[Eric Upchurch]

What are your impressions after day one?

“Uh, good. Good day. The team is…it’s a rejuvenated team. And I like the way they’ve really trained over the last two-and-a-half months and getting back on the field was great today.”

Rejuvenated in what way?

“Just attitude, confidence, there was a bounce in their step, and it’s been good. It’s been good over the last weeks, months, and great to get back started on the field.”

I know it’s only been one day, but what did you think of Shea [Patterson]?

“Um, did good. Did a good job. As did a lot of guys, you know. And for a first day, I mean, it was…guys had studied. Guys, you know, it wasn’t the first time they’d thought about the plays or the defensive calls or the punt protections. Guys came out and had a high level of understanding and there was good execution [for a] first day.”

Do you have an update on Shea’s timeline with regard to eligibility or when you might hear something from the NCAA?

“No.”

Are you hopeful or what do you think?

“I don’t have an update.”

When you go through, because you don’t have an update and you don’t know, do you go through just a normal progression with him and say ‘You’re going to get these reps’ and then the other guys the same way? Do you just go with it thinking that okay, yeah, we will have him?

“Uh, the reps are being evenly distributed amongst the quarterbacks.”

Is Grant Newsome able to practice yet?

“No.”

He can do anything with the team right now?

“He’s working out, he’s conditioning, but he’s not at the point to come back and practice with the team.”

I think you said Grant Perry’s also limited on the radio. Is there anybody else besides those two that’s not going to be full go by spring ball?

“Yeah. Luiji [Vilain], Jameson Offerdahl, there’s a few. And then Ty Wheatley, looks like he fractured the metacarpal [Ed. A- metatarsal] in his foot today, so he’ll be out for all of spring ball but back for the season.”

[After THE JUMP: out-of-the-gate leaders, some O-line clarity, and RPOh no]

I know it’s only day one but who have you kind of seen step up as a leader and be more vocal now that this new class is coming up to be seniors and upperclassmen?

“Oh, the guys that really just jump right out: Rashan Gary is the most dedicated, into this. Devin Bush Jr., Chase Winovich, Ben Mason. Those would be the four that jump out; there’s others, but it’s, as I said, been watching for weeks and months now as they’ve gone through the strength and conditioning program and it’s been really good.”

How is it to work with some of the new coaches on the field finally?

“Great. It was really great. Great guys, great coaches, very competent, very good at their jobs.”

In particular with Jim McElwain, what does he bring to the table for you as a wide receivers coach?

“Great intellect, but also a lot of fun. It was great to see his enthusiasm, and he gets after it. There was some paint peelin’ out there. He gets into it. Didn’t know that side of him, but tremendous enthusiasm. You could tell he was—all us coaches, we were chomping at the bit, we were ready to go, but thought he was outstanding.”

What kind of impact has Ed Warinner made in his work with the offensive line so far?

“Really good. We’ve had tremendous collaboration on the offensive side with the staff. it’s been a huge focus for our team and been doing it for weeks and months now, and really like the way it’s come together. The contribution we get, we’re getting contribution from so many great coaches on the offensive side that work great together. Really been good that way.”

Have you named an offensive coordinator or is it going to be a collaborative process going forward?

“Yeah, it’s gonna be a collaborative process.”

What is the advantage to that, now having an offensive coordinator but having a group?

“Well, I mean, I haven’t decided what—really it comes down to who the play-caller’s going to be and how we’re going to call plays.I mean, that’s really probably what you’re asking. I haven’t decided that yet but it’s always going to be a collaborative process on the offensive side of the ball…and the defensive side of the ball and the special teams, so we’re just very excited about the staff.

“Really excited about the strength staff, really excited about the training staff, really excited about the equipment staff. Our nutritionist, wait’ll you meet Abigail [O’Connor]. She’s amazing. Recruiting staff, our football DFO, Mark Taurisani, is doing an incredible job. I really feel like everything is really humming from a staff, coaching staff, and also our players. There’s a confidence about them that…I said ‘rejuvenated’ and that’s what it feels like.”

