12
Thursday, July 27, 2017
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS
that class, very excited about
them because everything they’re
doing now they’ve already done,
they’re doing for a second time.
“And
the
amount of growth
that
you
can
have from doing
something
for
the
first
time
and then doing
it the next time
or
the
second
time, can be the
biggest leap they
have their entire
college
year,
going from freshman year to
sophomore year. Excited for
that class.”
The foundation of the team,
though, will still be built on
Harbaugh’s fourth and fifth-
year players — players such
as Chase Winovich, Maurice
Hurst, Wilton Speight, Mike
McCray, Bryan Mone and Mason
Cole, all of whom experienced
the many highs and lows of last
season.
And
they,
like
Harbaugh,
still have a bitter taste in their
mouths from last year’s ending.
“... Those guys in particular
that were in games last year,
they
were
there
when
we
won nine straight games and
everybody
is
high-fiving
in
the locker room
after the game,”
Harbaugh
said.
“And they were
also there when
we lost three out
of our last four
games,
two
by
one
point
and
another
game
by three points
in overtime. They know what
it feels like. And they like the
feeling of the high-fiving better
than the other.
“And I feel like, okay, good.
They’ve seen that. And maybe
that’s going to motivate them
even more this year, give them
more reason to put all their
talent and pour their whole
heart
into
everything
that
they’re doing.”
FOOTBALL
From Page 11
“They’ve seen
that. And maybe
that’s going to
motivate them”
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Jim Harbaugh hopes that last year’s finish will motivate the Michigan football team.
GRANT HARDY/Daily
Defensive end Rashan Gary (3) is expected to make a big impact on Michigan’s defensive line this season.
Gary, Hurst look to handle the hype
CHICAGO — The Michigan
football team featured a fearsome
defensive line last season that racked
up 30 sacks and helped to anchor one
of the nation’s top defenses.
Much of that production is gone
to the NFL this year. Chris Wormley,
Ryan Glasgow and Taco Charlton
— three of the four starters — were
drafted this past spring, while Matt
Godin, who started 12 games at
three-technique defensive tackle,
graduated.
The Wolverines, though, bring
back several contributors — chief
among them sophomore end Rashan
Gary and fifth-year senior tackle
Maurice Hurst.
Gary, formerly the nation’s top
recruit, is expected to step into
Wormley’s
ANCHOR
spot
and
Hurst is assumed to be the starter
at Godin’s position. Both saw
significant playing time last season,
with Gary tallying 23 tackles, five
tackles-for-loss and 0.5 sacks as a
backup. Hurst posted 33 tackles, 11.5
tackles-for-loss and five sacks while
splitting time — oftentimes receiving
the majority of snaps — with Godin.
Gary has much fewer counting
stats compared to his counterpart.
Despite that, he was named one
of college football’s top “freaks”
while also landing ahead of Hurst
on Sports Illustrated’s list of the
nation’s top-100 players, coming in
at No. 22 — 49 spots ahead of Hurst.
The Gary hype train, it would
appear, has been on the road for
quite some time. His coach, though,
thinks that the sophomore has done
a good job of dealing with all of the
attention.
“He’s had a lot of hype. He’s had a
lot of adulation. And
there’s some people
that
that’s
what
they live for. They
live for approval
of others and to
be recognized as a
hyped-up
player,”
Harbaugh
said.
“And then there’s
other people that
they see that hype
or that adulation
and they go by it
like it’s an orange cone on the side of
the road. There’s some people that
are just aspiring for greater things
than just the adulation of somebody.
And I think Rashan is that type of
guy. You’d really like him. He really
doesn’t care too much about that.
“He’s gone by it like it’s a cone,
orange cone on the side of the road.
And he just works and I really think
competing is his favorite thing to do.
And he has the ability to be great. I
don’t know what more to say about
that.”
Harbaugh
fielded
a
similar
question about Hurst, and according
to him, the fifth-year senior has done
just as well. Both, in Harbaugh’s
eyes, have the potential to be great
players — and in that process, may
help Michigan forget who it lost
along the defensive line from last
year.
“I
think
Mo
has
handled
it
good. I think it’s
been overdue. And
maybe Mo feels that
way. But I think
he’s enjoying that,”
Harbaugh said. “I
think he’s enjoying
that
people
are
appreciating
what
he does as a football
player
and
what
he brings to the
football team, even on our own team.
“Our appreciation for him is
probably the first, and I think he
likes that. And I think that drives
him to be even better. I think he’s
got a chance to be really good, again.
He’s got the license and the ability to
be really great. And we appreciate
the heck out of him. And I hope he
does like that. I hope he keeps going,
because he’s got a chance to be really
good.”
The pair of defensive linemen could be in line for breakthrough
seasons as they lead a unit that graduated four senior starters
ORION SANG
Senior Sports Editor
“He’s got the
license and
ability to be
really great.”