[Eric Upchurch/MGoBlog]

Opening remarks:

“Hello, everybody. Nice to see you. Good to see everybody here. Exciting day for us. The first day of football fall camp, so…glad you made it.”

Kids Go Blue Club member question: Other than football, what is your favorite thing about being back in Michigan?

“Autumn, that is a wonderful question. Thank you for asking that question. Being with my family is my favorite thing about being back in Michigan.

“How old are you?”

Six.

“So I have a six-year-old daughter named Addie and a four-and-a-half-year-old daughter named Katie and Jack is two and a half. My son James is 18- he’ll be a freshman at Michigan. My son Jay is coaching at Michigan. He’s 26.

“And then, so seeing all my kids back here in Ann Arbor and doing some of the same things that I did when I was your age and their age- went over to St. Francis elementary school and met some of the teachers for the first grade and the kindergarten class and just walking down the hallway, seeing them in the same school that I went to. It was…it was- might have been the best moment about being back in Ann Arbor.

“St. Francis is a typical Catholic school. It’s old and it’s clean. There’s a lot of memories. Pretty neat to think that my kids are going to be experiencing some of the same things I did.

“Are you excited for school to start?”

Mmhmm.

“When does school start for you?”

I don’t know.

“How about a big smile for all the cameras? How about a big, pretty smile for the cameras. Look at all these cameras!”

There was some stuff earlier this week or a couple weeks ago about the fifth-year players. Keith Heitzman, I think, said he was asked to try-out for a spot on the roster. What’s your take on the fifth year guys? Are they given a spot? Earn a spot? How’s that work?

“Well, it’s- you know, fifth year is mutual. When it comes to a fifth year, if you have a fifth year of eligibility and then it becomes do you want to come back to the University of Michigan for a fifth year and does the football team mutually want you to come back for the fifth year.

“All the fifth-year players that were on the team were not asked to come to a try out, but in his particular case I said, and [with] a couple of the other youngsters too, I haven’t coached here before [so] couldn’t guarantee a spot for the 2015 team but could guarantee an opportunity. And that opportunity would have taken place during spring practice. Some did want to come back who were fifth-years and some didn’t. That’s about as simple as it is.”

[After THE JUMP: Harbaugh tells the football rebirth story again and you should read it because why would you not want to read that]

What are the three biggest questions about the team that you hope to have answered by the end of training camp?

“Well, there are probably a lot more than three, you know. Like on any team- like on any team- when you start, this is the first day. You’re finding out what your team is and what you’ll become.

“If you saw the movie Hoosiers with Gene Hackman they have the pep rally. This kind of feels the same way. On the first day he introduces his team, which we will do today on the field to the youngsters and Michigan faithful. He says, ‘This is my team.’ We’ve worked extremely hard. These youngsters have worked extremely hard. You should be proud of them and then we’ll find out what we’ll become. That’s…everything we want to be earned. We want to have competed for. We want nothing to be given to us, and we embrace healthy, honest, fair competition. That’s what I would say to that.”

What’s your favorite part of training camp?

“Oh, so many favorite parts. Really the first day, like today, like tomorrow. You’re so excited. It’s like New Years. It’s like the start of the new year. It’s like your birthday. It’s like the first day of school. It’s all those things rolled up into one. It’s like being reborn into football. Like coming out of the mother’s womb into football. You’re in a nice, cozy, warm place and then you’re reborn. You come out to chaos and lights and everybody looking at you and it’s wonderful. You just start living.

“Cleats on the cement- when walking over here you hear that sound. It’s the fresh-cut grass. The early morning [and] seeing the sun come up and knowing that you’re going to be doing football all day long. Those are some of the highlights. It’s very emotional. It’s wonderful to be a part of a team. That’s probably the best part about it. Everybody has a human agency of desiring to be a part of a team and part of something bigger than themselves.

“The biggest thing is trying to bottle that. You want to bottle that enthusiasm, that energy, that happiness that you have because you want to be able to crack that open a week down the road or a month down the road or two months down the road. So learning to bottle the feeling that we have as participants and how we feel on the first day, being able to bottle that so we can reuse it down the road.”

Kids Go Blue Club question: How much milk do I have to drink to be big enough to be quarterback?

“Can I give you a hug?”

/hugs the kid

“That is a great question. I love that you’re thinking about that. Drink as much milk as your little belly can hold. At all times, drink as much milk as- could be chocolate milk, could be the 2% but the ideal is the whole milk. That’s the ideal. As much as your little belly can hold. Thank you. Thank you for that question. I wish all kids were thinking like you. You want to be big and strong someday, right?”

I have a three part question. The first is now that the season has started what can fans expect from a Harbaugh Michigan team; are the players buying in; and what differences will people expect immediately?

“Those things are all to be answered on the field. All three of those questions, really. Our expectations are very high. It’ll come through work. But no predictions or crystal ball seeing into the future, nor would we want it to be that way. We embrace the fact that there will be great competition and we’ve got to get ready for that, prepared for that.

“The beautiful thing about football, as our old coach Bo Schembechler used to say, is you ‘live clean, come clean, be clean.’ The part about coming clean, that always resonated with me. Coming clean is telling the truth. You’ve got to tell the truth, that’s what that means. When you step out onto a football field never is that more evident that the truth’s gonna get told. Who’s best prepared? Who wants it the most? Who’s the most talented? What team plays together as a team the very best is going to stand the best chance of winning, and that’s what we’re doing now. We’re becoming who we’re going to become and we’re working to earn whatever we become. We’re going to come clean. That’s coming.”

We haven’t had an announcement before on John O’Korn. He’s obviously on the team; we knew he was on the team. He can’t play this year but what do you like about his game that you guys wanted to bring him in and what type or role will he play this year?

“John’s going to be ineligible to play in the games so he will be practicing, learning, and essentially redshirting this entire season. He played as a freshman at Houston and he played as a sophomore at Houston and he had a track record of success there; we liked that and we like him and we think it’s good for our program that he is here. And the other thing that he can do is really attack the academics. He’s a smart youngster. There’s nothing like having a Michigan degree, and he can do a heck of a job in that area as well.”

Can you talk about the running game? That’s something that has been consistently lacking the Michigan football program. Back in the day under the Bo era maybe 250 yards on the ground, 150 through the air- some balance in there. Do you have any concrete objectives for balancing your attack and what can we expect from your running game early on?

“We’d like to be the type of football team that throws it 50% of the time and runs it 50% of the time. That’ll be the goal. Now, whatever one we’re better at doing, the percentage may lean one direction or the other. But as you pointed out, having a great running game is critical. It’s very important to football.

“Our objective is to get better at every phase of football: offense, defense, special teams, including the running game.”

Kids Go Blue Club question: If you could have any one person, past or present, walk side by side with you through the tunnel for your first home game as a University of Michigan head coach who would it be?

“That’s a great question. I’d have to think about that. Hmm. A lot of names- a lot of names come to mind. I think the two that, if I could have anybody, come to mind would be Bill Harbaugh and Joe Cipiti; two beloved grandparents that are no longer with us. That would be who I would pick to walk out of the tunnel with for the first game. Thanks for your question.”

As a coach when you go into this camp what’s the biggest challenge to having that healthy, honest, fair competition at quarterback, and how will you manage that this month?

“What’s the biggest challenge? I don’t think there is a challenge there. That’s just the way it’ll be- healthy, fair, honest competition. We’ll roll the balls out there and let the quarterbacks have at it.”

Does that entail a lot of moving guys around so they have different opportunities with the ones? Seems like there has to be something of a complicated plan, at least for us to understand.

“No, it shouldn’t be complicated. I really believe that it’ll be fair and I’m excited to watch it. You can stat a lot of things, you can chart, and there’s a lot of things to measure but when it comes down to it I’m just going to observe. Learn a lot just from watching.”

You’ve been in a lot of quarterback competitions yourself. Is it not possible for those guys to be friends when they’re competing for one spot, and would you say that that’s just not realistic?

“Absolutely the best way to be in that competition is a healthy competition. It’s very competitive but not self centered. When you’re in one of those competitions, from past experience, what you’re most concerned about is yourself and making yourself better today than you were yesterday and better tomorrow than you were today. Always striving to be a better person, better quarterback, more knowledgeable about the game of football and in doing so you make everybody around you better just because you’re doing that.”

