The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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10 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2021 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Sitting Down With Michigan Freshman Linebacker Junior Colson Junior Colson has made a huge impact on the Michi- gan defense since his ar- rival, having moved into the starting lineup. He earned U-M Defensive Player of the Game honors against Indiana after notching eight tackles, then registered 12 stops and a half sack at Penn State a week later in an outstanding showing. The Brentwood ( Tenn.) Ravenwood product of- fered his views on several topics in November: The Wolverine: You came in as a wide-eyed freshman with a lot to learn. How have you adapted to get where you are now, playing regularly? Is it what you expected out of high school? Junior Colson: "It's been getting a lot more comfortable, a lot more in the zone. As you get into the game, you start getting into a groove. It's been awesome. It's been more fun. "I don't really know what I expected coming out of high school, but I'm enjoying the time right now. It's awesome." The Wolverine: You expressed disappointment when former de- fensive coordinator Don Brown left, but you said you've hit it off with new D.C. Mike Macdonald. Why? Colson: "We just kind of connected right from the get-go. Our mindsets are very much alike. We're very much book freaks, so that was one of the first things we connected on, reading books. "Just kind of talking about that over time, it got more comfortable. It has evolved to more than just like a coach-player relationship. It's more like a friendship, a brotherhood." The Wolverine: What kind of books do you read? Do you identify with any of the characters? Colson: "'Harry Potter' … that mentality. They're a little bit long, but you know. … When I read those books I kind of put myself in there — 'If I was in there, I would have done this, done that.' But it's cool reading them." The Wolverine: What is it that has made this defense so effective this year? Colson: "We make comments that [Macdonald] is a football genius. He's always making adjustments, always seeing the field. He's not one of those guys who is always hard set on his rules. We [can make] new adjustments, new plays, like 'snap.' "… He usually puts in a new package Sunday. Monday night he then texts us and says, 'OK, we're going to add this.' We look over it, walk through it, see all the new details, maybe change it. "There's always room for improvement." The Wolverine: How much have you learned from veteran line- backer Josh Ross? Colson: "That's what I did during spring ball and fall camp — I just tried to shadow him. All the little moves he does, I'm [saying], 'I'm go- ing steal that before you leave. I'm going to take that.' "He's been [a big influence]." — Chris Balas Colson racked up 53 tackles in the regular season, which ranked fourth on the team. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN MICHIGAN'S TOP PERFORMERS Women's basketball senior forward Naz Hill- mon: She was named the Big Ten Player of the Week Nov. 15 after she turned in the sixth 30-point game of her career in U-M's season-open- ing win over IUPUI Nov. 9, while adding 15 rebounds. Hillmon fol- lowed up that performance with 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting and five rebounds in a triumph over St. Francis Brooklyn. Football second-year freshman running back Blake Corum: He was rec- ognized Nov. 17 as one of five fi- nalists for the 2021 Paul Hornung Award, which is presented annu- ally to the player in major college football who makes a significant impact during big games and el- evates his team's performance through leader- ship displayed by excelling in multiple roles. At the end of the regular season, Corum ranked 11th nationally in yards per carry (5.98) and 19th in all-purpose yards per game (130.6). Despite missing two full games, he notched 865 yards and 10 scores on the ground, 137 yards and an- other touchdown via receptions, plus 304 yards on kickoff returns (25.3 average). Men's tennis sophomore Gavin Young: He captured the singles crown at the Nov. 7 Big Ten Singles and Dou- bles Championships. Following a first-round bye, Young took down Wisconsin's Mihailo Popovic (6-3, 6-3), Michigan State's Nic Meister (6-2, 6-2), Northwestern's Presley Thieneman (7-5, 6-4), Indiana's Ilya Tiraspolsky (6-1, 6-7, 10-3) and Northwestern's Simen Bra- tholm (7-6, 6-1) en route to the title. Young, a Minnesota transfer, posted a 9-2 overall record (top winning percentage on the team) for the fall season and won his final five matches. Men's soccer fifth-year senior midfielder Marc Ybarra: He earned his fourth All-Big Ten honor, a second consecutive first-team selection, following the 2021 campaign in which the Wolverines went 8-7-3 and fell to Penn State in the sec- ond round of the Big Ten Tour- nament. The Ann Arbor native was the only player to start all 16 matches for Michigan this season, playing 1,482 minutes. He contributed three goals (tied for second on the team) and notched two assists for a total of eight points. In Big Ten play, he scored one goal and added two assists. Ybarra is the program's all-time leader in games played (89) and contests started (88), while ranking second in career assists (24). — Clayton Sayfie