Michael Barrett And Andrew Stueber Talk Upcoming Season, Fall Camp

As Michigan inches closer to the start of the 2020 season with Minnesota first up on the docket, the Wolverines are going through fall camp determined to make an impact this year. On offense, quarterback Joe Milton is all the rage as Michigan's strong-armed passer looks to begin a new era of U-M football. On defense, the Wolverines have a lot of talent to replace, mainly in the secondary, so new faces will frequently be on the field this season.

To help provide insight on how training has gone as of late, Michigan junior Michael Barrett and senior Andrew Stueber spoke with the media on Thursday. Here are some highlights from that time:

Viper Linebacker Michael Barrett

On easing the transition to playing defense: "I played linebacker in high school, so I've had experience on the defensive side. So when I came over and Coach Brown was calling me up my freshman year, he had me do some drills and saw that I could do all those drills. I could cover and do all of those things, so he told me that I could play Viper. I started learning from Khaleke [Hudson], and it just went from there."

On learning from Khaleke Hudson at Viper: "Other than his work ethic because just being out here and watching him go at it everyday in practice and in the weight room, just learning. I just really learned from watching his feet, watching his pads and I watched how he covered. He just led by example mostly. He wasn't really talkative until his senior year when he stepped up as a defensive leader. I definitely learned from more of his work ethic than anything."

On if he misses being an offensive player: "I just miss scoring touchdowns, making plays. I've always been the person to say I just like making plays, whether I do it on offense or defense. As long as I'm making plays regardless of where I'm at, I feel like it's a plus."

Offensive Lineman Andrew Stueber

On the injury he suffered last year and its aftermath: “I sustained a season-ending injury in August last season during camp. It was pretty tough for me mentally, but it was good because it allowed me to take a step back and kind of look at the whole unit, the whole team from a different perspective. I helped a lot of younger guys get where they were. I had a lot of knowledge of the game already. I was going into my third year, so I kind of knew a lot about the game and how to grow the younger guys, so I helped them as best I could. I helped with some cut-ups of some film and stuff, but it was a big growing year for me personally and mentally.”

On his ability to play multiple position up front: "I played tackle most of my career here, but I did play a little left guard going into my sophomore year. Ben Bredeson, his knee kind of swelled up, so I moved in to guard a little bit, so it is a little different for me playing guard. I really don't have a preference. I'm all about what is helpful to the team, but it has helped me from playing tackle. From a guard's perspective, I knew what I liked when I was playing tackle so I can tailor my play to whatever the tackle needs. It's really just helping get the technique down, helping the center, getting the center and guard call right, but I'm experienced there. In the long run, it's only going to help me with versatility playing tackle and guard, so I'm happy with it right now."

On the importance of focus during the offseason: "From an offensive line perspective, after we lost four guys to the NFL who are all playing and doing great things, it was really important that we started building chemistry right back up. By not taking time off, getting in the film room, seeing how people play, seeing how people play together especially, it's been really helpful in building chemistry with the offensive line."

On the actual events that led to his knee injury: "It was during a live period. I believe it was August 11th or 12th. We were towards the end of practice. It was actually Big Ten Media Day of camp that one day. So, we were towards the end of practice, and that was the point where Jon Runyan's knee starting acting up. He had his knee scoped at the beginning of the year, so I was playing right tackle and then he went down, so I switched over to left. We were in a live period, and I was getting bull rushed from the defensive end, so I was sitting down, kind of planting. One of the defensive tackles got thrown, and the back of my knees kind of rolled up and then went down from there."

On the transition from high school football to college football: "Coach [Ed] Warinner has really been focusing on our first couple steps, our eyes and overall the mentality of the game. I'd say that's the biggest thing for the younger guys. The hardest thing for young guys is they come from, especially from high school, is the mental side of the game, knowing your assignment, knowing how to block, knowing your aiming point, knowing everything. Not having pads and not being able to do contact, that was the biggest focus. I think that has leveled the plane a lot with the younger guys. It's no longer the mental aspect of them lagging behind. It's more the physical that we need to develop. I think all the offensive lineman have a good understanding of the offense as a whole, their assignment, their position, so I think that's helped a lot with no padded practices."

On where the OL unit has excelled this offseason: "I think we've been doing a great job learning our technique and learning our assignments, which it's learning on the fly. You might get a basic look, but when it starts changing that's when an offensive line can truly fall apart. If you don't understand the defense, who needs to be blocked, where the run is aimed, where the aiming point is, it can really fall apart. But I think now that we have the mental aspect of that down, when the picture changes, when teams on the fly, we quickly adapt to that. I think that's a big thing the offensive line has struggled with in the past, so I think by us practicing with no pads and understanding the offense in entirety, knowing where the running back wants to run, knowing what hole he's trying to get to, what linebackers we need to block, I think it will really take us to the next level. We are putting pads on today, so the next part is the physicality aspect, and I think we are going to keep growing that until our first game."

How confident are you that Michigan will have a strong offensive line unit this season? Is the linebacker unit one that you are worried about? Let us know!

Add us as a preferred source on Google