The 2019 Michigan Wolverines football captains were announced yesterday, with senior left guard Ben Bredeson, senior viper Khaleke Hudson and senior defensive tackle Carlo Kemp receiving the nods.
Bredeson was the lone member of the trio to also earn captaincy last season — in fact, he is just the 14th player in Michigan football history to be named a two-time captain, a fact he wasn’t even aware of.
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“No, [I didn’t know that],” he said today. “It’s very special. Being able to be trusted by your teammates to be a representative and a leader for them is the biggest honor you can have, in my opinion.
“I found [last season] that leadership is a trial and error thing. I found some things that worked and some things that didn’t.
“I had some good experiences and some bad ones, and am using all that to be better the second time around. There were times where I made some decisions last year — nothing bad, but some guys need you to put your arm around them more than others.
“You learn when to fire up the team and when to be the calm guy in the middle.”
Bredeson was also asked what the qualities of a good leader are, seeing as how he’ll be the lone representative on offense this season (running back Karan Higdon served alongside him last year).
“Someone who’s always on their stuff and doing the right thing,” he opined. “A good leader is someone who leads by example, and a great leader brings others along with them.
“We have a lot of good and great leaders on this team, and I think that’ll take us far.
“Karan was very vocal last year and was a rah-rah emotional guy. We were splitting a lot of things and had a good tag-team going.
“I learned a lot from him, [former players] Mason Cole, Jake Butt, Chris Wormley and Mike McCray. I’m confident I can do it this year and I don’t think there will be any issues.
“If there are, I have a lot of numbers to call — Mason Cole and I talk all the time, so I can ask him how he did it.”
Bredeson revealed that he has not addressed the team as a 2019 captain yet, but obviously has plenty of experience doing so after last season.
What his first message will be hasn’t necessarily been decided yet though.
“It depends on the moment,” he explained. “I don’t have it prepared like that. Coach [Jim Harbaugh] calls people up after practice every day, and sometimes I have something prepared and sometimes it’s just off the cuff.
“I try to go with whatever the team needs to hear at the time — it may be a good job, or involve something we need to do better.
“There were times last year where a veteran offensive player needed a calming presence on game day, so that’s what I tried to be.
“I try to keep guys cool and collected, and not overreact during games.”
Notes:
• Bredeson was asked today if he had any words of advice for redshirt sophomore right tackle Andrew Stueber following his indefinite knee injury last week.
“Yeah, but it was more of a friendship thing," he explained. "I’ve been with him for years now. I’ve seen the kind of man he is and the work he’s put in, so I’m here for him in whatever he needs.”
• Michigan obviously ended last year horribly (blowout losses to OSU and Florida), but the players have been harping all offseason that 2019 will be different.
The senior left guard was simply asked this afternoon why this season will be different than 2018.
“There’s a lot of motivation behind this year," Bredeson noted after a slight pause to think about how he wanted to respond. "We’ve had some finishes here I’d like to change, especially with bowl games and the Ohio State games.
"This team is a lot more focused and more driven toward the common goal of getting better every day and not looking too far ahead. I was talking to Coach the other day and told him this is the most excited I’ve ever been for a football season in my entire life.
"It’s about seeing the guys we have and their attitudes, along with the loaded schedule and having a lot of our big games at home. There is an opportunity to do very well.”
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