CHICAGO — Chase Winovich sat in the locker room after Michigan’s Outback Bowl loss to South Carolina feeling a mix of emotions, led by anger.
The now fifth-year senior defensive end was facing a life-changing decision, unsure if he should bolt for the NFL or return to U-M for his final year of eligibility. He made his choice public a few days later, announcing he had unfinished business in Ann Arbor and was coming back to school.
It turns out that junior quarterback Shea Patterson, who transferred to Michigan from Ole Miss in December, may have played a large role himself in keeping Winovich in college.
“I was with Shea and we were hanging out,” Winovich said. “At that point, I was teetering towards coming back to Michigan. I went to Shea, and I wasn’t sure at that point because it was before the bowl game, I was like ‘hey man, you come to Michigan and I’ll come back.’ We had a dialogue back and forth. I didn’t know if he’d be eligible or not if he did come, but it was definitely important.”
Winovich was vocal about wanting the offense to get taken care of and that he wanted to see improvement during the offseason. Adding Patterson signaled the first step in that process.
“I don’t know if he’s going to be the starter, I’m not the quarterback’s coach, I’m not Coach [Jim] Harbaugh, so I can’t make these decisions, but I can say Coach Harbaugh has definitely become more open in the sense that he’s willing to make necessary adjustments to ensure Shea is in the best possible scenario,” Winovich said. “If he has to run more of a spread offense… I would be surprised if he didn’t work the offense around whatever things would fit Shea the best.”
That flexibility on offense lines up with what we’ve heard about Harbaugh — and shows that the offense is 100 percent his in 2018.
Winovich said that he got advice from family members while contemplating his dilemma, and that it was his brother-in-law that ultimately pointed him in the right direction. He told him to apply the same decision-making skills he used when choosing to attend Michigan to this decision now and he would know what to do.
“That was the best piece of advice I got going through it, because it became really easy after that,” Winovich said. “I followed my heart to get to Michigan, and I’m going to follow my heart whether to leave. My time at Michigan had just not come to a conclusion yet.”
He’s spent time on social media this offseason and has received plenty of praise and positive remarks regarding his choice to return from fans — but he sometimes wonders why.
“I get messages thanking me for coming back to Michigan and it’s weird to me, because I feel like it’s my honor,” Winovich said. “I feel like I should be thanking for the chance [to come back].”
He admitted that there is a different feeling entering his final year of college compared to being a senior in high school. You don’t get the same all-around praise and admiration that you might’ve in high school.
“When you get to college, it’s different,” Winovich said. “Although you do get love, people become more critical of you. ‘Can you do this or can you do that? Was last season a fluke?’ We hear this and that and embrace those challenges and criticisms. It’s easy to shy away from that stuff, but we look forward to the opportunity to prove the haters wrong.”
He reads the criticism because he thinks it’s important to have a balance. You can’t completely hide yourself from the rest of the world, but you also can’t let it take your mind over. It’s out there and can serve as motivation, so why not use it.
“I’m a big chip on the shoulder guy, and I’m not going to mention any programs, but I’m sure you can guess which ones they are in the Big Ten that have built off that chip on the shoulder mentality over the last 10 or 15 years,” Winovich said.
Entering the 2018 season, he has no regrets with how everything has played out. He’s happy to be back in a Michigan uniform, is anxious for another shot at his rivals and isn’t worried about passing up the chance to make money playing football.
“[My mind] definitely doesn’t wander now,” Winovich said. “I’m scared I will if something happens in the season, like God forbid I get hurt. That’s the only thing that kind of scares me. But you can’t be scared, injuries happen, it’s football, it’s a violent game. I’m just going to enjoy the process.”
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