The Wolverine

2020 Football Preview

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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106 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Embracing The Moment At the same time, the end is approaching quickly, and Thomas is taking every oppor- tunity to prepare. With spring ball having been canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic concerns, he traveled to Dallas to work out with Cowboys cornerback and former Wol- verine Jourdan Lewis. The Detroit natives have known each other for years, and Lewis extended a standing invite to both Thomas and Hill, continuing to mentor them. Thomas also found friends to work with him when he returned, though he was care- ful not to put himself in harm's way. The colitis has been held in check, but he wasn't taking any chances, careful to prevent a flare-up. "I have a select few people I work with just to work on my releases, route recogni- tion," he said. "I'm trying to get a feel back for routes, simulate like I'm really covering somebody in a game. "I think at this point I'm doing all I can do." The late Dave Brown, a former Michigan All-American defensive back (1974), once said he used to plan his Saturday nights in the summer by what he thought Ohio State players would be doing to prepare for him and his teammates. Rather than grab a pizza with his friends, he said, he'd often go for a five-mile run instead. Thomas likely never heard that story. He might not even know who Brown is … 45 years is two generations ago, after all. But many of the greats are wired the same way, and Thomas is intent on joining them. "Here's a perfect example [when it comes to preparing] … what are you doing when nobody's around?" Thomas said. "I think that's self-explanatory right now. A lot of guys are not doing anything when nobody's around; a lot of guys are doing something when nobody's around. I'm going to stay doing something during this time to elevate my game." He expects that his teammates are follow- ing his lead, having heard some of the same accounts during virtual meetings with his fellow players and their coaches. All of them came to Michigan for one reason, with big goals that haven't been met yet — heights no U-M team has reached since 2004, when the Wolverines last won a Big Ten title. It's been since 2011, too, that Michigan beat Ohio State. "Man, anyone that knows me knows at this point that's all I want," Thomas said. "I want a Big Ten championship and want to beat Ohio State. That's my main priority right now, honestly." He doesn't hold back when asked if he expects this team can be better than last year's 9-4 squad. "Put it like this," he said. "After the Ala- bama game, we said a lot of stuff and put everything on the table. We know what we need to do. We've just got to come together. We've damn sure got a good chance to be better than last year's team, for sure. I'm not even worried about that, honestly. It's just can we be disciplined. "The talent is there. Everything is there. It's now about the discipline, the little stuff, the classwork, all that type of stuff." They'll need a few leaders to bring it out of them, both vocal and by example. Thomas, for one, has the latter down. The way he's prepared, a championship just might follow if he gets enough of his team- mates to follow his lead. ❏ Last year, Thomas made 38 tackles (three for loss), intercepted three passes and broke up four others, and recovered two fumbles. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL

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