Athlon Sports Names Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson A Preseason All-American
In addition to landing on Athlon Sports’ preseason All-Big Ten First Team, Michigan junior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson has been named a third-team All-American by the publication heading into the 2021 campaign. He is the only Wolverine to have earned preseason All-America honors.
A leg injury held Hutchinson out of the majority of the shortened 2020 season, with the 6-6, 259-pounder recording just 15 tackles on the year in two and a half games. But 2019 was his breakout campaign, and there’s optimism that he’ll return to his previous form this year. That year, he recorded 68 tackles, including 10 stops for loss, 4.5 sacks, six pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
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Hutchinson participated in some individual drills this spring, but was held out of high-contact periods as he continues to recover. He is expected to be 100 percent for fall camp and the season.
Despite not being a full practice participant, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said that Hutchinson, a returning captain who opted to forgo the NFL Draft and return for another year, has continued to show high-level leadership skills.
"It’s what you expect, what we’ve always seen here at Michigan," Harbaugh said on the 'In The Trenches' podcast following the team's spring game. "I go back to my days and think of the guys that were like that — truly talented players that had a work ethic that was extraordinary to go with that talent. The talent and the effort were at the elite level — both.
"Anybody that’s ever played at Michigan or had a teammate that was all in for the team and leading by example and doing everything in his power to get as good at football and have the rest of the team get as good at football and do everything right, — that’s Aidan Hutchinson."
That leadership is even more important this season, with the team transitioning to a new defensive scheme under first-year coordinator Mike Macdonald, who is one of four new assistant coaches on that side of the ball.
In the new scheme, Hutchinson and other defensive ends will see more action as stand-up edge rushers, something he and his teammates are excited about.
“It’s a different feel than we’ve had in the past," Hutchinson said of the spring. "Seeing our offense and defense go back and forth in practice fires me up. The identity of our defensive line is our aggression. We’re more physical on the interior and getting away from speed and are now beefing up.
“We’re faster on the edges and want to constrict that pocket as much as we can. We have the mindset that we’re going to destroy you this play, the next one and the one after that.”
Having a healthy Hutchinson will be crucial to Michigan's success this coming season. The defense notched 4.2 tackles for loss per game a year ago, which was the second-worst mark in the Big Ten and ranked 119th nationally. Hutchinson has proven to be smart and explosive at the line of scrimmage, and will help in that area and others.
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