12 Thursday, July 14, 2016 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com SPORTS Wolverines earn preseason honors ALLISON FARRAND/Daily Senior defensive back Jourdan Lewis was a semi-finalist for the Jim Thorpe award last season. By ETHAN WOLFE Summer Managing Sports Editor In its first year under head coach Jim Harbaugh, the Michigan football team finished 10-3 — capped with a 41-7 blowout victory over Florida in the Citrus Bowl — to ride a wave of momentum and hype into the offseason. That wave has only continued, as the National College Football Awards Association recently named seven Wolverines to preseason watch lists. Senior defensive back Jourdan Lewis and redshirt sophomore linebacker Jabrill Peppers each found their name on three watch lists. Lewis, who had 20 pass deflections and two interceptions last season, was put on the watch list for the Bronko Nagurski, Chuck Bednarik and Jim Thorpe awards, in which he was a semi- finalist last season. The Nagurski and Bednarik awards are decided by different organizations but are both given to the nation’s best defensive player, while the Thorpe award is given to the nation’s best defensive back. Charles Woodson is the only Wolverine to have won all three honors. A finalist for the Paul Hornung Award last season — presented to the nation’s most versatile player — Peppers found his name on this year’s watch list. Peppers was also placed on the watch list for the Nagurski and Bednarik awards. Peppers burst onto the scene last season as a play-maker on both sides of the ball after missing most of his freshman year due to injury. The redshirt sophomore returned kicks and punts for the Wolverines while also playing a prominent role in the defensive secondary, tallying 5.5 tackles for loss and 10 pass deflections. Under new defensive coordinator Don Brown, Peppers will be a linebacker. Senior defensive end Chris Wormley is the lone representative from Michigan’s D-line. The returning team leader in sacks and tackles for loss with 6.5 and 14.5, respectively, Wormley reached the watch lists of the Bednarik and Nagurski awards after starting all 13 games last season and earning All-Big Ten third team honors. On the other side of the ball, junior center Mason Cole and senior tackle Erik Magnuson were both selected to the watch list for the Outland Trophy, which is given to the nation’s best interior offensive lineman. Cole — who switched positions from left tackle to center in the offseason — was also named in consideration for the Rimington Trophy, awarded to the top center in college football. Cole and Magnuson were both steady presences on the line for Michigan last year, each starting all 13 games and earning spots on All-Big Ten teams in 2015. Another Wolverine who has received considerable attention in the preseason is senior wide receiver Jehu Chesson. Chesson was named as the No. 2 wide receiver to watch in 2016 according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. Chesson tallied 50 catches for 764 yards and nine touchdowns and capped off his season with five catches for 118 yards and a touchdown in the Citrus Bowl. Chesson, who also scored two rushing touchdowns and another off a kick return against Northwestern, warranted a first team All-Big Ten selection in 2015. Now entering his final season, Chesson has been placed on the watch list for both the Maxwell and Fred Biletnikoff awards. The awards are given to the nation’s best offensive player and wide receiver in college football, respectively. The only Wolverines to have won the Maxwell Award were Tom Harmon in 1940 and Desmond Howard in 1991, while Braylon Edwards took home the Biletnikoff award in 2004. The final Wolverine to earn preseason accolades was senior tight end Jake Butt, who was placed on the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award and the John Mackey Award, given to the best tight end in college football. Butt was a semi-finalist for the latter in 2015, in which he collected 51 catches for 654 yards and three touchdowns. Though Arkansas’ Hunter Henry edged Butt for the award, Butt was still honored as a first team All-American and the Big Ten Tight End of the Year. ‘M’-Notre Dame set to renew rivalry in 2018 Michigan canceled its series with Arkansas to make room for the matchup By ORION SANG Summer Managing Sports Editor One of college football’s most storied rivalries is due for a return after a three year hiatus. Thursday, the Michigan Athletic Department announced that the Michigan football team will resume its series against Notre Dame in 2018 and 2019. The Wolverines will first travel to South Bend before hosting the Fighting Irish the following year. Both games will replace Michigan’s two scheduled meetings with Arkansas, with Michigan reportedly paying a $2 million buyout to replace the Razorbacks, according to Ryan Krasnoo at SINow. Michigan will face Notre Dame on Sept. 1, 2018. The Wolverines will then host the Fighting Irish on Oct. 26, 2019 — moving that year’s matchup with Rutgers to Sept. 28 instead. “This is a game that holds great significance for the student-athletes and coaches who compete on the field,” said Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel in a statement released Thursday. “A great deal of credit goes to Coach Harbaugh and Coach Kelly for initiating the discussion of scheduling this series. This rivalry is also important for the fans of both programs, and we look forward to renewing one of college football’s great rivalries.” Added Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh: “The competition between Michigan and Notre Dame has created a fair, healthy and productive rivalry over time, and it brings out the best in both programs. We look forward to facing Coach Brian Kelly and the Irish in the coming years.” The Wolverines and Fighting Irish have met 41 times since the first meeting between the two schools took place in 1897 in what was Notre Dame’s first football game. Since then, both teams have jockeyed for a position atop college football. Michigan and Notre Dame rank No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, in all-time wins, and No. 2 and No. 1, respectively, in all-time winning percentage. Michigan leads the all-time series with a record of 24-17-1, while the last 10 games between the two have been almost evenly split — the Wolverines hold a slight 6-4 advantage. In 2011, the two teams played in the first ever night game at the Big House and set the NCAA single-game attendance record. Michigan emerged with a 35-31 victory after a late touchdown pass from Denard Robinson to Roy Roundtree. The two met once more under the lights in 2013, when the Wolverines took home a 41-30 victory in a game that broke the 2011 attendance record with 115,109 people in the stands. But despite the history and popularity of the rivalry, the series was ended for a brief period of time. In 2012, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick announced that the school would be ending the rivalry after the 2014 season. Shortly thereafter, former Michigan head coach Brady Hoke said that the Fighting Irish were “chickening out” of the rivalry. Notre Dame, though, had the last laugh with a 31-0 drubbing of the Wolverines at South Bend in 2014, the last game before the short break. Manuel also stated that there are ongoing negotiations with Notre Dame over extending the series past the two currently scheduled meetings. FOOTBALL “It brings out the best in both programs.”