The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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good at it. He practices hard, he's good in the meeting room, and he does work on his own. He comes in and looks at film. He wants to be re- ally good — and he's going to be." The fact that he's doing so in a Michigan uniform marks no small feat. Harrison High has long been a hotbed of Michigan State talent, and players such as Funchess and fellow U-M rookie Mario Ojemudia were expected by some to fall in line to East Lansing. They decided to blaze their own trail, Funchess noted, seeing in Ann Arbor an opportunity they coveted. That individuality did not go unno- ticed. "It was all pressure, with people in the school," Funchess admitted. "At first, it was me and Mario talk- ing about that school. [Former MSU receiver] Mark Dell and everybody were talking to us, trying to get us to go to Michigan State." Instead, Funchess and Ojemudia raced across the field to sing "The Victors" to a reveling student sec- tion following a last-seconds, 12-10 triumph over the Spartans. That mo- ment marked another highlight on the pathway for a former basketball hopeful. Part of Funchess' early indifference over football involved his love for the hardcourt. In grade school and middle school, that's where his ath- letic world revolved. urging of his mother and godfather, but he wasn't as good at the new game. He played some football, at the motions," Funchess admitted. "In high school, I had all right freshman and sophomore years. "I just kind of went through the "Coach Ron Rice told me I needed to get more serious. He'd seen guys my size that made it in college, then made it in the future at the NFL level. I got more serious, thinking that I could be one of those types of dudes." The more serious he became about football, the more the highlight reel began growing. Funchess recalled one particularly satisfying catch in a showdown against De La Salle High School in Warren, Mich., which features five-star quarterback and Michigan verbal commitment Shane Morris. "My junior year, I had a one-hand catch on the sideline, keeping my feet 30 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2012 Through eight games, Funchess had made 11 catches for 186 yards (16.9-yard average) and three scores, including a four-catch, 106-yard, one-touchdown effort against Air Force in his Michigan Stadium debut. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL in," Funchess said. "I had another one where I had to go up and get it against De La Salle, going against Shane. I liked that one." As for his head-turner in West La- fayette, Funchess insisted it was just part of the job. "I knew the down-and-distance," he assured. "I knew if my number was called, and Denard threw the ball up, we needed that key first down. I went out, reached out and looked it in. "I always have to get the right body position. I knew the big hit was coming, because I'm such a big tar- get. The safeties and outside line- backers are always trying to key in on me and knock me down. I just went out there and looked at it like it was the same as high school — I have to make the big catch." Robinson, for one, appreciates an- other bigger target in the lineup, es- pecially one that can make the tough grab. "Devin is a phenomenal athlete," Robinson said. "Every time you see him go up and get the ball, you're like, 'All right.' He started doing it