On making his decision to go to Michigan as a recruit

Bo Schembechler told me that he was going to give me a scholarship about a week before Signing Day, that felt really good. I just had to confirm that it was a full scholarship because it was so late in the process. There were some cool things. Bill McCartney, he was just leaving, though. He was still there but he was going to Colorado's staff. He told me about a dream he had the night before that I was going to go to Michigan. Then I heard from some other guys that Bill McCartney had the same dream for every recruit (laughs). Bob Thornbladh, he had me kind of up against a wall, telling me that he didn't want to hear about any Stanford or Wisconsin, Arizona. That I was born to come to Michigan and I would be going to Michigan. The other was John Arbeznik, he really put the hard sell on me on my official visit and that was pretty cool. I think that was at Rick's American Cafe.

On watching the Nebraska film

It was good. It was really good. The effort is what keeps jumping out. The missed assignments were very few. Offensively and defensively. Things we can get better at, though, special teams. The same. Pretty darn good, just love how hard the guys played. Have to go a lot of credit to Abigail O'Connor, our nutritionist, she got a game ball this week. The way the guys were hydrated and fed and just ready to play. Same with Ben Herbert and his staff. Physically, that game was over and I felt like the players could've played another game. They could've gone out and played another one back-to-back even though it was 94 degrees.

On how hot it was on the field

No, but I felt pretty hydrated and well-fed, too, I think I could've coached another game back-to-back. Happy that our guys went in and took care of business, really executed well. Ball security was phenomenal, there were no penalties. It was a really good game. Had the feeling that it really started early in the week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday practices. Every guy, the starters, the back ups, the specialty players, the special teams players. The scout team, freshmen, as a team, and a really good job by the coaches preparing, there was a lot to prepare for. Their offense presented a lot of different things that they could do. A lot of schematic variations. Option football. Their defense, multiple front. They were big. Athletic team. I thought everybody—the plan was put together well and our guys learned it well and went out and executed.

On LaDarius Henderson and the OL

LaDarius and Trevor Keegan graded out the highest. Drake Nugent had a heckuva game. Had one of the mental errors, that was it. Just went the wrong way on an inside zone play. Karsen plays really good, so underrated. Really good player. Zinter had a really good game. The best our line played. Hate to use some of those words that people like to use for how good the offensive line played but it was good. The pass protection was really good and so was the running game. Coming off the ball, moving people. Was great to see. Kind of seen so many combinations going back to spring ball and training camp with that offensive line, guys could play three or four different positions. They've been put in so many different situations like that. Great to see Trente—played 33 snaps. He's gotta play more. He's so good, so athletic. Gio, Jeff Persi, Andrew Gentry, Crip, there's a lot of good guys. They're all ready. Working them into the game more. Maybe there's a way to do a little bit more rotation.

On Trente Jones

He's been the sixth man, the extra O-lineman. Always the next guy to go in. He's a really good football player. I know you don't do it much on the offensive line, it's usually five guys playing. Boy, if your sixth, seventh and eighth are really good, there's an opportunity, possibly, to rotating them in. Those are big guys. They're hitting every single play. Can we get an advantage of moving things around a little bit and getting a fresh guy out there? Like the fresh pass rushers that roll into a game as a rally group. Might be some application there offensive line-wise.

On J.J. McCarthy

Tremendous. One of his best games. So much to defend if you're a defense. Even the plays where he hands off and carries out his fake on the zone read for the quarterback play, he's pulling one to two guys. Kalel Mullings touchdown, there was a defender coming off free and J.J. started to carry out his fakes and it just stopped that corner who was coming off the edge in his tracks, just for a split second, and by then Kalel was gone.

On McCarthy being effective outside the pocket

Not only add a lot, he makes the whole thing go. There's a lot of great players. So unselfish. There's quarterbacks that are in the discussion of going to be first-round picks and could be the best quarterback draft in the history of the league and J.J. is certainly in that mix. There's Heisman Trophy conversations and other quarterbacks are throwing four, six, touchdowns a game and J.J. is carrying out fakes and beating people with his legs. Just so efficient right now. Taking great pride in that. There's no what about me, why am I not getting this, that and the other thing. I gotta get my 300 yards. You just don't see that. Blake Corum is the same way. Donovan Edwards, Colston Loveland, Cornelius Johnson, Roman Wilson. Cornelius had a couple of big catches but the way he's blocking on the perimeter now is a thing to be seen. It's right up there with Roman. Roman continues to block well. Just talk about unselfish play of all those players at positions where it's difficult to not be selfish. That's running back, that's quarterback, the wide receiver position. Even our offensive line, they get a lot of credit and deservedly so. Some of the other guys are not getting as much playing time, you should see the way they practice, too.

On how he fosters unselfishness

I think it comes from the parents, I really do. That's something the individual has poured into them by the parents or their family. Could be a grandparent, could be an uncle. Could be a big team effort. Like they say, it takes a village, right? Just those things poured into them where they have humility, work ethic, empathy, having happiness for the other guys success. Not that bitter jealousy, they have gratitude. They're taught that. They've learned that and it's been poured into them from their parents.

