The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1169070
66 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2019 BY CHRIS BALAS T he bad news started to trickle out in mid- June, coming from folks closely associated with junior Ambry Thomas. U-M's start- ing cornerback had been hos- pitalized with a virus of some sort, they said, and not only was he losing weight rapidly, but doctors were still working on pinpointing what exactly was wrong with him. For dads like many of us, news like that is when the pa- ternal instincts kick in: "Forget about football," you say to yourself. "I just hope this kid is okay." That, however, wasn't good enough for the Detroit native, even when he was diagnosed with colitis and lost 35 pounds in less than a month. For two years, the soft-spoken Thomas had waited his turn behind guys like Jourdan Lewis and Lavert Hill, and was eager to prove himself as U-M's next great corner. When doctors told him he needed to focus on his health and recovery, he listened — but he didn't exactly oblige. "The only thing that was on my mind was football," Thomas admit- ted. "I was like, 'I'm probably going to have to sit out this year.' I was depressed about everything, and just wanted to get my health back and right." He did everything the doctors told him to do, head coach Jim Har- baugh noted, and maintained an upbeat outward appearance. "He had just a positive attitude and attention to detail in terms of doing everything the doctors told him to do, right down to the rest, the diet, the fluids he was taking in," Harbaugh marveled. "He was just so mature." Inside, though, it was eating Thomas up. Doctors told him his chances of playing at all this season were slim to none. He felt like it was him against the world when they provided their expertise, especially when he started feeling better. "I was going through a tough thing at the beginning of June. It took up my whole summer," he said. "I really just started getting back to play in the middle of August — I started touching the field and started working out. "If you know me, you know I'm a fighter. If nothing's seriously bad, I'm not going to let something I can control or help stop me from doing what I love doing." And playing football is his pas- sion. He was on the field for the first snap against Middle Tennessee State. By the end of the game he was de- fensive MVP, picking off a pass and recovering a fumble. His teammates went nuts, and defensive coordina- tor Don Brown's highest praise — "that guy is a dude" — couldn't have been more appropriate. "The doctors were pretty im- pressed with my case. They said they've never seen anything like it," Thomas said with a grin. And while Harbaugh credited his corner for his resilience, the junior gave it up to a higher power. "I just prayed on it, asked God to get me back, and He did," Thomas said. "It was a great moment for me. I was still in disbelief when it hap- pened, but it felt great." Great to him, his teammates, his coaches and everyone else who knew what he went through to get there. **** Speaking of cornerbacks, has there been a more understated success story than Michigan assistant coach Mike Zordich over the past four-plus years? He might, in fact, be one of the Big Ten's (if not the na- tion's) best position coaches since arriving with head coach Jim Harbaugh in 2015. He has churned out several NFL play- ers and gets the most out of his guys. "Every year, he's really developed that position ex- tremely well," Harbaugh said. "It seems like everybody that plays corner ends up being really good here and goes on to be pro players." They saw it in the first cycle of guys, Harbaugh continued — Jour- dan Lewis, an All-American, and the underrated Channing Stribling. "It's been very successful that way," he said. "David Long, Lavert Hill … and Vince Gray seems to be on a great path, as well. Ambry Thomas. They've been really good. "Mike's done a great job coaching at a very tough position on our de- fense. The corner position is not one where they get a lot of help. They're called on to wear the big sombrero down after down." Year after year, they make that big Mexican hat look good, with the help of a guy who probably hasn't gotten enough credit. ❏ Chris Balas has been with The Wolver- ine since 1997, working part time for five years before joining the staff full time in 2002. Contact him at cbalas@ thewolverine.com and follow him on Twitter @Balas_Wolverine. INSIDE MICHIGAN CHRIS BALAS The Dude Of All Dudes Junior cornerback Ambry Thomas lost 35 pounds this summer, and it was questionable if he would be able to play going into the season opener. However, he suited up and thrived with an inter- ception and fumble recovery versus Middle Tennessee State. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL