Exit Hunter Reynolds and William Mohan
Backup safety Hunter Reynolds, who started last year when Brad Hawkins wasn’t available, announced he’ll be looking to use up his eligibility elsewhere.
Forever Go Blue pic.twitter.com/ut4ETarrDK
— Hunter Reynolds (@hunt_xxvii) April 5, 2021
A former walk-on, Reynolds flashed advanced anticipation, though Michigan’s secondary as a whole struggled.
Reynolds was perhaps more beloved around here because of the leadership he took in representing the players’ interests on a national level as the NCAA floundered about its response to the pandemic. He doesn’t have to be at Michigan to continue to have that kind of influence, but it was point of pride for Michigan fans.
[Hit THE JUMP.]
Also the Viper position is no more, and Viper William “Apache” Mohan is moving on. The Khaleke Hudson-like athlete didn’t see the field last year, with Hudson’s understudy Michael Barrett rarely coming off the field, and then saw their hybrid position disappear in the new defense. Though Macdonald does use safety-like linebackers, he mostly puts them at linebacker, and it seems Mohan didn’t see a path to playing time behind a two-deep of Barrett, returning senior Josh Ross, classmates Kalel Mullings and Nikhai Hill-Green, and fast-rising newcomer Junior Colson.
Mohan excited our staff because he was a 6’1”/205-pound athlete with a linebacker’s mentality—see the nickname “Apache.” A lot of modern defenses use a guy like that to seamlessly move between safety and linebacker roles. However the Ravens and Georgia defenses Macdonald most recently coached in use more of a Wisconsin-style outside linebacker, emphasizing more pass rush/edge defense than the ability to switch with safeties. This is the clearest sign yet that Michigan’s going in that direction.
We’ll always have this coach quote:
“He just fits [viper] like a glove … He is a relentless, Tasmanian devil type where he is just going to keep coming after you. That’s his game. His game is he is going to chase you like one of those National Geographic wolves chasing a rabbit and not giving up.”
Neither player’s loss is expected to have a major impact on the football team. The bloggers' hearts are gonna need some time, however.
Wish them both luck and lots of success.
Good luck to both young men. Go Blue!
This is an inevitability of a new defensive coordinator with a new scheme, but gosh it never gets easier to see so many kids transfer out. I really hope this defensive staff can ID, develop, & retain our guys with a better rate than the last several years.
Yep, retention and development have GOT to start improving, losing too many guys who could make for useful depth.
I'm fully expecting the post "all players not projected to be starters have entered the transfer portal"
We need to change Bo's admonition to "Those who stay will be starters". Forget champions, nobody wants to be a backup.
*No one wants to be a backup on a team that's not building anything towards winning championships
Maybe so, but will Mohan be transferring to a program that has any more of a chance of winning a championship than Michigan?
So 130 teams and no one wants to be a backup on 120 of them? All guys should think that there is a starting spot for them since they are the best player. Not starting-win the spot.
I know I feel the same way sometimes. Obviously teams like OSU, Bama, Clemson, etc. are able to retain guys longer/better when they have a shot to play in the playoffs as seniors. It's harder when you're not in the playoff hunt. It seems like a good chunk of guys on scholarship who are not starters by year 3 are gone. I think JH has to do a better job at retaining these guys. I don't know if he plays favorites and guys leave because they see no opportunities. But, there is something going on in the way he treats upperclassman guys who aren't starters with less optimism than incoming freshman and sophomores. It's like if you haven't shown the ability by the end of spring ball entering year three you're forgotten. But, we need the Jeters, Vilains, Filiagas, McCaffreys etc of the world to stick around and produce...guys that were well regarded as recruits that haven't played a lot their first two years to turn into productive players on the two deep. Otherwise we'll always have holes on the roster filled by freshman and sophomores who aren't ready yet.
I think they are all ready ID’ing their players and why you see some exit at the end of spring practice. They realize they are not going to be a fit and will look elsewhere.
that would be ideal but in today's world I just don't see kids (or their families) willing to work extra and wait their turn.
everyone has someone to blame instead of looking in the mirror and working harder.
to me the biggest loss we had this offseason was VanBuren and that is because our OC doesn't see the value of a FB and is insistent in running his cute offense that lacks results.
I know I am in the minority but I will miss the VIPER and a hybrid defense. Just wish we had kept up with the necessary personnel, but maybe that was never realistic. But I think Brown was right about linebacker safety hybrids being the new move in football.
Who are two players I have never heard of? I haven't been this apathetic about Michigan football since the last years of the RR and Hoke regimes. 6 wins seems like the absolute ceiling.
Yeah, all the player and coach churn and burn is not an indication of a competent regime. It's hard for me to fathom how folks can talk themselves into thinking that the situation is improving and This Time Harbaugh will get it right.
With all due respect to Seth and other folks who cover Michigan football the seemingly excessive "Exit" stories is a concerning trend that typically is reported as "next man up " or " this guy wont be missed." Something is Rotten in Denmark when guys like D.Mac, Giles J.,Charbonnet, Z.Carpenter etc.leave.Most will be missed.
I'm with the posters who thank these young men for their contributions to Michigan football and wish them well in their future endeavors.
A year ago, I would probably have been cursing the #$!*&$# portal. But after saying goodbye to Bajema, Castleton, and DeJulius, things turned out alright. I'm going to trust the football coaches and look to the future optimistically. The portal taketh and the portal giveth back.
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