The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1147681
22 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2019 W ith U-M losing defensive ends Rashan Gary and Chase Winov- ich from last year's team to the NFL, head coach Jim Harbaugh chose to bring in Central Michigan graduate transfer Mike Danna in February. Danna posted 15 tackles for loss with 9.5 sacks last year, earning MVP honors from his team and first-team All-Amer- ica laurels from Pro Football Focus. The outlet even dubbed him the "most in- triguing graduate transfer" of the sea- son and noted his 91.3 pass rushing grade is the highest of any returning player in the country and better than either Gary or Winovich posted in 2018. He will be expected to provide some much-needed depth at U-M's defen- sive end spot in his lone year of eligibil- ity with the Wolverines. "He was one of the top defensive ends in college football last year, and his numbers on Pro Football Focus were outstanding," Harbaugh said on his July 9 'Attack Each Day' podcast. "[Tight ends coach] Sherrone Moore [who was at CMU before coming to Michigan] raved about him, so we de- cided to throw our hat in the ring when he transferred. "We knew Mike was good, but he's doing better than advertised so far. His work ethic has been outstanding, and he's on a mission to make both himself and Michigan great. He's a dude in the workouts, as [defensive coordinator] Don Brown would say. Mike moves exceptionally well and has more power than we thought — he's under-promis- ing and over-delivering right now. "He is the only player we brought in as a transfer in this class, because we thought he was special and could really help our team. We're happy he chose to be a Wolverine." Danna — who officially moved to Ann Arbor in June — said it was an easy decision to sign with U-M. "I figured one more year of college football at a prestigious program like Michigan would be icing on the cake," the Detroit native explained. "It wasn't a long decision process, because it's always been a dream of mine to play football at Michigan. My eggs were all in one basket when U-M came calling, and it's an honor and a pleasure to be here. "It was a two-and-a-half-hour drive for my family to watch me play at CMU, but only 45 minutes for them here, so they're happy I've finally found a home. "The strength staff here has been ex- cellent and I love the workouts. I walk out every day feeling like I can run through a wall, because the strength coaches hold us to such high standards and everybody exceeds them — we all have the mentality of being the best. "I've only been here for about two weeks so far, but it feels like I've been here for years because of how nice ev- eryone has been. I can't even imagine what that feeling will be like coming out of that tunnel and onto the field for the first time. "I'll also be wearing No. 4 at Michigan. I wore No. 7 last year, but [senior viper] Khaleke Hudson cur- rently has it." — Austin Fox WASHINGTON, D.C., AND PEARL HARBOR AMONG POTENTIAL SPRING TRIPS Michigan head coach Jim Har- baugh first began taking his football team on overseas trips in the spring of 2017, when he hauled his crew to Rome, Italy. He followed that up with a trek to France's Paris and Nor- mandy in 2018, before journeying to South Africa's Cape Town and Johan- nesburg this past spring. Harbaugh was joined by football administrator Doug Gnodtke on his July 9 "Attack Each Day" podcast to discuss potential future spring desti- nations. Gnodtke's official title is Ex- ecutive Associate Athletics Director/ Chief of Staff. "We've talked about China, Japan and Peru," Gnodtke revealed. "When I travel to meetings, other people think it's both awesome and crazy that we do it. The thought of taking 150 people to the other side of the world is something they can't believe we're able to pull off. "It's surreal being involved in all these different things, like working with Coach [Harbaugh] and seeing former players I grew up watching return. We're working for the greater good here, and it's important to leave this place better than we found it." "I'd like to go to Washington, D.C., in the future and visit the Supreme Court, Halls of Congress, the Smith- sonian and the Holocaust Museum," Harbaugh chimed in. "Gettysburg is an option, too. We could also train with the SEAL team in San Diego, and then go onto Pearl Harbor from there. "These trips are a lot easier to plan when you know your players won't MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Mike Danna Has Been 'Better Than Advertised So Far' Graduate transfer defensive end Mike Danna was a first-team All-MAC pick, Central Michigan's MVP and a Pro Football Focus first- team All-American last year. PHOTO COURTESY CENTRAL MICHIGAN 2019 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Time (ET) Aug. 31 Middle Tennessee St. (BTN) 7:30 p.m. Sept. 7 Army (FOX) Noon Sept. 21 at Wisconsin* (FOX) Noon Sept. 28 Rutgers* (TBA) TBA Oct. 5 Iowa*^ (TBA) Noon Oct. 12 at Illinois* (ABC/ESPN/ESPN2) TBA Oct. 19 at Penn State* (TBA) TBA Oct. 26 Notre Dame (ABC/ESPN/ESPN2) TBA Nov. 2 at Maryland* (TBA) Noon Nov. 16 Michigan State* (TBA) TBA Nov. 23 at Indiana* (TBA) TBA Nov. 30 Ohio State* (FOX) Noon Dec. 7 Big Ten Championship Game$ (FOX) TBA * Big Ten game; ^ Homecoming; $ at Indianapolis