You said ‘rejuvenated,’ are you rejuvenated in a way, too? Did you do some soul-searching? What did you do [and] did you change at all coming off of last season as well and coming into this season more rejuvenated?

“You know, just did…did all the things I really felt that—assessed the program and myself as a coach and the entire program, and there’s a lot of great things in our program and felt like taking those great things and keeping them and anything that was mediocre, wanted to change it and make it great and that’s been a lot of work.

“Been a process, and that is…maybe that’s what’s rejuvenated me. I feel great about all aspects of the program right now. Probably the best analogy I can think of is you plow the fields and expose what’s good and what’s not good and then you go about fixing it.”

There’s a referee who survived cancer and he started this whole Pray it Forward thing and then Judge Beagle challenged you a little bit. Are you familiar with it and what are your thoughts on it and are you planning on keeping it going?

“No, I had not heard about that. Excited to hear about it. Judge Beagle?”

Judge Beagle, yeah. Steve Johnson’s a referee of high school sports in Flint who survived cancer and started this Pray it Forward thing and has been passing it along and Judge Beagle said that he was challenging you. I don’t know if you’d seen it yet or heard about it yet but he’s coming for you. I guess it’s just you pray for somebody and then you pass it along and challenge everybody else to give back.

“I love it, I love it. Challenge accepted.”

You talked about implementing more of the RPO into the offense. How do you go about doing that, and what do these quarterbacks in particular give you that make you think This is going to be good for us?

“Um, I said that?”

Uh—

“Quote me on that one. Give me that quote.”

Well, you said—

“I said, ‘We are going to implement—’”

You talked to The Michigan Insider [and said] that you were going to implement more RPO, you were looking into it and you were going to implement more RPO. Maybe not overhaul completely, but—

“Who at The Michigan Insider?”

Sam Webb.

“Oh, okay. [chuckles] We’re studying our offense.”

You’re studying it.

“Yeah, we’re studying all aspects of our offense and getting our offense improved. Been doing that for months and today was the first day to get it out there on the field. Keeping the things we do really well. Seems there’s some other things we can add to it so yeah, we’re in that process.”

How did the early enrollees take to winter conditioning and what did you see from them today?

“Um, really good, really good. Joe Milton had a really good first day. Very impressive. Just…he treated the first practice like it was a game. You could see him over there studying. I mean, he was praying. He was—like he was getting ready for a game. I loved it. And then he went out and really acquitted himself well today. Threw the ball good. He did a very good job.

“Myles Sims the same, and Taylor Upshaw as well. Those three guys have been great. They’ve had a great first two months. I mea, they’re walking around with a smile on their face and doing well in school. They’re part of the family now. There’s been no drama or issues. Very mature youngsters, all three. Really happy with them.”

You spoke a lot about Tarik Black before the bowl game. Where is he now?

“He’s back full speed.”

And how has he looked so far?

“Good. Had a good first day. Good to see him back out there.”

Is there a level of excitement that’s kind of high with those young wide receivers given that they kind of showed potential but maybe not the polish last year and where you can see them going this year?

“Definitely. In so many of our young guys, go from year one to year two and now they’re doing things for the second time that they’ve already done, it’s awesome.

“I’ll put it to you this way, I’ve noticed from all the years in football, when you first come in as a freshman to college, the one question you have is Am I good enough? Am I good enough to really be a college football player? And that’s something that---let along be a pro football player, but am I good enough to be a college football player?

“Eight years from now, turns out, yeah, I was good enough. But to try to not make it take eight years to figure that out and try to condense that to 12 months is really the goal, and through coaching and through dedication, that countenance can come out in 12 months. I’m seeing that with some of our guys because I see their confidence, bobbing the chin now, and Yeah, I can do this, I’m good enough to do this.

“And if they—unless they neglect to do for themselves what they need to, feel like they can take…12 months is a long enough period of time for that, so excited for a lot of the freshmen who played last year, and I see it reflected in the way they carry themselves and the confidence that they have now.”

We like to narrow the focus of spring ball and offensive line seems to be a major storyline. Is that a main focus for you with this spring and can you see like a Bredeson moving to tackle? Is that something that you would look at to make room for Ruiz and Onwenu if you’ve got a different guy at center? How are you approaching the offensive line in spring? Just trying different people in?

“Um…yeah, I mean, there’s really proven players inside. Cesar’s going to center and he’ll be competing there, then the other veteran players that have played guard: Mike Onwenu, Ben Bredeson, Stephen Spanellis. Then there’s those other freshmen now; hoping they’re going to come along. Steuber, Honigford, and others. Tackles: feel good about JBB and Jon Runyan, Chuck Filiaga, James Hudson and others. That’s pretty much where they’re set; inside players, center, and tackles.”

Who would back up Ruiz? Would that be Spanellis, because, you know, the bowl game.

“Well, I mean, not really into that yet, the who’s—guys are in there competing for spots and eventually you’re going to get the best five linemen that are going to play.

“Just to answer your question, I think Ben will stay at guard. He’s a good guard, been starting since his freshman year, and has the strength to move a three-technique and feel like that’s where he’ll be most valuable to our team.

“And the tackles will train and compete there as well. Yeah, Cesar’s…is he going to be one of our best five? I don’t think there’s any question about that, and probably, maybe one of our best if not best. We love him at the center position and then we’ll go from there to choose the best five, next best five, or next best four.

“Yeah, Ben Bredeson’s going to be in there, and Mike Onwenu’s looking really solid, and then the competitive battles waged out there at the tackle position.”

You mentioned the strength and conditioning staff earlier. How has the team responded to having coach Herbert and his new trainers?

“Oh, they’ve been great. We talked about great collaboration and not only is he a great coach himself, [he has] incredible staff. Tank [Wright], Roe [Kiero Small], JTress [Justin Tress], coach Lock[wood]. They like read each other’s body language. It’s---like, they know what each is thinking. Dedicated, dedicated coaches and very experienced. It’s been tremendous, so just keep grinding. But they love what they do; that’s their world and they’re great at it and the team has responded.”

What does Ben [Herbert], the strength coach, do in particular that caused you to reach out and bring him in? What in particular stands out about him? What changes has he made so far?

“Uh, like I just said, he’s really, really dedicated, has a tremendous staff, and they love what they do, and it’s a transfer of energy, really. Like any great coach would do, your energy to the players’ energy. That just….you see it, you know it’s good. Our guys are really developing, so it’s been a great couple months.”

Have you been watching the basketball at all? What do you think of the boys?

“Oh my gosh, beasts. They were beasts. I mean, I don’t think I’m going too far on a limb here: I think the way they played the other night, they could have beat the Los Angles Lakers. Just so exciting, so exciting. There’s a great inspiration, too. It looked like they had—we were playing with seven players and they were playing with five players. I don’t know that much about basketball, but it just had that feel. The guys were attacking on both ends of the floor, the offensive side and the defensive side. It was great. So much excitement. So happy for coach Beilein, his staff, the team. Onward! Can’t wait for tomorr—for Sunday.”

It’s tomorrow, you were right.

“Tomorrow? Can’t wait for tomorrow! Can’t wait for tomorrow.”

I was curious about Kareem Walker. On social media, it looks like he has rededicated himself or is really dedicating himself. Are you seeing a different guy in practice after one day?

“Um, yeah, we’ll give him more, we’ll—[chuckles]”

Are we going to talk to you again later in spring ball?

“Uh…I would imagine we would, yeah. [looks back at the SID] [everyone starts to laugh and Harbaugh turns back, looking a little confused] I don’t bite.”

That’s probably one of those questions for then.

“Thanks a lot.”