Sixth-year linebacker Michael Barrett reacts to stiffer competition, push from Ernest Hausmann
Michigan football has talent in droves at multiple position groups, including linebackers. Third-year stalwart Junior Colson leads with star power, but sixth-year Michael Barrett is a de-facto leader who has seen a bit of everything.
Barrett, who decided to return for one last ride in Ann Arbor along with a handful of other teammates that could have gone pro, enters year six with a ton of perspective. However, he is not resting on his experience. Michigan is younger and more athletic than it ever has been at linebacker since Barrett has been around.
“I don’t feel too old,” Barrett told the media from Schembechler Hall on Monday afternoon. “You know, the young guys come in kind of keep my youth I feel like. I feel like the energy just around the room around the building is high. Everyone’s been ready to get after it. Our depth in the room has just been a positive and I’ve been helping everyone just learn as we go.”
Most preseason prognostications have Barrett as the starter next to Colson at linebacker. But there will be plenty of competition over the next four weeks. The biggest push is expected to come from sophomore transfer Ernest Hausmann, who already has starting experience from Nebraska in 2022.
“He’s a quick learner that came in ready to learn and ready to work,” Barrett said. “We push each other every day. And our room in general, I feel like we are just all kind of pushing each other, helping each other get better. It’s never any like tension in the room. It’s always wanting to help the other one be better to help ourselves get better.
“[Ernest] came in with just that will to learn and that grind that we’ve been looking for and he’s definitely gonna help us a lot this year.”
Hausmann, who has 3 years of eligibility remaining, played in every game and started 7 games this year as a true freshman and notched 54 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, one sack, and one fumble recovery this season at Nebraska.
“[He brings] a different point of view,” Barrett said. “Just being able to talk football from somebody from outside [has been beneficial].
Michigan’s 2023 season did not end as planned with a loss to TCU in the College Football Playoff, but it has not stalled or deterred program momentum in Barrett’s eyes. In many ways, this fall camp has been a continuation on the Wolverines’ journey up the college football ladder.
“Going to the end of the season,” Barrett said. “I feel like we were all just hitting our peak and just transitioning that until into our winter workouts into our summer training and things like that.
“I feel like we just kept the ball rolling into the spring, and now into fall camp and into the season.”
