On the offensive line and whether its too early to say who will start at LT
I think we’re in the process of finding that out. One good thing we had was a bowl game where a lot of those guys got to play and get reps maybe they wouldn’t have. So I think that’s a good start. And me being here, I was still learning names and everybody then, but what I’ve seen through the off season and watching film is we’ve got a good young group for sure. Some of them haven’t played as much as you’d probably like, but I think we got a great idea of how we’re going to rotate guys here in spring and it’s a competition. And at any position, when you have that competition, I think that’s when you get the best out of them. I mean, it’s kind of an old cliché, but it’s the truth and they’re all working extremely hard. They’re busting their tails trying to get to the top of that chart. But it’s going to be something that’s going to move up and down every day. And you’d like for one of them to kind of step up and be the guy, but we’re a long ways from that. And so it’d be good, be good to see competition. Sprague is going to probably stay over where he’s been at right tackle. If we can get any of the younger ones involved, I’m not sure yet. Realistically, are they going to be ready to play left tackle as freshmen? But I think from the standpoint of Babalola — good player, going to be really good player. Is he ready yet? I don’t know. There’s probably some more veteran guys in front of him.
On tailoring the offense to the players on the roster
I think you always tailor your offense according to your players, the strength of your players. When I was a high school coach, you don’t really know what you’re getting every year. So you’ve got to do that. But I think that’s where this spring is going to be about is really establishing kind of our foundation of our offense and figuring out who does what. Do we need to move this guy inside to guard or is he really a tackle? Can he he operate in space against a pass rush? Same thing with the wide out position. Is he better playing inside or outside? With our system, I think we’ll have the flexibility to play guys where we want. That’s what’s the beauty about spring is letting these guys get on the field and just play. And I think Coach Moore started off we’re going to be really simple early on trying to just let them play. Who can block, who can tackle, who can run routes, who can get open, who can make throws? That’s what I’m excited about. Now, after four or five days, I’m sure we’ll get going. Wink is licking his chops, I’m sure to do his deal. But at the same time, at the end of the day, it’s about blocking and tackling. Football still, that’s the way it’s played. Then the guys that do it the best are the guys that’ll be on the field.
On what he noticed about the offense as he took over the job
The last couple years, I’ve watched this team all the way back to the national championship team. We’ve stolen a lot of ideas. Sherrone has always been really creative about unbalanced and heavy sets and those things. Those are things that we messed around with some at North Carolina. But for me, the opportunity to get to be a part of a team that’s DNA is kind of what ours is built on toughness and being physical. And so from my standpoint, I wanted to keep that DNA. I wanted us to come here. And I think when we first started talking about coming here, that’s why he and I hit it off so well, because I think, two years ago, we won the whole thing. So it’s not like it’s broken. I think there’s some things that we’ll try to improve on. Everybody’s got their own little wrinkle. If all of us in here were calling the offense, we’d all have maybe a different approach, but it’s going to be in that DNA of what it is. And each year, I think sometimes that change is built around the strengths of your players. And that’s what this spring is going to be about, kind of identifying those strengths.
On Bryce Underwood’s addition making the U-M job more appealing
It was appealing before that. But yeah, that made it, that made it a little more exciting for sure. Bryce has come in and really done a nice job of assimilating himself into the team. And he’s all into our culture. And it’s been a lot of fun getting to know him. But really all the guys, but definitely, definitely a guy that we’re excited about his future.
On Bryce Underwood’s pedigree compared to a veteran like Mikey Keene
I think anytime you sign a high-profile guy that’s a freshman coming in these days with as good a job as everybody does of knowing — it used to be when I was growing up, sometimes you wouldn’t know about guys, right? And now 30, 40 years later, whatever, you know about everybody, it seems like. And having those guys come in before, I think it’s always fun. It’s exciting. But at the end of the day, it’s really about what they do out there on the field. If he’s ready to go, he’ll play. If he’s not, then we’ll get somebody else ready to play. But so far, I love his approach. He’s all business, man. He loves football. That’s the most important thing. And he really wants to be the best player he can be. He wants people to push him. One of the things we talked about was: Whatever your dreams are, your aspirations are, they’re going to be mine. My goal is to help you reach those things. And whatever it takes. And I think that’s what his attitude is. He’s a team first guy. If you ask the older guys on our team right now, I think they would tell you that they love his approach. And really, that whole room I’ve got in there right now, they’re all the same way. They’re all wired that way or probably wouldn’t be at Michigan. But it’s exciting to see. And we’ll see how he grows and progresses throughout spring.
