AJ Barner: transfer to Michigan 'something I couldn't pass up'
Michigan tight end A.J. Barner met with reporters on Thursday afternoon to discuss his offseason transfer from Indiana to U-M, and how he has become acclimated to the program so far. Barner spent three seasons with the Hoosiers before making an intra-conference transfer to Michigan.
It's been about three months since Barner's transfer became official, and he's had some time to become acquainted with the program and the talent on the team. He first broke down what made Michigan stand out to him during his recruitment.
"I think first, just the style of football that they play: running the ball, being physical up front," Barner said. "The opportunity to be a tight end here and the way that they use their tight ends, and just the tradition here. You walk around here, we're getting close to 1,000 wins. Football means a whole bunch to this place, and that's something that I care a lot about, so that opportunity was just something I couldn't pass up."
It's common knowledge at this point that Jim Harbaugh and Michigan love to play a physical style of football which includes running the football behind a dominant offensive line. Often times, U-M rolls out two, or sometimes even three tight ends onto the field in short-yardage situations to help the offensive line establish a push.
Barner says his fellow tight ends — Colston Loveland, Matthew Hibner, Marlin Klein and Max Bredeson — have welcomed him in with open arms and have made him feel right at home in Ann Arbor.
"I think it's been great," Barner said. "They've been extremely helpful with learning the playbook. Colston's a really great player, and [Matthew Hibner] is a really great player... I could go on and on. They've just been really good to me, and I think when you play at a position like tight end, you need multiple guys to be able to step in and play and fulfill a bunch of different roles."
Barner touched on what role he, specifically, plans on bringing to the team.
"Being an enforcer on the line, physical up front, helping out in the pass game, making big plays," Barner said. "I think I've got really good ball skills, so I think I'll be a great addition."
Michigan fans will get their first look at Barner in a Michigan uniform next Saturday, April 1 at the annual spring game. The contest between the Maize team and the Blue team (rosters yet to be announced) will commence at 3 p.m. on April 1, and it will feature many new faces, including Barner.
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