Michigan Football to Change to a 3-3-5 Defense?
Wolverines recruits and coaches signify possible switch
Shafer had come over from Stanford as primarily a 4-3 scheme defensive coach, preferring to go with four down lineman, which was in contrast to new Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez's preference of running the exotic 3-3-5 scheme at West Virginia.
Shafer and the 2008 Michigan Defense
The Michigan defense was supposed to be the strength of the team in 2008 but it regressed badly despite having many starters back.
There were hints that Shafer and Rodriguez were at odds about whether to make a transition to the 3-3-5 last year in Ann Arbor, and it all came to a head when Michigan came out in a 3-3-5 against Purdue's spread offense in West Lafayette, Indiana.
The game was a disaster for the Wolverines as neophyte dual-threat quarterback Justin Siller, who hailed from Michigan no less, shredded a seemingly confused Michigan defense for 48 points.
Michigan switched back to a four-man line in the next game. It seemed as though Shafer wanted to stick with the defense that gave Michigan the best chance to win with its four returning starting linemen carrying the defense from the previous year while Rodriguez wanted to start moving forward and implementing what would be his new scheme.
Michigan Coaching Switch to a 3-3-5 Defense?
Now that Shafer has left, Michigan is in the market for a new defensive coordinator. Someone with a little more versatility is expected to be hired.
Jay Hopson, the former coordinator of very good Southern Mississippi defenses from 2005-2007, is a possible candidate. He ran the 3-3-5 there with some success.
Michigan Recruiting for 3-3-5 Defense
Among 2008 recruits, Michigan has a ton of guys who can play either safety or move to linebacker and bring the speed necessary to both blitz and cover ground in the 3-3-5 defense.
Cameron Gordon, a recent commitment (4-star from Inkster, MI), played safety in high school. He projects as a linebacker but can play either spot. Mike Jones from Florida is a safety who can also play linebacker.
Last year, Michigan got plenty of guys like safety Brandon Smith who is also big enough to play in the box and support the run.
On top of that, defensive line recruits like Anthony LaLota and Craig Roh are bigger than a typical defensive end but also quick enough to rush the passer.
Rodriguez has said many times Michigan needs to get faster on defense, and if he planned on playing a 4-3, LaLota and Roh don't the bill in terms of a speedy edge rusher in that system.
So it appears as if the 3-3-5 will be in at Michigan if all goes according to plan. It is a system predicated on stopping the run, confusing the offense, and creating turnovers.
West Virginia was able to run it well despite limited defensive talent, so if Michigan sticks with it and keeps recruiting players to fit the 3-3-5 with high accolades as recruits, it just might work.
The only problem is that Michigan fans and boosters might not tolerate another bad or even less-than-average season and the switch to a 3-3-5 might make that possibility more likely considering the defense takes a few years to truly learn.
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