On whether he feels like he as multiple starters in his group

For sure. I've got three guys that are high level, really good football players that are different, too. Have different strengths, different weaknesses and everything. Excited to see and mix and match in games and see those three go at it and play and do different and utilize them in different ways. I do consider all three of guys, Mike Barrett, Junior Colson and Ernest Hausmann starters for us.

On Ernest Hausmann

Ernest just sees the game so well, he studies it so well. He anticipates really well. Practices hard, prepares. He's kind of like an in-between Mike and Junior. He plays the run and the pass and does everything at a good level. He's a very well-rounded backer.

On what has struck him as different when he came back

That is a loaded question. The victory stuff for the Ohio State game, number one. That's exciting to see. It's funny, I've gotten that question from a lot of different areas. I would liken it to this. First of all, the culture here is A-plus. The coaches and players, when you walk in this building when I came back, it is an A-plus culture. If you just think of it like this, when I was here the first time, it was kind of just still developing. We weren't there yet. Jim's culture was developing and who he is. Now, it embodies who he is. If you take a kid, you have a baby and they're four or five years old and you say, well, are you like mom or are you more like dad? You don't really now. Now, all of a sudden it's like, you're dad. I think that's what this team is. They're Jim and they embody him. Hard-working, blue collar, consistent, they play with no fear. They know he has their back and they have his back. That's what you feel when you come in here. It kind of started to happen and then I left and then it happened. I think that is the best way to look at it in terms of the differences from when I was here and coming back.

On how Mike Barrett has changed during his absence

Really awesome. Mike was recruited as a defensive player that never played defense before when he got here. He was a high school quarterback. His development through the years has been incredible. He's evolved himself into a bonafide star linebacker and the guy is going to play in the NFL for a long time. It's really awesome, makes me feel really good because when you get a guy like that and you see a vision for him and it actually comes to fruition, it makes you feel good. You convince him, convince his family, hey, come up to Michigan, you can play linebacker when they've never played defense before. I'm excited for Mike. Now to see him be a captain, it really is awesome. Really proud of him. We pranked his mom when he was announced captain. I called her and I said, 'You need to call Mike right now.' She's on it, 'What did he do now?' We got her on the phone and told her. It's a really cool thing to see his development.

On how the profile of a player has changed at Michigan from when he was first here to now

The profile now, we run a pro-defense, right? We run an NFL defense. The profile is, our guys need to be able to do a lot of different things. So you need to have size, you need to have athleticism, you need to recruit guys that can process, that can think, adjust, have answers to different things on the field. Deals with gaps throughout a practice, a game, at halftime. Guys that really play and think and are at a different level. I think just honing in on those guys in terms of recruitment is important. It has, it has changed a good amount. From multiple in the front, going from three down linemen to four down. When I was here last we were a four-down front primarily, right? Being able to recruit guys who can play multiple fronts is important. That affects the backers, too, you need to have some size to play linebacker to be able to do that.

On how he thinks the team will respond to Jim Harbaugh not being on the sidelines

Oh yeah, there's no worries. I don't think he has any worries, the guys are going to play like their hair is on fire for him, for sure. That's something that they're going to come out and they're going to come out on fire and they're going to play hard. They're going to do exactly what they need to do exactly the way he expects them to do.

On what ways he feels like he's changed as a coach

Shoot, incredibly. I've grown a lot as a coach, I've seen different things. Gotten different experiences. It feels really good, I've really enjoyed what I'm doing here because I was kind of born a linebacker and a linebacker coach and then while I was here, I switched to safeties and coached the safeties for five years so now I'm back home coaching the linebackers. It has made me such a better linebacker coach to have been with the safeties. Have been in the SEC, coordinated a defense, seeing how often offenses attack down there. The differences. I've developed a lot as the type of coach I am and the type of, obviously, within the position, for sure, I've grown a lot.

On East Carolina's offense

They've got some new faces. A new quarterback, a new running back, some new receivers, some new O-line. Their offense has stayed consistent over the years so we feel like we know how they're going to attack, it's just the type of players that can change. Their quarterback did get a start back in 2020 so we can see a little bit of film on him. He's more of a mobile, running quarterback than they had last year so we have to prepare for that. Their running back kind of got hurt last year but he started also. He's kind of a guy we've gotten some film on. They're explosive, man, They're a good offensive football team for sure. They always have skill guys at the receiver spots, we're going to have to handle them and handle their shots. They have a good running game, they try to get you into space. We have our work cut out for us. We're going to have to come, going to have to play, we're going to have to tackle, take great angles to the ball. Jesse talks about pillars to this defense, we're going to have to execute on all four pillars for sure.

On how much Jim Harbaugh has changed

It's like everyone. As you get older, the guys who adapt and change and grow can continue to grow and see what they need to develop themselves, they're the ones who are successful over a period of time. Jim got used to the college game a little more and how to relate to college kids, that's what I think. How to provide their needs for them. I think he does an awesome job with that. I think he's just grown through his years and adapted and figured out what it would take to get this program on a national spotlight again. I think he's done an unbelievable job with that.

