The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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34 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2019 backer playing in the box, fitting on the tight end, doing some different things. "He's been able to move around, like he did last year. But he's really become a well-rounded player for us. But the way he went about it is really the most impressive thing." The way he went about it, not sur- prisingly, has everything to do with discipline and hard work. "He's done an incredible job through- out the summer of doing extra," Cam- panile expounded. "He's really study- ing hard. He's a student of the game. He loves to sit and watch tape. "He's an awesome guy to coach, man. He's a great human being, but a relentless player in practice. Awesome guy to be around. He's doing a great job." Uche finds himself thriving despite getting a slower start in football than many current college standouts. He began in soccer. He dabbled in basket- ball a bit. But convincing his parents that he should be allowed to mix it up in the heavy contact game of American foot- ball wasn't an easy sell. "My dad finally let me play flag foot- ball when I got to fifth grade," Uche recalled. "I loved it. I begged him to let me play tackle football. In seventh grade, I started playing tackle." But just as Uche stood ready to see his prep football career take off, it got shunted off to study hall. His dad didn't feel like young Uche was putting enough effort into his studies, pulling him out of football for a year. "Of course, I didn't like it," Uche noted of the forced early retirement. "I would sneak to the practices some- times, to maybe get a couple of reps in or just to watch, be a part of it. I was so disappointed I wasn't playing, so upset. But it worked out." It worked out when he transferred schools to Columbus, and demon- strated that he could focus on both his academics and the sport that would pave the way to the University of Michigan. "I just took off from there," he said. "Ever since then, it's been football and school." Uche thought the U-M involved would be Miami's Hurricanes. He even committed to play for them and then-head coach Al Golden. Fate stepped in, sweeping Golden out of the picture via firing and usher- ing in new coach Mark Richt. Uche began looking around again, and that's when Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown got involved. He'd looked closely at the aggressive pass rusher while serving as defensive coordinator at Boston College. Now, at Michigan, Brown added a strong piece to the defensive puzzle he created. "In all honesty, it was Coach Brown," Uche offered, regarding his decision to come to Ann Arbor. "He was at Bos- ton College recruiting me. He came over here and offered me immediately. Coming here and talking to him, see- ing his approach, how aggressive he is with everything, I felt like this would be a good fit for me." Four years later, Uche can show up at defensive end, outside linebacker or wherever he might best attack on a given play. Campanile assured he could easily be on the field at the same time as senior viper Khaleke Hudson, who once described Uche as "unblock- able." "The ability to be creative and what Coach Brown has developed in this system is pretty amazing," Campanile said. "It gives you a chance to get a myriad of different guys on the field. You will see Josh and Khaleke on the field at the same time, and at times they won't be. "Josh is a bigger body, has some hy- brid qualities, in terms of being a pass rusher, fitting in the box as a true Sam linebacker. Khaleke is a little bit of a different guy, [has] a lot of properties you're looking for in a safety. In 2018, Uche posted a team-high seven sacks and a total of 19 quarterback pressures despite being on the field for just 148 snaps and 97 pass rushes. He ranked fourth nationally in pass rushing productivity among defenders with at least 75 rushes according to Pro Football Focus. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN