The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/201975
It served as a reminder to Ryan himself. He was coming back, and nothing could stand in the way. "You always want to show them you can do it, how you're recovering, how hard you've worked," Ryan said. "It felt good getting back." Not that his coaches didn't already know the redshirt junior went a little beyond the norm. "He's just different," served as head coach Brady Hoke's pat phrase, when asked about Ryan's projected return. Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison kept a close eye on him throughout and marveled at his progress along the way. "I thought he'd be back in a week after that happened knowing him," Mattison said. "I never knew when Jake would be back. I just know watching him from the day the operation happened, you guys have never seen a guy work so hard and diligently at trying to get back as fast as he could. I'm talking about doing everything the trainers and doctors asked him to do. "He's a special player. When a guy puts that much into it … the only thing you ever worry about over the years when you see guys doing that is sometimes you have setbacks. Our trainers did a great job, a fabulous job. It's only is as good as the guy is willing to do it, do the extra hours. "If he ever truly logged the hours of extra treatment and rehab he has done since the day that happened, I think it would floor you … that he would do that and could do that." Meanwhile, in addition to watching Countess and Wormley get back into the mix, Ryan commiserated with a fellow Wolverine who faced the same comeback trail with a more protracted timeline. "Russell Bellomy did his rehabilitation at the same time I did," Ryan recalled. "We would always be in the training room at the same time. We could relate pretty well." Ryan certainly felt a twinge of competitiveness rise within him when Under The Lights II rolled around. When Notre Dame came to The Big House for a September showdown, Ryan ached for a reprise of a great moment from two years ago. He'd performed in the first night game ever at Michigan Stadium, the dramatic come-from-behind win over the Irish. "That was one of the best experiences of my life," he recalled. "Missing that game was tough, but I had faith in the guys who were in there. Cam [Gordon] and Brennen [Beyer] had huge games, and they did well. I was proud of them. "I knew I couldn't get out there and play. Just watching people do what they love to do is awesome. Cheering them on and getting them back into the game is what I had to do as a captain." He went beyond captain and into a coaching role at times. Gordon and Beyer faced the not-so-tiny task of filling the cleats of Michigan's top defensive performer from 2012. Meanwhile, Ryan determined to do everything he could to smooth their path. "I did a decent amount," Ryan acknowledged. "I'd watch every single play and see what they did, see what their tendencies were. I'd relay them