On having a family of coaches

I feel very blessed, two uncles who are coaches too. Every time I watched the movie, My Cousin Vinnie and Marisa Tomei starts talking about her dad was a mechanic, had two uncles who were mechanics, her brother’s or mechanic, her other brother’s a mechanic, I mean, that's the image I always—it resonates with me.

On why J.J. McCarthy isn't in Indianapolis

We traditionally bring the guys that are fourth or fifth-year players. And believe me, every guy back in Ann Arbor knows exactly why the three guys, Mike Sainristil, Kris Jenkins and Blake Corum are here. They're walking, talking infomercials for what a football player, you know, should be. What a Michigan football player, when we when we think of it. They're great. There's none better than those three, for sure, and we have probably 30-some, you know, right there with them still back in Ann Arbor. And I can promise you that all the guys back in Ann Arbor are proud of those three that are here today.

On whether he's expecting a four-game suspension

You’ve been here all day. I mean, I think you understand that I can't comment on any aspect of that situation.

On what the experience of the NCAA investigation is like

I can't comment on any aspect of it. I always treat everything like a football game. And every time you know, win or lose, I mean, come to this podium or this stage. Since 1982, I could go back and have been on this stage. As a football player and football coach, I lay it all out there. But this is one of those situations where I cannot do that.

On the contingency plan if he is suspended

No matter how you frame the question, I mean, I can’t. I’m not at liberty, unable, unable to talk about any aspect. And I'm with you too. I hope you know that. I'm with you. I understand. I’m with you. We've never been with each other before, but I'm with you.

On whether there are any freshmen that have impressed him like Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant did

The same? That's—maybe. I know I described them as the two gifts from the football gods. Are we referencing back to that? It's gonna be—it's a really, really good class. Mid-year guys. The guys that just came in as well. I mean, it's a lot of fun. They're going through some of the growth of being a freshman. The unbelievably cool thing is, as we sit here on July 27, 2023, people call it attitude, people call it culture. You know, where the team is at, it’s in the best place it's been since I arrived in 2015. Many people have poured into that, going back to 2015. Great Michigan men have poured into that, to the point of now it's a walk in the park as a coach, to where I go. ‘Just watch Blake, really study him, then emulate him, copy him, and then go see if you can make him proud of you. Watch Kris Jenkins, really study him, and then go see if you can make him proud of you. And 30 other guys, that's what we're able to do because many of them studied Aidan Hutchinson or Jake Butt. It’s been a long time—cultural momentum.

On Cade McNamara's Michigan impact

Huge. Huge. Yeah. Great love for Cade, pulling hard for Cade praying for Cade. He tells me he's in a great place and things are going great for him. And there with Erick All, another favorite another beloved son. Cade to all of us, I mean, we go back a long way. There's somebody that went into a game in 2020, we’re down 17 points, and just to start bringing us back and, right from the minute he went into the game, got a big hit right before halftime, and then saw the gravel in the gut that he had and brought our team back for an overtime win. And then took off from there. We beat Ohio State, won the Big Ten championship. I mean, he would be one of those great Michigan men. Now he’s a Hawkeye, but the love hasn't changed

On his memories with the Colts

Yeah, warms the cockles of the heart to remember some of those days. Yeah, just hard to put into words. It was at a time in my life where I had my nose bloody, coming from Chicago, and then to be welcomed here and to this team, this organization, the horseshoe has a special place in my heart. The teammates, to the coaches. Ted Marchibroda to Lindy Infante, Ron Blackledge, so many of those great guys that influenced my career. Wouldn't be here, wouldn't be where I am without those great men and super teammates. I mean, that was — and I know I've referenced it, some of the folks here could tell you — our ’21 team at Michigan was so similar to our ’95 Colts team, where everybody contributed, everybody played a role in the team's success. Everybody was happy for the other guys' success. Very, very cool, brings back great memories.

On Josaiah Stewart

Josiah Stewart is one of four guys that I would consider a starting edge right now. And it's gonna be—much like Cade and JJ last year where. Yeah, we may find out in training camp who the two best are. Who the starters are, that might be something that goes into the season. We may start two one game, and two the other game, it could be that kind of scenario. You don't know until you know. But he's definitely, definitely somebody that (on the table) and he does it in a great way, a different way. I mean, he's got this lower pad level, gets under everybody so fast, so quick. I mean he can really rush the quarterback and be in a much even better position than he was in the spring in terms of knowing the system and knowing his role in the defense.

On visiting the Holocaust Museum

It was Jordan Acker, one of our regents, he called me up and suggested it and it's a great idea. The team always wants to learn and connect, and that was a tremendous opportunity. We're about it. That's what we're about. We're about any and every opportunity to learn and grow.

On walk-on players having big roles

Oh yeah, we sure do. Isaiah’s not going to be on the team, he's medically retired. But yeah there's gonna be, I mean, we had nine preferred walk-ons that played in the Ohio State game this past year. Joe Taylor had an incredible game against TCU. Peyton O’Leary, what he showed in the spring. And more, once you start naming names, some guys think that they're not in that group. There are a lot of guys who have the license and the ability to make a big impact on our team.

