On Thursday, Fox Sports’ Michael Cohen did a deep dive on Michigan football’s secret weapon — strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert.
Herbert frequently gets big accolades from both Jim Harbaugh and his players, and you can read more of the feature-length article here beyond the following excerpt.
At Michigan that’s meant a number of things. Herbert has strengthened camaraderie by ending workouts with challenges that require the team to place trust in its parts. He selects one player who must set a personal record in a certain lift or drill to determine whether everyone can go home. “And that really instills the fact that you never know when your number is going to be called,” Jenkins said. “But when it’s called, you best believe you better go out there and do your thing.” Herbert also tests players by allowing them to choose their own weight for a workout’s final set, at which point he utters the catchphrase that playfully questions a player’s strength. “You will likely get smashed,” Herbert says, daring the player to prove him wrong. And nearly everyone can rattle off some of the inspirational quotes Herbert recites in front of the team. Jenkins’ favorite: “Let your actions speak so loud that I can’t hear what the f— you’re saying.”
While the article is excellent, that’s not what we’re talking about here. What we’re talking about is Michigan director of recruiting Albert Karschnia’s revelation.
It's become pretty common to hear NFL Scouts at our practices say "a lot of your guys look better than our guys." Coach Herb and his staff are the BEST in the business!! #GoBlue #PlayerDevelopmentU https://t.co/tCUaMNrd43
— Albert Karschnia (@AKarsch_UM) September 28, 2023
If true that scouts are saying that Michigan football players look better than many NFL players, that’s huge for the Wolverines — not only in the upcoming draft, but also as the season wears on.