The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1477128
20 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2022 BY CHRIS BALAS A fter a magical Big Ten cham- pionship in which Michi- gan vanquished Ohio State for the first time since 2011 and made the College Football Playoff for the first time ever, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh had three words for his 2022 squad at the beginning of fall camp: Observe. Emulate. Surpass. All, of course, were in reference to last year's team, a group that happened to do just about everything right on and off the field. There was great leader- ship and work ethic, a hunger, and — as important as anything — a love for the Michigan program. If early returns are any indication, this year's squad is also going to have a shot to accomplish something special. "First impressions are … we're fur- ther ahead than where we were last year at this time — especially on de- fense," Harbaugh said in early August. "More installed, more coverages, more fronts, more blitzes. From a condition- ing standpoint, I think we're ahead, and from an execution standpoint as well. "So far, so good." Michigan lost some elite leaders in edge Aidan Hutchinson and line- backer Josh Ross, and also some great offensive players. Harbaugh isn't the slightest bit concerned with leader- ship, however, calling it "as good as it's ever been." He and the team were preparing the vote for captains heading toward mid- August — the fact that there were so many to choose from wasn't lost on him. "We're going to start doing some voting, leadership council, captains. … We've already started looking and pre- dicting," he said. "It's outstanding. It really is. "You see that on the field, off the field, behind the scenes. We've been watching that develop for a good nine months now. "We have 19 fifth- and sixth- year guys on this team. That's almost double or triple what we've had in the past. When we talk about leadership, but also just players that are good and good at football, have stayed in the program — we have 24 that are fourth years. It's a more veteran team than we've had in the past." They're guys that know the program and have excelled in it, Harbaugh noted. They've been passing the messages and what they've learned down to the younger players. There are a lot — 36 players in both the Michigan sophomore and freshman classes, including walk-ons, he added. "Every class right now is solid, and they're just going about their busi- ness, taking care of their business," he said. "To my eye, they're thriving in the program." ON SOLID GROUND ON SOLID GROUND Michigan Will Seek A Second Straight Title With A Loaded Roster Head coach Jim Harbaugh's veteran 2022 team includes 43 players who are entering either their fourth, fifth or sixth year at the college level. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL