The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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ter getting after it and making plays, and that's what you love to see — guys that step up when the game is on the line." Henry admits he's stepped up his game, period, over the years he's been at Michigan. The Glenville pro- gram run by Ted Ginn is never shy on talent and supplies plenty to a host of college football programs. The Cleveland native always be- lieved in himself, always figured he could use his natural talents at the next level. He just didn't have enough recruiting analysts agreeing with him to stand out as an elite pros- pect. Henry wanted to be different, he insisted, and saw something in the coaching staff in Ann Arbor that drew him north. Plus, former Glen- v i l l e t e a m m a t e Frank Clark was already at Michigan, and that added a level of comfort. Even though he wasn't highly sought after at the time, Henry could have stayed with the home- state school. He assured he's glad he didn't. "A lot of guys go to Ohio State, and it kind of carries an impact and an in- fluence," Henry said. "But the grass is greener on this side, definitely. I know I made the right decision com- ing to Ann Arbor. "I took a lot of grief, but that's okay. I'm happy with my decision, and I'll stand by it." What Henry didn't know eventu- ally involved playing for a staff that wasn't on hand when he arrived. Even that, he noted, came easier with the continuity that Harbaugh main- tained. "One thing that helped me a lot was Coach [Greg] Mattison still be- ing here, a guy that I got really close with through my years here," Henry said. "Him still be- ing here helped me adjust to the new coaches. "He's going out there and giving it his best. He's mak- ing sure he gets everything out of us. We're getting everything out of him, whether it's technique, effort, things he sees to correct, whether i t ' s f e e t , h a n d placement. "He's probably the last guy in the office, he works so hard looking at film and critiquing. He's a coach who has been doing it for a very long time." Former Wolverine nose tackle Will Carr (1993-96) supplements Matti- son's teaching, still able to jump into the line and demonstrate different techniques. Then there is Harbaugh himself, who spends more time with the offense but absolutely keeps his Henry's six sacks through 10 games lead the team and give him 9.5 in his career. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL