The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 45 because everybody else was always so much smaller than him, it never really registered that he was as good as people said he was. "I just thought, of course he's going to be better, because he's massive. He was like 6-2 in the eighth grade, 280-some pounds. Of course he's going to kill these little kids on the football field." Then came eighth grade, and an invitation to the Rutgers Big Man Camp. Gary was still a big man in the making, but he proved far from the only one. Shepherd didn't have a clue what the Big Man Camp was all about. But Rutgers stood 15 minutes away from where they lived, so getting there wasn't any hardship. She did more than one double-take, though, when she saw others rolling in. They weren't eighth-graders. They didn't all look like Lilliputians beside her son. "I thought, oh my gosh!" she recalled. "It didn't register that these guys are going into their junior and senior years, going to this camp hoping to get recognized, to get an of- fer. None of that registered, because Rashan was only in the eighth grade. What did I know at the time?" Her 12-year-old son looked about, pensive and inquisitive, seemingly undaunted. "But my heart was beating," she said. "What does this kid know about going against these guys?" Not much. That didn't stop him from do- ing every drill put before him, from the 40- yard dash to the long jump, the high jump and so on. After a bit, a coach ambled over. "He said, 'Rashan is really impressive,'" Shepherd recalled. "Well, I was impressed, too." The bench press came last, and all the campers needed to head back inside the facility to the machines. Gary delivered a plaintive, "Mom, can you come with me?" He'd never lifted weights. For an eighth grader, the unknown hung heavily, in antici- pation of a 225-pound press. "I said, 'Well, all you can do is what you can do. Do the best you can,'" she remem- bered. "There were guys who did three times, four times and five times. I said, okay, Rashan will do good. He's only in the eighth grade … four times." Gary tapped out after the 14th repetition. "Everybody was amazed," Shepherd re- called. "But at the end of the camp, we all got together and everybody was shocked that Rashan was only an eighth grader." Days later, a scholarship offer arrived from Rutgers. That proved the jaw-dropper for her, and the harbinger of all that fol- lowed. "From then on, there wasn't a camp — a Rivals camp, a Nike Opening camp, NUC camp, that Rashan did not surpass expec- tations, come out the winner, get the big prize," she said. "His mindset on accom- plishing his goals is great. "Even in class, he wants to be the best. When things don't go his way, he gets up- set. But he brushes it off and on to the next endeavor. When you stop trying, that's when you stop growing and stop living. He just always gives 100 percent." Gary did so at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, before moving up to the big time — or more specifically, the Big North, where powerhouses such as Paramus Catho- lic, Don Bosco Prep, St. Joe's and St. Peter's performed. Paramus won that lottery, and eventually Gary became the No. 1 prep performer in the nation there. As his reputation grew, his head did not, Shepherd observed. "He's a humble guy," she said. "I always try to teach him humility. You never brag. You never boast. If you know you're good, that's all you need to know. You don't have to diminish anyone and you don't have to pump up yourself. You know who you are. "What you have is a gift from God. You have to cherish it. You have to honor it. You have to respect it. You have to take care of it. Just as easy as it was given, it can be taken away. So you always know and respect your place. "That's the mantra I try and put to both my children. Your things are blessings, so take care of them." To this day, he takes care of his team- mates, his biggest fan assured. "He's getting double- and triple-teamed," she observed. "That allows his teammates to make those plays. Even though he may not get [credit in] the box score or the stat, he made the play. He's okay with that. "He's okay, because Chase is getting these sacks and Devin is getting these sacks. He's okay with that. It's about the team. I just think Rashan is a great teammate." She's amused by Winovich, like everyone else (quarterbacks excluded). "I love Chase, his mom and his dad," Shepherd said. "Chase is hilarious. He talks so much smack. I'd see him in confronta- tions, but I didn't know why. It's because he talks so much smack. "He seems like a nice guy." He also seemingly never draws a substitu- tion, unlike Gary. Shepherd asked her son about that one. "He said, 'Mom, Chase doesn't come out because he has a motor that just won't stop,'" Gary told her. "I'm like, wow. He does not ever come out. I hear about his mo- tor. He's unstoppable. He's always on 10. That's a good attribute to have, especially as a football player at a high level." Michigan is a great place to be for both of them, Shepherd assured. Her Academic All-Big Ten performer is flexing in all areas. "I always ask Rashan, is he happy?" Shep- herd said. "I always ask Rashan, if you had another choice to make, would you have made this choice? He says, 'Mom, I love Ann Arbor. I love Michigan. I love my team- mates. I'm a Wolverine.' And so, I'm a Wol- verine. That's how it is. "My son is happy in Michigan. Even though I miss him so much — he's over 800 miles away — I know that he's well. He's happy, and he's in a good place. "I see my teenage son has become a man at Michigan. He's a Michigan Man, and he is a Wolverine." The Chase For Greatness Peter and Anina Winovich knew practi- cally nothing of Michigan when their son opted for Ann Arbor. A couple of good punts