It’s easy to spot redshirt junior defensive end Chase Winovich on the field — his long, bleached hair stands out. But it’s not just the hair.
Winovich has become a major component of the Michigan defense and leads the team in sacks with 5.5, including 2.5 last time out against Purdue.
He didn’t miss a single snap against the Boilermakers.
“I’ve been this way my whole life no matter what I’ve done,” Winovich said. “I consider myself a winner, also with the name thing, Win-ovich. As time goes on, no matter what I’ve done, checkers, chess, at Pinball Pete’s down the street playing arcade games, I learn how my opponents play and how the game works and I feed off of it. I get energy, I start playing better. I see their weaknesses and I attack them. I exploit them.”
That type of mentality has Winovich leading the Big Ten in sacks.
He said he’s glad he’s starting to get recognition for his play this season after seemingly being the afterthought of Michigan’s defensive line.
“I definitely didn’t feel like I had the respect for being a person that if you look at PFF (Pro Football Focus) they rated me as the No. 1 or No. 2 returning pass rusher in efficiency,” Winovich said. “To come out here and earn some of that respect is great, but none of that is possible without my teammates.”
Always full of interesting analogies, Winovich likened his rise to bread (wheat bread, specifically).
“I’ve been waking up for years scrapping for these crumbs that people have left for me,” Winovich said. “And I feel like for the first time I have bread in front of me, and I can just take a big bite out of the loaf.”
When he started out at Michigan as a tight end, he said he had to beg the coaching staff for playing time on special teams. He once got in a fight with a defensive player his freshman year who he thought wasn’t giving enough effort, saying that the safety would never play at Michigan.
If you asked any of his teammates, they’d say Winovich always was “balls to the wall” in practice, and played with a chip on his shoulder.
Some this year have joked that Winovich has a screw loose.
“There’s a great Conor McGregor quote,” Winovich said. “You have to be obsessed, you have to be a little crazy towards your craft and I believe I’m just that right amount of crazy. At the end of the day I’m a normal person, I’m just a fun-loving, hard-working individual, trying to make my family proud out here.”
He said McGregor has been an inspiration for him ever since he transitioned to defensive end, and says he thinks the two would get along and “be boys.”
“I always knew I was meant for more,” Winovich said.
He’s even gone to lengths that most other players won’t to get better, taking ballet and jiu-jitsu to improve his agility and balance.
“I’m willing to do what other people maybe aren’t,” Winovich said. “I don’t know if they’re embarrassed or don’t have the resources, but this winter I took a ballet class.”
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