The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 39 If that sounds familiar, it should. When Harbaugh arrived in Ann Arbor in 2015, he did something similar — he made the guys who fared best in sprints and in practice do more. "He explained it well, and I felt guys had a good at- titude about it," former receiver Amara Darboh recalled. "Only the guys that win get a chance to get better." Herbert's top four weight room performers at Wis- consin used to earn invitations into a special "Black Room" workout. Only those four were allowed into a small room that had once been a closet, where a pic- ture of former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson welcomed them with his quote: "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." There, they got the super wash of workouts, far more rigorous and detailed, designed to help them reach an elite level. It also served as an incentive for the rest of the team to join them. When Herbert and Harbaugh met for the first time during the interview process and they bounced ideas off each other, they found out quickly they were kindred spirits. "I was excited, to say the least," Herbert recalled. "When Coach Harbaugh and I first spoke, it was as natural and easy a conversation as I've ever had with anyone. I think philosophically how Coach Harbaugh views things — and ultimately, things he takes pride in and things he believes in — are very in line with the things that I've been taught and learned to view as im- portant over the years. "It was a very smooth undertaking. The conversation was effortless. Once we had a chance to get in front of each other and spend some time face-to-face, it seemed like it was going to be a very good fit, and fortunately, it's been just that." Herbert's unique style doesn't end with his 'winners do more' approach. At each of his stops he's also introduced his team to "The Governor" and "The Deacon," a pair of plants he brought in that both started off healthy and flourishing. He first did it prior to Wisconsin's 2009 season, with a sign underneath one that read: "I'm The Governor. I take pride in how I care about myself. I focus on nutrition, hydration and meal frequency." The other's tag read: "I'm The Deacon. What's going on? I've heard all these things about feeding the body well and hydrating, but I've got this far doing it my own way." He fed The Governor fertilizer and water. The Deacon received booze, beer and other junk food. Not surprisingly, The Governor shot up and looked beautiful, while The Deacon "looked and smelled so bad that guys were begging me to get it out of the weight room." It's part of his approach to take a comprehensive look at strength training, he said. "What I tell everyone in terms of how we develop and help each individual athlete become who they are capable of being — it comes down to first mak- ing sure they understand the importance of fueling their body," Herbert explained. "Most don't get the importance that water and fluid play, the importance that meal frequency plays, the role that sleep plays. "All of those factors play a significant role in your ability to develop, or they play a significant role in hin- dering your development." It's part of a philosophy that he's used since he's been a strength coach. He once called it "transformance" in a Big Ten Network interview, a combination of trans- forming and performance, and it's worked for hundreds "I think philosophically how Coach Harbaugh views things — and ultimately, things he takes pride in and things he believes in — are very in line with the things that I've been taught and learned to view as important over the years" HERBERT In addition to a new head strength and conditioning coach, Michigan has been able to utilize a new perfor- mance center this offseason. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS