The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JANUARY 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 33 ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Jenkins, who was picked by the AP and FWAA, had 32 tackles, including 3 tackles for loss and 1 sack while anchoring the U-M defense. Graham received second-team honors from Sporting News, after a season in which he battled through a hand injury. He has 29 tackles in 11 games played this year, highlighted by 6.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. In addition, sophomore cornerback Will Johnson was named a first-team All-American by Sports Il- lustrated and was a second-team pick by both USA Today and The Athletic. Separately, Corum and junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy each finished in the top 10 of the Heis- man Trophy balloting. LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels was this year's Heisman winner, but Michi- gan was the only school to have two players finish among the top 10 vote-getters. Corum (3) and McCarthy (1) combined to receive four first-place votes and respectively finished ninth and 10th overall. — Wolverine Staff JUNIOR COLSON WINS LOTT IMPACT TROPHY Michigan junior linebacker Junior Colson was named the winner of the 2023 Lott IMPACT Trophy, handed to the defensive player who made the big- gest "IMPACT" on his team. The acronym stands for "integrity, maturity, per- formance, academics, community and tenacity." The award is named after Ronnie Lott, a two-time All-American at USC who went on to win four Su- per Bowl titles with the San Francisco 49ers. Lott was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000. The honor is unique because it represents the first college football award to give equal weight to personal character as well as athletic perfor- mance from a defensive college player and is the first national college football award based on the West Coast. Colson attended the trophy's award show at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach, Calif., Dec. 10. He's Michigan's third-ever winner, joining defen- sive end Aidan Hutchinson (2021) and Jabrill Pep- pers (2016). Former U-M Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson was presented with an honorary Lott IMPACT Trophy in 2021. Colson was one of four finalists, along with UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu, Alabama linebacker Dal- las Turner and Utah defensive lineman Jonah Elliss. The award has been handed out annually since 2004 and is voted on by a group of more than 300 former college players, coaches and media members. For earning the honor, the Pacific Club presented Colson with a $25,000 donation to U- M's general scholarship fund. Colson is leading No. 1 Michigan with 79 tackles, 27 more stops than the next-closest player, gradu- ate linebacker Michael Barrett with 52. He's also added 2 tackles for loss, 2 pass breakups and 2 quarterback hurries. The 6-foot-3, 247-pounder was named a second- team All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and media this season. Colson is considered a 2024 NFL Draft prospect, with ESPN.com's Mel Kiper Jr. ranking him the No. 7 linebacker for next spring's draft in a Dec. 8 big board. — Clayton Sayfie 28 WOLVERINES EARN ALL-BIG TEN HONORS, CORUM, MCCARTHY GRAB TOP POSITIONAL AWARDS Michigan cleaned up when it comes to Big Ten hardware, with 25 players earning all-conference nods on offense, defense and special teams, head- U-M junior linebacker Junior Colson, shown with Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, was the recipient of the 2023 Lott IMPACT Trophy, given to the defensive player who made the biggest "IMPACT" on his team. PHOTO COURTESY LOTT IMPACT TROPHY TRANSFER PORTAL UPDATE Michigan was one of the few teams in the FBS without a player to enter the NCAA transfer portal until sophomore running back CJ Stokes did so Dec. 11. The 5-foot-10, 205-pounder has three years of eligibility re- maining and will be immediately eligible at his next school. The former three-star recruit out of Columbia (S.C.) Hammond School showed promise in his first year at the collegiate level, with 55 rushes for 273 yards and 1 touchdown, averaging 5 yards per carry, but was buried on the depth chart and only had 4 carries for 8 yards in two games this season. As of Dec. 12, Michigan had not yet added any players via the portal but the Wolverines are expected to continue their trend of adding quality veterans to their roster. Two of Michigan's eight portal additions from a year ago were named to On3's All-Transfer Team this season: graduate center Drake Nu- gent (Stanford) and graduate cornerback Josh Wallace (UMass). Michigan, Colorado, Miami, Florida State and Oregon were the only five schools to have multiple representatives. — Clayton Sayfie