2019 Season Countdown: #12 Josh Metellus
Name: Josh Metellus
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 218 lbs.
High school: Pembroke Pines (FL) Flanagan
Position: Safety
Class: Senior
Jersey number: #13
Last year: I ranked Metellus #25 and said he would be the starting strong safety with 45 tackles and 1 sack (LINK). He made 48 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions (1 for a TD), and 6 pass breakups.
TTB Rating: 71
Metellus has been a very pleasant surprise in Ann Arbor over the past couple years. He was All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in 2017 as a sophomore, and it was nice to have a returning starter. He stepped up his game in 2018, making Second Team All-Big Ten to the coaches and media, along with First Team to the Associated Press. His huge 73-yard interception return for a touchdown on the final play of the first half against SMU gave Michigan some much-needed relief during a bit of a nail-biter that was 14-7 prior to the pick. His performances against Maryland and Wisconsin earned him the team’s defensive player of the week award, and he was named to Pro Football Focus’s Big Ten Team of the Week after Nebraska.
This year Metellus should be a huge piece of Michigan’s defense. I could make an argument to move him higher on the list, but I like the pieces Michigan is compiling at safety – including J’Marick Woods, Brad Hawkins, Daxton Hill, Quinten Johnson, and others. Metellus is the best of that bunch right now, but there’s both experience and talent behind him. Metellus can cover and support the run. I was skeptical when he came out of high school, but I’m a believer now. Metellus is among the top few true safeties Michigan has developed over the last twenty years, right up there with Ernest Shazor, Jarrod Wilson, and Jamar Adams.
Prediction: Starting safety; 55 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 interception
