Niyo: UM’s Isaac looks to, finally, hit ground running
John Niyo, The Detroit News 5:33 a.m. EDT August 8, 2015
Michigan running back Ty Isaac (32) sat out last season after transferring from USC. He’ll compete for carries in a crowded backfield that includes De’Veon Smith (4).(Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Detroit News)
Ann Arbor — It’s time, as the new head coach likes to say, to “put a foot in the ground.” And it’s time, as their position coach often reminds them, to “show us who’s gonna be the guy.”
But for Michigan’s Ty Isaac, it’s time — finally — to play some football. And after a year in waiting, the Wolverines’ junior running back admits he’s struggling to ignore the calendar.
“It’s hard for me to not look at Sept. 3,” he said, mentally circling Michigan’s season opener at Utah. “But I’ve got to worry about this right now.”
This is training camp, which began in earnest Friday. With it comes all the “chaos” that Jim Harbaugh craves, the “wonderful” time of year where “you just start living.”
And competing, which is what Isaac, who could be one of this season’s big surprises in Ann Arbor, has been waiting to do for what seems like an eternity.
One of the most coveted recruits in the class of 2013, the former Joliet (Ill.) Catholic standout chose USC over Michigan, among other finalists, a few years ago. He saw limited action there as a freshman, then decided to transfer last summer after a coaching change, moving closer to home.
His mother, Karen, needed surgery to try to correct a hearing-loss problem, and was unable to travel to the West Coast to see him play. But a medical hardship waiver request was denied by the NCAA, so Isaac was ineligible to play last season.
And his chance to impress the new coaching staff at Michigan — Isaac’s on his third college head coach in three years at two different schools — was cut short by a hamstring injury a few days into spring practice.
“It sucked, to be honest,” he said Thursday at Michigan’s annual media day. “Anytime you get injured, it’s not fun. And obviously, I want to play — that’s why I’m here. So it was difficult for me. I’ve never sat out a season before. But you just try to stay the course, and know that things will take care of themselves.”
That’s what his new position coach, former Michigan star Tyrone Wheatley, keeps reminding him, along with the rest of a talented — if inexperienced — group of running backs. Isaac, who still has three years of eligibility left, joins Derrick Green and De’Veon Smith — two other top recruits from ’13 — and fourth-year junior Drake Johnson, who is coming off an ACL injury, in one of the more intriguing preseason battles.
“There’s going to be good, better, best,” Harbaugh said of his backfield at last week at Big Ten media days, adding that he’s eager to see “somebody really assert themselves.”
Seizing an opportunity
Green had his chance last fall, and was making good strides after a disappointing freshman year until a broken collarbone ended his season in early October. Smith’s inconsistency as the lead back after that gave Johnson a chance to shine late in the year, but the hometown hero went down in a heap in the finale at Ohio State.
Isaac, meanwhile, was showing everyone a glimpse of what they were missing, running with the scout team in practice.
“I mean, he was bruising guys up,” laughed Kyle Kalis, a redshirt junior who’ll likely start at right guard this fall. “He was killin’ it. We were all like, ‘Oh, man, we cannot wait to see Ty!’ … He’s gonna be a threat.”
Linebacker Joe Bolden, one of the Wolverines’ senior leaders, vouches for that.
“Ty is very motivated, very set on what he wants to get done,” Bolden said. “You’re gonna see a guy that’s hungry to see the field. … I expect big things out of him. I think everybody expects big things out of him.”
Including Isaac himself, though the soft-spoken 20-year-old says he’s keeping his personal goals to himself. He says he’s stronger now after a year in waiting, shedding a few pounds — he’s at 236 now — even as he bulked up in the weight room. He’s still the same smooth runner, though, and in addition to his pass-catching ability out of the backfield, he packs the kind of punch that should make him a fit in Michigan’s new-look, power run game.
“He’s a big guy to bring down,” said Tim Drevno, Michigan’s offensive coordinator and line coach.
Multiple roles
Drevno joined the staff at USC six months before Isaac transferred, and he envisions a variety of roles for him now at Michigan, provided he can stay healthy. Whether it’s as the lead back or a short-yardage, goal-line option or the go-to guy in the four-minute offense at the end of a game, Isaac says he’ll “do whatever they need me to do.”
But like the rest of the running backs, he’s aware what this team needs them to do. The Wolverines ranked 62nd nationally in rushing a year ago and 104th in 2013, as quarterback Devin Gardner ran for his life and the backs ran into trouble, again and again.
“We don’t really have a choice but to be effective,” said Isaac, who once ran for 515 yards and six touchdowns in a game — in a loss, no less — as a junior in the Illinois Class 5A state championship game. “I mean, we all want to be successful. We all want to win games. And you’ve got to run the ball to do that.
“It’s gonna start with us. I’ve watched other Harbaugh teams and, I mean, it’s ‘Pass when you have to.’ So I think they’re gonna be counting on us a lot.”
Which is why, he admits, he can’t help but count the days until that season opener
John Niyo, The Detroit News 5:33 a.m. EDT August 8, 2015
Michigan running back Ty Isaac (32) sat out last season after transferring from USC. He’ll compete for carries in a crowded backfield that includes De’Veon Smith (4).(Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Detroit News)
Ann Arbor — It’s time, as the new head coach likes to say, to “put a foot in the ground.” And it’s time, as their position coach often reminds them, to “show us who’s gonna be the guy.”
But for Michigan’s Ty Isaac, it’s time — finally — to play some football. And after a year in waiting, the Wolverines’ junior running back admits he’s struggling to ignore the calendar.
“It’s hard for me to not look at Sept. 3,” he said, mentally circling Michigan’s season opener at Utah. “But I’ve got to worry about this right now.”
This is training camp, which began in earnest Friday. With it comes all the “chaos” that Jim Harbaugh craves, the “wonderful” time of year where “you just start living.”
And competing, which is what Isaac, who could be one of this season’s big surprises in Ann Arbor, has been waiting to do for what seems like an eternity.
One of the most coveted recruits in the class of 2013, the former Joliet (Ill.) Catholic standout chose USC over Michigan, among other finalists, a few years ago. He saw limited action there as a freshman, then decided to transfer last summer after a coaching change, moving closer to home.
His mother, Karen, needed surgery to try to correct a hearing-loss problem, and was unable to travel to the West Coast to see him play. But a medical hardship waiver request was denied by the NCAA, so Isaac was ineligible to play last season.
And his chance to impress the new coaching staff at Michigan — Isaac’s on his third college head coach in three years at two different schools — was cut short by a hamstring injury a few days into spring practice.
“It sucked, to be honest,” he said Thursday at Michigan’s annual media day. “Anytime you get injured, it’s not fun. And obviously, I want to play — that’s why I’m here. So it was difficult for me. I’ve never sat out a season before. But you just try to stay the course, and know that things will take care of themselves.”
That’s what his new position coach, former Michigan star Tyrone Wheatley, keeps reminding him, along with the rest of a talented — if inexperienced — group of running backs. Isaac, who still has three years of eligibility left, joins Derrick Green and De’Veon Smith — two other top recruits from ’13 — and fourth-year junior Drake Johnson, who is coming off an ACL injury, in one of the more intriguing preseason battles.
“There’s going to be good, better, best,” Harbaugh said of his backfield at last week at Big Ten media days, adding that he’s eager to see “somebody really assert themselves.”
Seizing an opportunity
Green had his chance last fall, and was making good strides after a disappointing freshman year until a broken collarbone ended his season in early October. Smith’s inconsistency as the lead back after that gave Johnson a chance to shine late in the year, but the hometown hero went down in a heap in the finale at Ohio State.
Isaac, meanwhile, was showing everyone a glimpse of what they were missing, running with the scout team in practice.
“I mean, he was bruising guys up,” laughed Kyle Kalis, a redshirt junior who’ll likely start at right guard this fall. “He was killin’ it. We were all like, ‘Oh, man, we cannot wait to see Ty!’ … He’s gonna be a threat.”
Linebacker Joe Bolden, one of the Wolverines’ senior leaders, vouches for that.
“Ty is very motivated, very set on what he wants to get done,” Bolden said. “You’re gonna see a guy that’s hungry to see the field. … I expect big things out of him. I think everybody expects big things out of him.”
Including Isaac himself, though the soft-spoken 20-year-old says he’s keeping his personal goals to himself. He says he’s stronger now after a year in waiting, shedding a few pounds — he’s at 236 now — even as he bulked up in the weight room. He’s still the same smooth runner, though, and in addition to his pass-catching ability out of the backfield, he packs the kind of punch that should make him a fit in Michigan’s new-look, power run game.
“He’s a big guy to bring down,” said Tim Drevno, Michigan’s offensive coordinator and line coach.
Multiple roles
Drevno joined the staff at USC six months before Isaac transferred, and he envisions a variety of roles for him now at Michigan, provided he can stay healthy. Whether it’s as the lead back or a short-yardage, goal-line option or the go-to guy in the four-minute offense at the end of a game, Isaac says he’ll “do whatever they need me to do.”
But like the rest of the running backs, he’s aware what this team needs them to do. The Wolverines ranked 62nd nationally in rushing a year ago and 104th in 2013, as quarterback Devin Gardner ran for his life and the backs ran into trouble, again and again.
“We don’t really have a choice but to be effective,” said Isaac, who once ran for 515 yards and six touchdowns in a game — in a loss, no less — as a junior in the Illinois Class 5A state championship game. “I mean, we all want to be successful. We all want to win games. And you’ve got to run the ball to do that.
“It’s gonna start with us. I’ve watched other Harbaugh teams and, I mean, it’s ‘Pass when you have to.’ So I think they’re gonna be counting on us a lot.”
Which is why, he admits, he can’t help but count the days until that season opener