On Underwood’s development compared to others he’s coached
I’d say he’s pretty advanced. He’s highly decorated and all that in high school, which a lot of them are. But his sheer physical side of who he is — he’s 6-4, whatever he is, 220-plus pounds. Some of those guys come in and they’re really light and they’re not developed yet. Depending on their age, some of them, nowadays they reclass up and down, right? And that used to never happen. I remember growing up when I was in the south. When I was growing up in the 90s and nobody became the starting quarterback until they were like redshirt juniors and they were like 20 or 21 years old. And it’s just different now. I think kids are more advanced in general throughout the country. A lot of trainers now start with these kids really young. And you go to different parts of the country when you’re recruiting and you can tell, like, hey, these kids, they’ve been working a long time. They all have these trainers and so forth. He’s very advanced physically. And I think for him the speed of the game is always something you worry about coming into college compared to high school. And then how much can he handle. But really that goes with all of them. You know, Jadyn Davis has not played a whole lot. Mikey’s here now and he’s got some experience, but not at this level here. It’s all going to be a lot of fun to kind of mix and match it and put them in those situations. And I think our job this spring is to put those quarterbacks all in different positions and see how they react. Who handles things when it’s a third down pressure day, who handles it the best when it’s a red zone day, who does what we’re supposed to do, who can manage the huddle, who can connect with the team? At the end of the day it’s about who affects the other 10 guys the best is the guy that’s going to play.
On what made Mikey Keene a good fit
Having a previous relationship with Mikey, knowing how he was wired, I just thought he was the perfect fit for what we were looking for and. A guy that I think he’s thrown for over 8,000 yards and completed a bunch of balls. That was important. We needed a guy that could come in that had a lot of experience. Davis got injured, so he’s going to be out a while. Other than that, we didn’t have a lot of experience. So, it was important to get a guy that was experienced and a guy that wanted to be here and a guy that embraced coming here and playing on this stage and was confident. Mikey is that. I think when you get to know him, he’s highly competitive himself. And what I liked about him was having that previous relationship. This portal window that they have now, recruiting is really sped up. You don’t really get to know them like you do in a high school recruiting situation. So, the one thing I always thought in this Transfer Portal, let’s make sure we know as much as we can about these guys, and he was one we did. And he’s played a lot and played at a high level. Excited he’s here.
On his thoughts on Justice Haynes
He looks great in the winter program. Familiar with him from when he was a high school player, knew he was a really good player there. And I think he’s going to bring that veteran presence that we’re going to need in that room. Physically, looks like he’s in great shape. They all do, but he really does. And his approach is like Bryce, like I mentioned earlier. Like a lot of our guys, just being real that his approach is he’s all business. He wants to be the best player he can be. He’s been a great influence on some of our other players as well, which I think is important being an older guy. And we’re excited about him, and he’s just going to add another dimension to that room.
On the WR room
We have some talented players there. I think my challenge to those guys has been, who’s going to be the playmaker? We’ve got to figure that out. Who do we need to get the ball to? And it’s a great opportunity this spring for those guys to get a lot of reps and get a lot of balls. And then who can make one-on-one contested catches? Who can get open versus tight coverage? Who can play the position at a high level? Because when you really get into game planning and things, I think that’s what you do as a coordinator. Who do we need to get the ball to, and how do we do it? And we’ve got to figure out who those guys are, and we’re hoping somebody will step to the front. That’s what we’re banking on, and that’s why spring ball is so fun. It’s just an opportunity to put them out there and let them play. Not a lot of thinking. Let’s just go play and compete every day and see what happens.
On the potential of playing two quarterbacks
Anytime you can determine who you think your guy is, I think that’s an advantage. The more reps they get with the ones, the more reps they get doing it, so to speak. Definitely not against having a guy, like you mentioned earlier, that kind of learns behind him. I’m assuming you’re talking about Bryce with Mikey or even Jadyn. But at the end of the day, I think it’s probably too early to start saying this is what we like and how we think it should look. Let’s put them out there, and really put them out there in scrimmage situations where it’s not scripted, where they have to play the game. Hey, it’s first down, second down. Okay, now it’s third down. Boom, we hit a play. Now it’s in the red zone. They’ve got to understand all the things that go along with that. I think at the end of spring, maybe we’ll have a chance, but I think this thing is going to go on for a while. And then at the end of the day, we do what we think is best to win the football game and give our team the best chance to win. And if it involves playing two guys like they did earlier, I’m assuming — I didn’t even know that. But if they did that, then we’ll do it. If not, then we’ll roll however we need to.
