Although he’s technically not a “returning starter,” redshirt junior defensive end Chase Winovich basically played starter’s snaps last season, and is one of the most experienced returning players on the defense.
Winovich came to Michigan as a linebacker, and has also seen time at tight end during his career in Ann Arbor, and used a dog analogy to try and make sense of it.
“It’s been a day-by-day journey for me,” he said. “This might be a bad analogy, but it’s like when you live with your dog for a while and he starts gaining weight, and someone comes around and points it out — you don’t even notice it though. For me it’s been a gradual transition, and I’m happy where I am now.”
Now that he finally has solidified position at defensive end, Winovich spoke about how much he’s improved there from last year.
“My footwork has improved the most, in terms of selling different moves and gaining distance on my steps,” he explained. “I struggled with it a little bit last year. My weight is a factor too, because I’m a lot bigger and stronger than last season.”
Winovich said that several of the young linemen have impressed so far in camp, but are still adapting to college life.
“Our young guys have gotten so many reps and have gotten so much better, like [freshman] Luiji [Vilain], [freshman] Kwity [Paye] and [freshman Aubrey] Solomon. They stepped up to the plate, especially since they’re balancing school and football. They struggled adapting to college a little bit, like [sophomore] Rashan [Gary] did last year, but you’ll see as the season goes on they’ll be a contributing factor for us.”
Speaking of Gary, Winovich explained what it’s like being bookends with him.
“He’s an animal,” Winovich exclaimed. “I’m lucky to play across from him, because it’s a give-and-take relationship. He does some things that I’ll think I have to incorporate into my game.
“He sometimes seems older than a sophomore — on the football field he does. He puts on a front, but he’s a pretty fun-loving guy.”
Winovich was just a redshirt freshman when the two teams met two seasons ago, but said he felt the Gators didn’t take Michigan as seriously as they should have.
“I got switched from tight end for that game,” he said. “I remember going into it feeling like they hadn’t respected us as much as they should have. I definitely don’t think they take us for granted anymore though.”
Finally, Winovich talked about a new pair of glasses he’s recently been sporting, and how he connected with Jim Harbaugh over them.
“Two or three years ago I pulled my hamstring in camp and was in his office,” he recalled. “It was one of the most memorable experiences for me. I saw a side of him that was less edgy, because he had these tortoise-shelled glasses on and it was the first time I’d noticed them.
“I didn’t buy mine to be like him though,” Winovich laughed. “He saw me after practice once with them on and he told me liked them, so I have his approval.”
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