The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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wrong time to be using spring break as a spring football out-of-season practice opportunity." He tried to sell it as "bad for the kids," but few were buying. Former Michigan defensive line- man Willie Henry, for example, said from the NFL Combine that he had no regrets about leaving early for the NFL Draft, with one exception — he was a bit jealous that his former teammates got to go to Florida. The feigned disgust from the SEC higher-ups, etc. about kids not being able to enjoy themselves on spring break proved to be a false narrative, senior tight end Jake Butt said, and the rest of his teammates concurred. "It's been great," fifth-year senior receiver Amara Darboh said three days in. "The weather's been great. It's been a great time to spend with teammates, having just football in- stead of football and classes like we usually do. It's just good to just focus on football." Many on the team, including Dar- boh, had no spring break plans and weren't going anywhere. At the same time, southeast Michigan was under a winter storm warning and getting dumped with snow. "Even if we had stayed in Ann Ar- bor it was going to be the same thing, just four hours of practice," Darboh said. "I don't know what strings Coach Harbaugh had to pull, but he's look- ing out for the players. It's a free spring break trip — a chance to hang out with teammates and play football in good weather." The players also hit the beach, ate some good food and bonded with their teammates. Harbaugh called it a team-building experience. Butt called it heaven on earth. "Fish tacos, beef tacos, chicken ta- cos … I was listening to [the song] Red, Red Wine, waves were coming in. It was awesome, and you're out here playing football with your brothers. It doesn't get any better than that," he said. "We get a free trip to Florida, staying in some beautiful little vil- las, practicing on grass fields in the warmth. It definitely beats the snow, that's for sure. I think more teams should do it. Knock out four prac- tices when you don't have to worry about classes and studying. I think it's a great idea — a brilliant move by Coach Harbaugh." The activities included a team Ping-Pong tournament that brought out the competitive spirit. "We had great spring activities," fifth-year senior tailback Drake John- son said. "We went to the beach, had some chicken wings. If I had a spring break, that's what I'd do. That's what kids do on spring break. We had re- ally good solidarity." SHARING THE EXCITEMENT Harbaugh didn't limit the fun to his players. He opened up the final practice (and the first one in full pads) to the fans, and they re- sponded by backing up Route 70 for miles to get an early look at the 2016 Wolverines. The crowd was estimated at 5,000- plus, but it could have been much higher than that if there had been