The Wolverine

May 2018

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/970722

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 43 of 75

44 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2018 BY JOHN BORTON T he 2017 Michigan football sea- son became The Year Of The Freshman, when it came to the Wolverines' kickers and key return men. They actually held up pretty well, applying their best stiff-arm to the old saw: What's the best thing about fresh- men? They become sophomores. From strong-legged redshirt sopho- more field goal kicker Quinn Nordin, to improving sophomore punter Brad Robbins, and sophomore return men Donovan Peoples-Jones and Ambry Thomas, Michigan's specialists have a chance to build on the foundation they set in 2017. Former U-M captain and present ra- dio broadcast team member Jon Jansen is convinced they will. "I'm confident our kicking game is going to be solid next year," he said. "I really am." One year ago, those attending Michi- gan's spring game anxiously awaited Nordin's unveiling, and he didn't dis- appoint. Nordin unloaded a spring game field goal that would have been good from 65 yards out, then began the season with a 55-yarder against Florida. The rookie starter went on to cash in on 19 of 24 field goal attempts (79.2 percent), including two 50-plus yard- ers and four more between 40 and 49 yards. His six makes from 40 or more tied for second in Michigan single- season annals, while he also tied a sin- gle-game record with five field goals against Air Force. An honorable mention All-Big Ten performer, Nordin did miss three extra points along the way, but on the whole he delivered plenty of reason for confi- dence in the years to come. "I think our field goal kicker is going to be very special," Jansen said. "He's going to give us a huge advantage over the course of this year and next year." Nordin came into spring practice ready to certify his 2017 efforts. He retains the big leg and will look to demonstrate the natural situational maturity that comes with growing in a program. He has the potential to see the spot- light increase this season. Road games such as at Notre Dame, at Michigan State and at Ohio State can always become hard-fought battles that come down to a field goal. If that happens, Nordin could see a win or loss resting on his powerful right leg. Michigan will look to keep those situations from arising, of course. But Nordin is preparing like every game will come down to a kick, and he's getting put in pressure situations as if that's the case as well. Robbins moved into the starting spot early in his freshman year, av- eraging 40.4 yards on 64 punts. He exceeded 50 yards on four of them, including a long of 58, and most im- portantly didn't have any blocked. He placed 19 punts inside the op- ponent's 20, but struggled at times to demonstrate the consistency that made him one of the nation's most sought-after prep punters. He'll carry the confidence of having done the job at this level into the fall. "It's just a year of experience," Jan- sen mentioned. "Confidence in foot- ball is so big. I don't know of any sport where it's more important. You're talk- ing about physical competition, mano- a-mano. "You put a year under his belt of, 'Here's where you did good. Here's where it didn't go so well, and here's why it happened.' Now all of a sud- den, he can be more of a coach on the GettinG their KicKs No More Rookies In All-Important Special Teams Roles Redshirt sophomore Quinn Nordin made 19 of 24 field goal attempts during his debut cam- paign, with a long of 55 yards. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Wolverine - May 2018