The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1520409
10 THE WOLVERINE ❱ JUNE/JULY 2024 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Edge rusher Josaiah Stewart came to Michigan from Coastal Carolina last year with hopes of contributing at a higher level. He did that and more, winning a national title with the Wolverines. He returns as a likely starter and with big goals in 2024 — he talks about that and more in this Q&A. The Wolverine: You accomplished so many team goals last year. What do your goals include in 2024? Josaiah Stewart: "I want to round out my game. Every day I want to sharpen any flaw I thought I might have had last season. I want to become the best I can be, and that's on and off the field. Being where I'm sup- posed to be, handling my business … Just having another year of becoming a pro." The Wolverine: What do you take away from your first season at Michigan from a personal standpoint? Stewart: "I'm taking my experiences from that year — all my flaws, errors and all my wins, losses — and building on that." The Wolverine: What's behind the jersey change, from No. 5 to now No. 0? Stewart: "I used to wear it back at my old school, and I wore it when it first came out. I asked Mike [Sainristil], actually, when I came here if I could wear it. He wasn't budging, so I had to wait a year. He says it's cool. I've just got to keep that same standard up." The Wolverine: You made the play to beat Alabama when you pushed an offensive tackle back into the quarterback on fourth- and-goal. How often have you seen that, and what do you remember about it? Stewart: "I probably see it twice a day, but that's a great play for the whole defense. Every time I watch it, I watch a different player. I watch Derrick [Moore]; I watch Ma- son [Graham]; I watch Kenneth [Grant] and Mike [Sainristil] flying up the field. I even watch the Alabama players." The Wolverine: You're in a defense now in which your coordinator wants to blitz, and blitz some more. How do you like that as an edge player, and how different is it? Stewart: "It's great. Those are explosive plays we can make on defense. I'm curious to see how [defensive coordinator Wink Martindale] really attacks that during the season. "But it's nothing major that we can't just communicate on and adjust to. … It definitely feels like a continuation, but with Wink's little tweaks. There's some of his personality thrown into the scheme." — Chris Balas In his first season at U-M, Stewart fin- ished with 38 tackles in 2024, including 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. PHOTO PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Michigan capped off the Jim Harbaugh era with 13 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, rounding out his total over nine years at 66 selections, or 7.3 per year. During that span from 2016-24, the Wolverines had 10 first- rounders and 30 top-100 choices. For context, 18 Wolverines were drafted in the seven years prior to Harbaugh's tenure (2009-15), showing just how much he elevated U-M's status as a machine for not only winning games but also producing NFL talent. Michigan hadn't had double-digit draft picks in a single event since 1974 before Harbaugh hit that number three times — 11 in 2017, 10 in 2020 and 13 in 2024. Harbaugh's 66 draft picks are more than the rest of Michi- gan head coaches since the draft moved from 12 rounds to seven in 1994. Lloyd Carr had 62 picks (10 first- rounders) in 13 years from 1996-2008, Rich Ro- driguez produced seven selections (one first-rounder) in three drafts from 2009-11 and Brady Hoke churned out 11 draftees in four years from 2012-15. The legendary Bo Schembechler had 121 picks in 21 years from 1970-90, but 36 of them were taken outside the top seven rounds, making for an average of four top-seven-round selections per year. Gary Moeller (1991-95) saw 25 of his players get drafted over five events, including seven that were taken after the seventh round. Under Harbaugh, Michigan had at least one player drafted at every position, from quarterback to long snapper and everything in between. Offensive line led the way with 13 draftees, followed by edge rusher (11), wide receiver (7) and linebacker (7). — Clayton Sayfie Jim Harbaugh Produces 66 Draft Picks In Michigan Tenure Position Draftees Quarterback 2 Running back 3 Fullback 1 Tight end 4 Wide receiver 7 Offensive line 13 Defensive tackle 5 Position Draftees Edge 11 Linebacker 7 Cornerback 6 Safety 4 Kicker 1 Punter 1 Long snapper 1 HARBAUGH-ERA DRAFT PICKS BY POSITION Year Draftees 2024 13 2023 9 2022 5 2021 8 2020 10 Year Draftees 2019 5 2018 2 2017 11 2016 3 HARBAUGH-ERA DRAFT PICKS BY YEAR ❱ Sitting Down With Senior Edge Josaiah Stewart