The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2021 THE WOLVERINE 33 Here's a closer look at this year's des- ignated leaders of the Leaders and Best. RONNIE BELL Bell lends a somber, almost tragic tone to the captains' cadre for 2021. He so burned with desire and emotion toward the season, and made plays in his roughly 23 minutes of football that underscored his considerable talent. He'd made a ridiculous one-handed grab that got waved off via penalty. He'd run away from Western Michigan defend- ers to haul in a 76-yard touchdown catch. Then, just like that, it was all gone. Racing away on a punt return in that ill-fated season opener, Bell got his knee twisted as he crashed to the Michigan Stadium turf. He needed to be helped from the field and later carted off, up the tunnel. His look of dejection said plenty. His head coach later confirmed it, following an MRI — Bell tore his anterior cruciate ligament, a season-ender. Jim Harbaugh talked about what a loss it represented. "It's a shame," Harbaugh said. "Ronnie was one of our players of the game. He was having a phenomenal game, along with [freshman running back] Blake [Co- rum], carrying our offense, making the plays. "One of the best catches I've ever seen in my life, the one-handed catch. He was able to stay in bounds. Very clean, and tremendous catch. The punt return, where he got injured — he was just having a great game." The coach then shifted his focus, like he hoped Bell would do, once the shock wore off. "Talking to Ronnie, he's going to con- tinue to lead from the sideline and be a big part of our team," Harbaugh said. "Fortu- nately, everything is surgically repairable. Ronnie really appreciates everybody's thoughts and prayers, as do we. "Ronnie's drive is so high. It will be a tough, grueling rehab, as all injuries are. If anybody can do it, Ronnie will. From my own personal experience of having a season-ending injury, the best way not to be left out is to help out. "Being a leader from the sideline, being a captain, what he can contribute intel- lectually, because he's a smart guy. I can remember Lloyd Carr pulling me into his office and asking me to chart secondary coverages for the defense and learn the coverages, and watch tape. It was one of the best things that ever happened in my career. "Ronnie, definitely, is driven. He cares about the team, and he'll continue to be a big part of it, I'm sure." Bell played his part under the lights in game two, firing up the crowd, and he seems ready to continue assisting Michi- gan's younger receivers in any way he can. "That's a tough thing," freshman re- ceiver A.J. Henning said. "You see how hard he works. You see the effort he puts in, each and every day. He's our captain. He's the heart and soul of our receiver room. "Seeing him go down, that's tough. We're all going to do our job, just stepping up and filling that role. Everybody on the offense wants to do it for him. That's the kind of guy he is." They're all hoping Bell's approach con- tinues to rub off. "It's just his attitude," Henning con- tinued. "He's fearless in everything he does. He wants to dominate in all phases of the game, whether it's run- ning, catching the ball, run blocking on the perimeter, everything. That's some- thing everybody takes away and respects so much about him. He's just a fearless competitor." ANDREW VASTARDIS Vastardis finds himself in his sixth year at Michigan, thanks to the free year the NCAA gave everyone last season, due to COVID. It's garnered the veteran even more experience among a young and hungry offensive line, along with a seasoning-related sobriquet. "We call him the grandfather of the O-line room," quipped redshirt junior offensive tackle Andrew Stueber. "He's a sixth-year now. He's done a lot, physi- cally and mentally, to prepare his body for the season. He's playing out of his mind right now. He's a leader in every- thing he does. "Coach [Sherrone] Moore says, 'If you want to be great, follow these older guys.' It starts at center. He's the captain of the offensive line. It's something he takes wholeheartedly. He takes it on his shoul- ders, and he holds that weight great. Ev- eryone looks up to him, and he's a great captain and a great leader." Vastardis himself carries a wizened perspective regarding the team and the season. He's seen a little bit of every- thing, having been in Ann Arbor for nearly all of the Harbaugh years. He broke through as a starter at center last season and stands as the centerpiece of a line looking for major production this season — and getting it early on. "Me being here for six years, I've seen a lot of guys grow up with me and a lot of guys just starting their journeys," Vas- tardis said. "To be someone that this team respects and looks up to like that, it means the world to me. "We've been bleeding, sweating. We've had tough times; we've had good times. But always coming in, every day, and playing for the man next to you, I think that's what's put me in that posi- tion, and that's what I'm going to con- tinue to do and that's what I'm going to bring out of everybody. It is truly the greatest honor I've ever received." Redshirt freshman left guard Trevor Keegan represents the new wave of of- fensive linemen at Michigan. In his first year starting up front, Keegan has found considerable comfort in playing next to the veteran center. What he's learned, Keegan noted, has Junior wideout Ronnie Bell was lost for the year with a knee injury in the season opener, a contest in which he was one of Michigan's players of the game according to head coach Jim Harbaugh. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL