Michigan defensive coordinator Jay Hill said in February that his defense runs “the most complicated scheme in the country.” Eleven days before the Wolverines host Western Michigan, his players say they are getting more comfortable with it through walkthroughs and visual instruction rather than relying only on written notes.

Hill, a first-year coordinator who came to Ann Arbor after serving as defensive coordinator at BYU, said Aug. 5 that his defense was operating at roughly 60% of its capacity on the first day of fall camp.

The challenge is blending veteran holdovers who already went through a scheme change under Wink Martindale with four likely transfer starters learning Hill’s system.

Hill has leaned on on-field walkthroughs and visual teaching to speed that process.

“It was definitely easier for me instead of writing notes down the whole time,” senior linebacker Troy Bowles said Monday, Aug. 24, according to The Michigan Daily. “We go out on the field during our meeting time and actually walk through the run fits, walk through what we’re going to see (in) the coverages.”

Bowles said the visual approach made the scheme easier to understand. Senior safety Chris Bracy also told The Michigan Daily that he learns best visually.

Hill’s defense typically used four defensive linemen, two linebackers and five defensive backs during the spring game. The scheme relies on disguising coverages and blitz packages to make it harder for opposing offenses to identify what is coming.

Experience should help.

Michigan is expected to lean heavily on upperclassmen across the defense, including several seniors in the secondary and along the defensive line.

The Wolverines are also getting back several players who dealt with injuries. Hill told The Michigan Daily on Aug. 20 that defensive end John Henry Daley, linebacker Nathaniel Staehling, cornerback Smith Snowden and safety Rod Moore all “look pretty good right now.”

Moore, who has undergone three surgeries since March 2024, recorded an interception on the third play of fall camp’s opening practice. He has since progressed to consecutive full practices after beginning camp on a pitch count.

Hill also praised Staehling’s physicality and said the veteran linebacker had picked up the defense quickly.

Defensive tackles coach Larry Black has set a clear benchmark for the front: hold opponents to 85 rushing yards or fewer per game, down from the 111.9 Michigan allowed in 2025, he told The Michigan Daily.

The first test comes Saturday, Sept. 5, when Western Michigan visits the Big House at 7:30 p.m. A week later, Oklahoma comes to Ann Arbor for a noon kickoff.