The Wolverine

June-July 2019

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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8 THE WOLVERINE JUNE/JULY 2019   INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Sitting Down With Sophomore Defensive End Aidan Hutchinson Sophomore defensive end Aidan Hutchinson has inherited his father's football DNA. Chris Hutchinson was an All-American defensive tackle at Michigan in the early 1990s, and his son shares many of his traits … only he's much bigger, having gotten some of his uncles' DNA on that end. Hutchinson, a projected starter after playing in all 13 games last year, an- swered some of our questions in this recent Q&A: The Wolverine: You start this season with a new defensive line coach after Greg Mattison left to take a job at Ohio State. You tweeted something about it and didn't seem too happy. What are your thoughts on that move? Aidan Hutchinson: "Coach [Mattison] taught me so much when I got here. I'm not taking any of that away from him. But you get a big feeling of be- trayal. He told me he was either retiring or he's renewing his contract. … Then I found out he's leaving, and I'm like, 'Okay, whatever.' And then he said Ohio State, and that makes your stomach turn a little bit. "It just gives you a different mindset on things. I wouldn't mind if he went to another school, but that hurts." The Wolverine: Your new line coach, Shaun Nua, seems to have hit the ground running and connected with you guys. What were your initial impressions of him in the spring? Hutchinson: "I love him. He's a great guy. It's a completely different experience from last year — very different and very new. He brings in the young aspect of coaching. He's fired up. "He's taught me a lot already, and I can't wait to get some more years with him. He's very hands-on with lots of one-on-one." The Wolverine: Rashan Gary is off to the NFL, but he really seemed to take you under his wing. How much did that help you, especially when you had to fill in for him last year while he was injured? Hutchinson: "Obviously, going to college as a high schooler is a big change, and he helped ease the transition. It was huge having that experience my freshman season. "I got in a little bit, and that helped build the foundation. Going into this year, having the experience, it's huge." The Wolverine: The offense is more up-tempo, it seems. How much different is it than what you used to see in practice, and how have you guys on defense responded? Hutchinson: "It's quite a bit different. You see pass a little more, and it's much faster in practice. You get a lot of 'hurry.' I think that helps with our defensive stamina, too." The Wolverine: We've heard a lot of good things about redshirt sophomore tackle Don- ovan Jeter, and it seems he's a big part of the interior line. What have you seen from him? Hutchinson: "He's a frickin' beast. Donovan's the man. From last year to this year, he looks like a completely different player. It's pretty unbelievable." — Chris Balas — five from NBA three-point range and five from 15 feet, while he chose not to attempt the five shooting spots from the college three-point line. Woo has Poole going in the second round with the 55th overall pick, while Vecenie projected Poole to be selected No. 53 overall by the Utah Jazz. "Poole is a skilled scorer who can get buckets in a hurry when he's hot, but he disappears when he's off and doesn't make an impact any- where else on the floor," Ve- cenie noted. "I think someone takes a chance on his skill set devel- oping in the G-League over the next year or so. Utah could use more shooting and scoring, so it's a fit." Matthews did not ap- pear in the latest mock draft projections and he finished with just 11 points on 5-of-13 shooting, including a 1-of-5 performance from three-point range, during scrimmages at the NBA Combine. But in a tweet, Givony still had high praise for Mat- thews. "Charles Matthews looked like arguably the best de- fender from the four teams in the competitive action," Givony tweeted of the com- bine scrimmages. "Has tre- mendous physical tools, gets in a deep stance, covers ground impressively staying in front of guards and can put a body on bigger play- ers. Helped himself without scoring." "I see Charles as more of a late second round, undrafted, two-way guy," ESPN's draft analyst Mike Schmitz said on a teleconference May 16. "I think Brazdeikis is maybe a mid-second type of prospect with the potential to maybe get into the 30s. "I think Poole has a wide range. He's talented enough to be a late first-round pick type of guy, but it's about an- swering those questions [in interviews and workouts]." ❑ Hutchinson played in all 13 games as a true fresh- man last year and is a projected to start in 2019. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN

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