Michigan hosts an awards banquet each year to honor the program’s top performers. This year, it happens just two weeks prior to the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup with Alabama. Even though there aren’t many shocks, it’s still interesting to see who gets acknowledged for what. You can read the whole release down below. The University of Michigan Football Awards Show took place on Sunday, December 17, during a banquet held in U-M’s Crisler Center. It was organized by the U-M Club of Greater Detroit. During the ceremony, senior student-athletes were celebrated before getting their coveted ‘M’ rings, among other prizes, and the winners of the team awards were acknowledged.
Honorary “M” rings were given to staff members for the first time who had served with Michigan Football for the requisite amount of time (on-field coaches, five years; additional staff, ten years). The Humphries-Miller Scholarship Award (formerly Dr. Arthur D. Robinson Award) was given to the top senior student-athlete. Other long-standing team awards were also given out for the first time under their new names. These included the Dierdorf-Hutchinson Award (formerly Hugh H. Rader Award) for the best offensive lineman, the Woodley-Graham Award (formerly Richard Katcher Award) for the best defensive lineman or outside linebacker, and others.
J.J. McCarthy, the quarterback, was chosen by his teammates as the BO SCHEMBECHLER MOST VALUABLE PLAYER. McCarthy was selected as a unanimous first-team all-conference selection and became the first quarterback from U-M to win the Griese-Brees Big Ten Quarterback of the Year award. He was also a finalist for both the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and the Manning Quarterback Award. With a 74.2 percent completion percentage, McCarthy is the second-most accurate thrower in the country. With 22 total touchdowns (19 passing), he ranks sixth in pass efficiency.
He played against ECU, Minnesota, Michigan State, and Purdue in some of his most memorable games. McCarthy leads the program in yards per play (7.85) and Michigan is 25-1 in his 26 career starts. He scores on 59.1% of drives. Zak Zinter received the DIERDORF-HUTCHINSON AWARD from the team. Zinter is a first-team All-American who has received unanimous recognition. For the second consecutive year, he was also selected by the coaches and media to the first team of the Big Ten. Over the course of 12 games, the offensive line allowed just 14 sacks thanks to his solid effort as its foundation.
He started on a line that helped develop a 1,000-yard rushing back for the third season in a row (Hassan Haskins, 2021; Blake Corum, 2022-23). Zinter, an offensive captain, advanced to the semifinals of the Lombardi and Outland Trophies. Zinter was recognized as the team’s best student-athlete and received the HUMPHRIES-MILLER SCHOLARSHIP AWARD winner. Zinter was selected as a National Football Foundation (NFF) Scholar-Athlete and a William V. Campbell Trophy Finalist in addition to being a CSC Academic All-American (second team, 2022). He is a sport management major at the University of Michigan’s School of Kinesiology and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham shared the WOODLEY-GRAHAM AWARD. Graham, who earned first-team all-league honors from the coaches, tied for second on the roster with 6.5 tackles for loss and added 3.0 sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. He tied for the lead among all interior defensive players with 29 total tackles. Grant was a second-team all-league pick by the coaches after posting 4.0 tackles for loss including 2.5 sacks among 22 total stops. He was second among all Wolverines with six quarterback hurries, recovered one fumble, and tied for third on the team with five pass breakups, including his first career interception. Together, the duo was part of a top-notch U-M defensive line that supports a defense ranked fifth nationally in rushing yards per game allowed (86.6) and second in total defense (239.2 yards per game). Active in all phases, the defensive line accounted for 27 percent of all pass breakups and interceptions. The ROGER ZATKOFF AWARD was given to Michael Barrett. The team’s second-leading tackler (52), Barrett added a team-leading three forced fumbles and recovered two as well. A third-team All-Big Ten pick and defensive captain, he also posted 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, five quarterback hurries, and two pass breakups. With Barrett roaming the middle of the defense, the Wolverines led the nation with 12.7 first downs allowed per game and 1.5 red zone trips allowed per game. He made his biggest plays against Bowling Green, Indiana, and Maryland.
Running back Blake Corum was named the Offensive Player of the Year. The recipient of the Robert P. Ufer Bequest was Kris Jenkins. The embodiment of ‘enthusiasm unknown to mankind’, Jenkins’ infectious energy and love for Michigan and his teammates made him a defensive captain for Team 144. Jenkins was named a second-team All-American by the FWAA and a third-team pick by the AP. Jenkins was also a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award given to the nation’s best defensive player and received second-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and media.
He posted 33 tackles to lead all U-M defensive linemen, including 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one recovered fumble (in the Big Ten Championship Game), and one interception (against Bowling Green). Jenkins was also named a co-recipient of the team’s Defensive Player of the Year award, along with defensive back Mike Sainristil and linebacker Junior Colson. The team leader in interceptions (five) and pass breakups (11), the defensive captain Sainristil has added 30 tackles including four for loss with two sacks, and has also forced two fumbles.
He stuffs the stat sheet in every category for the nation’s No. 1-ranked defense and was awarded with first-team All-Big Ten honors from the media. Sainristil’s two pick-sixes this year helped the Wolverines tie a single-season program record with four as a team, and memorable plays helped spur the team to victories over Rutgers, Michigan State, Maryland, and against Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game, where he was awarded Griffin-Grange MVP honors. Colson, who earned second-team All-Big Ten honors, has been a mainstay for Michigan’s defense as the team’s top tackler (35-44–79). He has been charged with only three missed tackles on more than 80 attempts and ranks No. 6 among all linebackers in tackling grade (90.3). A leader in the middle of the defense, Colson and the Wolverines posted multiple shutouts in a season for the first time since 2015 while limiting opponents to 1.5 red zone trips per game, the fewest in the nation.
He was also named the winner of the Lott IMPACT Trophy earlier this month.
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