Michigan football defense hoping to pick up where it left off in 2024 with consistency
Michigan football defense hoping to pick up where it left off in 2024 with consistency
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The Michigan football defense saw a mass exodus going from 2023 to 2024 on several fronts. Some of the key players departed, such as Mike Sainristil, Mike Barrett, Junior Colson, Kris Jenkins, Jaylen Harrell, Braiden McGregor, and Josh Wallace. Though many of the returnees had ample playing time coming in, there was another exodus on the coaching staff, with the entire defensive side of the ball being revamped.
There wasn't supposed to be much of a dropoff with Wink Martindale taking over the defense, yet, it took the Wolverines about 10 games to find their footing. But once they did, opposing offenses did not have a good time. According to fifth-year defensive tackle Rayshuan Benny, that's because of the focus that comes with the regular season finale as much as getting acclimated to the coaching staff. With the Buckeyes on the mind, the Wolverines locked in.
"Well, the end of the season, you know what comes at the end of the season every year -- Ohio State," Benny said. "It's really just like the guys in the building. We know we'll come with it. The focus is up. The intent is up. Not to say that we're not focused. It's just like everybody knows that this is the week we've been waiting for all year. We all just jelled at the right time."
This year, despite some new faces in terms of defensive starters, there's optimism that Michigan can pick up from where it left off in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama -- not only because the bulk of that defense will be this year's squad, but also because the entire defensive coaching staff returns.
In 2021, the maize and blue had a new defensive coordinator, with the extant defensive line coach, a new linebackers coach, and a new cornerbacks coach. In 2022, again, there was a new defensive coordinator, a new defensive line coach, a returning linebackers coach, a familiar coach in Jay Harbaugh who moved to safeties, and the same setup with cornerbacks. That unit held strong, minus Chris Partridge coming in as linebackers coach.
In 2024, it was a whole new setup across the board, and every coach from last year returns. According to senior cornerback Zeke Berry, that should pay dividends.
"I feel like it's a good thing for us, something that we're comfortable with, having the coaches still there," Berry said. "And still some of the older guys that's been through the program, me, Rod, and some of the other guys on the other side of the defense. And I just feel like that's going to help us build from there."
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Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
UFC legend Mark Coleman opens up on horrific experiences as alleged victim in Ohio State sexual abuse scandal
Content warning: This story contains graphic details about alleged sexual assault that may be difficult to read and emotionally upsetting. Mark Coleman and Michael DiSabato continue to shed light on former Ohio State University physician Richard Strauss' alleged 20-year pattern of sexual abuse. Advertisement The upcoming documentary "Surviving Ohio State" premieres on HBO on June 17. Among many other former Ohio State alumni featured in the film are UFC Hall of Famer Coleman and DiSabato, both of whom first spoke out in 2018 about Strauss, who's been accused of abusing hundreds — potentially thousands — of students during his time at Ohio State from 1978 to 1998. Appearing in-studio on Monday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show," Coleman and DiSabato opened up, recounting some of their experiences ahead of the documentary's debut at the Tribeca Film Festival. 'It was a joke within our community, within the locker room, that Strauss performed unnecessary genital exams on all of us, all the time,' DiSabato said. 'At the time, this is 1986, we didn't know what we know now to be grooming and sexual abuse. We just thought it was some dude who was not right and enjoyed something that was not cool. But he was the doctor, and he was the guy that cleared us to wrestle. If you had injuries, you had to go to him. 'Very much like Larry Nassar, he was a friend. It's a complicated thing when you look back at it. He earned our trust. And when you got that Ohio State logo on the side of your chest, and you're a medical doctor, well, we were taught to follow the rules and do what they say you're going to do.' Coleman, 60, recalled first meeting Strauss in 1986 when he went in for a physical. Having transferred from Miami University, the MMA legend had never experienced anything like what allegedly became a regularity at Ohio State. Advertisement 'People were saying to me, 'Have fun in there,' and it was an eye-opener,' Coleman said of his first visit with Strauss. 'I didn't understand it either, but I kind of knew Dr. Strauss was very hands-on, as they would say. 'Look, man — you needed this guy to compete. This guy's got to sign you off. It's that simple for me. I wanted to be a national champion. I wasn't going to cause problems.' Strauss' alleged actions were considered an "open secret," as described by DiSabato. He and Coleman would both ask other students and athletes what was up with Strauss always checking their genitals in exams. There was always some sort of reason given by Strauss, DiSabato claimed, whether it was looking for hernias or just being "thorough." DiSabato had heard rumors about Strauss before meeting him at age 14, but no one knew what to think — or even believed harassment of that nature existed. Yet when the sexual abuse cases of Michigan's Larry Nassar came to light, and led to a lifetime prison sentence for Nassar a 2017, DiSabato put it all together in relation to what allegedly happened with him, Coleman and so many of their teammates. Advertisement 'We're sitting around in December of 2017, and [Coleman] is reading the newspaper, and he's talking about Larry Nassar to me because his daughter was a gymnast," DiSabato said. "He's reading the details, and it just hit me. I didn't follow the Nassar case — I knew about it, but I didn't know the details. When he went into the details and what Nassar was doing, [it was] very similar. Unnecessary genital exams. It just hit me like a ton of bricks. 'That's us, Mark.'' For Coleman and DiSabato, the trauma and aftermath of their realizations have been difficult to process in real-time. Nassar's case was widespread global news that dominated headlines. Strauss' case, however, is still gaining exposure since the first bombshell accusations surfaced in 2018. DiSabato believes that reaction is due to the difficult nature of male-on-male sexual abuse and the fact that it pertained to elite-level combat athletes. Even for Coleman, he struggled to pull the trigger. Advertisement "You've got to sometimes get uncomfortable to become comfortable," Coleman said. "... I was very nervous that day and I remember telling [Ohio State coach] Russ [Hellickson] that, 'I'm pretty nervous. I don't know if I should do this.' He just looked at me and said, 'Just tell the truth and everything will be OK.' Something happened from there. Russ, when that video came out, it exploded. ... Me, [DiSabato] and Russ talking in detail about what happened. It took a lot of courage, man, but I just did it." Ohio State University remains in active court proceedings with nearly 250 survivors of Strauss' alleged abuse speaking out thus far. But Strauss' exams weren't exclusive to just wrestling — he saw athletes of all varieties daily. DiSabato believes the number of total victims of Strauss likely totals in the thousands. DiSabato essentially labeled the Ohio State facilities a bathhouse because of the pervasiveness of Strauss' alleged presence, claiming that Strauss never worked out with the athletes but took showers with them regularly. DiSabato claimed that Strauss sometimes allegedly would take multiple showers a day with the Ohio State student athletes, depending on who entered when he was around. Although Coleman and DiSabato's coach Hellickson later retracted his statements after allegedly urging Coleman to speak out in the case's initial stages, the pair saw him as one of the good ones on staff. There were times when Coleman would get angry before his matches, specifically recalling instances when he got ready in bathroom stalls and next to him were allegedly other people watching through peepholes. Advertisement 'Russ Hellickson, to his credit, went to university officials on multiple occasions and said, 'This is not right. Strauss is doing stuff he shouldn't be doing, and this environment at [our campus] is toxic.' It's hard for people to wrap their minds around it unless you were there," DiSabato said. 'Just imagine you're coming down from practice, you've got to go take a shower, and it's the gauntlet of sexual deviancy. You're walking into a shower, into a sauna, and you know every day there's going to be multiple dudes there that are there to watch you take a shower, to watch you take a sauna. And they're performing, on multiple situations, sex acts. You've got dudes masturbating. At one point, in a testimony, Russ tells the story of a guy in a toilet stall that was adjacent to the shower, and Hellickson walks in, and this dude is literally peeping over the top, masturbating. Hellickson pulls the door open, grabs the guy by his wrist, pulls him out, and his testimony says he almost took his hand off, basically, squeezing it so hard. The anger of having to deal with this every day, rage of having to be in this kind of environment, of having a doctor every time you went down to see him wants to see your genitals. Every time. Advertisement 'I busted my knuckle one time in the middle of practice, and I went downstairs and had someone pop it in place," DiSabato continued. "[Strauss] wanted to see my genitals. I'm like, 'Dude, enough.' I went back up. But if you had a sore throat, whatever it was, he had a reason, and it was always 'thorough evaluation.'' As bad as things were claimed to be with Strauss, both DiSabato and Coleman said the community enabled the abuse as well. One of Coleman's most memorable experiences, he said, came from an encounter with a student who threatened his life after he stood up for himself. 'I remember one day, it's a Saturday in the offseason, so I was in there by myself training," Coleman said. "I was taking a shower afterward, and I turn around and there's a pretty big guy standing across there — 6-foot-2, 225 [pounds], and he's just staring right at me, playing with himself, staring at me. Finally I said, 'What the f*** you looking at, dude? Just take your shower and get the f*** out of here.' He said, 'I'm going to take my shower and get my gun, come back and shoot your ass.' Whoa. I got the hell out of there. This was just a student, probably.' Strauss ultimately committed suicide in 2005. Advertisement For Coleman and DiSabato, after all they've gone through, it's now about spreading awareness to protect young athletes in sports. That starts with "Surviving Ohio State" and continuing to fight back with the Strauss lawsuit. "I just learn to deal with things," Coleman said. "I'm dealing with it. I'm just super proud [of our efforts] because I know how many people I've helped coming forward like this. This is a big deal. It wasn't easy for me to come forward, but I decided to do it. 'I definitely suppressed it, then brought it back up with the Michigan State deal, and it just never clicked to me because we just didn't think male-on-male, it wasn't ever a thing. We just didn't think it was possible. 'What do you mean you let this guy do this, Coleman? Why didn't you just smash him?' That ain't how it works, idiots. Neither would you smash him, so shut the f*** up. 'The movie's going to blow it up and end this stuff — 10 lawsuits across the country. I'm proud. We started that. So, how many people got saved from that? And so that it doesn't happen in the future. I want [Ohio State to] pay. Justice.'