You didn’t find it tough to be friends with the people you were competing against?

“No.”

Obviously tight end has been a really big position for your teams. Can you talk a little bit about what you saw out of Jake Butt in the spring and also how you’ve bolstered that position through some moves from other spots?

“Yeah, I thought Jake had an outstanding spring. AJ Williams very much in the mix there. Ian Bunting was as well. Khalid Hill did not practice in the spring and he looks to be ready to go. We’ll exactly where he is starting tomorrow, but there were others. Chase Winovich came over to the offensive side of the ball and we’ll keep him on the offensive side of the ball. He did very well. There’s Strobel, there’s another player that was playing both ways. I think that’ll continue for a time. He’ll be available on the offensive side of the ball. Be a defensive player, but be available on the offensive side of the ball. TJ Wheatley’s another youngster, a true incoming freshman, who’ll have his chance to compete. That’ll be taking place starting tomorrow.

“Once again, that competition resumes where players are competing for a role. There’s not just a starting role, there’s backup role, there’s contributor role, there’s special teams role. There’s also scout team/demonstration squad roles. Everybody will have a role and with this portion of time they’re going to be competing for what that role is.”

You said last week that you’re not trying to create a buzz, but why is there such a buzz about you nationally?

“I don’t know that. If there is. Is there?”

Of course there is! You have to know that!

“No, I don’t. I just coach the team. Other thing is, very proud to be here today. Very proud to be with our team and have our team here for everybody to see. Just to let you know, we’re going into submarine tomorrow. You won’t hear from us or see us for a while because we’re going to be working. Going to be in a bunker mentality until we decide that we’re not, until we decide to come up to the surface. It’s wonderful being here today and seeing everybody. Hope you understand that. Don’t know, Dave, what you had planed for media for me or the players but we won’t be seeing much of each other.”

On the QB competition, I think you said out of spring that Shane Morris was in the lead if there was one and now Jake Rudock is aboard. When you look at it, how much will experience play a factor?

“Always try to figure out the percentage and how much of it will be a factor. I think everything is a factor when it comes to the quarterback position. It’s like asking what’s more important to a carpenter: is is the saw or the slide rule or the hammer? I don’t know. All of our quarterbacks, except for John O’Korn- they have the license and the ability to earn their position, whether it’s starter, backup, contributor, scout team, etc. That’s what we’re here for. That’s what we’re going to find out.”

Kids Go Blue Club question: How do you make sure that all of your players get their homework done when they dedicate so much of their time to football?

“Well, that’s a great question. I’ve always looked at it as…you know, who’s motivated best is people who’re self motivated. They want to get their homework done and it’s important to them to be better every single day. So the ones- I try and recruit guys who’re really motivated to do that. When we’re evaluating young high school players it’s guys who want to compete in the classroom, who want to learn and understand and get good grades- get the best grades, win the most awards, want to excel at sports, that’re motivated to do that. I’ve found that the best way to make sure they’re getting their homework done and striving to be the best that they can be is to bring those youngsters to our university that have a track record of doing that and are self-motivated to get it done.”

You mentioned earlier with being home and your children going to the same school as you. I’m just curious your overall comfort level being back home. It’s been seven months since you were introduced as the head coach and just getting back and getting used to it, just your overall functioning around Michigan.

“One thing that’s gone well is just knowing where things are. Haven’t had to use a GPS to get around the town. All that has been good. It’s cut drag. It’s saved time. Anywhere you can eliminate drag and save time I’m for, so that’s been a beneficial part about being back.”

For you personally, though, the feeling of being in your hometown- what’s the feeling a day before you start camp?

“It’s been…it hasn’t been nostalgic. It hasn’t been emotional for me personally. It’s been about we’ve got a job to do and let’s get it done. We’ve got a challenge ahead of us and let’s attack it, but there have been those moments like I shared earlier where it has been nostalgic, has been emotional. And I loved it. Those moments are very precious.”

Having been a player here have you heard from a lot of former players, and do you feel you have more responsibility getting the program back to where it’s been and where the people want it to be?

