ANN ARBOR - The funniest moment of Taylor Lewan's announcement that he would return to the University of Michigan instead of turning pro?
When Michigan coach Brady Hoke said he wasn’t surprised by Lewan’s decision.
“Oh my God, he’s lying,” Lewan said, loud enough for the assembled media to hear.
Humor aside - and Lewan is noted for his humor - Lewan's decision came with a certain dose of altruism.
When he decided to return to the for his final season with the football team, Lewan considered the fact that he could be a potential first-round pick in April's NFL Draft. He considered what the NFL's Draft Advisory Board told him - that he was projected to be a first-round draft pick.
But then he also considered a certain tradition that came with being a top-flight offensive lineman at the University of Michigan. One that Jake Long adhered to, and one that Jon Jansen adhered to, as well.
Lewan followed suit. Like Long and Jansen, Lewan will be back in Ann Arbor for a final year of football.
He'll be a part of an offensive line that will most likely be in transition, following the loss of Patrick Omameh, Ricky Barnum and Elliott Mealer to graduation.
in fact, he'll be expected to be a leader of that corps and, most likely, of the team that he labeled "Team 134."
Hoke believes that Lewan sets a certain standard for the players who will return for the 2013 season.
“How he approaches every day,” Hoke said. “How he approaches every week. If you look at it from a football standpoint and from a standpoint of himself preparing, that’s probably been something you’ve really noticed. How he communicates with his teammates and how he sets a bar that’s pretty high, that we all want him to do and we expect him to do.”
And, yes, in forgoing the likely riches of the NFL this fall, Lewan and his family will take out an insurance policy for his senior season. It's worth protecting the investment, right?
Comments