On how Keene compares stylistically to Underwood
Bryce is way shorter. Stylistically, I think it’s really probably too early to say. What I do know about Mikey is he’ll know exactly where to go with the ball. He’ll get the protections right. He’ll execute at a high level. He’s never flinched in the moment, so to speak, when the moment is a big moment. He’s got a lot of experience, which you always like. Even at the next level, these guys right now are all looking for experienced guys if they have a young quarterback or whatever. So that’s exciting and probably too early to say how they’re similar or different. But right now they’re all working extremely hard and really just soaking everything up. You have to run them out of here at night. They’re here early getting ready. I think it’s a good mix in that room.
On recruiting at Michigan compared to other stops
It’s a national brand for sure. And I do think somewhat recruiting has become more national everywhere because of the Transfer Portal, because of social media and all the different things. But when you’re at Michigan and you go into a high school, people are really excited you’re there. That’s a lot of fun. It doesn’t matter what part of the country it is — down south, out west. It doesn’t matter. So that’s been a lot of fun, and I think it definitely gets us in the game with a lot of guys early on. And we’ve got a great tradition here. If you look back, we had a seven- or eight-year window, or seven or eight quarterbacks in a row that all played in the NFL, and that’s kind of what we’re shooting to is get back to that era there and have guys that are ready every year. Maybe that’s harder now than it’s ever been, with the ability to transfer. Those are the days if you transferred, I think you had to sit out two years, way back in those years. So it’s a different world, but we’re trying to figure out how we can make that room better.
On when you know a team has found its starting QB
I think it’s one of those things where if you put them in enough situations — and what I mean by that is not just lining up and running plays, but whether it’s run downs or whether it’s third downs in the red zone like I mentioned earlier or backed up, I think that’s how you start, okay? And then at some point, usually in fall camp or right before you play, because I’ve been in these competitions where you didn’t announce it because you wanted to figure out, okay, make sure we’re right. And sometimes you’re not. And then a guy goes out and is not getting it done, then you have to play somebody else. That’s just the nature of the business. But there’s that moment sometimes, whether it’s a play he makes when we’re somewhat live, so to speak. One of the hardest things for quarterbacks, they’re not getting hit a lot. So the guys that are athletic and can make plays with their feet, sometimes you don’t see that in practice. It doesn’t show up. And that’s a huge part of the game today. The defenses are better than they’ve ever been. They can rush the passer. They’re very athletic over there and it makes it hard on the O-linemen for sure. And the guys that can make plays with their feet, like I said, sometimes that’s masked a little bit in practice. So, I don’t know. I think it’s different every year. But hopefully, it’s one of those things that will pop up and we’ll be right and they’ll be the best guy to lead our team.
On Keene picking U-M despite Underwood’s presence
One thing I liked about Mikey when we first started talking about it is he never flinched. He didn’t even really ask about anybody else that was here. He just wanted the opportunity to come to Michigan. And he said: ‘I don’t know how long I’m going to play. I want to coach one day. I want to be involved one day. It expands my network.’ In other words, he’s just a mature guy that was thinking way ahead down the road. So, I think the opportunity to him to come play here at Michigan, the winningest program in college football and just all the tradition and things we have here, I think was really exciting and attractive to him. And the fact that he knew me in advance I think was also a plus. And he had a few other options and he kept me in limbo a little bit. But at the end of the day, we’re glad he’s here.
On Underwood making public statements about beating Ohio State
I didn’t even know he said that, to be honest with you. So, I don’t know. One thing about Bryce is he’s confident in himself. But since he’s been here, he’s not come across as too confident or overconfident or anything. He’s just confident in our program and in himself and his ability. At the end of the day, I don’t know if all that stuff really matters. He’s got to go out and play.
On whether QBs will run the ball in practice
Yeah, we’ll definitely have the ability to run those guys. They’re not necessarily getting tackled to the ground or anything like that. I think guys that are mobile, whether it’s on keepers or whether it’s on zone reads or whatever, we’ve got to make sure we have the ability to do that and see what that looks like. So, yeah, to answer your question, yes, they’ll all be able to do that.
On his thoughts on Donaven McCulley
He’s a long, athletic guy that’s somewhat of a veteran guy, a little bit older. And just watching him move around in the drill work, stuff that Tress and those guys do with him, he can really sink his hips and get in and out of breaks, which I think for a tall guy sometimes is a hard thing to do. I’ve been really impressed with that. We know he can catch the football. That’s something that he’s shown and proved on film. So he brings us a little more length in that room and excited about him, ready to get him out on the field. Again, the challenge for him I think is just you’ve got to go win the one-on-ones. That’s what your job is. If he plays X, those guys are usually to the boundary and getting a lot more press and so forth. I think that’s what we’re looking for, really, from him.
