The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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24 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2021 rings, but he's got the desire — which, as his undersized lineman fa- ther proved, can go a long way. "I've invested so much of my en- ergy — mental energy, physical en- ergy — into giving this all I've got," he said. "I'm back for my last ride here. When I tell you that I've given everything, from spring ball in coach- ing guys up, working out in summer conditioning, winter conditioning, rehabbing this [broken] ankle … I've done everything for my body and what I put in it to ensure we have success this season. "I'm willing to die for this. I swear. I want it more than anyone, I promise you that." NOMINAL EXPECTATIONS, HEIGHTENED MOTIVATION Few in the media, though, expect much from the Wolverines. A media contingent polled by Cleveland.com picked U-M fourth in the Big Ten East — not the conference, but the division — behind Ohio State, Penn State and Indiana heading into the meetings in Indianapolis, and pre- season magazines weren't any more favorable. The preseason watch list annually released by the Big Ten didn't feature a single Michigan player in the top 10, perhaps a first in the decade or so they've done the exercise. Hutchinson and his teammates aren't much into bulletin board ma- terial, but they have taken notice. "You look on social media, you look anywhere, and we're seen as … well, you can't find a single good thing about Michigan football on social media anywhere," Hutchin- son said. "That's great — and I love it. This is the first year in Michigan football for me that we've been seen as underdogs. Usually we're ranked top 15, top 10 sometimes, and this year we're not even ranked — and I love it. "I hope people continue to see us as the underdogs. Once we get roll- ing, you'll see the speed, the athleti- cism of this defense and our team. We're going to get rolling." That's the mindset, Ross added, and he's seen his teammates attack it every day. More so than ever, guys are working after practice and get- ting extra reps in the weight room, working on drills, etc. "More guys are locked in; guys are dialed in. You're not hearing a lot of negative comments," he said. "It's not one of those [years]. Stuff is growing, stuff is evolving, and when we're actually getting in our spring ball and we have our workouts … "We work out six times a week. How dudes are working and grind- ing and attacking it and getting ex- tra work, what we're bringing every single day, it's inevitable. Just keep doing what we're doing and keep stacking the days, and we're going to be where we're going to be." The new coaches have brought great energy — defensive coor- dinator Mike Macdonald, second- ary coaches Ron Bellamy and Steve Clinkscale, running backs coach Mike Hart and the others — to the point that Haskins said he can't wait to get to work. That everyone but them seems to be counting the Wolverines out ex- cites Hutchinson. "Oh, hell yeah," he said. "I love being seen as the underdog, because you have no expectations. Usually, Michigan football has the biggest expectations because we've got the richest history, the most wins and all of that stuff. Usually, we're seen as contenders or whatever. "Now? We're going into this year and people think we're about to win six games. I eat that up. So, yeah, I can't wait to put on a show." NEW FACES, NEW HOPE Much of the excitement has been generated by the new coaching hires, and that was by design. Harbaugh made it clear that adding guys with program ties wasn't by accident — from Hart and Bellamy to analyst Doug Mallory, his teammate in the Redshirt sophomore running back Hassan Haskins (above) said with second-year rookie Blake Corum and the addition of true freshman Donovan Edwards, "I feel like we've got the best run- ning back group in the nation." PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL