Advertisement
football Edit

Michigan Football: Maurice Hurst Jr. Getting Others Ready To Go

Maurice Hurst Jr. should be a force for the Wolverines, but he's helping with the team's depth.
Maurice Hurst Jr. should be a force for the Wolverines, but he's helping with the team's depth.

Maurice Hurst Jr. knows as a fifth-year senior defensive tackle, it’s his time. He also knows he can’t go it alone.

He’ll certainly be a force up front, along with sophomore defensive end Rashan Gary and Michigan’s other veterans. They’re not the concern. Any worries center more on Michigan’s depth, that must be developed after last year’s huge personnel losses.

Players such as a redshirt freshman defensive end Carlo Kemp, true freshman defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon, true freshman defensive ends Luiji Vilain and Kwity Paye, etc., could play a significant role for the Wolverines in 2017.

Hurst says it’s about having as many ready to go as possible.

“The strength staff has been a little more tough on us, just making sure that everyone is ready to go right away, making sure players are pre-habbed, making sure there aren’t any injuries or anything in offseason training,” he said. “Now, we’re trying to get all of these guys strong enough to play Division-I football.

“It changes the way you attack the offseason, how hard you train, and how you get the young guys ready to go.”

Hurst has definitely invested time in the younger performers, he assured.

“We just try to spend time with them,” Hurst said. “There’s a big age difference, when you’re 22 years old, talking to a 17- or 18-year-old. I think they have a great amount of respect for me, Mike [McCray, fifth-year senior linebacker] and Mason [Cole, senior offensive tackle], staying the extra year and working with them.”

Some of the summer work is paying off, head coach Jim Harbaugh has heard. Vilain consistently stood out in various reports.

“He’s fast,” Harbaugh said. “He could be a linebacker. He could be a Noah Furbush type of guy. He can be an end, too. He’s really got some speed on the edge.

“Kwity has got that ability, too. He looks like he’s gained 20 pounds since I saw him in January at signing day. It’s not the fat kind, either.”

There’s another aspect of Vilain’s makeup to appreciate as well, Harbaugh said.

“He’s been one of our top-five guys in the classroom in the summer school,” Harbaugh noted. “We’ve got 19 guys in summer school, and he’s in the top five. Those guys are taking care of business there.

“You watch him, and he can run. He’s been acquitting himself well in the workouts. All of those bode well for him. People are raving about it, the strength and conditioning staff. It gets me excited when I hear those reports, and the academic reports.”

Meanwhile, Hurst urges fans not to ignore the defensive linemen that haven’t been talked about as much throughout the summer, particularly redshirt junior defensive end Chase Winovich and redshirt junior defensive tackle Brian Mone.

“They’re both kind of slept on a lot,” Hurst acknowledged. “They’re two of the best players we have. Mone is, by far, one of the best nose tackles I’ve seen play since I’ve been here. Chase is going to have an outstanding season. I already know that.

“My expectations for him are huge. He’s going to be someone who ends up on some sort of list, or All-Big Ten something. At the end of the year, Chase Winovich is going to be a great player, because he plays with so much effort.

“He made so many plays last year in such a limited role. You throw Chase in the game and he makes plays. It’s amazing. I think he’s going to have a great year.”

---

• Talk about this article inside The Fort

Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine

• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @BSB_Wolverine, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42and @Balas_Wolverine

• Like us on Facebook

Advertisement