The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/629217
MICHIGAN FOOTBALL thing be? Jim Harbaugh won 10 in a transition year. Never mind that he did some of it with Super Glue and twisty ties, Harbaugh has just about turned around this aircraft career. Houston transfer John O'Korn gives Michigan an immediate upgrade at quarterback." Finally AthlonSports.com penned: "The Wolverines took a step forward in Jim Harbaugh's first season, win- ning double-digit games (10) for the first time since 2011. And despite a few personnel losses, Michigan is po- sitioned for a run at the Big Ten title in 2016. "Finding a quarterback to replace Jake Rudock is the No. 1 priority for Harbaugh, but the offense returns leading rusher De'Veon Smith and the top three receiving options — wide receivers Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh and tight end Jake Butt. "New defensive coordinator Don Brown was one of the top assistant hires for 2016 and inherits a group that finished third in the Big Ten in scoring defense (16.4 points per game). The Wolverines are stocked up front and in the secondary, but the linebacking corps loses all three starters from 2015. "Michigan's road schedule in conference play is brutal, as trips to Iowa, Ohio State and Michigan State await next season." ❏ Q&A With Quarterback Jake Rudock Only the second quarterback in school history to throw for 3,000 yards in a season, grad-senior Jake Rudock completed 64.0 percent of his 389 attempts for 3,017 yards with 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2015. Following the conclusion of his senior year, he went on the radio with The Huge Show's Bill Simonson, and in our strong working relationship with them — The Wolverine's Chris Balas and Michael Spath are frequent guests on the show — we have the best of Rudock's interview: On being in the quarterback room with head coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterbacks coach Jedd Fisch: "It's having that mindset that you're taking it in a professional manner. Something Coach Harbaugh and Fisch always preach is they are trying to get you ready to see what it's like in the NFL. "That's how they approach practice [and] everything with us. Being in that mindset, that environment, has allowed us to excel. Teaching what it meant to be like a professional is so important in this game." EARLY 2016 POLLS CONSENSUS RANKINGS School Rank Michigan No. 5 Ohio State No. 9 Michigan State No. 12 Iowa No. 17 * Average using ranks from: USA Today, ESPN.com, AthlonSports.com, CBSSports. com, Sports Illustrated, SportingNews.com, YahooSports.com and FoxSports.com.