Mike Morris on replacing Aidan Hutchinson: 'I want to live up to my own standard'
Michigan football has its work cut out in replacing Aidan Hutchinson on the edge. The NFL Draft’s No. 2 overall pick in 2022 set a single-season sack record with 14 last season. Senior defensive end Mike Morris is penciled in as his replacement but knows the expectations are not the same.
Morris instead wants to create his own path while leading the Michigan pass rush.
“Those are his shoes,” Morris said on the In The Trenches podcast. “No one can fill Aidan’s shoes. I’m not going to pretend like he wasn’t an amazing, amazing player, an amazing athlete. I want to create my own shoes and stand right there on my own two feet and not try to live up his legacy or live up to his standard. I want to live up to my own standard and do my own thing.”
Morris wants his own legacy, but that does not mean he will not lean on some of Hutchinson’s teachings. The former Wolverine was good about handling his own business and setting an example.
“He was always making sure everything was in line so he could be the best player he could be,” Morris said. “He was always taking care of his body, stretching a little bit and even showed me some stretches I could do to help me with my flexibility. Eating right. I always talked to him about how he ate, and what he ate. Taking care of your body the way he did was something that I learned from him and just his determination that ‘I’m going to outwork everybody and I’m going to show you that I’m out working everybody and then I’m going to outwork you on the field as well.’”
Improvements on the way
Morris’ role will naturally expand given the roster construction. Those in the know during spring camp said he is expected to be one of Michigan’s leaders. He is ready for the coaching staff to unleash him a bit more.
“I’m really excited,” he said. “I really didn’t get to do a lot of the stuff I wanted to do because of Aidan Hutch. I accepted every role that I got and I loved every role that I got because I was able to benefit the team. But I feel like now I can step into more of an edge role in the defense and dominate in that aspect. I’m very looking forward to that.”
There are still improvements to be made to Morris’ game. At 6-6, 278 pounds, he brings a little more bulk to the position than Hutchinson did. Morris wants to be leaner and more flexible to help him succeed as a pass rusher.
“I want to be more flexible,” he said. “I want to have a physical presence out there. I’m already big. I want to get my lean mass up there. My lean mass higher, flexibility to work on that and become an all-around monster on the field. Like no matter where the coaches put me at, I can dominate.”
Mike Morris dishes on Michigan’s defensive coordinator, more
One of the more notable offseason storylines is the transition from Mike Macdonald to Jesse Minter as defensive coordinator. Both were cut from the Baltimore Ravens cloth and run similar schemes, but Minter has put his own spin on it.
“[There are] different terms, it’s a little different but definitely some of the same stuff,” Morris said. “I’ll say it’s the same thing. We’re getting the same pieces but just little terms that are changed to help us out.”
With Morris stepping into a leadership role, he wants to set a tone for the Michigan locker room. The program is looking to repeat as Big Ten Champions for the first time since 2003-04. He likes where their headspace currently is.
“After the season we had to all look and realize that the guys that we relied on last year aren’t going to be here,” Morris said. “They’re not going to be on the sideline with us; they’re not going to be with us. So a lot of guys had to step up, including me, with that. We just had to realize that. In spring we attacked it in every single way. We built leadership. We built great team values. Everybody was vocal [and] was present. Everybody was striving to be the best player for the team and themselves so we can win another Big Ten Championship.”
Morris appeared in all 14 games with four starts at defensive end last season. He made 17 tackles including one tackle for loss and a shared sack. Morris was a four-star prospect and the No. 361 player in the 2019 recruiting class, per the On3 Consensus rankings.
