Another freshman is turning heads as an early camp standout
The Michigan offense appears to be loaded with talented, both on the offensive line and at the skill positions — and running back CJ Stokes has only added to it. Head coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff brought in another loaded freshman class, and yet another one is already on his radar.
The freshman was “only” a three-star prospect out of Columbia, S.C., but there was something they loved about him on film. Their faith has already been rewarded, Harbaugh told Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches podcast, after watching the Michigan frosh in his first week.
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“The young guy, CJ Stokes — you talk about a young guy that does not appear to be a freshman,” Harbaugh said. “I could tell you a couple of great stories of his play. It reminds you a lot of [Michigan junior] Blake Corum as a runner, and as a back. He’s very, very good. It reminds you of Blake, too, in the way he’s serious in how he approaches the game. He is locked in at all times.”
The Michigan coach then told a story about Stokes that helped form his opinion.
“Ten of our freshmen weren’t midyear, so they were taking summer classes. It fills up their weekday early in camp,” Harbaugh noted. “There’s one day where we had a situation where they had to go to class, and when their class was over, sprint back here back to the building and do the last hour and a half of practice. They were missing about 45 minutes of practice. They all come back and head back out to the field. We tell them all, ‘Hey — you’ve got to get taped first and stretch before you can get into the practice.’
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“And here comes CJ Stokes, sprinting out. ‘Hey CJ! You’ve got to get taped!’ CJ goes, ‘I already got taped. I got taped before I went to class.’ You talk about a veteran move. You talk about a guy right out of the shoots that nobody told to do that. He just thought of that. He just saved himself five minutes sooner and got right back out into practice. That was huge.”
So, too, was the way Stokes responded when he accidentally got drilled in a no-contact drill.
“We had a young linebacker that really didn’t understand the rules of engagement. We’re not in pads, so you don’t bull-rush a back,” Harbaugh recalled. “We’re not in pads. The young linebacker, who’s going to be a very good player, got a little over-exuberant, and — you’ve seen how some guys react. CJ reacted with the calm and cool and toughness of a type of poised, seasoned veteran.”
Stokes didn’t throw punches or any of that other “crazy stuff,” Harbaugh noted. Instead, he just popped back on his feet and moved on to the next play.
“There’s something about that young man,” Harbaugh said. “He’s going to be really good.”
