Michigan football: Weight gains, losses paying off early
Michigan strength coach Ben Herbert is one of the best in the business, having earned the respect of his peers and the U-M coaches and players. Head coach Jim Harbaugh admitted he tried to nominate him for the Broyles Awards as the nation’s top assistant coach a year ago, only to find it couldn’t be a strength coach. Several of the players told us he’s the team’s ‘X’ factor, getting the best out of them and making them better players and men.
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Herbert’s contributions have played a huge role in back-to-back Big Ten titles, and he’s worked his magic again this summer. The team set multiple conditioning records, and it’s expected to show on both sides of the ball, at all positions. Senior defensive end Jaylen Harrell said it’s been noticeable in several players on both lines in the first week of practice, starting with one of the most impressive pass rushers in the early going in Coastal Carolina transfer Josaiah Stewart.
“Stew … he’s not the biggest guy, but trust me — he’ll get under your pads and take you for a ride,” Harrell said Monday. “The leverage he plays with, and he’s quick, twitchy. He can look kind of small, but he can get under you and take you for a ride. So, size really doesn’t matter here.”
Stewart has put on 15 pounds of muscle since arriving. He told us this spring working with Herbert had paid huge dividends in the few months he’d been on campus, and he had a chip on his shoulder to prove he could be more than just a pass rusher. That’s his forte — Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy singled him out yesterday as an early standout — but he’s also proving he can hold his ground and secure the edge against the run, too.
Another who has benefited from weight loss — Michigan sophomore edge Derrick Moore. He’s now 6-3, 258 pounds with the potential to be a terror off the edge. He provided one of the spring game’s most impressive highlights when he bull rushed through a tackle Aidan Hutchinson style, and he’s added to his burst off the line.
“Derrick has been doing good … I’m expecting a big year out of Derrick,” Harrell said. “He’s doing some great things for us for sure … he lost like 20 pounds. He’s a lot faster, quick-twitchier.”
On the interior, senior Kris Jenkins is on the verge of being “elite” as an interior pass rusher, his teammates said Monday. He’s up to 305 pounds but hasn’t lost a step. Sophomore Mason Graham added some weight in the spring but took it off quickly, and fellow Michigan soph Kenneth Grant is down to 6-3, 339 pounds and moving well.
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“This fall camp, he’s really taken a big step,” Harrell said. “He was good last year, but I just feel like he took that next step. Every play I see him out there, he’s somewhere in that backfield, whether it’s pass, run … he’s getting back there. He’s causing havoc. He’s making a lot of disruptions.
“KG is going to be a dawg for sure this year. He lost some good weight. He’s moving around well. He was moving well at whatever weight he was at before, because he’s a freak. But he’s still moving good.”
All in all, the line looks ready to dominate and improve in the pass rush department. They have back to back titles under their belts, but Harrell noted they had unfinished business. What happened in the past is no longer relevant.
“Last year is last year. This year is this year,” the Michigan senior said. “What we did last year doesn’t matter. Each day, we just come up with that mentality — we’ve always got to keep staying hungry. We’ve got our goals in mind, but we just take each day day-by-day. Keep stacking days and we’ll be right where we want to be.”
