The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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14 THE WOLVERINE JANUARY 2023 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Student-Athlete Of The Month Football Junior Edge Jaylen Harrell U-M needed an all-hands-on-deck ef- fort this season in replacing key compo- nents of its pass rush from a season ago. It got that and then some from junior edge defender Jaylen Harrell, who had 27 tackles and 3.5 sacks through the first 13 games of the season. The Wolverines lean on him as a do-it- all defender who can rush the quarter- back, play up in run support and also drop into pass coverage. Having a lot on his plate is nothing new to Harrell, though. The two-time Aca- demic All-Big Ten honoree is majoring in sport management in the School of Kinesiology. The layoff between the Big Ten title game and College Football Playoff was short, while Harrell and his teammates were working to close out their fall schoolwork on a high note. Preparing for finals and prepping for the TCU Horned Frogs weighed heavily and equally. "As we're closing on the semester, we've really been locked in and focusing on our grades, obviously, but also keeping in mind that we have a big, big game," Harrell said. "There is a big challenge ahead of us in a couple of weeks. We have been working to balance out both of them." Harrell, like his teammates, wants to not only appear in the CFP again, but also win a national title. They have put the work in since last winter, and it has revolved around just doing a little bit extra when needed. "We kept that in the back of our mind," Harrell said. "It started in January, and I haven't stopped since. With Mike [Morris] down we all had to step up and do more preparation, more film, and whatever was needed." Harrell has been part of a program that has completely flipped the script over the last two seasons, changing the culture to a team-first, championship attitude. Each day, he tries to take a step forward in taking more ownership of that and being a leader for the program. "It was a mix of coaches and players," Harrell said of the culture change. "Players are trying to be accountable. Coaches obviously instill that into them. For me, just growing as a leader. I don't really talk too much, but I'm trying to be a more vocal leader and lead by example. "I say this, 'Just do you by doing what's right and just lead by ex- ample.' There's not much to it. Just lead by example. Hold yourself accountable for your team." Keeping the culture in its current state moving forward will take buy-in from the new faces that enter the program each year. Harrell was that player in 2020, and he wants to make sure the next players in line stay ready for their opportunities. "Like Coach [Jim Harbaugh] says, 'Keep going, keep chomping at the bit,'" he said. "I feel like as a freshman, we really just had to hone in on the playbook. The details, the fundamentals, stuff like that, and just show we could be trusted out there. "That's the biggest thing, earning the coaches' trust. Go out there with your brothers and make plays. Your team will trust you. That's how we build a winning culture. Hold each other accountable. Trust each other. Lean on each other." – Anthony Broome HARRELL MICHIGAN'S TOP PERFORMERS Women's field hockey fifth- year senior forward Katie An- derson: She was named a sec- ond-team All-American by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. She tallied 2 goals and 5 assists this season, while starting all 21 games at mid- field. She also was named first- team All-Big Ten. During her U-M career, she appeared in 95 games with 61 starts, and tallied 10 goals and 17 assists. Hockey junior goaltender Erik Portillo: He was named Big Ten Second Star of the Week Dec. 13, after making 66 saves on 69 shots in a weekend series split with No. 12 Michi- gan State. He stopped 37 shots in a 2-1 win over the Spartans Dec. 10. He's now a five-time Big Ten Star recipient, after earning his third honor of the season. He was also named sec- ond star Nov. 29 and third star Oct. 18. Women's basketball gradu- ate forward Emily Kiser: She won back-to -back Big Ten Player of the Week honors Nov. 21 and Nov. 28. She put together a pair of 20-point per- formances the first week, regis- tering her first double-double of the season and fourth of her career with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists in a win over Western Michigan Nov. 16. She went for 20 points, 3 steals, 2 rebounds and 1 block in a victory over Fairfield. The next week, she was named MVP of the Gulf Coast Show- case, scoring a career-high 26 points with 14 rebounds in the event's championship game, a win over No. 21 Baylor. She had 10 points and 9 rebounds the prior outing, a victory over South Florida, and 20 points in a triumph over Air Force in the opening game of the tournament. Men's basketball freshman guard Dug McDaniel: He was tabbed as Big Ten Freshman of the Week Dec. 12 following a stellar starting debut. He scored a career-high 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and a 3-of-3 effort from beyond the three-point arc, and added 2 rebounds and a career-best 7 assists in the Wolverines' win over Minnesota Dec. 8. — Clayton Sayfie