. Now all four are gone, with Rolder having declared early and having gone to the NFL, Sullivan having transferred to Oklahoma, and the other two out of eligibility, so there are big question marks at linebacker at the moment.
On Wednesday, Wolverines linebackers coach Alex Whittingham spoke with Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches podcast and detailed what he's seen from some of his inherited players. Perhaps the one spoken of most generally is former four-star Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, and Whittingham likes what he's seen from him thus far.
"Nate has done a great job of buying into what we're trying to do," Whittingham said. "And he dealt with some injuries this spring, just got a little minor things got dinged up here and there. But he showed his toughness by playing through it and doing the best that he could to get his body out, his body healthy to get out there and practice for us. And he's getting more physical each and every day."
While Owusu-Boateng may have the name cache, it's his 2025 classmate, former three-star Chase Taylor, who has gotten perhaps the most hype behind the scenes.
There have been rumblings that the staff is ecstatic about what Taylor brings to the table and that he may be the one who has the star power, ultimately. And what Whittingham said about him certainly won't dissuade anyone from that opinion.