The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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The Rudock family definitely appreci- ated how one year in Ann Arbor turned out. "I spoke to his dad while I was down there [in Orlando, Fla.] and his dad ac- knowledged that being at Michigan, working with Coach Harbaugh and Coach Fisch, made a world of difference in his development," Michigan sideline reporter Doug Karsch noted. "Jake has come so far so quickly." Harbaugh witnessed it as well. The head coach proved the first to shut down detractors after Rudock's three- interception performance in Michigan's opener at Utah, noting those picks weren't all the newcomer's fault. Harbaugh later insisted Rudock rep- resented the best quarterback the Wol- verines could put on the field — by far. That take began to quiet the critics, and Rudock's own efforts took it from there. He set the Michigan record for sin- gle-game touchdown passes with six at Indiana, and the Wolverines needed every one of them to win in double overtime. His 249 completions in 2015 ranked behind only the 270 John Na- varre connected on during a Big Ten championship season in 2003. Rudock certainly ended well, with the MVP performance in the bowl game. "Jake Rudock was fabulous, on the money today," Harbaugh said after the final contest. "I mean, darned near flaw- less." 2. JOURDAN LEWIS Junior, CB Lewis enjoyed a breakout year under Michigan's new coaching staff, earning first-team All-America honors from USA Today and Sports Illustrated, along with second-team plaudits from the Associ-