'It's now or never. This really has to be our year': Best quotes from 'Michigan Made'
Michigan Wolverines football released episode one of ‘Michigan Made,’ a series that takes fans behind the scenes as the Maize and Blue prepare for the 2023 season. Below are the best quotes from the first episode, which focuses on moving forward from the TCU loss in the Fiesta Bowl and preparing for the 2023 campaign.
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Moving forward from CFP loss to TCU
Graduate WR Cornelius Johnson: “That was a tough moment, because we really feel like that’s not how it should’ve went.”
Senior OL Zak Zinter: “It’s been tough. We had to move on and just not let it weigh on us. Honestly, losing is the greatest teacher.”
Senior RB Blake Corum: “That game played a little role in me coming back. We have one more chance to do it. I just know we have what it takes.”
Senior DT Kris Jenkins: “You gotta take this pain with you, and bring that to the winter training cycle, you gotta bring that with you to spring ball, to summer training camp. You gotta run with it. This is what’s going to fuel us to do what we do this upcoming season.”
Senior WR Roman Wilson: “It’s now or never. This really has to be our year.”
Michigan’s preparation for the 2023 season
Junior QB J.J. McCarthy: “How I’m moving forward this year is just staying process-oriented, always thinking about the next best action I can take in order to improve myself, better myself.”
Corum: “Obviously, the No. 1 goal is to win the national championship. We have to go get it. Goal two is just to repeat, so beat Ohio State, beat Michigan State, win the Big Ten championship. Repeat.”
Jenkins: “Our biggest goal as a defensive line this year is how can we make the quarterback fear us? How can we impact him? How can we stop his game?”
Senior EDGE Jaylen Harrell: “Really instilling our four pillars [of the Michigan defense] — block destruction, communication, ball disruption and others. Constantly honing in on those each and every day.”
Sophomore DT Mason Graham: “Fine tuning the little things. Focusing on those things, because those are the things that show up at the biggest moments.”
Wilson: “Every day, you have an opportunity to get better. Wake up, go to sleep … one percent every day. Just finding something that’s going to make me one-percent better.”
Junior RB Donovan Edwards: “Everybody has a competitive mindset. Everybody wants to get better. At the same time, we’re taking care of each other, and we’re also building that brotherhood with each other.”
McCarthy: “I want to be one of the best teams to ever play this game. We have the potential to do it. We have the talent to do it, we have the dedication, commitment and hard work to do it. It’s all about just putting it together and executing the plan.”
On Michigan
Jenkins: “This is my favorite place to be. This place is my home. The family here, what we got going here, the culture here, everything that we’ve been building up to this point, that’s what I’m really excited for. We’re gonna grind, we’re gonna work, we’re gonna dominate. That’s just what we do.”
