The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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52 THE WOLVERINE ❱ SEPTEMBER 2026 BY ANTHONY BROOME F ormer U-M defensive lineman Ryan Van Bergen (2007-11) navigated two coaching searches during his time in Ann Arbor. He was recruited by Lloyd Carr, spent three seasons playing for Rich Ro- driguez and went out as a senior on Brady Hoke's first team, an 11-2 squad that beat Virginia Tech in the 2012 Sugar Bowl. There were some bumps in the road in the transition from Carr to Rodriguez, and when it was time to move into the Hoke era, Van Bergen said that U-M's player leadership wanted to make sure the buy-in was completely there. "Our senior group and some of the ju- niors had the benefit of going through a coaching change where the veteran core doesn't embrace the new staff and has some sort of resistance towards the new guys coming in," Van Bergen said. "You have to prove yourself again, and when you're a veteran, you don't want to go out and have to give 100 percent every rep, every practice to keep your spot, because you would've had that — not given to you, but earned. "You feel like you'd earned something, and all that's gone. You have no credit anymore, and that was always a tough thing to deal with. We collectively de- cided to be very bought-in, maybe even over-the-top at first. You kind of have to do that and go into a honeymoon phase. 'This is the best thing ever. It's the best thing ever for me, it's the best thing ever for the program, it's the best thing that's ever happened. I'm so happy.' I believe you can manifest that into being reality. "The biggest thing for us when we went through the coaching change was trying to make sure we gave a lot of positive re- inforcement. We wanted to be there. Not that you had a choice anyway, but it was better to pursue it that way as opposed to having that resistive mindset." It was that commitment and a fresh slate that Van Bergen said helped the team put together a strong first season under Hoke. "Having guys that were willing to just start over with zero balances and start re- investing in their position and their time there — that was the biggest thing," he said. "Not allowing your ego and what you thought you were owed to get in the way of the next nine months, or eight months, of your season." Van Bergen describes the dynamic that current U-M players find themselves working through in the transition to the Kyle Whittingham era. The defensive lineman, who had redshirted as a fresh- man and was set to earn a rotational role in 2008, played against the Utes squad — coached by Whittingham — that went undefeated and beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl that season. That matchup served as a "welcome to college football moment" for him, as the Utes came into Ann Arbor and took down the Wolverines 25-23 in Rodriguez's first season. "I knew I was going to get some sig- nificant reps [to start that season]," Van Bergen said. "I was super bought into doing my film and studying, and one thing I noticed right away that stood out to me was: the left tackle is 24 and mar- ried with two kids, and the left guard is 23 and married with a kid. These are some grown men we're playing against. "Then I realized the missionary trips and the [Latter-day Saints influence] that Utah had, and it kind of made me tighten up. This is going to be a chal- lenge, and they were physical. Even back then, Utah was a team that very much would've fit into the Big Ten in the style they played. "They were run-first. They were bal- anced. They were aggressive defensively. I remember them being tough to move. ❱ WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Ryan Van Bergen Recalls Multiple Coaching Changes, Playing Utah Van Bergen, a defensive lineman for the Wolverines from 2007-11, was recruited by Lloyd Carr, spent three seasons playing for Rich Rodriguez and was a leader on Brady Hoke's first team. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY