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August 24th, 2010
10 Great Personalities on Michigan’s 2010 Team
After Media Day you start to get a sense of who some of the leaders are on the team, some of the guys that have more vibrant personalities – and our access to lots of media makes it easy to form those instant opinions of players based off the first impression they leave you. That is, assuming you watch MGoVideo’s versions on You Tube as opposed to the MGoBlue videos that take hours and possibly years to fully load.
Shenanigans aside now – here’s my list of the guys that seem to have the best personalities, guys that seem very approachable, intelligent, get it done in practice and on the field, model players and teammates that any fan, student, alumni, or coach would want representing the University of Michigan.
- Roy Roundtree.
The dude just can’t not have a smile on his face and all indications are that he’s an extremely hard worker all the time. He speaks as if he’s taken a leadership role at least within his position group. Big things are expected out of Roundtree this fall.
[Countdown to Kickoff Video - Media Day Video - BTN Interview] - Craig Roh.
“Death Roh” as he is becoming known as among Michigan fans. As a true freshman he showed what he can do on the field. He’s added some 20+ pounds in the offseason and should be a great player for a few more years.
[CBS Sports Interview - Countdown to Kickoff] - Troy Woolfolk.
On the field or not, Troy is one of the defined leaders and all around great personalities on this team. Know for his split personality – with “TWoolf” being his on-field persona – he’s definitely a media, fan and player favorite. - David Molk.
All indications are that his presence on the field means a ton to Michigan, but all you have to do is watch his media day interview to instantly like this guy. He says “the reason I like football, is because you get to hit people. I like to hit people really fuckin’ hard.” I’m 90% confident that he doesn’t say freakin’ there and goes for the expletive.
[Media Day Interview] - Denard Robinson.
Similar to Roundtree, Denard always has a smile on his face and seems to have a confidence and positive attitude that can’t be shaken. Should Denard become a true leader on this team, you can see that it will not be forced and he’ll be a natural leader. For whatever reason, people seem to gravitate to Denard and want to rally behind him. With all of the spring and fall camp hype around Denard – a different style of play is expected out of him starting September 4th.
[Media Day Interview - Post-Spring Game Interview] - Mike Martin.
This is a man I wouldn’t want pissed off at me. He’s a beast, a champion wrestler and an intense football player. Martin will anchor an experienced defensive line and brings a lot of personality and leadership to the team. Martin was fortunate enough to play alongside of Brandon Graham last season and it’d be great if Martin could pick up where BG left off. Martin made my list after he sacked Terrelle Pryor last season, lost his helmet, and got up like the crazy dude that he is (see video below).
[Media Day Interview - BTN Interview - Countdown to Kickoff] - J.T. Floyd.
Picked up some feedback from folks that went to Media Day and heard how great of a guy J.T. seemed to be. He definitely struggled on the field last year, but he’s been a guy that the coaches and players have talked about all spring and fall. With Woolfolk going down, J.T. becomes the default leader of the secondary on the field. While that is scary, after checking out J.T. in a couple interviews and Countdown to Kickoff – he seems like he’s got a good head on his shoulders and is up to the challenge.
[Media Day Interview - Countdown to Kickoff] - Tate Forcier.
While you may not agree with me – Tate is on my list. Lots of Michigan fans would disagree and consider Forcier, a guy who admittedly has slacked off in the offseason, as more of a cancer to this team and a guy that people generally dislike. Disagree my friend I must, Tate is a very talented, extremely accurate QB, that I think most people underestimate as a whole. Tate made A LOT of freshman mistakes last year, but if you put those aside, he showed a lot of promise and had several great plays even in the Ohio State game. Not to mention, the guy handled himself perfectly on media day, addressing some tough questions several times and admitting his mistakes, downfalls, etc. A polarizing guy like Tate, can have a big impact on the team by showing an extreme level of commitment after Woolfolk called him out.
[Media Day Interview] - Mark Moundros.
This guy is all about Michigan succeeding and he’ll do whatever it takes to help the team perform better on the field. In his final year, he decides to learn a new position and does such a good job throughout his transition – his teammates elected him to be a season-long captain. Talk from camp is that Moundros will definitely see the field, if not be a starter. - Cam Gordon.
Cam is another guy that has been asked to hit up the opposite side of the ball to help his team. And at this point, all indications are that Cam is going to start in the defensive backfield. Cam is a hitter and looks like a natural safety. He can definitely lay the wood to people as evidenced in the video linked below. I don’t know much about the guy, but I like what I see and you can’t help but not like a guy that is a pure hitter in the secondary.
[Spring Highlight of the Day - Spring Interview]
EDIT. Honorable Mention additions – this is a growing list by the day. Echoing some of the comments I’ve seen today around the message boards – Rich Rod is recruiting a lot of very well spoken players that seem to be all about winning for Michigan and playing for the team.
- Terrance Robinson – Countdown to Kickoff
- Vladimir Emilien
- Tayler Lewan – 2 Minute Drill
- Kelvin Grady – Countdown to Kickoff
