The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/901162
DECEMBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 19 BY JOHN BORTON K aran Higdon declared he was finished with football. He'd simply had his fill of the sport, its sweat, toil and frustrations. Enough. No more. He was calling it a career. Of course, he was only 5 years old, one day into workouts. And mom, a cheer coach on an adjoining field in Sarasota, Fla., had other ideas. "We were running a lap and I quit," Michigan's junior tailback re- called, smiling broadly. "I said I'm done. We went on a water break, and I walked over to my mom when she was coaching cheer and I told her I was done. "We got home and she was telling me: 'You can't quit! You're a boy! You don't quit in life!'" "Oh, I remember it like it was yes- terday," Samantha Christian assured, regarding the early adversity. "We laugh and joke about it all the time." Higdon didn't run away from foot- ball, and he's sprinting smartly to- ward a 1,000-yard season for the Wol- verines. With 200-yard games against Indiana and Minnesota, he became the first Wolverine back to go for 200 multiple times during a season since Mike Hart, when he did so in three straight tilts during the 2004 cam- paign (quarterback Denard Robinson also did so in 2010 and 2012). Higdon approached Michigan's final two games of the season need- ing only 146 yards to reach the 1,000 mark, a rare feat for U-M tailbacks in recent years. He's not at all hesitant to give his strong mother the credit. "She's a knowledgeable fan," he said of Christian, with whom he speaks every day. "She knows foot- ball, and she's my biggest critic. She keeps me going. She critiques me in everything I do." They both recall the fateful conver- sation following the first football prac- tice. Christian's mother, referred to as "Nana" by Higdon, leaned toward letting the child make his own call regarding staying with football. That discussion didn't last long. "He was complaining, whining to Nana that it was too hot out there, he didn't want to play anymore," Chris- tian noted. "She came to me and said, 'Sam, Karan doesn't want to play foot- ball anymore. Don't let him go back out there.' "I was like, 'Mom, he's a boy. He's going to go out there and play. I paid my money, and he's going to play. I asked him before I signed him up if this is what he wants to do. He said yes. He's going back out there to play.' "I said, 'Listen, son. When you start something, you have to finish it. I know it's hot, but you can drink wa- ter. You're just going to have to suck it up. It's Florida. It's going to be hot. But you'll be okay.'" He's more than okay these days. But the lessons didn't take immediately. Higdon didn't gain an affinity for heat, running laps, etc., just because his mother took a stand. That required time, and a few reinforcements along the way. "He saw that mom wasn't budg- ing," Christian said. "Mom wasn't go- ing to let him quit. He just learned the drills, dug deep, and eventually pressed through it. Here we are today — he's still playing football." RISING TO THE TOP Higdon's ascension to the lead tailback role at Michigan certainly wasn't assured this year. He rushed for 425 yards a year ago, behind starter De'Veon Smith. He drew far less offseason atten- tion than sophomore tailback Chris Evans, who bolted away from the Florida State defense to give Michi- gan a late lead in the Orange Bowl. Higdon and Evans both watched fifth-year senior Ty Isaac rack up three straight 100-yard games early this season. Higdon understands the ongoing competition, and that he's not guar- anteed anything. He learned that les- son long ago as well. Christian recalled: "Going into high school, I told him, 'You're the man in Pop Warner. But in high school, there are hundreds of Karans, who have equal talent, equal speed.' "He's never been a cocky or arro- gant kid, but I wanted to make sure he remained humble and understood nothing was going to be given to him. He'd have to fight for his posi- tion and fight for playing time." He fought at Riverside High in Sarasota, despite his lowly freshman status. The varsity squad featured a senior and a junior ahead of him at tailback, and Higdon wasn't con- vinced of the meritocracy involved. He initially chafed at seniority holding sway, and once again he considered walking away. A familiar voice weighed in, steering him to- ward future crowds of 100,000-plus. "At one point, one of the coaches started putting him at fullback," Christian noted. "He wanted to quit. I said, 'Son, you be the best fullback for this team. I don't care what posi- tion those coaches put you in, you give 110 percent. You do the best you can do, so they don't have an excuse for why they weren't successful on a play.' "He's like, 'Mom, I don't want to do this anymore. He's making me play fullback. I'm better than this kid.'" Higdon again submitted to the ad- vice, and the move. It wasn't long until he earned the payoff. Christian recalled: "He called me after practice, and was like, 'Mom, guess what! You were so right! I blocked for him, I did everything, but he couldn't get through the holes! The coaches were getting upset! They said, 'Higdon, get in there.' "After that, he got more playing OFF AND RUNNING Karan Higdon Soars, With An Early Career Boost Higdon ran 45 times for 201 yards and two touchdowns in the season's first five games, an average of 4.5 yards per carry. In games six through 10, he posted 84 attempts for 653 yards and eight scores, a clip of 7.8 yards per tote. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN