There are only 16 days until the 2023 Michigan football season kicks off! Earlier this week, the media had a chance to meet with 9th-year head coach Jim Harbaugh at Schembechler Hall in Ann Arbor, MI; here are the latest details from fall camp, straight from the head coach himself.
Jim Harbaugh details the latest info from Michigan football fall camp
Status update on cornerback Amorion Walker during fall camp
“A little bit (banged up), he’s working through something right now, but I expect to have him back in four to five days.”
Where is Mike Sainristil standing out the most so far in fall camp?
“Corner, nickel. He can play both. I think we’re at our best if he’s a nickel.”
Jim Harbaugh gives update on the Michigan football wide receivers
“Really, really good. That’s a whole group there of really good players. I’ll start with three of the freshmen — Fredrick Moore, Karmello English, and Semaj Morgan — those three have really come in and inserted themselves right off the bat. They’ve taken reps with the ones, they’ve taken reps with the twos. They’re not playing like freshmen.
“Karmello and Fredrick and Semaj, their ability to get out of a break, we haven’t seen that for many freshmen, let alone too many receivers that have come through here with their ability to track the ball — Fredrick Moore’s ability to track the ball is as good as I’ve seen. Semaj Morgan — quick, fast, and shorter stature but a very big catch radius. He can catch the balls away from his body, he can high point, he’s been really good.
“The other guys, Cristian Dixon, also in my mind is somebody that’s really asserting himself right now. And it’s his availability. He’s there every day, he’s playing through — taken a couple of big hits, held on to the ball. But it’s that talent to be there every single day. The best ability is availability. He’s rising. Darrius Clemons, he’s had a few nagging things, but looking forward to hopefully getting him — he’s back in practice yesterday and working through something but hopefully this next two weeks leading up to the game one and game two, he can get back in there and be really effective. Lot of guys, Roman (Wilson) and Cornelius Johnson, they’re really outstanding, you know what they can do. But there’s other guys, Dale Chesson, Joe Taylor. Eamonn Dennis, quite a great group there.”
Any other freshman standing out to Jim Harbaugh during fall camp so far?
“There’s a great group of freshmen — Cameron Brandt, Enow Etta, Trey Pierce — those three have been outstanding and came in right on time. I Just feel like that interior defensive line group has really been bolstered. We’ll see who the fifth and sixth misalignment is going to be in that rotation. But definitely those three will most likely be dressed up, that’s how good they’re playing.”
More info on the newly implemented ‘Beat Georgia’ period at Michigan football fall camp
“It would be a small piece. There’s probably 1,000 other little things that we’re trying to do right, but it’s one of the things we’re trying to do right. It’s just how they play, I respect it and want to have our players prepared to play at that level. We’re chasing perfection, and that’s part of it. They’re the team to beat.”
How is Michigan football maintaining its focus with a lot of outside noise?
“It’s got to come from them. I’ve tried to make guys love football and have enthusiasm, attack each day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind, make them love football, everything in my power. But I’ve come to the realization that it’s got to come from the individual no matter how hard you try. There’s not a guy right now in the junior, senior, fifth-year class that I could point to and say that isn’t doing everything each day, taking any and every opportunity to try to maximize it, and just being trusted agents and friends. I had to make a poster person for who really defined enthusiasm unknown to mankind.
“I looked at every player, every coach, even consider myself, and by the power vested in me, the poster person for enthusiasm unknown to mankind for the 2023 year is Kris Jenkins. Nice little sticker, ‘EUTM,’ on the helmet. He’s not the only one who has it. We’ve given some others out, Blake Corum, J.J. McCarthy, Zack Marshall — we even gave one to a freshman — and a few others. The poster person is Kris Jenkins. And the captains, that’s coming. We’ll see what that vote yields. But there’s just so many to choose from that lead and attack and love football.”
What is the vibe in the Michigan football locker room right now, according to Jim Harbaugh?
“So we have a lot of people through, there’s been a lot of football people. We’ve had general managers come through, had scouts come through — one in particular, who was in our meetings and practices said, ‘This is vibrant.’ So that’s my word. I can’t get that word out of my head. It just best describes the vibe and mentality. It’s infectious you can’t help picking up on that. That was well defined. It’s vibrant.
“They take that from the meeting rooms, to the weight rooms, to the practice field, to the stadium, super pleased. Also a first to have the first scrimmage in the stadium be as good as it was. Every season I coached, every season I was part of as a player — go to that first scrimmage in the stadium and guys forget, I forgot.
“I forgot coaching, as a player there’s just something about going to the Big House, coaches yelling at everybody. That’s always been my experience as a player and even as a coach. Freshmen forget everything they’ve been taught — it wasn’t like that at all. It was the same vibrant, energy, execution. …They’re further ahead and that’s a credit to the coaches and the players themselves and their focus.”