“Yes. And I would say the same for our entire team. I have sensed that, felt that from our players, our coaches, our staff. We win as a team. That’s the best way and the only way to get it done, and I have sensed that from our team. It’s important to them. It means so much to them that we win for those who want to see us do well, for those that are for us. That’s not everybody. There are people that are for us, and there are people that aren’t for you. But anybody that wants to be for us, give ‘em a big hug and know that our squad’s going to be working hard for them.”

What’s the mindset or mentality you’re looking for on the offensive line?

“A lot of things. You start rattling off what the most important ones are. What’s most important? Again, what’s most important to the carpenter? The hammer? The saw? The Nail? There’s a lot of things that are important.

“You want me to say some of ‘em? Strong. Strong is maybe as important as the other ones. Strong wins, and I think our team is- I like what they’ve done over the summer just looking at them. They look good and healthy and stronger. Also, when it comes to the offensive line- smart. Book smart and street smart both good for offensive linemen because if they’re not they could get somebody hurt, a quarterback or a running back. I like that about our line. I think we’re going to be a smart line. We’re going to be a very well coached line; Tim Drevno does a very nice job. So excited to watch them. Excited to see where we are, see how much smarter we are through the spring and the summer to where we are now.”

Is everyone who’s on the roster eligible and going to start camp tomorrow?

“Yes, to the best of my knowledge.”

Health-wise?

“Is there something to that question that I’m..”

I don’t know.

“Really the only two that aren’t able to physically are Wroblewski and Hewlett. They will be out of camp and a good portion of the season.”

All the freshmen are enrolled and cleared to participate?

“Affirmative. To the best of my knowledge.”

Jim…

/Harbaugh looks around, unable to find who’s talking

“Steve…”

You developed a reputation for developing tight ends wherever you’ve been and Jake Butt is a player who people are excited about here. Talk about your impressions of him and where he needs to take his game.

“Well, first of all, that question made it sound like it was a personal accomplishment by me wherever I’ve been but it’s not. It’s been a team effort and we’re very proud of that. There are great tight ends that have played in this system and that we’ve had the great pleasure to coach and that have had tremendous success and we feel very confident that we can do a great job in that area. Our coaches, our system is really good for the tight end position. I value it probably more than I could describe to you right now, and I think Jake Butt is as good a prospect as any we’ve coached at the college level. Excited to watch him compete and his development and progress starting tomorrow.”

On Drake [Johnson]: talk about where he is physically.

“Drake has done a fabulous job. You’re talking about one of my favorite guys. These youngsters, they’re so young and healthy but they’re not the normal person that’s walking around out there, not even the normal person that gets an ACL injury because they’re blessed by God and mom and dad physically.

“And Drake is just another example of someone who heals fast. These youngsters heal fast. Somebody made the comment about you hope and expect and want them to strive for whatever the prognosis is for healing from an injury, but see if you can’t cut that in half. But that’s cut that in half from the prognosis for a normal person out there walking around: me, you, everybody. Most people, I look around this room and they’re not as blessed or as young or as healthy or as gifted as these youngsters are. He’s an example of that. Just from the beginning he’s been ahead of schedule, ahead of schedule, ahead of schedule. We’ve had to slow him down. We’ve had to tell him, ‘No, you’re not running yet. You’re not cutting yet. We know that you are gifted and a gifted healer, we see it,’ but still the doctors have and we have as coaches slowed him down. So to answer your question, not yet 100% but he might be pretty darn close to that. We still want to be smart and those decisions will come from the doctors. I’m not a doctor but he sure looks good.”

Kids Go Blue Club question: When you were a player for Michigan why did you choose the number 4?

“That’s a great question. No one’s asked me that in a long time. The honest answer is I was assigned it. I came here in the summer and I talked to Jon Falk and I told Jon Falk that I would like to be number 10, and he said, ‘Well, you’re going to be number 4.’ I tried to explain to Jon that I was number 10 at high school when I was at Pioneer and I was number 11 when I was at Palo Alto High School. I knew I couldn’t be 11 here because of the Wistert brothers, three All-American brothers, that number had been retired so I’d be requesting number 10 here. Again he repeated that I’d be number 4. Happened to mention it to coach Schembechler that I was thinking about being number 10 and suffice to say that was the last time I thought about being number 10. But at that moment I recalled that my favorite hockey player was Bobby Orr, and what better number could you be than number four like Bobby Orr?”