[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbzardvge799bm2 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://wolverineswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It seems no matter who you’re playing, there’s always going to be some internal reason why Michigan football holds some sort of grudge.
Though we’re used to seeing it more with rivals Ohio State and Michigan State, the same can be said for Georgia, the Wolverines’ next opponent come Dec. 31 in the College Football Playoff. And that’s because there’s a handful of players who grew up in the Peach State.
The highest-profile, of course, is third-year defensive tackle Christopher Hinton, who grew up in Norcross, near Atlanta, and was heavily recruited by the Bulldogs. Despite their perpetual advances, Hinton was one of the Wolverines’ earliest commits in the 2019 recruiting class, and never wavered, no matter how much the hometown team pushed.
“I’m not gonna lie, I’m pretty excited for this game,” Hinton said. “I grew up with a lot of guys, know a lot of guys. Obviously was recruited by them pretty hard. It’s the hometown team, but I’m excited to play Georgia, for sure.”
[lawrence-related id=54808,54682,54657]
For third-year cornerback DJ Turner, it’s something of a similar story, even though he wasn’t nearly as early of a pledge. Turner starred at North Gwinnett before transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida for his senior year and also had an offer from UGA.
He’s looking forward to suiting up against several players he’s gotten the opportunity to know throughout the years.
“It’s big,” Turner said. “From Georgia, it’s real big. I’m excited, I’m looking forward to playing in it.
“I know a whole bunch of them (players at Georgia). I played with them a whole bunch. Yeah, I know a whole bunch of them.”
Hinton, in particular, seems to have a lot of familiarity with a lot of the players on the Dawgs’ roster given his time playing football in greater Atlanta. Turner notes he also knows quite a few Bulldogs, but Hinton both played with and against several stars he’ll be seeing come Dec. 31.
“Me and Dominick Blaylock grew up together,” Hinton said. “Travon Walker and Nolan Smith, we spent a lot of time together during the recruiting process. I played against Justin Shaffer, the guard, in the playoffs. I played against Jamaree Solyer and Kearis Jackson in high school, and Kenny McIntosh, played against him in basketball. So, I know a lot of those guys. It’s gonna be fun.”
That said, what do they expect from the Georgia offense?
“They’re a really good team. They’ve got four really good backs they use differently, so we’ve gotta be prepared for that,” Hinton said. “They come out in certain personnels, give you different looks, so we’ve gotta be prepared for that. They were the No. 1 team in the country for the whole year, so we know what we have at hand. But we’re a good team, too. We’re gonna prepare these next couple weeks and be ready for UGA.”
“They’re a good, balanced team,” Turner said. “They can run the ball and pass the ball. And they’ve got playmakers. So we’ve gotta be ready.”
For Turner, he feels a bit bolstered not just from recent success, but considering there appears to be some consternation in Athens about whether or not it will be Stetson Bennett IV or J.T. Daniels under center, given Michigan’s quarterback rotation, he feels that the defensive backs will be uniquely prepared.
“Yeah, for sure – I’ll say that,” Turner said. “Going against Cade and J.J., I would say it doesn’t get much better. Going into the game confident.”
[listicle id=54629]