On Roman Wilson's catch

In our team room, after every win, we put up a picture of who was offensive player of the game, game ball, defensive player of the game, special teams player of the game, those kind of things. Usually a couple on each of those phases. Nice picture up on the wall, that's how we decorate our team room. Starts with blank white walls all the way around. The only thing that's up is the team, the team, the team. That stays there. Get your picture up there. It just hit me that play, Roman's play and catch, that really can't be depicted in one picture, that needs to be one of those, you know how those cameras go (makes camera noises), those fast cameras? That needs at least three. Going to be one picture a little bit bigger than a normal one but in three sections so you can see the story.

On whether he's seen a play made by Roman like his catch in practice

A few times. Maybe once or twice this camp this year. I don't know if it's as good as Roman's. I don't know, that's pretty good. To pin it on his back and get his feet down. I thought as the guy was driving him it would be easy to drive him right out of the back of the endzone. He was able to get his feet down, just amazing. Did it make SportsCenter or anything? Was it a Top 10? (It was number two).

On Kalel Mullings

We talked after the game in the locker room, talking about how he's running through arm tackles. When you look at the film, they weren't just arm tackles. They were shoulder pads, they were heads, full bodies that he was running through. I didn't see as much on the field but I sure could see it on the tape. Thick, shoulder tackles that he was pretty much going right through. He's in a great place physically, he's running great, playing on the special teams, the kickoff—he made a pretty fantastic move on kickoff coverage that few people can do to really change his lane, almost like a running back would on a long run. Not a lot of guys can do that. Started as a linebacker here. Just hitting it, really coming into his own. I think he can even write the book about being a big back. The speed is there, too, and he can catch. He can change lanes. Strike while the iron is hit.

On Peyton O'Leary

Sure was. So many guys in football that are working through something, as you know. Always somebody. Always something people are working through, hardly that often that somebody is at 100%. Great to see him stay with it, stay focused on the rehab. Jayden Denegal for him to get his first touchdown pass. He got his first touchdown pass, Peyton got his first touchdown catch.

On the defensive line growth

Before the big run, it was 20 carries and 31 yards, I believe. Also want to get a picture on that fourth and one stop in the red zone, that's what a run wall looks like. You want to see a picture of a run wall, that was it. Coming to your point, striking a blow. Controlling the block, seeing the ball carrier, shed and go make the tackle. They gotta be done in that order. If you try to look at the ballcarrier before making the block, it's not gonna work. Try to shed before you know where the ball carrier is, it's gotta go in that order. Guys just hustling, running to the ball. Not staying down. If you're down, get back up and start pursuing the ball. Good tackling. Real good edge play. That's another thing. The inside guys are good as they get. That's why I've always called them, Kenneth and Mason Graha,, a gift from the football gods. KG has been playing great, Cam Goode has been playing good. Kris Jenkins is a block destruction dominator right now. He is dominating with getting off blocks, destructing blocks as well as anybody that I've coached here. He's playing great. Junior Colson is playing great. That whole front seven. Did I say something about that? I think this front seven has a chance to be one of the best in the country. Rayshaun is just an ascending, ascending football player. He's just so athletic in there. The edge guys, they're rotating in there and there's no drop off. Totally unselfish at a position that's usually a selfish position by nature. Those guys are doing everything and they're playing on special teams. It's a cohesive group, they're getting better and better each week.

On how the team gets better each week

You clean up a couple things. We had a few mental mistakes. We gave up leverage. But not many, very few MAs on defense where we missed a blitz pattern. Just playing for each other, playing as one. Happy for each guy's success. There's no jealousy or animosity. It becomes one whole unit playing hard and playing for each other. Josh Wallace was a great contributor, another guy who got a game ball this week. Derrick Moore got a game ball again, the second week in a row. Josh Wallace stepped in at nickel, Mikey had to limit some of his reps and three, four stops for Josh Wallace. He's been a heckuva addition. Every single one of the transfers has been a real great addition for the team.

On how complicated it is to evaluate high school players and players in the portal

I think winning and playing good and developing players helps recruiting most, if anything. Meet us halfway. You want to come to Michigan, we want you to come to Michigan, lets meet halfway there and see if this is a fit and if it's good for it. We think it's going to be good for us. If it's not good for you then it wouldn't be good for us. Then you get to know people through the process and things. Maybe I'm not the greatest recruiter, either. The parents, I really like to get to know the parents. Sometimes the youngster can be a little bit shy, not always. But sometimes. Before you get around the parents, it's gotta be like 95% of the time, you can tell what kind of young man you've got here because of what's been poured into him. He has the hard work, the discipline, the gratitude, the humility. Mom, dad and God. You can look at the parents and know the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

On Minnesota

They're good. The quarterback is really developing well, playing good. Really good defense, as good or better than Nebraska. Right there with him. Just PJ does such a great job infusing confidence and enthusiasm into that team. It's evident by the way they play. They always play so hard. It doesn't matter how much ahead or how much they're behind or what the odds are, the down and distance. It's a confident, highly motivated group and we're going to have to play good to beat them. If we don't there's a really good chance we don't win the game. If we play really good, there's a really good chance we win the game.

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