When Michigan Wolverines football senior linebacker Josh Uche announced he was going pro on Dec. 4, it did not come as a surprise seeing as how he was a senior anyway and would be graduating from U-M following this season.
Uche mentioned in his goodbye note, however, that he would be ‘foregoing his final season of eligibility,’ which raised a few eyebrows.
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The senior only played in four September games as a freshman in 2016, meaning a medical redshirt for that year (assuming he was injured) would have been a possibility.
“Yeah,” he revealed this morning when asked if he could have returned next season. “I played in four games my freshman year and I had a meniscus thing going, so I could have potentially gotten a medical redshirt.
“They were petitioning for it and I think I would have gotten it. I think I got it, but I didn’t even follow up.”
The pass rushing abilities Uche specializes in are viewed as a vital commodity nowadays in the NFL, meaning the Miami native is sure to be selected once April’s draft rolls around.
Uche made a minimal impact his first two years on campus, but then exploded in 2018 and subsequently led the team in sacks each of the last two years.
“I put together two productive seasons here at Michigan,” he explained, discussing his decision to go pro. “It’s been a lifelong dream of mine and I just feel like it’s time.
“I’ve done the best with what I’ve been given, in terms of reps. I’ve shown I can stop the run, play in coverage and pass rush.
“I’m going to keep doing that and keep making the most of my reps, and doing whatever I have to do. The sam position is basically an extension of the viper position, except I’m an outside linebacker/defensive end hybrid.
“My job description entails covering tight ends, pass rushing and playing the traditional linebacker. You have to do everything in this spot, and you can’t be good at just one thing.
“You have to perfect all phases of the game, and that means reading coverages, understanding tackles and being able to play in the box and as a 3-4 outside linebacker.”
With Uche, senior viper Khaleke Hudson and fifth-year senior linebacker Jordan Glasgow all departing Michigan’s linebacking unit after the season, next year’s crew could have a revamped look to it.
Junior Josh Ross will be expected to once again take on a key role after injuries ruined his 2019 campaign, but outside of Ross and redshirt freshman Cam McGrone, question marks surround the position.
“[Redshirt freshman viper] Mike Barrett has been doing a really good job in practice, soaking everything in and being on point,” Uche revealed.
“I think he’ll be next. He’s been with the sam vipers the whole year under [linebackers] Coach [Anthony] Camp[anile], and he’s been doing a really good job.
“He’s an all-around athlete who used to play quarterback, and is fast and physical, and he’s just a football smart guy.”
Notes
• Sitting out the Jan. 1 Citrus Bowl against Alabama was never even an option for Uche, and based on what his teammates have been saying over the past week, any of the Michigan players.
“It didn’t matter who we were going to play, because I was going to play regardless," he confirmed. "It’s the last time I’ll be able to play with my teammates and my brothers, and I want to be out there with them.
“Everyone has grown up watching Alabama. It’s exciting that we get to play such a historic program and compete against them on one of the biggest stages. We don’t talk to him [offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, who was the Crimson Tide's co-offensive coordinator last season], and just listen to whatever [defensive coordinator] Coach [Don] Brown tells us to do.
"I’m sure those two are talking together, and Coach Brown is probably relaying that information to us.”
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