Aidan Hutchinson’s mom says this emotional moment encapsulates his passion

Michigan edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson’s had a historic season for the Wolverines in 2021, with many big moments and victories along the way. Michigan still has big games ahead of them, but the stage doesn’t get much bigger than the one at Michigan Stadium against Ohio State on November 27 — a 42-27 Michigan win that clinched the Big Ten East.

Hutchinson, who now has 14 sacks on the season, tallied three sacks against Michigan’s biggest rival on a snowy day in Ann Arbor. At the Heisman Trophy Award ceremony on Saturday night, Hutchinson’s mother, Melissa, shared what it was like in the immediate aftermath of Michigan’s win — a victory where fans stormed the field.

“Right after the game when everyone stormed the field, it was every man for himself,” Melissa Hutchinson said. “My daughter and I just took off, that was the goal to find him. Found him in the middle somehow, I don’t know how that happened. And all of us just stood there and hugged, everybody screaming, kept saying ‘I can’t even believe this, this is the most glorious night of my life’.

There were may sights and scenes that will be etched into the minds of fans, players, and family alike for years to come, but there was one specific moment that really stood out to Melissa.

“And then later I saw a slow motion of him (video below) throwing his hands up in the air and my girls and I have cried over that every time we see it,” Hutchinson said. “We keep rewatching that, because that is him — the passion, the enthusiasm, determination, all the integrity he has in him was wrapped up in that one moment.”

Head coach Jim Harbaugh said that Hutchinson, along with running back Hassan Haskins, put the team on their backs this season, and that he believes Hutchinson should be the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Hutchinson’s journey to Michigan has been in the making since he was a kid. Aidan’s father, Chris, was a standout Michigan defensive end who had Michigan’s single season sack record up until this season — Aidan broke the record. What makes this all the more sweet is the fact that Chris didn’t push Aidan to follow in his footsteps, it was just a son with a dream who not only wanted to be like Dad, he wanted to be better than Dad.

“When we were raising Aidan we wanted him to blaze his own path. I didn’t want him to be a football player unless he wanted to be a football player. We let him choose his path and I think that’s very important and that’s what led him to have this much determination. because he wanted it, I didn’t want it for him, he’s the one who wanted it,” Chris Hutchinson said. “He wanted to choose my number, he wanted to create his own legacy. Even though I had some records at Michigan, he was determined to break those records, and determined to say ‘I know you have five rings Dad, but I got one’.”

Hutchinson may not have won the Heisman, but finishing runner-up is an incredible feat — only four defensive players have finished runner-up in Heisman voting history. For Aidan, Chris, and Melissa, they’re going to keep enjoying the ride as long as it lasts. Aidan might have two more games left wearing maize and blue — the Orange Bowl against Georgia, and hopefully the National Championship in Indianapolis.