The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1510053
24 THE WOLVERINE ❱ NOVEMBER 2023 ery day, you have to build that respect and gain the trust of your teammates and coaching staff. That's the biggest thing, along with embracing the new challenge. "There will be adjustments, things that you aren't used to. But I knew the challenge ahead of me, and I knew with my mindset, that was going to be the best for me. That's the resilient person I am." WORK THAT WINS CONFIDENCE Not that the Wolverines gave him the cold shoulder. Hausmann still recalls with appreciation the welcome he re- ceived from his comrades on defense. "The whole defense really brought me in, as a whole family picture," he stressed. "This defense is special. We have a special bond, and they really brought me in and accepted me, right from the beginning. I was blessed with that. I do know that the respect and trust has to be earned, and I was not just given that when I came into this pro- gram. But they accepted me as a person, as a player. Then they respected me for how I went about my business." The respect arrived pretty quickly. How Hausmann goes about his busi- ness not only turned heads, it prodded others. "Man, we love Ernie," noted grad de- fensive lineman Cam Goode. "Ernie's a true character for the team. He always puts a smile on our faces. His work ethic kind of puts us on another level. He makes us live up to his standard. Some- times, we come to practice and we're like, just get through it, a little bit. He's like, why get through it when we get to do it? "I just think Ernie was a great addi- tion, someone that really made the line- backer room get better. It also made the D-line get better with effort because he's always on our butts." Hausmann led by example in the very first game of his Michigan career, posting a team-high 6 tackles, includ- ing a shared tackle for loss, in the sea- son-opening rout of East Carolina. He logged 5 more tackles, including an- other shared TFL, in the road rampage at Minnesota. At the midway point of the regular season, Hausmann ranked second on the team in tackles with 26, Transfer Portal Makes Major Impact At Michigan Everyone knew Michigan did well in the transfer portal last winter. Some outlets ranked the Wolverines at the very top of the gains list, despite some schools bringing in twice the number of transfers as Jim Harbaugh's crew. A quick look at the results so far underscores how much the Wolverines bolstered themselves. The impact players include … • Sophomore linebacker Ernest Hausmann from Nebraska — Hausmann fell in behind sixth-year grad 'backer Michael Barrett and junior linebacker Junior Colson, but the new guy positioned himself right between them in team tackles at midsea- son, those three at the top of Michigan's list. Hausmann will certainly factor heavily in Michigan's defense the rest of this year and become a central figure in the 2024 defense. • Grad center Drake Nugent from Stanford — Nugent moved right in as Michigan's starting center this season and has been the tip of the spear throughout the Wolver- ines' undefeated run. He's needed some time to settle in, but he's part of an offense averaging 37.3 points per game and 414.8 total yards per contest. • Grad offensive tackle LaDarius Henderson from Arizona State — Injury issues slowed Henderson's progress to the starting lineup, but he secured a spot at the key left tackle position in the Nebraska game and seems to have settled in there. He's drawn praise from Harbaugh as a major people mover up front. • Senior offensive lineman Myles Hinton from Stanford — Hinton started the first four games at right tackle for the Wolverines. Harbaugh noted he was "working through something" in recent days, but he's an option for not only the rest of this year, but possibly the next as well. • Senior tight end AJ Barner from Indiana — Barner secured 9 catches for 93 yards through the first seven games, becoming another big target for junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy. He's also started three games and could become more and more of a weapon down the stretch. • Grad quarterback Jack Tuttle from Indiana — The veteran from IU played himself into Michigan's No. 2 quarterback position during the first half of the season. He provides a reliable backup, should McCarthy go out for a play, a series or a game. He's 10-for-11 throwing the football for 67 yards and 1 TD, and he's scrambled for an additional 32. • Grad cornerback Josh Wallace from Massachusetts — Wallace started the opening four games for the Wolverines, providing a boost in a banged-up secondary. He posted 11 tackles with a pair of pass breakups through the first seven games. Five new starters, along with essential insurance at other spots make this a strong infusion of offseason gains. — John Borton Senior tight end AJ Barner, a Big Ten transfer from Indiana, had 9 catches for 93 yards in the Wolverines' first seven games. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN