The Michigan Wolverines host Middle Tennessee State Aug. 31 and fall football camp has already begun. Here's much of what we picked up from Friday night's player interviews, with more detail to come.
First, running back is wide open. Former walk-on Tru Wilson was made available, and senior Sean McKeon said he really liked what he'd seen from the veteran ... the way he's cutting and how he knows the offense.
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Wilson said he's lost 10 pounds and is around 200, adding he worked on getting faster after the spring. He started eating better (avoiding the nearby Dairy Queen) and running while pulling a parachute behind him, etc. He feels much faster and notices it on the field, and so do his teammates.
McKeon mentioned Hassan Haskins after Wilson and redshirt freshman Christian Turner and also brought up frosh Zach Charbonnet. Wilson said Charbonnet had done a really good job in the offseason learning the plays and had no problem in the department coming in this fall.
Wide receiver Giles Jackson was the most popular name when Wilson, McKeon and senior safety Josh Metellus were asked about freshmen who had impressed them most. His feet and his quickness are off the charts, they noted, and all of them put Jackson in their top two (other than frosh Mike Sainristil, who they really don't consider a frosh anymore. Metellus said he's been really good).
McKeon singled out sophomore Ronnie Bell as the receiver who has impressed him most, and both he and McKeon talked about Bell making the play of camp so far.
"You can tell he was a basketball player," Metellus said in recalling how Bell went up the other day and outjumped everyone for the ball, came down on his back and held on. McKeon was equally impressed.
McKeon is also in the best shape of his life, and he looked it. He said he concentrated this summer on losing body fat and adding muscle — asked which lineman gave him the most trouble he mentioned sophomore Aidan Hutchinson.
"He's got 40 pounds on me," McKeon said with a laugh, noting Hutchinson had added a lot of strength in the offseason.
Mettellus said it was strange not playing alongside Devin Bush for the first time since they were little kids, but it's clear he's taken a leadership role on the defense. He mentioned safety Quinten Johnson as the other freshman who had impressed him most in the early going. McKeon singled out defensive end David Ojabo, noting he's made huge strides since spring.
McKeon said the offense seems tailor-made for senior quarterback Shea Patterson and his quick release and added the ball was being spread around (as it's supposed to in the offense). He added that Nick Eubanks was a "10 times better blocker than in the spring" and said he believed the two could be as good as Iowa's outstanding pair of tight ends last year.
Senior defensive tackle Carlo Kemp said the offensive line has been as good as advertised and is working unbelievably well together. That's made it tough on them at times, but he strongly believes they probably won't see a better group all year.
Watch for more coverage in the hours and days to come ...
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