The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1529264
DECEMBER 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 21 tion. "But that's probably less important than the type of kid he is, the leader he is off the field. "He's a tone-setter. He does every- thing the right way. He takes care of busi- ness off the field, and he makes plays. When he speaks, everybody listens. We voted for Rod and Makari, but he was the next vote-getter for captain. We felt like we needed somebody on the field to set that tone with Makari, and he's done a really good job. "I told him, and he was just super ex- cited and humble and blessed that he got the opportunity, because it's a big honor." "He just broke the news," Stewart noted. "I was surprised and didn't expect it, especially after a loss. Just knowing that 130-some guys on the team all have my back, it was huge." The teammates observing him from the defensive backfield are most cer- tainly in his corner. They've seen Stew- art go from complementary piece on a national championship team to a key cog for a crew fighting its way through the Big Ten season. "He just works really hard," observed junior cornerback Will Johnson. "He's very fast, very athletic, very strong for his size. You have all those types of things. It doesn't really matter how big you are. It matters how hard you work, your heart, how eager you are to get to the quarterback. "He's hungry to get to the quarterback every time he's out there. That's why he does it like that." "He's a freak," grad defensive back Quinten Johnson assured. "That fits his player description. He'll make a lot of money doing that at the next level. He's just a guy that has a relentless motor. Michigan in recruiting does a great job of recruiting guys with high motors and guys who don't give up on plays." For the most part, Stewart waves off the next-level talk — at least for now. He's very grounded and in-the-moment. He's a Michigan captain, a veteran leader, and the rest will come as it may. "I never even thought of getting drafted when I first started playing football, and I'm not trying to change my mindset in that aspect," Stewart insisted. "I'm just trying to go out and have the game of my life every time I can." Plus, he cautions, there are no guar- antees. "It's a good thought and good to hear," he added, about those who say he's playing himself into an enviable draft spot. "But the draft process is really shaky. People drop and rise by the day. You've just got to focus on the day, and what's happening in the mo- ment, and just keep getting better." Stewart is definitely centered in the here and now, in an effort to keep the 2024 crew close to each other and com- petitive on the field. "Working well with my teammates, and getting everybody along and on the same page, firing guys up," he said of be- ing a captain. "That's the main part. I have accepted more of a leadership role this year, and having those guys galvanize — it's huge." What he's gained through risk — new friends, enhanced football status, and a national championship — can't be mea- sured in the moment. Stewart knows this, and he wouldn't trade any of it. "It was huge," he said, regarding com- ing to Michigan. "It was my opening to big-time football. I was kind of proud of myself for how I approached it. Ob- viously, as a team, we won the national championship. You can't get any better than that." ❑ Stewart Solidly Leads In Sacks Senior edge rusher Josaiah Stewart's 6.5 sacks through Michigan's first 10 games made him the sack master of the Wolverines, despite the fact that he missed one game (Minnesota) due to injury. Should he hold onto that position through the end of the season, he'll join a select group of Michigan players to pace the team in delivering quarterback nightmares. Here's a look at the past five seasons, in terms of which Wolverine delivered the most QB takedowns. 2023, Jaylen Harrell, 6.5 — Michigan's starting edge rusher, with whom Stewart rotated in the national championship season, paced a sack-happy crew with 6.5 QB stops behind the line. Michigan featured 39 sacks on the season, with seven players posting three or more. It should be noted that Stewart accounted for 5.5 sacks, just one off the pace in his first year in a winged helmet. 2022, Mike Morris, 7.5 — Morris proved the clear-cut top QB harasser among the Wolverines in his final season in a Michigan uniform. U-M posted 37 total sacks in 2022 on its way to a Big Ten championship and a College Football Playoff appearance. 2021, Aidan Hutchinson, 14 — Hutchinson gave a glimpse of the QB terrorism he would soon inflict upon the NFL, recording an all-time Michigan record 14 sacks. He propelled Michigan to a win over Ohio State, a breakthrough Big Ten championship and the College Football Playoff. 2020, Kwity Paye and Carlo Kemp, 2 — In the largely lost COVID season of 2020, Paye and Kemp stood strong through the half slate of games the Wolverines played. They accounted for nearly half of Michigan's total of 9 sacks in that ill-fated fall. 2019, Josh Uche, 8.5 — Uche, the high-motor edge rusher in his final season in a Michigan uniform, turned it loose to get close to double figures in sacks. The Wolverines finished with 36 on the season. — John Borton Stewart notched one of his 6.5 sacks on the season in the Paul Bunyan Trophy game against Michigan State this year, a 24-17 victory. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL