The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2026 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 87 Not so long ago, an Achilles injury like his would have been a near death sentence to a career. Advances in surgery and rehab have changed that dramatically, one of the reasons Whittingham and the Michigan NIL machine had no problem offering him a nice package to come to Ann Arbor. With that, though, came the ex- pectation that the talented 6-foot-4, 255-pounder would do everything in his power to get back in time for the season. Having seen his work ethic in person, Whittingham had no doubt … and he's been proven right. While his teammates worked on learn- ing a new defense this spring, Daley was with trainers, sometimes inside, some- times on the sidelines while the other Wolverines defenders were in pads. He had one goal in mind — to be as close to 100 percent as possible, as soon as pos- sible. "I'm just doing a whole lot of lower- body exercises, getting after it every day," he said in spring. "You'd have to ask the training staff about details … but I do a lot every single day. I'm here every day and putting in that work because it's worth it." It helped, he admitted, that he saw Boston Celtics standout Jayson Tatum re- turn from the same injury in less than 10 months. "It's great to see guys going out there and overcoming injuries," he continued. "Definitely, with this injury, looking at what other guys have been able to do com- ing back … I take some inspiration from that, for sure. "Physically, upper body-wise, I'm prob- ably the best I've ever been in my life. Obvi- ously, with regard to my injury, I'm coming along really well. I'm starting to jog and run right now, and I'm feeling fantastic. Every- body's very optimistic about it." Driven In Every Way As they should have been. On June 1, Daley got the "all clear" from doctors to resume all activities with the team with no limitations, just as Whittingham had projected from doctors' reports. Though he's technically one of the "new guys" in the room, he's also a natural leader, hav- ing bonded with the other veterans on the team. During the dog days of rehab, they en- couraged him and kept his spirits up, made him feel like he was still with them. He had great teammates at Utah last year, he noted, and he got the same feeling im- mediately when he arrived in Ann Arbor. Having Whittingham waiting for him helped, too. "You know what you get with Coach Whittingham," he said. "You know that you get discipline, you know that you get hard work, and we expect to win games. That's something that I love. "He's got a very old-school mindset that we're going to come in, we're going to attack every single day, and we're going to be tough. It's not always going to be easy, but it's going to be worth it, and that's something that I love that you don't find everywhere." And something he wanted to continue to be part of. It's another of the reasons he worked so hard to return. He doesn't plan to be watching from the sidelines, anxious to contribute to a contender. There were tough days, he acknowl- edged, but it was worth it. "Part of what goes into success, just in general, is having a goal and working tirelessly towards that, regardless of how [hard] it is," he said. "I think a lot of times people get stuck in the comfort zone of, 'Hey, I don't really want to do that today. Oh, this extra workout? This extra work? I don't want to do this or that.' "That's something I told myself last year that I was just not going to do, re- gardless. I'm going to do what I don't want to do today. That way, tomorrow I'm able to accomplish what I want." Now, he's here and ready to do exactly that. Interviewed by different outlets on Signing Day this year, Whittingham couldn't help but grin a bit in talking about his standout edge. While Daley isn't former U-M star Aidan Hutchinson, there are similarities in the way they play, evi- dent in the coach's praise. "He's a guy that has an incredible mo- tor, plays every snap as if it was his last," Whittingham said. "He's a tremendously talented young man, was leading the nation in sacks last year before he went down with an injury … we feel he probably would have led the nation last year had he stayed healthy. "He's physical, but he's got great pass- rush ability. … He's just a relentless throwback type of defensive end." Coming from a coach who has built his success on several players in his image, that's about the highest compliment he can give. ❑ Daley Praises The Man Who Helped Develop Him New Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham has been praised by his players and coaches, past and present, for his eye for talent and ability to develop, one aspect that made his Utah teams so tough to beat for so many years. But … he didn't do it alone. In fact, when edge John Henry Daley went from role player to All-American in a one-year span, he gave a lot of credit to his position coach, new Michigan defensive ends coach Lewis Powell. "Man, Coach Powell … I would say to any recruit who's watching this that Coach Powell's probably the best defensive end coach in the country," Daley said. "I feel like he's very patient with guys, and he understands that everybody has a different way of playing the game. "Now, we all have our responsibilities that we need to do on the field, whether it's securing a specific gap in the run or pass rush, making sure that we're doing what we're supposed to. But he coaches every guy and lets them be their own player. He doesn't say, 'We have this one mold — and every single guy has to fit into it.'" His new teammates have responded well to it, too. All the edges interviewed this spring, including veterans Dominic Nichols and Cam Brandt, were encouraged by their progress, individually and as a team. There are "a lot of dawgs" at his position who have high aspira- tions, Daley praised, and he said they have the will that they want to be great. "Now, the coaches are just coming in and saying, 'Let's build on top of that,'" he said. "All in all, I couldn't ask for more. With this roster, with these players, with these coaches, I feel like we're building something great." Especially on the edge, and thanks in large part to Powell. "He takes you where you are and he just makes you better at what you're already good at doing, and he's been fantastic," Daley said. "I'm just so grateful that he's my coach, and very blessed." — Chris Balas