Previously: Jim Harbaugh, Kyle Kalis, Brian Cole, Chase Winovich, Drake Harris,Jabrill Peppers, Royce Jenkins-Stone, Willie Henry

[Bryan Fuller/MGoBlog]

Jourdan Lewis emerged as Michigan’s best corner in 2014, demonstrating that he was well-suited to the man press style they wanted to play. That same style is back in 2015, and Lewis talked about that as well as the difference in the defense’s mindset, Wayne Lyons joining the secondary, and Jabrill. This was part of a scrum; my questions are marked.

Most of you guys grew up together and kind of emerged together, then Wayne [Lyons] just sort of gets dropped in your lap. What’s it like when someone has experience but at the same time is trying to compete with you?

“You’ve got to bring him in. You’ve got to bring him in just like one of our brothers. He is one of our brothers now and we’ve just got to bring him in and come together and compete. That’s what’s going to make a great defense.”

When someone comes from a different program they have done things before. Did he have anything or did you say, ‘This is the way we did it here’?

“No, he came in and he wanted to listen. He wanted to learn. That was great. He wanted to learn from us and we wanted to learn from what he had. We learned some things from him and he learned some things from us.”

Style-wise?

“Yeah. It was just a collaboration between both of us. It wasn’t ever ‘This is how we do things.’ It wasn’t ever- it was all love as soon as he got here.”

There’s a lot of attention on Jabrill, as there always is. Do you see strides in him even though he’s at a different position than last year? Have you seen him make a lot of progress this summer?

“He’s going to compete and he’s going to be aggressive and he’s going to make plays, always. That’s always Jabrill’s mindset and I love it. That’s what’s going to make us a great defense is just his mindset and his enthusiasm and him flying around, so he’s just always the same Jabrill.”

[More after THE JUMP]

In the spring or in 7-on-7s did he do anything ridiculous? Did he make a play-

“He chased somebody down.”

Who was that?

“He chased AJ Williams down. AJ was about to go score and he chased him down. It was at least a 50-yard pass.”

That was 7-on-7?

“No, that was full team in the spring.”

You guys know how fast he is so did you expect that?

“Of course, yeah.”

But that was your play from last year!

“Ha, yeah, I mean… but that has Jabrill written all over it- his effort, his enthusiasm, his fire for the game and his passion.”

You were someone who was vocal when you were younger and you wanted to be in the mix, but he’s the same way even though he’s only played two-and-a-half games?

“Same thing. You can feel it.”

Doesn’t matter that he’s not a senior?

“Doesn’t matter, and that’s probably what’s going to help us with some of the young guys speaking up to some of the older guys and some of the older guys with the young guys. That’s how it was supposed to be- we just all work together. There’s not a certain set like a hierarchy, it’s just us getting together and trying to win.”

Is that what happened before, where seniors just got to be-

“Yeah, there were some times where we couldn’t be vocal or you felt like you couldn’t be vocal and it’s not like that anymore. Everybody has a voice. If you’re contributing or you think you can contribute on and off the field then you can be a leader.”

MGoQuestion: How does Coach Durkin’s defense fit your skill set?

“It fits it a lot. I’m really aggressive. I like to be in people’s faces. I like, you know, man-on-man and just that’s what I like to do.”

MGoQuestion: What things did you work on over the summer individually and as a defense?

“Basically our technique, our new technique that we’re trying to do in the cover 3 and stuff like that and trying to break on the ball and my ball skills on the fade and stuff like that. Just everything that I need to be a quality lock-down corner.”

MGoQuestion: You mentioned cover 3, but how different is this year’s defense from last year’s defense schematically?

“I mean, it’s not that different at all. We played cover 3 and man last year. It’s just a different style, a different technique you have to get used to and you have to play aggressive every single down. It’s not like some downs we’ll be aggressive and some we won’t; it’s we’ll be aggressive 100% of the time.”

MGoQuestion: So the change is more in mindset than scheme?

“Of course. It’s always a mindset. It’s nothing really you can teach. It’s just if your kids aren’t aggressive you won’t have an aggressive defense.”

MGoQuestion: How did you work on that over the summer?

“It’s just getting reps, trying to be man-on-man and getting reps. Trying to outphysical a man, just outwork a man. It’s the will, honestly. We’ve got to build the will.”

MGoQuestion: What are your goals for fall camp?

“Just compete. Try to come out as one of the top guys and just compete. Come hard.”

MGoQuestion: What are your team’s goals for the season?

“Win it all. National championship. Always.”