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Former Central Michigan defensive end Mike Danna grad-transferred over to the Wolverines on Tuesday afternoon, and now a former Chippewa coach is singing Danna’s praises. Former CMU defensive line coach George Ricumstrict gave his thoughts to TMI about the newest Wolverine.
On the type of player Danna is
“He’s a great kid and he’s a leader. His teammates at Central Michigan respected him. He’d been a leader from day one, the day he walked on campus. With his talent, he’ll fit in any system. Whether he’s playing defensive end or outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, he’s an explosive football player and he’s very, very smart. Him learning a new system, if that becomes the case, will not be an issue for him.”
How hard Danna worked to become the player he is now
“First of all, this recruiting thing is not a science. Initially, he’s not 6-foot-4, 6-foot-5. He wasn’t 260 or 270-pounds coming out of high school. That’s not what he was. What he was, from what I could see, he was a good football player. The things you don’t see is how hard he works behind the scenes. He really develops his talent. Obviously, he had the God-given ability. It’s one thing to have a God-given ability and it’s another to go out and work your butt off and get the most out of it. He’s done that from day one he walked on campus, I think he’s had a plan and a focus and he’s followed it. I thought he made a jump going into this past season. You could tell he was really focused on becoming a better football player.”
The 6-2, 257 pound transfer racked up 65 tackles (14 for loss), two touchdowns, four forced fumbles, and 8.5 sacks in 2018. Danna was named to the All-Mid-American Conference First Team defense. From George Ricumstrict’s comments it sounds like Michigan landed a player that has high character, works incredibly hard, and has a high ceiling on the gridiron. We’ll see if he can land a starting job along the d-line for Michigan in 2019.