TAMPA, FLA. — Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown knew Maurice Hurst would be playing in Monday’s Outback Bowl, maybe even before Hurst himself did.
The fifth-year senior went back and forth on whether or not to play, and nobody would have blamed him if he decided not to. The projected first round pick has a lot of money on the line, but he couldn’t leave without finishing his career the right way.
“We had a discussion — I don’t know exactly when,” Brown recalled. “I thought he would play no matter what, anyway. He was going through his process with his family, kind of talking to different people, obviously the boss [head coach Jim Harbaugh] being one.
“I think when it was all said and done and he had all the facts, I felt like his Michigan legacy was important. I wouldn’t’ have blamed him either way, now. That’s an individual decision, as we all know, that many young people across the country are all faced with. I’m just glad for him, especially with the type off year he’s had, to finish out with his teammates … I think it’s really important to him.”
Hurst said Friday he really didn’t give it as much thought as some might think.
“It’s something you don’t really spend too much time thinking about during the season,” he said. “It’s something that really came out of nowhere. I had to decide between my family, coaches and myself, as well.
“I think it was just being myself, the person I’ve always been. Football has always offered so much to me. It just felt like the right decision. I’ve never really backed down from any football competition. I think it’s just another opportunity to play, display my skills and have a good time with my teammates.”
Brown said there was one reason in particular he felt Hurst was coming back, and it was simple.
“I just know the guy,” he said. “I think the guy, when he thought it through, he sorted it out, came up with a plan. I just think he knew it was the right thing to do.”
It may not be for some guys, he said, but it was for Hurst … just like coming back for a fifth year was, he said. In doing so, he secured his place among the Michigan all-time greats, a consensus All-American and the Big Ten’s best defensive lineman.
He leaned on fellow lineman Chris Wormley to make that decision.
“He was supportive either way, but said he felt he made the best decision coming back,” Hurst said. “He was right. It was a good decision.”
One that should continue to pay dividends now and in the future.
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