On what needs to happen to get NIL to where it should be

I think people now recognize the importance. They just needed to hear the support of it, right? It's something that you can't turn your eye to. You heard Jim come out here on Monday and give his statement. It's what needs to happen, it's what should happen. We support it fully in this program and in this university. We just have to get out there and make sure our alumni, our supporters, hear from us and know that we support it. Our plan to execute it we feel like is best in the country too so we just had to get our voice out there and get it. I do feel like people are hearing it, for sure.

On whether he's working on special teams

I'm here to assist anybody. Anything Jay needs, I'm there for him. So I do help and work with special teams.

On the growth of special teams under Jay Harbaugh

Awesome. It's really cool to see. It's like riding a bike, I was away from special teams completely for three years and then I come back and he's just grown it so, so well. They;re so good on special teams here. I just jump back in, a lot of the terminology the same. He's changed some things, put his own flavor on it but it's cool to be back involved and it's fun to be working on it with him, too. It's awesome.

On the difference between recruiting for an SEC school and recruiting for Michigan

In an SEC school, you don't have to go as far. A lot of the guys are around. You don't have to recruit nationally as much down in the south. Michigan, obviously it's a national program, you have to go all over the country to find the guys that fit. I think at an SEC school, the players all kind of fit an SEC school, if that makes sense. Whereas here at Michigan, we look for a certain type of guy. You gotta do a little bit more homework to find the guys whereas in the SEC, the athletic traits are the things that you mostly focus on. Here, we want guys that can process, that can think, guys that want an education, guys that value being a Michigan Man. Looking for those guys around the country. I think those are the kind of guys to do your homework and find the right players that are able athletically to play for us as well.

On how much he's hoping to revive the New Jersey pipeline

I don't know if it dried up, we're going to revive it. We're going to go after the best players anywhere in the country. I have ties in New Jersey and there's some really good players coming up in this class coming up and we're going to go try and get them, for sure. It's like anywhere that I recruit or anyone recruits, we're going to try and get the best players, Hopefully some are more from New Jersey.

On Jaydon Hood

Jaydon, sometimes when guys don't play early they kind of get into this abyss. Especially when guys that are in front of them are coming back. Mike Barrett has been here forever and Jaydon gets here and it's like, oh, Mike is front of me. Oh, Mike is font of me again. They kind of get into this little lost area and I think that's where Jaydon was. Maybe the change revived him. Jaydon works really hard, he wants to be good, he wants to contribute. He just wants to be valued on the team, whether it's special teams, whatever it is. He's worked for it and he's done a really good job. He's improved since the day I started working with him until now, he's just improved, improved and improved. He keeps working and he keeps improving. Really excited about him. He knows, he's still got room to grow but he had a heckuva camp. He's put together a heckuva camp. He's seeing light right now, I think that's the best way to describe it.

On how much he's seen the coaching style change

Jesse, I've only really known him, I spoke to him prior a few times but I've only really known him since I got back. He is just an unbelievable leader, coordinator, person. He's very open, he values input and allows his coaches to coach, allows his players to be themselves. He allows everyone to be themselves and still puts his stamp on what he wants his defense to look like. I think there is collaboration but he allows everybody to be themselves but still understand what the framework of what the defense is. It's cool, it's been fun to work with. Fun to see him. We have his dad, Rick, on staff which is cool because, to me, you kind of see, well, Rick has got a major imprint on Jesse but then Jesse is his own person, his own style, his own coach. That's been fun to see them work together and understand that dynamic. It goes to the coordinator, he does an awesome job with the guys and the coaches and makes everyone feel welcome and be themselves. Put it all together and let the product go.

On Alex Orji, Kalel Mullings as potential kick returners

It's Jay, it's Jim. Jim has always been like this, too. Jay has kind of taken that on. The players that can do different things, don't put them in a box. Open them up. OK, Orji is a quarterback. Well, he can run, he's big, he's strong and he can catch. Put him at kick return. It's not that hard to do, it's just coach put themselves in this little box and they're not as creative and they're not willing to do it. I think Jim has passed that to Jay, obviously, and he's creative. You think outside the box and sometimes you create a new box and that's what they do and that's what Jay does with special teams and that's the reason those guys will move all around. It's the reason Kalel played linebacker, he played running back. It's the reason Peppers did what he did when he was here. Plays all over the field. Some coaches would've said, oh, no, I want him to focus on one specific thing. When you've got guys like that can handle it and can do it, why not? As coaches you just have to take on the responsibility to make sure you've got them to be able to do it all.

On what problems Alex Orji can give other teams on special teams

He's big, he's fast. He's powerful, he can run. Quarterbacks tend to have a certain vision of things so he'll have a bigger vision of where to hit the runs and the lanes and stuff. He could be a potential problem back there, for sure.

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