The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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14 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2022 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS The football program has instilled a "next man up" mentality pertaining to when a sudden injury occurs, providing an opportunity for someone else to step in and do the job. Plenty of guys on the roster fit the bill, and the most recent example comes in the form of junior of- fensive tackle Jeffrey Persi. Persi, a Mission Viejo, Calif., native who was an Academic All-Big Ten honoree last fall, stepped into the starting lineup for the first time in the 52-17 win over Rut- gers on Nov. 5 after graduate left tackle Ryan Hayes was sidelined due to injury. U-M players often talk about staying ready so they do not have to get ready. Mission accomplished for the third- year lineman. "I thought Jeff Persi had a heck of a game," head coach Jim Harbaugh said after the Nov. 5 win. "I'll have to really watch all the tape, but I was watching him a lot, down by down. I thought he had a heck of a game. You just love to see the guys when they get their first start and where they go from there. They take off." Harbaugh continued in his press conference the following Monday: "I thought it was all really good with Jeff. His strike was good, he's going continue to get stronger. … Jeff's next improvement is being able to stay with it, stay with that block, not let that defender separate and go make the tackle. And that'll be a very good next step for Jeff because he's really good." Persi appreciates Hayes as a player and mentor. "I talk to Ryan a good amount," Persi said. "He's a good leader and a guy to look up to. He has the game experience and is very knowledgeable. It is good to have a guy like that to lean on and learn from." Persi's work behind the scenes has been noticeable to his teammates, too. "He's been grinding," junior guard Zak Zinter said. "We came in the same recruiting class. He's been working all through the summer, fall camp, spring ball, just waiting for that chance that he got, and he really capitalized on it when his name was called." Michigan has dealt with bumps and bruises on the offensive line through- out the 2022 campaign, making performances like Persi's and sophomore guard Giovanni El-Hadi's against Rutgers critical when they stepped on the field. Sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy is the direct recipient of quality blocking and has been impressed with how Persi and others have stayed engaged and ready. "I'm so proud of both of them," McCarthy said. "Especially Jeff, because it was his first start. And he played absolutely terrific. Nothing but high praise for him. Gio — I expected his performance. He busts his butt all year. He's a great human being, and I was really happy to see them both thrive the way they did." Persi, who could be next in line for a bigger role come the 2023 season, credits the U-M support staff for having him and others ready to go at a moment's notice. "We all prepare every day like we're going to play," Persi said. "Everyone is ready and practices hard. [Strength and conditioning] Coach [Ben] Her- bert and his staff prepare us year-round. They get us ready physically and mentally." — Anthony Broome Persi, an Academic All-Big Ten performer during the 2021 season, made his first career start in a 52-17 win over Rutgers on Nov. 5. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Student-Athlete Of The Month Junior Football Offensive Lineman Jeffrey Persi MICHIGAN'S TOP PERFORMERS Cross country senior Ericka VanderLende: For the third time in her career, she was named a first-team All-Big Ten honoree (2019 and 2021 being the others) after her third-place finish in 20:13.6 at the Big Ten Championship in Ann Arbor. She was also U-M's Big Ten Sports- manship Award selection. VanderLende was one of Michigan's top two runners in two of her three other races this season. She missed a month of the season but finished strong. Senior Sam Tran was named second-team all-conference. Women's field hockey fifth- year senior forward Katie An- derson: She was recognized as first-team All-Big Ten. Follow- ing the regular season, she had started every game in the mid- field over the last three years, owning 2 goals and 2 assists for the campaign. Two of her class- mates, Kathryn Peterson and Anna Spieker, re- ceived second-team honors. Men's basketball junior center Hunter Dickinson: For the third consecutive season, he was named to the 20-member watch list for the National As s o c i at i o n o f B a s k e t b a l l Coaches (NABC) Player of the Year award. Dickinson was a second-team All-American in 2020-21 and a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2021-22. Named a team captain along with classmates Jace Howard and Terrance Williams II, Dickinson is a vocal leader and the Wolverines' oldest returning player. The lone Wolverine to win the NABC honor was guard Trey Burke in 2013. Football junior running back Blake Corum: He was named a semifinalist (top 20) for the Maxwell Award, given to the top player in college foot- ball, on Nov. 1. At the time, he ranked fourth in the country in rushing yards (1,078), second in touchdowns (15) and first in first downs picked up (71). He had five consecutive 100-yard games rushing and four multi-touch- down games at that point. Corum was one of three Big Ten backs averaging at least 130 rushing yards per game (134.8), and he recorded each of his top-five career rushing workloads (25, 28, 29, 30, 33 carries) and four of his top-five career rush- ing outputs (243, 177, 166 and 133 yards) in the most recent five-game stretch at that point. — Clayton Sayfie