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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — ESPN recently suggested that Michigan football is a program that will be on the rise in 2021, rebounding from a terrible 2-4 campaign in 2020. But a lot of fans and media don’t share that enthusiasm.
Yes, Jim Harbaugh signed a contract extension and all-but cleaned house when it came to the coaching staff, bringing in six new faces total, including a new defensive coordinator in Mike Macdonald. But there appears to be some pessimism as to how quickly it could come to fruition, so much so that the Wolverines weren’t voted into the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll, though fellow 2020 strugglers Penn State and Wisconsin got the benefit of the doubt.
Of course, the Wolverines will have to put it all together on the field, which fifth-year OL Andrew Stueber is confident will happen. But why does he feel that Michigan is poised for a rebound this year?
“I think the first (reason) is just the spring we had,” Stueber said. “I’ve never seen that much want and drive from a spring practice. I’ve been here for five years and that energy going into spring ball I’ve never seen before and I’ve never seen carry through the whole spring ball, too, into the spring game. It’s something that is unheard of for me.
“Especially now, going into the season, going into fall camp, I think the senior leadership is really good. The bond that the seniors have — my class is the fifth-year graduate class now, there’s only a few of us left — and the bond that we have and the way that we’re able to cover the whole special teams, offense, defense, we’re all close because we’re all in the same class. That leadership, that bond has trickled down to the whole team.”
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It’s not just the seniors and graduate students who have formulated that bond, as Stueber says. He insists that the whole team, as mentioned, is closer than ever, a bold statement considering he’s been with the program going all the way back to 2017.
It starts with the seniors, but they’re doing everything they can to will the underclassmen to rise above their stations.
“The whole team right now is really close,” Stueber said. “From a teammate bond, from a brothership bond, we’re really close and we’re growing that. We’re getting the freshmen involved, we’re bringing them along. I think that the bond that we have right now isn’t something that I’ve really felt as close in past years. Maybe because I was an underclassman and now I’m in my fifth year. But I think right now the bond we have right now as a team is special and I can’t wait to see it happen come fall.”
We’ll see come Sept. 4 whether or not this practice pays dividends when Michigan hosts Western Michigan at The Big House for the 2021 season opener.
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