Michigan Football: Eddie McDoom's Effort Matches His Speed, More Notes

We’ve learned a lot more about Jim Harbaugh’s second team heading into the Sept. 3 opener with Hawaii than we ever did last year’s squad in fall camp. While we still don’t know who the starting quarterback will be, we do know that this freshman class has a chance to be special.

As many as 17 of the freshmen Wolverines could play this fall by our count, some more than others. One – wide receiver Eddie McDoom – continues to impress his teammates.

“He’s fast, now,” senior cornerback Channing Stribling said. “On some routes I’m thinking even though I’m kind of a slower guy, I think to myself I can stick up with him, but he’s fast. Give him a step, he will go.”

He also stays after practice to work on his weaknesses, Stribling added, something that has impressed senior corner Jourdan Lewis.

“He’s really fast; I don’t know how to measure it,” Lewis said. “But he is giving his all every single play. His effort matches his speed.”

And that goes for a lot of the freshmen, Lewis said. They’re willing to whatever they have to do to go out and play.

Fifth-year senior Chris Wormley has seen the same.

“It’s a lot of guys with a lot of hype. We expect a lot from them,” Wormley said. “A lot of freshmen are going to play this year, even if it’s special teams. We want them to do their job correctly as well as a senior would do it. I’m excited for them, excited to see what they can do for us.”

Offensive guard Mike Onwenu, also working at defensive tackle, is one who has caught Wormley’s eye.

“From what I’ve seen, he’s quick off the first step, powerful, big and fast. All those together is a good combination,” Wormley said. “He slips back and forth. He’s with the offense right now, but he’s almost 400 pounds. On either side of ball, he’s not too easy to move … he’s going to be a good player. He can move pretty fast, quickly side-to-side, so it’s cool to see whether he’s a guard or stuffing the run on the goal line.

“That transition period, the first week and a half of high school to college, you can see the guys that need to play stepping up and making those strides. It’s cool to see. That’s what we need.”

Notes

• Wormley singled out senior end Taco Charlton as the lineman having the best camp. Charlton noted Wormley wasn’t far behind, if at all.

“His versatility … he’s fast, 300 pounds and runs a 4.7 or 4.8 40-(yard dash),” Charlton said. “He can play any position on the defensive line and helps our d-line. He may move somewhere, might stay in the same place.”

• Charlton said redshirt sophomore Chase Winovich was backing him up at weakside end. Winovich has put on 10 pounds and looks the part of an end, seems to have found a home after playing both linebacker and tight end in his first few years.

“A couple young guys. Chase Winovich and Reuben Jones, are working hard [behind me],” Charlton said. “The young guys are trying to earn that spot and have done a great job proving they deserve their place.”

• Lewis is well aware Michigan hasn’t won a Big Ten title since 2004, and that many expect the streak to end this year.

“There’s a sense of urgency, but there’s never a dull moment. We’ve always had the expectation to win,” he said. “That’s just the Michigan reputation and tradition, to win. For us to say there’s no pressure to go out and win a National Championship or Big Ten Championship -- that would be a lie.

“We don’t think about just winning championships, though. We think about every single game. Prepare how we know we can prepare. That’s how you win a championship. We can’t assume this is the year. We have to go out and show it, win every single game in an impressive way, too.”

Quotable

• Lewis on Charlton: “He’s always been a [athletic] freak, honestly. It’s good to see him confident in his ability. It’s really amazing to see how his potential has caught up with him.”

• Charlton on new defensive coordinator Don Brown: “I’ll battle for coach Brown. That’s my guy. He’s a players’ coach I love playing for, loves attacking, always energetic, bring energy every game, every week. He loves what he does and coaching us. He loves us playing his defense and doing a great job at it.”

Talk about it in THE FORT, TheWolverine.com's Premium Message Board Forum