Michigan Football Preview 2017

2017 Michigan Football Preview

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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92 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan fifth-year senior Mau- rice Hurst knows talent, having played behind (and with) three defensive linemen chosen in the first four rounds of this year's NFL Draft. Taco Charlton, Chris Wormley and Ryan Glasgow, in fact, manned a line that might be arguably the best U-M has ever seen. This spring, Hurst got to play next to one who, like him, expects to be among the next crop of U-M linemen to go high in the draft. Sophomore Rashan Gary has only played one season of college football — as a backup, no less — yet he's perhaps the most hyped Michigan lineman of all time. When NFL.com released its list of top college football players to watch in 2017, Gary checked in at No. 9 on the list despite his more limited role last year. "Michigan got everything it expected last season from the five-star recruit," the web- site wrote. "His size and athleticism on the edge makes him a tough ask outside [for an offensive lineman] and an excellent pass rusher inside." There would be no argument from Hurst, who with Gary forms what defensive coor- dinator Don Brown calls "the best anchor/ tackle combination in the country." Hurst was skeptical, however, when he saw Gary was credited with a 4.57 40-yard dash in the spring. After all, 6-5, 287-pound- ers aren't supposed to move that fast. "There might have been some fabrication in the 4.5, I think. I'm not hating, but I think there was a little fabrication," Hurst said with a grin. He's with Brown, however, in his assess- ment that he and Gary could be a ridicu- lously good tandem on the line, perhaps one of the best in the nation. Gary notched 27 tackles, five stops for loss and one sack last year, but he has the skills to be elite. He was the nation's No. 1 recruit overall in 2016, and he's got every- thing it takes to live up to it. "He has all the ability and tools to be a star. That's something that's going to come out," Hurst said. "A lot of it has to do with comfortability. A lot of young guys have trouble being themselves, going out and just playing ball. I think he could have been fo- cusing too much on what he had to do last year. "Being in the system for another year and having to do some coaching helps a lot. He's an older guy now — he's played a year of football and is not a freshman anymore. "He has to coach [early enrollee] Donovan [Jeter] and some of the other anchors who have to step up. I think it really helps his learning curve and makes the defense even better." Charlton, the Dallas Cowboys' first-round NFL Draft pick, expects nothing less than a dominant season. "I told him if I come back here in two years and they're not talking about him as a top-10 pick, then he didn't do what he was supposed to do," Charlton said. "He has all the talent. As a young guy, he stands out every time. "I think he can be great. An NFL-caliber player. A top-10 pick." The Next Step There are no guarantees, however, and that has been proven many times over at Michi- gan and everywhere else. Former five-star tackle Gabe Watson of Southfield (Mich.) High had all the tools coming out of high school, but he didn't have the drive to get the most out of his ability. He was good and enjoyed a few NFL seasons, but he never became the dominant tackle he could have been. Others, like early 2000s end Alain Kashama, had all the skills and the drive, and put up crazy combine numbers, but their ath- leticism didn't translate to the football field. Defensive line coach Greg Mattison pre- dicted Gary would shine, for one big reason. "Because he has it inside," Mattison said. "There have been some really, really out- standing athletes, but maybe when it comes to game time, they don't do what their ath- leticism shows. He shows. "I keep going back to winter conditioning. It's a small thing, but when you have a guy that's 6-foot-5, 285 pounds that leads the sprints and leads the conditioning and does everything the way he's supposed to do it, you've got something special happening. That's what he's shown." That, and a maturity beyond his years. There are always five-star talents that arrive thinking they're the big man on campus … that wasn't Gary, graduated lineman Chris Wormley said. Others aren't coachable, feel entitled or get down if they aren't in the starting lineup. Not Gary. He might be a young guy, Brown said this spring, but Gary has already taken ownership of the defense. "He's been a leader," Brown said. "He played very, very well throughout spring." He did it the old-fashioned way, Wormley said earlier this year. Gary was ranked No. 9 on the NFL.com's list of top college football players to watch in 2017. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN ON THE CUSP OF GREATNESS Defensive End Rashan Gary Has What It Takes To Be Elite "I told him if I come back here in two years and they're not talking about him as a top-10 pick, then he didn't do what he was supposed to do. He has all the talent. As a young guy, he stands out every time. I think he can be great. An NFL-caliber player. A top-10 pick." FORMER TEAMMATE TACO CHARLTON ON GARY

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