The Wolverine

June July 2018

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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12 THE WOLVERINE JUNE/JULY 2018   INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS THEY SAID IT "I love that Coach [Jim] Harbaugh does this. He took some grief for it last year, when he 'subjected the team to more football.' I talked to [fifth-year senior defensive end] Chase Win- ovich at the Eiffel Tower the first day here, and he said he told Coach he appreciated this whole thing so much, and it only inspired him to work harder. He said it showed him the op- portunities that are out there. I don't under- stand how anybody could be critical of this." — ESPN college football analyst Marty Smith, who accompanied the football team to France, on Jim Harbaugh's "Attack Each Day" podcast "This is good news for more than just Michi- gan fans. It's also a good play by the NCAA, which ruled in favor of the student-athlete in this situation — one that could have been resolved a lot sooner. It's good for [junior quar- terback Shea] Patterson, who gets a chance to show he can play after suffering a season-end- ing injury in 2017. It's good for Jim Harbaugh, who faces a show-me fourth season after the Wolverines finished 8-5 last season. It's even good for the Harbaugh haters, because he no longer has an excuse. "Michigan has its quarterback now. Sure, Har- baugh will dress this up as a competition with [redshirt sophomore] Brandon Peters, [redshirt freshman] Dylan McCaffrey and [freshman] Joe Milton by using terms such as 'meritocracy' and 'license and ability to compete.' But this is Patterson's job to lose, and it's an opportunity for the Wolverines to break through and get that Big Ten championship that has eluded the program since 2004." — Bill Bender of Sporting News, after it was announced Patterson would be eligible for the 2018 season "We have a proud tradition here at Michigan. It's truly one of the greatest college basket- ball programs in the country, and [this year's run to the national championship game] just gives credibility to us once again, like it has ever since Cazzie Russell played in his first Final Four games here." — U-M head basketball coach John Beilein at the West Michigan Sports Commission Luncheon May 2 in Grand Rapids "[Junior linebacker Devin] Bush is the new prototype for linebacker in college and the NFL — not necessarily big, but fast and aggressive. He can blow through the A-gap to wrap up quarterbacks, attack gaps on stretch plays to bring down running backs in the backfield and get out to the hash to cover receivers." — NFL. com on ranking Bush the No. 10 college football player to watch in 2018. He was joined on the top 150 list by six teammates (see full list on page 16). — Austin Fox Rivals.com West Coast recruiting analyst Adam Gorney on former U-M defensive tackle Maurice Hurst falling to the fifth round of the NFL Draft "Maurice Hurst is one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL Draft, and it's almost implausible that he fell to the fifth round. Oakland definitely got the biggest steal of the draft, and the Raiders made a smart, calculated pick that should pay off for years to come. "I understand the concern. The Michigan standout did not work out at the NFL Scouting Combine after being di- agnosed with a heart condition. But doctors at Michigan and Harvard examined Hurst and cleared him again for football activities. It's hard to believe that would be done if Hurst was not completely healthy to participate. "Eleven defensive tackles were drafted before Hurst. You're telling me Taven Bryan from Florida or P.J. Hall from Sam Houston State or Nathan Shepherd from Fort Hays State are better players than Hurst? Teams missed on Hurst, and it's going to pay off for the Raiders. For some- one so extremely talented to drop to the fifth round was hard to believe." PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN

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