The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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34 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2019 hands on an offensive lineman, he's so quick and powerful — it re- ally is impressive." So is watching the 2 8 5 - p o u n d e r m o v e around the basketball court, Hardy noted. At- lanta Christian hung a state title banner a year ago, and the mobile big man anchored the ef- fort. "He's a really, re- ally good basketball player," Hardy assured. "We're defending state champs, and he's a criti- cal piece of that. It's fun to watch him step out and quickly hedge on a pick-and-roll, poke a ball loose from the guard. "He's just really spe- cial in those ways." Atlanta Christian trailed at halftime of the state title game last year. Its opponent featured a 6-8 big man, who had done his share of dam- age, but who found himself wholly outma- neuvered by Hinton's post-intermission re- sponse. "In the third quarter, Christopher scored 12 points, just getting after it, and we blew the thing open," Hardy said. "The 6-8 kid didn't know what to do with a kid that was 6-4, because he is so explosive, and so driven and so powerful. "It's a fun picture of an athlete really rising to the occasion. It's a picture of what's ahead for him." Rivals.com's No. 15 overall prospect nationally wound up with 158 tackles over three varsity seasons, and posted 6.5 sacks as a senior. The man deliv- ering the curling analogy, of course, was former All-Pro offensive lineman Chris Hinton, who played 13 seasons with the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vi- kings in the NFL. Six of his seven Pro Bowl nods came with the Colts, and he was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor. Not surprisingly, Hardy describes the younger Hinton as very coachable and technically sound. He's been around football and studies it, rather than just playing it, his prep coach assured. "He's eager to improve in every as- pect of the game," Hardy said. "For us, he was also an outstanding offensive lineman. He has the ability to get on guys and get after them. "He does an excellent job of under- standing scheme and how it all fits together. Those are things that stand out and make him special. I see him being an outstanding interior defen- sive lineman." Still, the transition to college football represents a huge one, a fact Hardy doesn't minimize. That's where Hin- ton's ability to learn quickly and some of his exceptional physical attributes come into play. Hinton won't be the same performer in week two of any camp as he is in week one, the coach insisted. He'll do whatever he's asked with increasing effectiveness, and apply some beyond- prep-level skills. "His explosiveness off the ball, and not just his physical ability, but his hands are unbeliev- able," Hardy said. "He understands his hand placement. It's his abil- ity to get off the ball, get his hands on people, get through and redirect. "He's beyond his years in his ability to use his hands and feet as a lineman." Hinton's former head coach doesn't have to search deep into the memory banks to come up with an indelible image. His own Man of Steel took flight on one unforgettable play. "We were playing an important game this year," Hardy recalled. "He was on the inte- rior, rushing, and the quarterback broke con- tain. He starts sprinting over to him. He liter- ally leaves his feet, at 280 pounds, and does a full Superman over a would-be blocker, and grabs the guy and brings him down. "That's the kind of thing you might see a 150-pound DB do. Here comes big ole Chris doing it, which is pretty impressive." Hinton began turning heads as a sophomore starter for Hardy's squad, and not just the heads of opposing coaches and teams. In a state semifinal contest that year, even the game adju- dicator took a moment to marvel. "We were playing a team from south Georgia, who was absolutely outstand- ing, and it was an absolute war — a low-scoring, physical game," Hardy noted. "Chris was playing both sides of the ball. There was a timeout on the field and two or three minutes left, in a three-point game. "One of the referees comes to me and says, 'Coach, number 74, that kid's a winner!' Now, this guy's got some- thing to do, I have something to do, and he's so struck by Chris' competi- tive nature and how hard he's battling, the way he's competing — and he was a 15-year-old sophomore at the time — that he says, 'Man, that kid is a win- ner.'" So why Michigan, from all the way Hinton's father, also named Chris, attended Northwestern and was the fourth over- all pick in the 1983 NFL Draft. The offensive lineman was named to the Pro Bowl seven times during his 13 seasons with the Colts, Falcons and Vikings. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM