Hoke: Wolverines have ‘work to do’
Michigan wears full pads for 1st time
8/9/2014ANN ARBOR — The world — or at least the assembled media Friday at the University of Michigan football complex — got its first look at this year’s Wolverines.
Freshman cornerback Jabrill Peppers, one of the nation’s top recruits, was in uniform.
Sophomore tight end Jake Butt ran through drills while wearing a brace on his right knee, five months after surgery to repair a torn ACL.
Players rotated through drills inside of Glick Field House and on the synthetic turf of UM’s three practice fields, and Friday night’s meetings marked the end of the first five days of Michigan’s preseason practices.
Yet after the first day in full pads, UM coach Brady Hoke summed up what he’s seen of his team so far.
“You can see we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Hoke said. “So we’ll continue to put a bunch of pressure on the team.
“We’ve had good practices. But we’ve got a long way to go when you look at where we need to be.”
Michigan will practice twice today, and Hoke said he has an intrasquad scrimmage scheduled for next week.
Michigan opens the season Aug. 30 against Appalachian State, and Hoke said Wednesday that he and his staff will begin to install preparation for the season opener late next week.
Yet five days into practice, UM has already had a few casualties. Blake Countess (groin) and Mario Ojemudia (ankle) will sit out the weekend’s practices, and Hoke said they are expected to return Monday to practice. Countess’ groin issues, Hoke said, are not related to core surgery he underwent during the offseason.
Freshman wide receiver Drake Harris has been limited to rehabilitation reps because of a left hamstring injury; Harris missed his senior season at Grand Rapids (Mich.) Christian because of a right hamstring issue and also sat out part of spring practices after enrolling at UM in January.
“I’m not a doctor so it’s hard for me to analyze that,” Hoke said. “Is it a nagging thing? Maybe. Some people have those things, so we’ve got to think a little about, what can we do to help besides this rest?”
YORK FACES 3 CHARGES: Csont’e York, who was indefinitely suspended from the Michigan football team earlier this week, faces three charges, per Washtenaw County court records.
York faces a charge of aggravated assault and two misdemeanor charges of assault or assault and battery, stemming from a July 18 incident that was not specified in the online court records that were entered Friday.
Michigan announced York’s indefinite suspension on Sunday, and in a statement Hoke said the sophomore wide receiver failed “to meet team standards.” Hoke did not elaborate on York’s suspension when he met with the media this week.
York will be arraigned at 9 a.m. Aug. 22 in 15th District Court.
OPEN PRACTICE: Michigan released details of its Aug. 16 open practice at Michigan Stadium, which is free to the public, but the 8 p.m. session will require fans and season-ticket holders to register online to obtain free tickets.
Registration is at www.mgoblue.com/tickets and ends at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
The first 300 Michigan student season-ticket holders who sign up to attend the practice will have sideline access. Parking at Michigan Stadium will be free, and Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor will charge $10 a vehicle to park.
STRIPES: Michigan unveiled its alternate uniforms for its home night game against Penn State. The Wolverines will wear dark blue monochromatic uniforms with yellow striped numbers and yellow cleats Oct. 11 against the Nittany Lions.
Contact Rachel Lenzi at: rlenzi@theblade.com, 419-724-6510, or on Twitter @RLenziBlade.