Fourteen Wolverines Earn All-Big Ten Honors on Defense, Special Teams
11/27/2018 6:00:00 PM | Football
• In the Trenches Podcast: Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Devin Bush
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Fourteen student-athletes from the University of Michigan football team were recognized with All-Big Ten honors for defense or special teams, the conference announced Tuesday (Nov. 27). Junior linebacker Devin Bush highlights the 2018 selections for U-M, as he was recognized as the league's Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year and the Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year.
Fifth-year senior defensive lineman Chase Winovich (first team, coaches and media), junior defensive back Lavert Hill (first team, coaches and media), junior defensive lineman Rashan Gary (first team, coaches; second team, media), junior defensive back David Long (first team, coaches; second team, media) and junior punter Will Hart (first team, coaches and media) joined Bush in earning first-team recognition. In addition, Hart was named the Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year.
Overall, Michigan had 12 defensive contributors and two specialists earn All-Big Ten accolades, including five first-time honorees. Michigan's defensive contributors have helped lead the nation's No. 1 unit, allowing an average of 262.5 yards and 17.6 points per game. They have been the engine behind a defense that has held eight of 12 opponents to a season-low in total offense, and currently ranks first or second in the Big Ten in seven of eight major categories.
Among front-seven honorees, Bush is the team's leading tackler with 80 stops, and he ranks second on the team in tackles for loss (9.5) and sacks (5.0). The Butkus Award and Bronko Nagurski Award finalist earned his second first-team nod from the coaches and his first from the media after being a second-team media selection in 2017. He is Michigan's fifth Defensive Player of the Year honoree, joining Charles Woodson (1997), Larry Foote (2001), LaMarr Woodley (2006) and most recently, Jabrill Peppers (2016), and the program's second Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year recipient (Peppers, 2016).
Winovich was a first-team honoree by both coaches and media after recording 62 tackles to rank third among Wolverines and first among U-M defensive linemen. It was his first time earning first-team honors from the coaches and his second from the media, after being a second-team honoree from the coaches last fall. The AP Midseason Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year has tallied 14.5 tackles for loss, leading the team by a full five TFLs and he ranks sixth among all Big Ten defenders. His teammate along the defensive line, Gary, missed three league games due to injury and still garnered enough respect from the conference's coaches to secure first-team honors with his seven TFLs, 3.5 sacks and five quarterback hurries.
Junior linebackers Josh Uche and Khaleke Hudson earned honorable mention accolades from the coaches and media. Uche led the team with 7.0 sacks (tied-fourth, Big Ten) as part of eight TFLs in total on just 14 tackles, which are a career high. Hudson finished seventh on the team with 37 stops, including 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, one pass breakup, one fumble recovery and one blocked punt. Hudson won third team conference honors from the coaches in 2017, but Uche picks up his first league honor.
Fifth-year senior defensive lineman Bryan Mone and sophomore linebacker Josh Ross were selected as honorable mention additions from the coaches, and sophomore defensive lineman Kwity Paye won honorable mention from the media. Each of those three Wolverines set career highs in tackles this season, among other categories, and this marks the first Big Ten recognition for all three individuals.
In the defensive backfield, Hill and Long earned first team accolades with Hill being a first-team choice on both ballots. Opposing quarterbacks completed just 48.8 percent of their regular-season pass attempts against this U-M secondary and the Wolverines led the nation with four pick-sixes, scoring 75 total points off turnovers. Long tied for the team lead with nine pass breakups, while Hill recorded six of his own, and each player also registered one interception. Hill was a third-team selection by the coaches last year and an honorable mention from the media in 2017, whereas Long was an honorable mention from the media selection last fall.
Junior defensive back Josh Metellus (second team, coaches and media) was Michigan's fifth-leading tackler (44 tackles) and his three interceptions and nine total pass breakups tied for the team lead. He was an honorable mention selection by the coaches and media in 2017, as was senior co-captain defensive back Tyree Kinnel, who earns the same honors for this fall. Kinnel is Michigan's second-leading tackler with 70 stops, matching his career high from one season ago with one game still to play.
On special teams, the Wolverines had two players recognized, beginning with Hart, who is the Big Ten's Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year. Hart booted 39 punts for U-M this year, with nearly half of those kicks going 50 yards or more (19). He placed 14 inside the opponent's 20-yard line and set the single-game program record against Nebraska by averaging 59.3 yards per kick on his three attempts. He has placed a punt at or inside the 12-yard line in eight games and at or inside the five-yard line in four contests. A semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, Hart is Michigan's second Punter of the Year honoree, joining Will Hagerup (2012).
Junior return specialist and wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones was named to the third team by the coaches and media, securing his second all-conference honor after earning honorable mention distinction in 2017. Peoples-Jones ranked second in the Big Ten in punt return average (10.1) among those with 10 returns or more, and his 64 career return attempts currently rank fourth in U-M history. Peoples-Jones returned a punt 60 yards for a score against Nebraska earlier this season, marking his second career punt return touchdown of 60 yards or more.
For Hart, Mone, Ross, Paye and Uche, this year's conference honor was the first of their career.
Junior tight end Zach Gentry also was named the team's Sportsmanship Award winner as part of today's announcement. Gentry led Michigan's tight ends group and listed third on the team with 30 receptions for 475 yards. His average of 15.8 yards per catch leads all U-M pass-catchers with at least 10 catches, and he has also scored two touchdowns. Gentry recorded an impressive streak of games with at least one reception that stretched 15 games, dating back to the 2017 season. His 19-game start streak is the longest among all Wolverines on offense.
The Big Ten will announce All-Big Ten offense on Wednesday (Nov. 28), in addition to the remaining individual award winners.
Following is a breakdown of Michigan's players on the All-Big Ten defensive and special teams ballots:
All-Big Ten Defense (Coaches)
First Team: Devin Bush, Rashan Gary, Lavert Hill, David Long, Chase Winovich
Second Team: Josh Metellus
Honorable Mention: Khaleke Hudson, Tyree Kinnel, Bryan Mone, Josh Ross, Josh Uche
All-Big Ten Defense (Media)
First Team: Devin Bush, Lavert Hill, Chase Winovich
Second Team: Rashan Gary, Josh Metellus
Third Team: David Long
Honorable Mention: Khaleke Hudson, Tyree Kinnel, Kwity Paye, Josh Uche
All-Big Ten Special Teams (Coaches)
First Team: Will Hart
Third Team: Donovan Peoples-Jones
All-Big Ten Special Teams (Media)
First Team: Will Hart
Third Team: Donovan Peoples-Jones
• Eleven Michigan Players Selected for All-Big Ten Honors on Offense