On the Beat Georgia drill

Yeah, I mean, kind of like our good friend Ric Flair says, if you want to be the man, you gotta beat the man. I wanted to emphasize it.

On whether he can 'woo' like Ric Flair

That's one thing I wish I was better at. I wish I was better at that. There's only one person that could give you that.

On taking a quarterback battle into the season to get more data

I think you just said it all right there. That's what it was. It was just too close to call in the practice environment. And there's no question that practice predicts game performance, but nothing predicts game performance like game performance. And it just felt like the fairest thing to do. It needed to go into overtime into the season.

On whether last year's schedule enabled him to do that

No, I don't think so. It’s just what it required. And I think it's just more of a quarterback thing usually, you know, that becomes a big story or a big thing. But any position, including the quarterback, I mean, nobody really owns the position. If you really looked at it, I mean, they're leasing at best. That’s something I understood as a player, everybody else is renting. Like leasing would be a month, you got four games. If you don't do well for four games, I mean, somebody else is possibly sitting there that could pay more rent—and you gotta pay the rent. It's very highlighted at quarterback, but really that is the nature of football. The beauty of football that you don't own a position, you gotta earn it.

On making the QB decision with data vs. gut feeling

As much as can be, objective. I mean, as much as you possibly can, objective. Gut feel, I've never been a big fan of that. Somebody says their gut, ‘I had a gut feeling,’ you sure that wasn't gas? I’ve never been a big fan of making any decisions over gut feeling.

On whether the NCAA investigation is a distraction

Again, I can't comment on anything that's related to that.

On whether he can keep it from being a distraction

I know you're gonna get tired of hearing this, but I can't comment on any aspect.

On offensive line depth

Center, I think we have two starting centers. You have Drake Nugent and you have Greg Crippen. Crippen and Drake. Both are, we think, starting caliber. We even think they’re both All-Big Ten caliber, possibly even All-American caliber. There’s an example of, who’s gonna start? We’re gonna start the best player. How are we going to know who the best player is? They play the best. I see that a tackle, too. Barnhart, Trente, Myles Hinton and LaDarius. There's four starting tackles. You know a starting tackle when you see one. And that’s also going to play out.

On not having Brenda Tracy not speak with the team since 2019

There was never any decision not to bring her back. She came back, she was an honorary captain after she spoke to our team. I'm a big fan. Big fan of Brenda, she's impacted not only our team, then went to my brother's team, and they've been through to a lot of teams. And I could probably give you the whole—we have a long list of people to talk to our team, pretty much daily during training camp. We're looking to learn and grow at any possibility, any and every opportunity.

On whether the Michigan-MSU rivalry has gotten too intense

I mean, the goal is mutual respect, tremendous competition, and that's what we're striving for. Yes, we have that for Michigan State. A mutual respect and it is great competition.

On whether Mel Tucker has that for his team

That's unknowable for me to know that.

On whether he's spoken with Mel Tucker since the tunnel incident

No.

On the cultural momentum phrase

I would just say in the conversations that I have with the players, you know, where I used to tell them a message, they will tell that message to me now. ‘Coach, it doesn't matter what we did last year, it doesn't matter what we did the last two years. Now we're doing it again. And the only time that matters is now.’ That would be my evidence.

On what has changed with beating Ohio State

A lot of little things. Lot of little things that people think are minutia. I mean, it's really 1,000 little things. It's the work, we always if you ever analyzed it or took it apart, you'd understand that it's just the work. The compiled work.

On Josh Wallace

He’s a really good player. Really good players were wanting to come to Michigan, and we’re going to keep taking really good players as long as we can.

On whether he can start

Yeah, I predict that, that he's got the license and the ability to do that.

On the Beat Georgia drill

I mean the emphasis is stopping the run and being able to run the ball, when the other team knows you're going to run the ball. That's what I really respect about that team, their ability to run the ball when the other team knows they're running the ball and to be able to stop the run.

On bringing in younger running backs into the rotation

The plan is to play the best players. I think that the real challenge, and it's a great, great challenge to have, is the amount of playmakers that we have on offense and the skill positions. And to really just dictate that we have got to get the ball to Blake so many times in a game, we got to get it to Donovan pretty much that same amount that Blake does. There'll be a third running back, who will get designated touches per game. The two, the three wide receivers, equal reps, equal targets for those three. And the tight ends, there's four of them, especially the top two guys, and to be able to spread that out, it's got to help how hard that would be to defend. That’s a thought that I have in my head like day would follow night, we would expect that if we can spread that out, where everybody eats, everybody touches the ball. And we can come back on a Sunday and look at that game tape from Saturday and go ‘hit the targets, hit the targets, hit the targets, hit the targets.’ We went all over the field, horizontally, horizontally vertically, and everybody was able to contribute. Possibly they didn't know where the ball was going at any one time. That's a challenge for our coaches, for us coaches to be able to utilize the talent that we have on the offensive side of the ball set especially at the skilled positions

On whether he's had a rotation of skill position players this deep

Oh, all that's to be determined, right? I mean, but in my honest answer, no, I don't think so. And I don't think I'm wrong. I think they’re that talented.

