The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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gan uniform, and he didn't turn out too badly. Funchess made it a matter of focus throughout the winter, spring and summer, and hopes to secure al- most everything thrown his way. Following Michigan's opening- weekend win over Appalachian State, U-M sideline reporter Doug Karsch did not point out Funchess' soaring touchdown grab, between a pair of leaping, undersized Mountaineers' defenders. Instead, he singled out a catch everyone figures Funchess should make. "Out of all the catches he made, maybe the one that's the most encour- aging is the one where he was wide open for a touchdown," Karsch said. "Those were the catches he struggled with last year. He said in the offseason he watched YouTube videos on how to have better hand-eye coordination. The fact that he was wide open and made that catch is big, because it's something he wanted to get better at." Funchess also worked extensively with Gardner, honing the connection they began developing throughout all of last season. Obviously, Gardner has a high opinion of No. 1, but it's not just because of his physical skills. "We worked hard all summer," Gardner pointed out. "We did a good job coming in, doing extra work, a lot of the same things me and Jeremy did, throwing fades over and over again, different kinds to be prepared for any situation. I feel like that's helped us a lot." New offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier also pointed up a non- physical part of Funchess' game that shouldn't go overlooked. Not only did the junior start out as tight end who posed matchup headaches for defenses, he's shown great versatility even as a wide receiver. Against Notre Dame, Funchess moved around to create specific mis- matches for which the Wolverines were looking. "Devin has done an outstanding job," Nussmeier said. "We've moved him around. His ability to process the information, to move into the slot, to move back out by himself, then to have the tight end with him — that's a lot of information. People don't realize how difficult that is. "That should tell you a little bit about his mental makeup, and the other side of Devin Funchess, not just the athletic side that you see. He's done an outstanding job with that." Funchess concurred prior to the sea- son, noting he felt his football IQ is now "off the charts." He also cited a reason for all the preparation: disen- chantment with the 2013 campaign. He came into this season, he noted, ready for more. "We just worked hard," he said. "This offseason, we had a chip on our shoulder from last season." Even in the wake of the numbing loss to Notre Dame, Funchess wasn't about to concede anything about the opportunities ahead, not only for him- self, but for Michigan as well. Sopho- more tight end Jake Butt noted Funch- ess injects that sort of upbeat attitude and energy into the roster on a regular basis. "The biggest thing I notice is Devin brought a lot of energy to the game," Butt said. "He's a great player to begin