ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Kris Jenkins’ nickname is ‘the mutant,’ and he was Michigan football’s top player on Bruce Feldman’s annual ‘freaks list.’ But who does Jenkins think of as a freak on the Wolverine football team? It turns out it’s one of the transfers who came in earlier this year.
A former team captain and starter at Stanford, Drake Nugent is competing for a starting center role with Greg Crippen. Injured in the spring, Nugent wasn’t a full-go until fall camp, but once he got into the weight room and took the practice field, he absolutely wowed Jenkins with his physicality.
“Oh, yeah, he’s a dog,” Jenkins said. “He came in from day one. Yeah, I like him. He’s a dog. He’s a dog. Yeah, from day one.
“He came in here one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen. Dude’s a complete freak of an athlete. He’s done stuff that had me and Coach Herb’s mouth agape. Just like the type of dude, he was straining to finish. He’s definitely a huge football IQ guy. And basically just his work ethic, it’s just like, it’s unbelievable.
“So he’s definitely like, from day one, he walked in here he got everybody’s respect quick and he’s been a guy who’s constantly been trying to represent the block M the best way possible. So you’re definitely gonna see him tear it up and really excited for him because he deserves it.”
For a player like left guard Trevor Keegan, it’s important to have a solid player to his right, because the guard-center combo requires a bit more intricate detail, he says.
“I’d definitely say with the center would be more because you gotta know why he’s calling this, what he’s seen from the safety’s rotation, where the blitz is coming from, ” Keegan said. “‘Hey, why’d you call that? Why’d you call that?’ and just all be on the same page. Like I said, that’s just really the main thing.”
And from what Keegan has seen, Nugent is the real deal, especially given his short amount of time of being out on the field.
“They’re pretty similar,” Keegan said. “Obviously Olu got to be able to play spring ball, but, without Drake playing in spring, he’s picked up on the offense really well.”
Fans will likely get an opportunity to see Nugent on the field for the first time on Saturday, when Michigan football opens up its season by hosting East Carolina. The game will kick off at noon and will be streamed live on Peacock.
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