The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1527978
NOVEMBER 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 33 ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL and get better from it. It wasn't a moment where we all had to sit back and weep or overthink what was going on. We took it all in, and after 24 hours, we flushed it and we got better from it." The message inside the building is sim- ple. Will the early setbacks to Texas and Washington define or fuel the Wolver- ines? That is at the core of what Johnson is urging players to decide. "Bounce back," Johnson said. "Are you a fighter or are you not? The only way is forward. You have to check who you are as a person. You look in the mirror and see what can you do to get better." The Wolverines have been through adversity before. Johnson thinks that's something the program can pull from the rest of the season. "The only difference is this year there's more adversity," Johnson said. "All our goals are still in front of us, and we have to make sure we don't lose sight of that. Everything we want is still attainable. Ad- versity is something that happens, and how you respond to it is going to define you. So, we don't run from it, and we ap- preciate it. We have an opportunity to show the world what we can do." — Anthony Broome JOSAIAH STEWART DISCUSSES HIS BREAKOUT SEASON, U-M'S YOUNG STANDOUTS One of the early silver linings for the defense has been the breakout perfor- mance of senior edge Josaiah Stewart, who transferred in from Coastal Caro- lina ahead of the 2023 season and has only gotten better since arriving. Stewart, who led all active FBS play- ers with 26.5 career sacks through Oct. 5, has 5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery for the Maize and Blue through six games this season, which puts him way ahead of his 5.5-sack ef- fort for all of last season. Now a fixture up front for the Wol- verines, he isn't concerned with the added media attention he has received. "I figured with the work I put in, the results would show," Stewart said. "But I am not too worried about the media or the outside attention. I'm just worried about what's going on in this building [Schembechler Hall]." Stewart missed the Minnesota game with an undisclosed injury but returned against Washington. Stewart's goals for the remainder of the season include maintaining his health and helping the younger players improve. "Really taking care of my body. It's a long season," Stewart noted. "Getting that right and just helping those young guys get ready to play, because depth will be important for us later on in the season." One of the young players who could fill a big role in the future is freshman edge Dom Nichols, who has shown a lot of potential in the early stages of his career, according to Stewart. "He still plays like a high schooler, which is good in ways," Stewart said. "You see guys like Alabama's [wide receiver] Ryan Williams, guys show- ing flashy stuff. He plays like that, and it translates well. It's rare to see that. He's a guy that just turned 18 a couple weeks ago. He's really young and doing good. "He'll do a crazy spin move, and it will work. I would probably never think to do a move like that." — Anthony Broome STEWART ELEVATED TO CAPTAIN Senior edge Josaiah Stewart, who was voted as one of two alternate captains in the preseason, was recently elevated by head coach Sherrone Moore to be the team's fifth captain. Stewart joined senior running back Donovan Edwards, senior fullback/ tight end Max Bredeson, senior safety Rod Moore and graduate safety Makari Paige as captains during the mid-Oc- tober bye week. Graduate running back Kalel Mullings remains as an alternate captain. "We took the captains to one more," Moore said on the "Inside Michigan Football" radio show. "We added Josa- iah Stewart as a captain. A guy who is a senior who has really done everything the right way. He plays as good as any- body in the country and does it all with extreme energy. He's just such a leader and such a voice, and I want him to use it." Moore described the edge rusher's re- action to being named captain. "He was pretty surprised, kind of shocked but super happy and excited for the opportunity to be a voice on the team," Moore said. "And he deserves it." — Clayton Sayfie Senior edge Josaiah Stewart, who leads all active FBS players with 26.5 career sacks (including two seasons at Coastal Carolina) through six games this season, had 5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery for the Maize and Blue heading into the bye week. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS