Welcome to Tuesday Brews, folks. This morning I’ll be bringing you some content straight from the source. With fall camp underway and Harbaugh’s submarine mostly submerged, hard news from the team can be hard to come by. Which is why, when I can, I like to feature interviews from coaches and players during this period. Sure, we can write about it - but sometimes I think it’s better to hear it straight from the coaches and players so you know how they think things are going. To that end, this morning we’re featuring interviews from Jim Harbaugh, Chris Partridge, and Mo Hurst.
Let’s get to it:
When @CoachJim4UM speaks, @umichfootball fans listen.
— Michigan On BTN (@MichiganOnBTN) August 12, 2017
After all, "Who's got it better than us?" https://t.co/gZBfaazaV8
We’re going to start things off with the head man himself. Late last week BTN, continuing their annual bus tour series to the B1G camps, stopped in Ann Arbor and interviewed Harbaugh. During the conversation, Coach identified several young guys who were making a positive impression during camp. Specifically, Harbaugh praised DPJ, Oliver Martin, Tarik Black, Ben Mason, Nico Collins, Luiji Vilian, Kwitty Paye, and others as freshmen who have jumped into camp with both feet. On the QB front, Harbaugh says that Wilton Speight and John O’Korn are leading the race for the starting spot. The full video is a little more than six minutes long, but there are some good tidbits in there so I recommend taking the time to watch the full interview for yourself.
We have some new guys, and we’re hungry. @CoachCPartridge talks about his linebacker and special teams units. #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/qWAaFjWVsH
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) August 13, 2017
After hearing from the head man, we hear from one of the (relatively) new men - Coach Chris Partridge. Partridge is entering his second year coaching special teams and LBs, and hooo buddy does he have a job in front of him this fall. The only returning LB is Mike McCray, so Partridge has a largely blank canvas to really show what he can do. Partridge says that starters and leaders emerge through hard work and the process of fall camp, and that McCray is coming into his own as a leader of the younger players in the LB corp. For Partridge’s take on the special teams unit, check out the video above.
.@mohurstjr continues to get better. And he’s looking for a 2017!!#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/HNUiDbQey7
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) August 12, 2017
Closing out this morning’s Brews, we have an interview with senior Mo Hurst - who looks to figure in prominently to a revamped defensive line. In regard to the turnover, Hurst says, “I think we really had some great guys as backups [last year], and I think we’re really starting to come into our own and create our own identity . . . .” As one of the few upperclassmen, it’s incumbent on Hurst to play a role in shaping the defensive line. In this regard Hurst says, “For me this is a really important season because I’ve had to come into more of a leadership role and sort of be that guy that is able to be vocal on our defense . . . .” For more from Hurst, including what motivates him and his goals for the season, check out the full video above.