The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1518781
10 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MAY 2024 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS MICHIGAN HAS NATION'S TOP PLAYER AT THREE DIFFERENT POSITION GROUPS Michigan led the country with nine Wolverines on Pro Football Focus (PFF)'s list of the top 101 players in college football in 2023, unsurprising given the Maize and Blue finished 15-0 and won the national championship. But despite sending a record 18 players to the NFL Combine, U-M still has plenty of top-end talent returning for the 2024 campaign. PFF's Max Chadwick released his rankings of the top 10 returning players at each position, and Mich- igan had seven different athletes pop up. Three juniors stand atop their position groups, too — defensive tackle Mason Graham, corner- back Will Johnson and tight end Colston Loveland. Michigan is the only school to have three players lead different position groups, and LSU is the only other program to have multiple No. 1 selections in linebacker Harold Perkins and offensive tackle Will Campbell. Graham was named a first-team All-Big Ten pick and second-team All-American by Sporting News in 2023, logging 7.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. Johnson was selected as a consensus first-team All-Big Ten performer and first-team All-American by Sports Illustrated last season, totaling 4 intercep- tions. Loveland racked up 4 touchdowns and 649 receiving yards last season, with the latter standing as the most by a Michigan tight end since two-time All-American Jake Butt recorded 654 in 2015. Love- land was a first-team All-Big Ten honoree. Four other U-M players appeared in the top 10 at their position units — junior linebacker Jaishawn Barham (fifth), junior defensive tackle Kenneth Grant (sixth), senior safety Rod Moore (seventh) and senior edge Josaiah Stewart (ninth). Barham transferred in from Maryland and has been working with the starters this spring, while Moore reportedly suffered a knee injury in March and Stewart decided to return for another season after tallying 5.5 sacks for the Maize and Blue a year ago. Grant and Graham, meanwhile, could make up the top defensive tackle duo in the nation. U-M and Notre Dame are the only two programs with a pair of top-10 returning tackles. The Fighting Irish saw Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills rank third and 10th, respectively. — Clayton Sayfie ❱ Sitting Down With Graduate Offensive Lineman Myles Hinton Michigan offensive lineman Myles Hinton, a Stanford transfer, is primed for his best season yet after playing on a national title team last year. He's expected to start at left tackle — he talks about that and more in this Q&A. The Wolverine: You appear to be in great shape. What's your weight, and where do you want it to be? Myles Hinton: "Right now, I'm like high 320s, low 330s. I'm a little bit lighter than I was in fall camp last year when you all saw me. That's what I want to be here, no doubt about it. I don't want to be in the 340s … it's kind of a personal goal of mine. "I've played anything from 315 to 340, but ideally, I'd like to be in the high 320s. I think it looks better and feels better. I feel quicker, but also there are challenges, as well. If I'm 340, I can shut down a bull rush way easier, but also if I'm 320s … yeah, it's different. Just personally, I like high 320s." The Wolverine: What do you think when coaches say, "He has a chance to be a first-round NFL pick?" Hinton: "Personally, when I hear stuff like that, I don't want to … don't want to hear like how good you could be. I just want to do me, and then if doing me gets me that good, then it does. Of course I want to be the best player I can be, but I feel like if I harp too much on it, it's just like an extra stress … that was kind of the vibe of it over the years." The Wolverine: That was the case when you were younger, too? What were people saying? Hinton: "When I was young, too, I just didn't like hearing it. I wasn't really a big sports guy in general growing up, so hearing all that stuff was just, 'OK.' But growing into it, hearing it, receiving it and knowing that I can be what they say … Coach [Jim] Harbaugh, he said — and coaches here still say it — 'Potential is a dangerous word.' If you don't really embrace the role and embrace what you're doing, then it's just nothing." The Wolverine: What is it like going against an elite defensive line every day in practice, and how does that prepare you for games? Hinton: "It's definitely like a game every day in practice. You've got to go into practice and be on your stuff because if you're not, you're going to get embarrassed. It's kind of just the deal because our D-line is cream of the crop. It's awesome to be able to play against that in practice and not to go into the game unprepared." The Wolverine: What's been your mindset from the time you decided to come back until now, knowing that you're going to have a bigger role? Hinton: "Just grind. I feel like it's kind of cliché, but there's not much more to do. You just keep the wheels turning, keep progressing, get stronger, faster, bigger, lean out … just hone your craft, the small details. That's the theme of this year … I feel it's details, details, details." — Chris Balas Hinton, projected to earn the starting nod at left tackle next fall, is working on the details of honing his craft this offseason. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY MICHIGAN PLAYERS IN PFF'S POSITION RANKINGS Player Pos. Rank Mason Graham DT 1st Will Johnson CB 1st Colston Loveland TE 1st Jaishawn Barham LB 5th Kenneth Grant DT 6th Rod Moore S 7th Josaiah Stewart EDGE 9th