On taking over an offense that didn’t have productive receivers
Throwing the football is not just the receivers or just the quarterbacks. I mean, everything goes with it. It all works together. When you go back and look, I think there’s opportunities that were missed from my room — from the quarterback room — and there’s opportunities that guys maybe didn’t make plays when you count on them to make plays. Whatever the question is. So I guess from my standpoint, we’re starting ground one. We’re kind of moving forward on that. And, hey, I want to see it for myself. Because the one thing you try to do, I think, when you’re new — especially you come into a situation like this — is really try to make your own decisions on things and not let things kind of cloud you up. I wasn’t here. I don’t know anything about that last year. I’m trying to get the quarterbacks to play at the highest level they can play at and get the ball out on time where they’re supposed to be. That’s important to me. And then, like I said earlier, this spring is huge. Who can make plays for us? Running backs are going to be involved in our passing game. Everywhere I’ve been, that’s happened. So we’ve got to do a great job detailing those guys and letting them understand how to run routes. And the tight ends here are going to play a huge part. The last two years I was fortunate, we had a couple of really good tight ends at Carolina, and those guys were a huge part of our passing game. I do think it all works together. And I get your question, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to figure out — it doesn’t matter if they’re a receiver, tight end, running back — get them involved, our best players, and figure out who they are and be more efficient. I think that’s what we’re looking for.
On whether it’s possible to add impact players during the spring portal window
Last year I remember going through, we thought that spring portal, we’ll get some good players out of that spring portal. And it wasn’t that way. The December portal seemed to be maybe more top-line players, I guess, would be the best way to say it. For us, we need to focus on the guys that we have here in the building that are here. I think that’s where our focus is. And then after the spring, maybe we’ll see what that looks like and address those needs if we think we have to do that. But at the end of the day, let’s really coach these guys up here and focus on that, and then we’ll go from there.
On the balance of not over-coaching Underwood
You just coach him like you coach all of them. I mean, that’s what he wants. And the best players I’ve been around — the Jarrett Stidhams, the Drake Mayes — those guys, man, they don’t want you to treat them any different. ‘Hey, coach me on the fundamentals.’ We talk a lot about having a coach-me-coach attitude, what’s it going to take for me to improve, how can I get the ball out better, this footwork or that footwork, what’s best, decision-making. I think if we can get them playing where they know where to go with the ball, they understand pre-snap what we’re getting, and then I think that’s the key. And then let them play. Let the natural ability take over. But at the end of the day, I’m going to coach him just like I coach the rest of them. And we’ve had that conversation, and I think that’s what he wants. That’s what he’s excited about.
On the RB room
Adding Justice is huge. I do think the old days of playing one tailback probably are not realistic. We’d love to have two guys that are kind of interchangeable, that can share the load, and a third guy, too, that gets quality reps as well. I think that’s important. And you know how it is: Playing running back probably in this league, like some of the other leagues, I mean, it’s a physical position. Every snap you run in the football or your pass pro-ing or whatever you’re doing pretty much. So we’re going to need them all. And establishing probably that pecking order and how it works and the different personnel groups where we can use multiple guys, I think is important as well. But looking forward to it. It’s a good room. I’m excited about them and looking forward to getting them out there tomorrow.
On having a QB competition and keeping a freshman confident
The way we’re going to go about it, we’re going to split the reps. They’re all going to get equal reps with the ones, twos, threes, whatever it is. And sometimes when you’re coaching and evaluating players, it’s not exactly what happens necessarily all the time on the play. Does he go to the right place with the ball? Is it there on time? Now, if they don’t make the catch, I don’t know. You just got to put them in those situations and give them equal reps. And I’m just telling you, it’s as simple as put your head down and coach them all the same. And they understand what they’re dealing with here. You play football at this level, you understand it’s a competition every day. And you got to bring it every day. And you got to be focused and locked in. And some younger players struggle with that. But we’ll see. So far, Bryce has been great with that. Jadyn Davis has been excellent as well. And Mikey, being a veteran guy, I think he understands every day is game day for sure. So it’ll be fun. That’s what’s exciting about spring is seeing who steps up. Instead of trying to make things happen, we’re going to roll them out there, let them go. And it’s fun to watch the team react to those guys, and especially in scrimmage situations. It’s something I’m really looking forward to.
