55 days until Michigan football: One of the most undervalued Wolverines of this century
There’s much anticipation heading into the Michigan Wolverines football season, and TheWolverine.com is counting down the days until the Sept. 2 opener against East Carolina. We’ll discuss current Michigan events, the upcoming season and/or take a look at a significant number that correlates with how many days remain until kickoff, whether it be a player’s jersey number, a year, a date, a score, etc.
In another world, former Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham would be one of the most talked about Wolverines in recent program history. While he’s looked back upon fondly, the teams he played on just weren’t that good once he became a star — with none of the blame going to Graham.
Graham — a Detroit product — was a five-star recruit, the No. 24 overall player, No. 3 EDGE and No. 1 prospect in Michigan according to the On3 Industry Ranking.
He played sparingly in 11 games as a freshman, before leading the team, tying for seventh in the Big Ten and 34th nationally with 8.5 sacks as a sophomore in 2007. The Maize and Blue had a great team in 2006, going undefeated before falling to Ohio State in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 battle in Columbus, and wound up being good in 2007 after losing their first two games.
There was a changing of the guard at the midpoint of Graham’s career at Michigan. Longtime head man Lloyd Carr retired after the 2007 campaign, and in came an outsider, Rich Rodriguez, from West Virginia.
Michigan fans well know that Rodriguez’s time in Ann Arbor did anything but work out. The Wolverines went 3-9 in 2008, when Graham was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and a second-team All-Big Ten selection after notching 20 tackles for loss and 10 sacks.
Michigan missed a bowl game again the following season, going 5-7, but Graham was once again fantastic. He became the first defensive player in program history to be named Michigan’s Most Valuable Player two times. He was the co-winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football, a second-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten selection. He totaled 26 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks.
Graham has gone on to have a stellar NFL career, and he’s heading into his 14th season with the Philadelphia Eagles, after being drafted No. 13 overall in 2010. Through 13 seasons, he’s registered 70 sacks and 116 tackles for loss. At age 34, Graham set his career-best with 11 sacks in 2022, helping lead his Eagles to the Super Bowl.
Michigan football countdown to kickoff
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