The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1508023
28 THE WOLVERINE ❱ OCTOBER 2023 go back to my hometown trainer, the one I've been training with since high school. That means a lot to me, because we've been on the same page for a while, and he knows any imbalances I may have, corrections I need to make from a training standpoint. Working with my hometown guys from high school — it's like a little reset." Beckford comes across as a steady- as-she-goes developer of athletes, but he needed a bit of emotional reset when Johnson delivered his twin Buckeye busters. "I was actually at that game," Beck- ford noted. "It was a beautiful thing to see. That's something I expect from him, and he expects that himself. We always knew that was in him. He just needed the opportunity. Once the op- portunity presented itself, he displayed what he's about. "Oh, man. I was ecstatic. It was a sur- real feeling." Building toward that moment in- volved going beyond athletic giftedness. Johnson always proved diligent in that pursuit, Beckford noted, but has taken it to an even higher level in recent years. "He's always been a kid that's tal- ented," Beckford said. "He had every- thing you're looking for in an athlete, as far as the mindset. He's a kid you don't have to motivate to do anything. That's the biggest part of it, right? He's a stu- dent of the game, related to his train- ing, his position, and so on. He's always curious, always asking questions. That's why Michigan was the best fit for him — a smart kid." Beckford directed those smarts to help achieve yearly goals at Michigan. Johnson got his final college season off to a strong start when he caught 5 passes for 71 yards in Michigan's 30-3 victory over East Carolina. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN