Ernest Hausmann on joining Michigan football from Nebraska: ‘It’s been awesome'

Ernest Hausmann was looking for a change of scenery after spending a year at Nebraska, somewhere he felt he could win a title. But there was something familiar about his new destination, he told Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches podcast, when he decided to transfer — and he can’t wait to experience it again in a new uniform.

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“It’s going to be a surreal moment, honestly, the first time walking down [the tunnel],” Hausmann said. “It’s going to be a lot of flashbacks looking back to it. I can remember the exact path I took walking down that tunnel in red and white. Now being maize and blue, it’s going to be an awesome moment. 

“I can’t wait.”

Hausmann played an outstanding game as a true freshman in Nebraska’s blowout loss to Michigan. The inside linebacker was all over the field making plays, and he has high hopes of doing it in the winged helmet. 

The former three-star and Nebraska native will have plenty of competition for playing time, but he arrived with no illusions. He understands hard work alone can put him in the mix, and that’s helped him hit it off with his new teammates. 

Junior Colson, Michael Barrett, and Nikhail Hill-Green are among those he’ll be competing with. All have plenty of experience, and Hausmann is learning from them every day this spring.

“It’s been great. Coming here a few days before the semester began, getting situated, getting  moved in, meeting the guys, being able to go through the first winter here at Michigan … it’s been awesome,” Hausmann said. “The transition with my teammates and coaching staff here, other staff working with me, it’s been awesome …

“For me, being a teammate is one of the best things about playing football. It’s one of the things I love about the game. The family bond you can create with the guys here, the teammates I have here at Michigan, has been great; they’ve welcomed me in here. Any question I have I can ask any of them and they’d be more than willing to answer the question. To be able to spend time with them, whether it’s the weight room, film room, working out with them has just been awesome, just sharing knowledge with them. Now, with spring ball and being able to work with them and compete … it’s just been awesome.”

One of the big reasons he chose Michigan, though, was his experience with strength coach Ben Herbert. One of the best in the business, Herbert has gotten the best out of his players for years in Ann Arbor. 

It took one meeting for Hausmann to realize Herbert could help make him better. 

“The first meeting I had with Coach Herb, I came down here to visit and I immediately just connected with him,” Hausmann said. “The way he conducted his business … it was just a different level I’d never seen from somebody else. I immediately knew this was a person I wanted to be by my side and work with, continue throughout my career. I knew the importance of strength and conditioning in football and how that translates to the field. I knew right away this was someone I wanted on my side, in my corner. 

“Just to be able to work with him and the guys on the field has been phenomenal in winter conditioning. Now, going into spring and football, Coach [Chris] Partridge — he’s been great to work with. I was getting recruited by him when he was at Ole Miss as the defensive coordinator in the portal. I was able to talk to him through the portal, and now being able to reunite with him has been awesome. Just to be able to learn from him and all the things he has to offer has been awesome.”

Hausmann has been working on learning the playbook and getting it down, and he’s already made huge strides. He’s already learned not to wear red in the building (the Ohio State factor), and he’s hit it off with his teammates.

Ultimately, he said, he came to Michigan for one big reason.

“I wanted to go to a place where I could maximize my potential,” he said. 

Folks close to it say he already appears to be well on his way.