The Wolverine

March 2018

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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MARCH 2018 THE WOLVERINE 31 to be on the sideline and go in the locker room. That was a pretty cool experience. I saw [Olympic swim- mer] Michael Phelps on the sideline and took a picture with him. It was pretty amazing." The younger Hutchinson insists coming out of the Michigan Stadium tunnel will absolutely rank as an early highlight for him. "I've always been in the stands, looking at the guys walking through the tunnel and then hitting the ban- ner," he said. "It's going to be a very cool opportunity to be the one on the opposite side of that, looking at the cheering crowd. That's something I've been waiting for, for a while." He's spoken with Brown about the Michigan defense, finding it complex and well thought out. Hutchinson can't wait to be part of that as well, while going up against some of the best offensive linemen in the country in Big Ten battles. He describes his own skills high- lighted by "penetration, explosion and high effort, high motor, all the time." Those all must increase, given the move from one level to the next. He admits to playing a little high at times, which he assigns somewhat to performing against 5-10 offensive linemen in high school. He also knows he's got to continu- ally improve his technique to take on 21-year-olds in college. The urging to ever greater effort is always with him, and he says he's coming to Ann Arbor to give it his best shot and see where that takes him. It's worked out well so far. The younger Hutchinson also has a ready resource any time he needs advice. "He has most of his old games," Hutchinson said of his dad. "Every once in a while he'll pop one in, and he brags to me about some of the plays he makes. It's funny how he recalls almost every single game. It's like, 'Oh, watch this, watch this …' It's really cool. "We have completely different as- sets, and we're completely different players. He's a small, undersized, 6-2 guy, and I'm an outside rusher at 6-6, 260. He came into Michigan at 220. "It's the opposite sides of the spec- trum, but we're so alike with our high motors, playing with great technique, playing with our hands. We're alike, but different." Hutchinson stands as one of the brightest lights in a class that hasn't drawn the blinding spotlight some Michigan crews do. He's well aware, and ready to make another declaration. "Some people are sleeping on this 2018 recruiting class," he acknowl- edged. "Those who stay will be cham- pions." ❏ DID YOU KNOW? • Born Aug. 9, 2000. • Hutchinson managed 38 receptions for 419 yards and eight touch- downs as a senior tight end. He also blocked a kick and notched 17 quarterback hurries, while occasionally playing along the offensive line and handling long snapping duties. • Played lacrosse throughout his high school career, serving as a team captain in two seasons and earning second-team all-state honors as a junior. • The son of former Michigan football captain Chris Hutchinson, the team MVP as a senior who is still tied for fourth on U-M's all-time sacks list (24). Chris was a first-team All-Big Ten pick in 1991 and 1992, and a first-team All-American in his final year of eligibility. • His mother, Melissa, also attended Michigan, and his two sisters, Mia and Aria, are presently U-M students. • Participated in the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge in Indianapo- lis during the summer of 2017. THEY SAID IT • U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh: "Aidan is a 3.6 student, and like [fellow defensive end signees] Taylor Upshaw and Julius Welschof, he's 6-5 or 6-6 and still growing into his body — he's 280 pounds already. I think he'll be something special here." • Divine Child head coach John Filiatraut: "Aidan would probably be the best player on our team at eight defensive positions and eight to nine offensive positions." • Ann Arbor (Mich.) Father Gabriel Richard head coach Brian Lewis: "It's probably not a good idea to go his way a lot. At the end of the game last year, we ran a toss sweep and Aidan shed the tight end blocking him, ran down the running back and kind of ended the game for us. That was a big play for him and his team. His lateral movement is pretty good and he's just a long kid, so you try not to go at him much." Hutchinson was a four-star recruit accord- ing to all three major recruiting services, which each listed him among the top 200 recruits in the land. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM MARCH 2018 THE WOLVERINE 31

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