The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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16 THE WOLVERINE ❱ AUGUST 2023 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS He's as dominant of a pass rusher as we have. He's not only got speed, but he's also got some power, too. So, even though he's a little bit on the shorter side than other guys in terms of length, he makes up for it with versatility in his moves and his skill set that he uses." — Defensive line coach Mike Elston discussing junior edge Josaiah Stewart on the "In The Trenches" podcast NUMBERS AND QUOTES That's my ultimate goal. I have a lot of goals, we have a lot of goals, but it's to bring a national championship to Ann Arbor. We're just so close." — Junior quarterback J.J. McCARTHY to ESPN J.J. is one of the best leaders I've ever been around. He had a great spring." — Wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy on junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy In the state of Michi- gan, they're asking me if Michigan is going to win the national championship. ... I'm go- ing to have Michigan as No. 1 in the preseason. My biggest reason is they are one of the few contenders who have enough every- where else and a proven quarterback who I believe is going to be much better. He was already good, but I think he's going to take a giant step forward, J.J. McCarthy, this upcoming season." — ESPN college football host Rece Davis on "The Paul Finebaum Show" No. 11 In the country is where junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy ranked with a 134.5 passer rating on run-pass option (RPO) throws, according to Sports Info Solutions. He was 41st with 7.7 yards per attempt and one of five signal-callers in the sport to have 100 percent of his RPO passes be deemed "catchable" (among those with 20-plus attempts). He went 24-of-28 passing for 216 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions. The 2022 third-team All-Big Ten se- lection's 28 attempts slotted 100th in the country, however. Michigan also led the nation with 7.9 yards per rush on RPOs but slotted 117th with just 43 attempts. 22nd To the Los Angeles Chargers is where senior defen- sive lineman Kris Jenkins was listed on ESPN.com ana- lyst Jordan Reid's 2024 NFL mock draft released July 6. He was the fourth-highest rated defensive tackle. "Jenkins is expected to make a significant leap in his development, and while he is still filling out his 6-foot-3, 285-pound frame, his movement skills and first-step quickness are really solid," Reid wrote. "His performance against Ohio State (7 tackles, 3 pres- sures) provided a glimpse of his upside." [If] we take pride defensively as a team, we can be one of the best teams in the country." — Senior guard NIMARI BURNETT PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS