As Orange Bowl Looms, Michigan Talks Opt-Outs, Safety Depth, Covid And More
Heisman runner-up Aidan Hutchinson was among the defensive players who spoke with the media on Wednesday. They had some notable quotes about Harbaugh, the team, and Bowl season overall.
Aidan Hutchinson: “I think that [opting out] was never an option for either of us. I don't think it mattered if we were in the playoffs or not. If we were playing in some other bowl, I think you'd see me and Josh [Ross] both strapping it up again because we wouldn't leave our team out to dry ever just for all the work we've put in.”
In what has become the new norm of College Football Bowl season, there was once again a flurry of opt-outs. Notable players playing in New Year’s Six Bowls chose to end their college careers early and skip their games including Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker, Pitt’s Kenny Pickett and Ohio State’s Garret Wilson and Chris Olave. But for Hutchinson, opting out was never even a consideration. While it's not a tough decision with a Playoff game looming, the fact he wasn’t considering opting out regardless of the bowl shows his dedication to Michigan and why it meant so much to him to return for his senior season. Hutchinson set the tone for the Wolverines all the way back at Big Ten Media Day when he said he was ‘Willing to die for this’ when it came to beating Ohio State and winning the Big Ten. Now that those goals have been accomplished, the Heisman runner up only has one thing on his mind: Beating Georgia.
Josh Ross: “I'm so proud of Coach Harbaugh and the way he's adapted, the way he's just changed as a person, as a coach throughout his years of me being here. He's a great coach, and he does a lot of great things. Just to see how far he's come, how far this team has come in the position we are now, I couldn't be more proud of our head guy leading the way.”
Obviously, Jim Harbaugh got the recognition he deserved when he won the AP National Coach of the Year. But still, the admiration he’s getting from his players is good to hear. This time a year ago, there were a lot of people calling for Harbaugh’s head and not very many championing his coaching ability. The Michigan administration put their faith in Harbaugh by giving him a contract extension. But a less talked about part of Harbaugh’s extension is the fact that most of the players stayed. In an era where the transfer portal makes leaving much more enticing, everyone kept their faith in the new coaching staff Harbaugh brought in. Now all that homegrown that chose to stick around after the 2-4 season is seeing their decision more than pay off.
Brad Hawkins: “I feel great about the depth of the safeties. Rod Moore is a tremendous player. He's a leader as a young guy. He listens. He wants to learn. He wants to get better every single day. He comes out here, he works his butt off. You know, for a young guy to be thrown into the fire like that and continue to grow and continue to play well, tremendous for him, and he's going to continue to grow as a person and as a leader on this team. So, I'm just very happy for him and can't wait to see his success in the future.”
Yes, the rumors about Dax Hill are swirling. Is he going to play? Is he in Miami? Players were mum about it on Wednesday. But fifth-year safety Brad Hawkins, who lines up with Hill in the secondary on most plays, isn’t worried about it. Hawkins has a lot of trust in the safety room including freshman Rod Moore, who coaches have said watches the most film on the team. The Michigan secondary, which was atrocious last season, has made great strides under Mike Macdonald and defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale. They have gone from allowing 255.5 passing yards per game to just 194.7. Hill is a big part of what they do but he’s not the only cog in the machine. Guys like RJ Moten, Vincent Gray, DJ Turner, along with Moore and Hawkins all made contributions in the secondary this year. Regardless of Hill’s availability, the players have trust in their position group and trust in Macdonald to find a scheme that maximizes the personnel he has available.
Jake Moody: “We're not too worried because we're following all the rules and regulations that all the doctors and trainers set for us. It's not too much of a worry, but there's always a chance that you could get it, so I guess there's always going to be a little bit of anxiety.”
The Michigan kicker didn’t have much to say on Wednesday, but one interesting soundbite was his thoughts on the COVID situation, which is impossible to ignore at this point. This close to the game it appears that the CFP semifinal is on track to be played. Last week it was reported that Michigan got a team-wide booster shot and while there is uncertainty around Dax Hill’s availability, there are no known positives on the Michigan roster at this time. The NCAA announced that they would not reschedule the Playoffs if a team had an outbreak and hopefully this situation won’t come up. Moody says the Wolverines aren’t worried about it and their pictures on social media prove just that. Fingers crossed that COVID steers clear and both teams can take the field on Friday.