On his thoughts on the assistant coaches

It's been a real joy to have such a tremendous coaching staff. The defensive coaches, the offensive coaches, the special teams coaches, I’m thrilled with the coaching staff and they're just so good. They're at the level where people asked me today, like, who are your mentors in football? Who do you talk with? Who do you go to and talk football with? And the answer is, I just walk down the hall. I walk down the hall, my own coaches. I mean, they're like, the relationship is the same as it is with my brother, who's also a football coach, that I have with the coaches that are on our staff. When when I walk down that hall, I mean, every time it's, you hear engagement. There's not people in their offices with the doors closed, they're together talking football. Defensive coaches are talking to offensive coaches. Special teams coaches, talking to defensive and offensive coaches. It's back and forth, it’s tremendous dialogue. It's a tremendous collaborative environment.

On his strategy of building a game schedule

I really haven't built a schedule since I've been at Michigan. Think the last time I had input on a schedule was at Stanford, my first couple of years. Yeah, it's not something that I’m involved with.

On whether Michigan is 'natty or bust' this year

No, I don't, championship or bust? I mean, what does that mean? That doesn't mean anything to me, that's not real. We’re the same as we always are. I mean, the way we go into every year. Our goal is to win the championship, win the national championship, to beat Michigan State, beat Ohio State, beat Penn State. I mean, we have so many—there are so many good teams that we play so many football fights. I haven't heard one football player say championship or bust. I know I've heard that media-driven slogan, but that means nothing, that word ‘bust.’

On him saying he would beat Ohio State or die trying

Now that actually means something doesn't it? And I meant it.

On McCarthy similarities to Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen

He's got the physical, athletic attributes, and then all the arm talent, accuracy, velocity, decision-making, and intangibles. He also has what the great ones, in my opinion, have, which is a willingness to do anything for their teammates. When I watch how Patrick Mahomes interacts with his teammates, what he says about them what they say about him, watch Josh Allen and what he says about his teammates, what his teammates say about him. You just know when you see it. It's the same thing I see with JJ and his teammates. I mean, he's willing to do anything for his teammates. And therefore they know that they know what's in another man's heart and they would follow him. And I’ve suggested that follow JJ anywhere, and I would.

On a potential contract extension

That's one I’ll let lawyers talk, they can talk about that one. Not my realm. Keep me in the realm of what I know, which is football.

On McCarthy and what he looks for in a quarterback recruit

I've also made the comment, I think JJ is a once-in-a-generation type of guy at Michigan for my knowledge of Michigan football through the last 50, 60 years. But yeah, I'm pretty hopeful that we could strike that lightning again. In those that we recruit and evaluate, and also the four youngsters that are in our program to be starting camp next week. All four right now, I couldn't tell you those four, I don't know who will be the backup quarterback yet. I've watched them all, the great training skill sessions that we have now. Just one of the best things that have come along in a long time to have the coaches be able to work with the players in the summer. It's gonna be pretty cool when we throw the balls out there for the first day of practice, and to watch who really who wins that that backup job and tries to fill those shoes of JJ McCarthy.

On Champions Circle and NIL

I think it’s coming along. I mean, it's so new. You know, it's a new thing, and I think it's coming along. We just love to see what they're doing. Love how they're attacking it. And just deserve a pat on the back as well. They're doing a great job.

On the starting kicker and punter

It was interesting. Somebody else asked me earlier: What do I tell a kicker when they miss a big kick? I’m gonna have to remember that. It’s been that long since I had to say something to a kicker after he missed a big kick or somebody that shanked a punt. Gosh, we’ve been so blessed. But with that, I'm really excited about the opportunity that our new kickers have. Tommy Dolman, as a punter, he's a special talent. I mean, I haven't seen a leg like this since I've been here at Michigan, and I think he's in a great place right now attacking everything. Kickers as well. I know James (Turner) has the lead, but throw the balls out there and go from there.

On the bipartisan NIL bill

NIL is so new. And it was voted 9-0 by the Supreme Court. I don't think they’ve voted 9-0 on anything in the last 20 years. I’m not a student of that realm either, but, you know, it's here. And it's so new, like, give it a chance. Give it a chance to work would be my response. It's here, and we don't know if it's broke. Do we know if it's broke yet? And we're already trying to fix it. Man, it's like the transfer portal. I mean, there's people that are that are against it. And you're against something that allows a young man and his family to decide where he wants to go to college and where he wants to continue college, where he may want to go to college next. Why be against that? And the players and their families? They'll tell you, I think if you really studied it, that there’s more good there than negative. So the question is, what is driving the (idea) we don't like the portal, we don't like players and their families getting to choose where they get to go to school. Who's opposed to that and why are they opposed to that? Give that a chance.

On how the last two seasons have impacted his day-to-day mood

Well. It's affected very well.

On whether recruiting success in Ohio is due to more resources or recruits being responsive

I would probably answer both. Both are factoring. Better response, therefore you know, more people meeting us halfway. And it's been very good

On if he knows anything about the timeline of the NCAA investigations

I can't talk about any aspects.

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