Michigan Wolverines Football: Tuesday (8/27) Player Presser-What We Learned
Michigan will open the season with Middle Tennessee State Saturday night in Ann Arbor. Several U-M players met the media Tuesday in Ann Arbor ... here's what we learned.
Punter Will Hart has been outstanding this fall after having a very good spring, and he's secured the job. He's been working hard on his directional punting, and while scholarship punter Brad Robbins has returned from back surgery and is kicking well, Hart has pulled away.
The Wolverines brought in long snapper Trey Harper from Duquesne, and he's done a nice job. Hart, though, said returning starter Camaron Cheeseman had been very good and deemed him the guy with whom he had the best rapport. It looks like he'll hold on to his job.
Hart has been working in windy conditions to prepare for the stadiums he'll see in the Big Ten ("the windiest conference," he noted). We asked him about his gunners — he noted their were several working out there and that Tarik Black, Tyler Cochran and freshman Daxton Hill are three who have been working there.
Sophomore receiver Ronnie Bell is a man of few words, and he didn't have a whole lot to say. He is much more comfortable this year, though, having added significant muscle weight and strength, and he's made some of the best catches in camp. The former basketball player — he almost signed at a smaller school on a basketball scholarship — said he is living the dream and ready to prove he's set for the next step.
Fifth-year senior linebacker Jordan Glasgow is in the rotation at WILL linebacker and is playing well. Though he wouldn't give it away, he (and junior MIKE linebacker Josh Ross both) said there were definitely new packages and changes in the defense to help deal with last year's weaknesses. They're going to continue to be as aggressive as ever, Glasgow said (and Ross concurred), and they have the personnel to do it.
Asked specifically about redshirt freshman Cam McGrone, Glasgow said his teammate is a future star. He might be one of the best defensive players on the team right now if he had another year of learning under his belt, he said. He also likes frosh cornerback DJ Turner and defensive tackle Mazi Smith as freshmen contributors.
Ross, meanwhile, singled out Turner and safety Daxton Hill as two freshmen he likes most. Hill is so fast that he makes up for his mistakes, Ross noted. He's special in that respect. And both Ross and Glasgow mentioned Zach Charbonnet as a guy who has turned heads. Enrolling early has put him in position to do big things, Glasgow said, and Charbonnet is getting better every day.
Ross knows there's no. No. 10 overall draft pick like Devin Bush on the roster, but he said the defense is playing just as fast because the back seven is so in tune with one another. He doesn't listen to outside noise about the defense potentially taking a step back, but he laughed at the notion and said the defense has been playing very well.
Ross said Bush's parting message to him was that the defense now belonged to him and that he was passing the torch. Ross seems ready for the role.
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