Update on a key Michigan football position battle — right and left tackles
“The first half of camp, Karsen (Barnhart), LaDarius (Henderson) have been at the left tackle. And Myles Hinton and Trente (Jones) — we’ve given them the same amount of starter reps as backup reps. We’re interchanging guys. You know Karsen’s ability, his versatility, he can play any position — he could play left, he could play right, he could play guard… so developing that same versatility with the other guys as well is a priority.
“And we’ll flip it again, day off today, come back tomorrow and those tackles, Trente and Karsen will go back to starting tackles as they did the first week and then the second segment takes the backups. They’re playing at a super, super high starter level. I predict that it’ll go into the first and second game to find out exactly who the starters will be.”
More on the Michigan football offensive tackles
“No, I definitely think you’re gonna see the Michigan method in play at offensive tackle. There’s two starters on the left, there’s two starters on the right. There’s four starting tackles that we have. It’ll go through camp — I envision starting two tackles one game and two tackles the second game.”
Other position battles
“I see that happening at edge, could be the case at center. Probably will be the case at corner. Those would be the main ones. It’s just that close, it’s just that good really for four starting tackles. Kills me not to put Andrew Gentry in that category because he’s so good playing guard and tackle and to find ways to get him on the field. But I don’t know, I’d say if I had to pick the best one right now so far through 12-13 days at camp, Karsen Barnhart is having the best camp so far.”
Who is standing out as a kick returner for Michigan football right now?
“Right now that’s good competition. Mike Sainristil, Kalel Mullings, Donovan Edwards has been really good with punt return, Jake Thaw right there at the top, KeShaun Harris, Karmello English, Tyler Morris. Kick returner, Kalel, Roman Wilson, Eamonn Dennis could be extremely, extremely good.
“And also a secret plan for Alex Orji. He’s got a chance to be maybe one of the greatest kick returners of all time. The 230 pound guy. So he just started doing it, we’ll see how it goes. He’s also excelling at quarterback so there’ll be some decisions that have to be made. We have to improve in our kickoff return blocking before I would agree to have Alex Orji return the kick. So there’s a bit of a challenge there going on. It’s made for quite a bit of excitement and enthusiasm. Our kickoff return blockers have seen what Alex can doas a kick returner, challenge is on them to get better at their fundamentals their techniques and give him the chance.
“If we can make it happen, it would be really special. I mean, Kalel Mullings would be similar in that role. But yeah, there’s some excitement.”
Who does Jim Harbaugh see having a breakout year after fall camp?
“Yeah. I brought the whole roster with me really just to be able to refer back to that. Quite a few. Just to say the top of the list, it’s tough to make that call because there’s been a lot. I would really start in the lines, describing what the progress has been, where we are in fall camp right now.
“Offensive line, we had really four starting type guys returning with Karsen Barnhart and Trente Jones and Trevor Keegan, Zak Zinter, and three great transfers — (Myles) Hinton, (Drake) Nugent, and LD (LaDarius Henderson. Also guys that have risen too — Jeff Persi, I’m considering him starter status, Gio (Giovanni El-Hadi) and Greg Crippen, as well. We’re really 10 deep right now. Reece Atteberry, Andrew Gentry — (inaudible at 1:30). It’s been that kind of good for us. And they’re playing good, playing healthy.
“Everybody in there is doing a heck of a job and we had a goal line scrimmage yesterday and a short yardage scrimmage Saturday and I would even say as good as the offensive line has been that the defense and the defensive line probably got the better of it. The 51% I would send that way. That’s Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Kris Jenkins, Cam Goode has really excelled.
“And then we’re super strong at the edge position. Jaylen Harrrel has been as good as (Call him the best? Kind of inaudible). Braiden McGregor, Derek Moore and Josaiah Stewart, as well. TJ Guy is a guy who’s asserted himself at that position.
“Been really good at the linebacker position so when I talk about the front seven — Junior Colson has been outstanding, Mike Barrett’s been outstanding, Ernest Hausmann has been really good. The guy who I would say has inserted himself the most is Jaydon Hood, as far as where he was last year to to where he is now. He is getting right there in the mix.”
More explanation from Jim Harbaugh on what the “Michigan Method” is
“I read that another team was doing that for their quarterbacks — Michigan Method, I like the way that sounds. Who plays? Who gets discovered? The best players. How do you know the best player is? They play the best. To define what the Michigan method is, that would define it well. Those certain positions — quarterback last year, not this year — tackle this year, center, corner edge. It’s so close and there’s multiple guys that are starters that practice may define it over 29 days, but it may not and have to go to find the separation in the game to find out who the best player is because they will play with us.”
For the time being, that’s all from Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh on fall camp.
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