Kornacki: Wormley Oozes Value for Wolverines
8/25/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 25, 2016
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- If the proof of your worth exists in your deeds, Chris Wormley has ready evidence of his value to the University of Michigan football team.
The senior from Toledo (Ohio) Whitmer shared the team lead in sacks with Baltimore Ravens rookie Willie Henry at 6.5 apiece in 2015. "Worm," as he is known to teammates, also led the Wolverines with 14.5 tackles for lost yardage and topped all defensive linemen in solo tackles (25) and total tackles (43) last season.
Yet, the best he could muster in terms of postseason awards was a spot on the All-Big Ten third team from the coaches. Now, he's going to share a defensive end spot with Rashan Gary, the consensus No. 1 national recruit in the incoming freshman class.
But none of this bothers Wormley.
"It's just an opportunity for us to get better as a defensive line," Wormley said of combining with Gary. "We're going to have eight or nine guys who can rotate, and if he can rotate and play with us, maybe even start a couple games, that's great. Hopefully, he can do that for us and give us some help."
Wormley's selfless attitude is part of what makes Michigan's defensive front approach to rotating players work.
"Chris has been the leader," said Wolverine defensive line coach Greg Mattison. "He understands that he's the one who's probably played more than anybody in that group. I think Chris has really high goals, and he's showed he wants to achieve those goals by how he's worked. The thing that excited me about Chris is Chris has worked extremely hard.
"He's (6-6) 305 pounds, and he's running as good as some linebackers. He's really put himself in a position to have a great senior year."
Wormley recently joined teammates Jourdan Lewis and Jabrill Peppers, both All-Americans in 2015, on the Nagurski Trophy watch list for the nation's top defensive player. "Worm" would like to join them on All-America teams and also make the first team all-conference squad, but he's most interested in winning as many games as possible and making his unit as good as many believe it will be.
"Last year, it was about winning more than five games," said Wormley, referring to the 5-7 finish in 2014. "This year, it's not only winning the Big Ten championship but what's next, and how is my life going to be the next five or 10 years."
The Wolverines were 10-3 in Coach Jim Harbaugh's first season and are No. 7 in the Associated Press poll for the school's highest preseason ranking since Hall of Fame coach Lloyd Carr's final season in 2007.
Expectations are high because Michigan has four position groups Athlon Sports ranks in its top five nationally. The defensive line placed the highest at No. 2, and the offensive line and secondary both were No. 4, with the receivers No. 5.
Bruce Feldman of FOXSports.com tabbed Michigan as the No. 1 defensive line heading into the season, ranking it just ahead of Alabama, which led the nation last season with 52 sacks. The Crimson Tide's rotation of future NFL defensive linemen was a big part of what helped them win last season's national championship, and Mattison, who was the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens before returning to Michigan in 2011, employs that same approach.
"In this group," said Mattison, "there's probably a first string and a second first string. You earn the right to rotate."
He has at least eight linemen deserving of considerable playing time.
Joining Wormley and Gary at the other end position is athletic freak Taco Charlton and an improved Chase Winovich. Ryan Glasgow, the best of the tackles, is back from the injury that cost him the last four games in 2015. Highly talented Bryan Mone returns from the injury that shelved him all of last season, and dependable Matthew Godin and underrated Maurice Hurst round out the rotation.
Mattison said: "The goal is: Let's all do what we're supposed to do. Therefore, I can go out and play four plays as hard as I can possibly play, and I'm going to come out and rest, and my buddy is going to go in for four and play as hard as he can. Then, I'm going back in.
"So, you kind of earn the right to be in that rotation."
Mattison added that the rotation will only approach 50-50 if the two players grade out evenly in practices and games.
Wormley embraces that earn-your-keep mindset.
"It starts with trust," he said. "You have to trust the people who are coming in to do as well of a job as you were doing. But then, also in the fourth quarter when it comes down to it in a close game, you have to have those fresh legs to rush the passer and run the ball and don't get any 'loafs,' like Coach Mattison talks about."
Wormley said Mattison terms "loafs" as plays in which players didn't give their all, and Wormley said that's an area he wants to improve upon.
He's not only fast and quick enough to rush off the end but stout and strong enough play tackle.
"I think that Jabrill can play a little more positions than I can play," Wormley said with a smile, "but I can play a lot of positions on the defensive line and bring that to the table. That's what sets me apart from other people."
That ability to play tackle will enable him to move inside the front if Gary plays up to expectations and is deserving of starting or having a high number of repetitions at end.
"He's a big, fast kid," Wormley said of Gary, 6-5 and 287 pounds. "He's got a lot of learning to do, as all freshmen do, but he can contribute to the team and bring something that not many freshmen can."
Wormley explored entering the NFL Draft after last season, but the Academic All-Big Ten selection in the School of Kinesiology opted to return, saying he was projected to go in the fourth or fifth round and hopes to move up a few rounds.
"People blew that up to be more than it was," said Wormley. "I knew I was going to come back, but it's always nice to see what the options are, especially with Coach Harbaugh and his resources letting me know what those options were. But at the end of the day, I was going to stay no matter what and not only finish this fifth year but graduate."
Mattison added, "One thing about Chris Wormley that people don't realize is he's an excellent student. He went to Israel with a group, and the people said he was an unbelievable example of Michigan football. He's always been an unbelievably high-character young man."
When asked how he was better this season, Wormley's answer related to leadership.
"I think it's the mindset of knowing there are a lot of guys who are going to rely on me," said Wormley. "I want to help them along the way, help them become better players. I'm going to be relied on to make plays this year, a lot more than I have in the past couple years.
"So, knowing my role, and how important that role is, the team is a lot bigger than a player."
Where proof of value is concerned, Wormley oozes it both on and off the field.
