The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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NOVEMBER 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 23 said. "Obviously, I had a lot of respect for Michigan. I thought really highly of them. A lot of research had been done. I knew I could trust what was being told to me, and there wasn't much selling that needed to be done. There was just me getting down here, and being able to see and talk to people face to face." Two wins over Ohio State, two straight Big Ten championships and consecutive trips to the College Foot- ball Playoff could get the attention of any highly competitive prospect. But the competition in and around Schem- bechler Hall proved vitally compelling to the prospective Wolverine. "The thing that made Michigan at- tractive to me was the competition," Hausmann said. "When I was able to speak to the coaching staff and the strength coach — Coach Herb [Ben Her- bert] — and knowing how they develop players and the methodology of how they go about that, I just really fell in love with that. I knew that was the best for me moving forward." Once he arrived in Ann Arbor, Haus- mann discovered the inner battle lived up to his every perception. "I love competition," he stressed. "That's the No. 1 thing. When I chose to come to Michigan, I knew when you compete with the best, you have two decisions to make. You're going to strive to be one of the best, or you kind of go off and lay low, level out. I love to com- pete with those guys. Each and every day, you're fighting for a job. "There's just no, you have a job. It's never secure. You're fighting for it. I love that mentality. You wake up, and you don't have a job. You're fighting for it. That's what I loved about coming to Michigan." Hausmann's competitive situation became complicated somewhat by his new-guy status — for the second straight year. He'd clearly established himself as a future Nebraska star. That and all the sweet corn he could bring with him from Lincoln couldn't buy him a leg up inside the Michigan locker room. He needed to earn it himself. So, he kept his mouth shut, put his head down and went to work — again. "When you move into a whole new program, you start back at ground zero," Hausmann confirmed. "When I was at Nebraska, you start at zero — at the bottom of the depth chart. You have to work your way up. Obviously, the re- spect and trust have to be earned, in time and through what you do, each and every day. "When I came to Michigan, I had the same approach. … Now, each and ev-