USA Today
14 hours ago
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What were your big takeaways from visiting Ann Arbor this weekend? Yeah, the visit was great, everyone was super welcoming. I think from the get-go, they let me know how much of a priority my family and I are. It was great just getting a lot of our questions answered, talking with Coach B.J., being able to continue to see how I would fit in the defense. And then talking with Coach Wink, how his system is great for linebackers, the versatility, the chess pieces, how they're able to be moved around. And then I think another important part was talking with Coach Sherrone Moore, just being able to see his vision, and then see how he sees me in that vision and that light, and how they kind of used a high praise saying that I could be the face of their defense. So it was important to get those questions answered and talk with them and really get a grasp of how interested they are in me and my family. How appealing is that to you to hear that you could be the face of the defense? And given Wink Martindale and his system and scheme and his experience, how much does the idea move the needle? Yeah, so I think it's very appealing to hear what they had to say. Obviously, in this new world of college football, your brand is everything. So just the fact that they see me in the light where I could head one of the best programs of all time in college football. So that's some high praise that kind of humbles me. And then playing for Coach Wink is something that is kind of appealing, his ability to be able to coach the best. He said he's coached 20 years in the NFL and then 20 years of high school and college. He's won a Super Bowl ring. He's coached probably the greatest linebacker of all time. So like, just that, knowing that and seeing and using what he's teaching every single day, it actually is very appealing to me. You're a big academic guy, too, right? How much time do they spend on showing you the academic side of Michigan? 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We kind of did a more deep dive into academics at the Ross School to see what we saw in some of the buildings, some of the classrooms, and stuff, so, but yeah. What was something that you learned that maybe you didn't know going in? To be honest, I didn't really learn a whole lot more. I think they did a great job on my unofficial visit. Really just getting all the introduction stuff, and really just doing a great job covering everything that they need to cover in terms of our questions that need to be answered. It was more just reassurance on my end, just being able to, seeing, OK, yeah, this is the place I remember. I remember all this. I think one thing that I definitely was intrigued about was the culture that they, and the player led culture they have, being able to make suggestions during the game plan and how everything's -- yes, it's not going to be all player led, but they have a lot of say and they know what they want in their locker room and stuff like that. So a lot of our questions were more so answered. I really didn't learn a lot of stuff new. It was just being reassured that this is a program that I could see myself at. When it comes time to make your decision, what are the factors that you're going to be weighing the most heavily between your finalists? Yeah. So I think a big thing is the coaching, the development -- people throw that term around, but really just looking at the track record and how my position as able to put guys in the league, whether they're the highly recruited or they're not highly recruited. Just their consistency when it comes to that. And I think another thing is the culture, the people I'm going to be around, am I able to be myself? Am I able to, you know, maximize my potential, not only on the field, but as a person at the school And then kind of the connections. I think at every school, you're going to have connections, every school is going to have someone, but like what school is going to put in that extra effort to be able to -- you ask for something, you want to get into something new and are they going to be able to provide that for you? So just those kind of things, and then kind of a family atmosphere as well. I want a school where it's kind of player led, where a lot of the locker room, the players have a good say in terms of just ideas and then on the game plan, but then also we're able to be guided by the coach where he's not just a total dictatorship, but wherever he says goes. Do you have an idea of when you want to make your decision? Yeah, I'm committing on July 16th.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
George Clooney-Produced Ohio State Abuse Doc Gets Date, Trailer From HBO
HBO's documentary about a sexual abuse scandal in the Ohio State University athletic department has a premiere date. The premium outlet will debut Surviving Ohio State, which counts George Clooney among its producers, on June 17 (it will also stream on Max). The film features several survivors of abuse at the hands of Dr. Richard Strauss, an Ohio State athletics doctor from 1978-98, telling the stories of what happened to them and how they have tried to hold the university accountable for Strauss' actions. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Industry' Creators on How Their Storytelling and Characters Have Evolved (in Bleepable Ways) and HBO's "Fantastic Notes" How George Clooney's 'Good Night, and Good Luck' Is Preparing to Go Live on CNN Billy Joel Doc Makers Lament Ailing Subject Couldn't Make Tribeca Opening Night but Insist "He's Going to Be Fine" HBO has also released a trailer for the documentary; watch it below. Emmy and Oscar winner Eva Orner (Taxi to the Dark Side, Out of Iraq) directed the documentary and produces with Clooney, his Smokehouse Pictures partner Grant Heslov and David C. Glasser of 101 Studios. The film is based on a 2020 Sports Illustrated story by Jon Wertheim that detailed the allegations against Strauss, including those by former All-American wrestler and UFC champion Mark Coleman, who is also featured in the documentary. Other Ohio State athletes interviewed in the film include Adam DiSabato, Michael DiSabato, Will Knight, Al Novakowski, Rockey Ratliff, Dan Ritchie and Mike Schyck. Wertheim is an executive producer of Surviving Ohio State along with David Hutkin, Bob Yari, Ron Burkle, Corey Salter, Colin Smeeton, Marc Rosen and HBO's Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller and Bentley Weiner. Smokehouse Pictures and 101/Sports Illustrated Studios produce. Surviving Ohio State has been several years in the making. Clooney and Heslov announced the project (then conceived as a docuseries) in 2021. HBO and director Orner signed on in June 2022. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
