The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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14 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2017 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS 2 Was Michigan's rank in NFL.com's listing of schools that have produced the best draft picks since 2000, trailing only Miami. The website took the 30 programs that have produced the most picks since the turn of the century and then ranked them via a formula in which players were given credit for where they were selected and the professional honors they've earned. Michigan's 76 picks during the span of the study tied for 10th among all schools, but they got major bonus points from the success of quarterback Tom Brady, guard Steve Hutchinson and tackle Jake Long. "Naturally, Tom Brady's 80 points were the most of any player in the series by a wide margin," Chase Good- bread wrote. "In fact, Brady piled up more points by himself than 19 of 30 schools in the series compiled among all their draft picks." 5 Wolverines were ranked among the best returning college players in the country by SportsOnEarth. com, which listed sophomore Rashan Gary as the No. 5 defensive end, fifth-year senior Maurice Hurst Jr. as the No. 8 defensive tackle, senior Mason Cole as the No. 20 offensive lineman, fifth-year senior Mike Mc- Cray as the No. 27 linebacker and redshirt junior Wilton Speight as the No. 34 quarterback. 8 Former Wolverines made NFL. com senior analyst Gil Brandt's top 25 NFL players of all time at their positions — No. 25 defensive end Len Ford, No. 18 cornerback Ty Law, No. 16 center Dan Dier- dorf, No. 15 wideout Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch, No. 15 guard Steve Hutchinson, No. 4 cornerback Charles Woodson, No. 2 guard Tom Mack and No. 1 quarterback Brady. 22 Is where Gary checked in on Sports Illustrated's count- down of the top 100 players in college football. He was joined on the list by Hurst, who was No. 71. Gary was the second-highest ranked player from the Big Ten, trailing only No. 5 Saquon Barkley, a running back from Penn State. He was also the No. 3 defensive end nationally. 78 Wolverines were named 2016-17 Big Ten Distinguished Scholars, a school record for the honor that requires stu- dent-athletes to record a minimum 3.7 grade-point aver- age. U-M has increased its total each of the last seven years. Women's track and field led the way with 11 honorees, while the football team paced the men with six selections. $163,850,616 Was the total revenue of the Michi- gan athletics department in 2015- 16, according to USA Today. The total ranked fifth nationally, behind only No. 3 Ohio State ($170,789,765) in the Big Ten. However, when total expenses are taken out, Michigan made nearly $6 million ($5,978,517), while the OSU profits were just under $4 million. By The NUMBERS PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN