Michigan football countdown to kickoff: 24 days until 2022 season
There’s much anticipation heading into the Michigan Wolverines football season, and TheWolverine.com is counting down the days until the Sept. 3 opener against Colorado State. 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.
Former Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is more decorated as a Wolverine than his father, Chris, which was a hard thing to accomplish. Chris was an All-American on the defensive line as well, and from the time Hutchinson was a recruit until the 2021 season, his final in a winged helmet, he was Chris’ son.
Even late last year, he was vying to break his dad’s sack record of 11, which stood tied for second all time. Until, of course, Aidan broke it against Ohio State, when he notched three sacks and 15 pressures.
It was a legendary performance against Michigan’s arch rival, with head coach Jim Harbaugh saying it’s right up there with that of Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson. Like those two, Hutchinson was a Heisman Trophy finalist, but he finished as the runner-up, not the winner. He became Michigan’s highest-ever drafted defender at No. 2 overall to the Detroit Lions, where he’s now a training camp star on HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks.’
But back to Chris. Because Aidan became so productive and accomplished, he’s now the talk of the town, which is more than fair considering he’s the current player. But let’s not forget just how good Chris was, too. And he does have a couple records he can hold over Aidan’s head.
First, Chris and his classmates won five Big Ten championships from (1988-92) at Michigan (though Aidan noted they didn’t have to play the Big Ten title game back then). That’s his most proud accomplishment, for sure.
But he also sits tied for fourth on Michigan’s career sack list (with records dating back to 1980) with 24 sacks — which is where the ’24’ comes into play for today’s countdown article. Aidan is 11th with 18.5.
And that’s a reminder of just how much Hutchinson burst onto the scene in 2021. He was always a steady contributor for Michigan dating back to his freshman season in 2018, when the Wolverines found a role for him, moving him around the defensive line, from interior to outside. But before last year, he only had 4.5 sacks to his name as a college player, which is astounding. He went on to register 14 in 2021, of course, the Michigan single-season record.
Michigan football countdown to kickoff
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