Winovich Named MVP During 2018 Football Awards Show at Crisler Center
12/9/2018 5:00:00 PM | Football
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The 2018 University of Michigan Football Awards Show, presented by U-M Club of Greater Detroit, was held Sunday afternoon (Dec. 9) at Crisler Center on the Stephen M. Ross Athletic Campus at U-M, where 2018 team awards were announced and senior student-athletes received their coveted "M" rings, among other gifts.
Fifth-year senior defensive lineman Chase Winovich was voted the Bo Schembechler Most Valuable Player by his teammates, and he also won the Richard Katcher Award given to the top defensive lineman or outside linebacker. U-M's MVP award was officially changed to the Bo Schembechler Award starting in 1995, making Winovich the 24th recipient of the honor named after Michigan's winningest head coach and the second consecutive defensive lineman to earn the honor after Maurice Hurst won the distinction last fall.
Winovich has been the high-motor catalyst behind Michigan's dominant defenses the last two seasons. He has led Michigan in tackles for loss two years in a row, and has been the team's top tackler, sack- and TFL-getter among defensive linemen. His 14.5 TFL this season are a full five stops better than the next-closest Wolverine and he ranks 10th all-time in that category at U-M with 41.5 for minus-166 yards. The Associated Press Midseason Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and a first team all-conference selection by the coaches and media, Winovich also was a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award presented to the best defensive player in college football.
He was one of 12 U-M defenders to secure All-Big Ten honors, being named to the first team on the coaches and media ballots after earning first-team honors from the media and second-team honors from the coaches in 2017. Winovich helps lead a defense that ranks first nationally, allowing 262.5 yards and 17.6 points per contest. Eight of 12 opponents have recorded season lows in total offense when playing the Wolverines and the unit lists first or second in the Big Ten in seven of eight major categories.
Heavily involved in community service, Winovich has worked with a number of organizations. Earlier this year he helped raise awareness for U-M Zeta Tau Alpha sorority member Kate Palermo, who lost her battle with leukemia earlier this fall, by flashing the sorority's 'crown' symbol after a sack at Northwestern. Winovich is active at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, visiting patients regularly, and he has participated in youth reading programs in Ann Arbor schools and back home in Pennsylvania. Last bowl season, Winovich engaged with the Chad Tough Foundation to help the organization raise over $350,000 for pediatric cancer research by promising to dye his hair once a financial threshold was met. He continued supporting the organization by participating in U-M's 'Dancing with the Stars' event last spring. Winovich is graduating with a degree in evolutionary anthropology.
Junior quarterback Shea Patterson collected Offensive Player of the Year honors, while junior linebacker Devin Bush was named Defensive Player of the Year.
Patterson helped Michigan to be one of the nation's most efficient offenses in his first campaign as a Wolverine. He totaled 2,364 yards passing and 268 yards on the ground, adding 23 touchdowns with 21 passing scores and a pair on the ground. Patterson's 65.1 percent completion rate would become a single-season record at U-M if it stands, and his pass efficiency rating of 154.28 is No. 8 all-time for a single season at U-M. That figure ranks second in the Big Ten. Patterson has been responsible for three or more touchdowns in six of 12 starts, buoyed by an average of 8.2 yards per pass attempt. He has connected with nine different pass-catchers for his 21 touchdowns, including four wide receivers, three tight ends, one fullback and one running back.
Patterson was chosen as a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien Award, presented to the top collegiate quarterback annually, and for the Maxwell Award as the nation's top offensive performer. He also was recognized as a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, recognizing the most outstanding collegiate quarterback. He was named a third-team All-Big Ten honoree by the coaches and an honorable mention by the media.
Bush, a team-elected captain, is a two-time finalist for the Butkus Award honoring the nation's top linebacker and also was a Bronko Nagurski Award finalist this season. In addition to securing Defensive Player of the Year honors, he also won his second Roger Zatkoff Award honoring the team's top linebacker. Bush's accolades continue to come in pairs -- this fall, he secured the Big Ten's Woodson-Nagurski Defensive Player of the Year award and the league's Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year awards while being named a first team All-Big Ten honoree by the coaches and media.
Bush has been the engine behind Michigan's No. 1-rated defense, leading the team with 80 tackles and ranking second among Wolverines with 9.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. He is graded by Pro Football Focus College (PFF College) as the top Big Ten linebacker in pass coverage and the No. 2 pass rushing linebacker, and he was recently named the AP Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Bush is eight tackles shy of 200 for his career.
The Special Teams Player of the Year was awarded to fifth-year senior running back Joe Hewlett. Hewlett is part of the glue that keeps the Wolverine special teams units humming. He is a contributor on nearly every major unit, playing on punt, punt return kickoff and kick return. He is the punt unit's signal-caller and personal protector, and he also plays an important role on both return teams. The Novi, Michigan, product was credited with tackles in five games this season, totaling five stops with one rushing attempt, a five-yard run at Rutgers.
Michigan's Specialist of the Year was announced as junior punter Will Hart. Hart has been a revelation for the Wolverines this season in the punting game. He leads the top-ranked pro-style punting unit in the country and the only pro-style outfit in the top 50 nationally. He set a program record for single-game punting average against Nebraska, with a 59.3-yard average after three attempts. All three punts pinned the Huskers inside their own 20-yard line.
Hart has averaged 47.6 yards per kick this year, with single-game longs over 60 yards in three contests and longs over 50 yards in nine games. He has been especially effective in pinning opponents deep, with at least one punt at or inside the 12-yard line in eight games, including one at or inside the five-yard line in four games. Hart has boomed 19 of 38 attempts 50 or more yards, and he was selected as a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, the program's first since 2012. Hart also was named the Big Ten's Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year and was a first-team selection by the coaches and media.
Hewlett has made countless contributions but can claim two highly memorable special teams plays from this fall. He recovered a punt blocked by Khaleke Hudson and returning it 10 yards against Western Michigan, and he recovered a key fumble in the second half at Michigan State after Jordan Glasgow caused a fumble while covering a punt. Both times, Hewlett came up with the ball and helped create a momentum-changing play for the Wolverines.
This year's recipient of the Robert P. Ufer Bequest is fifth-year senior fullback Jared Wangler. Named after legendary Wolverine broadcaster Bob Ufer, the award is presented annually to the football player who demonstrates the most enthusiasm and love for the University of Michigan, traditionally a senior. Wangler has his degree in psychology with a minor in entrepreneurship and is now pursuing a real estate development certificate in the Rackham Graduate School.
A native of Royal Oak, Michigan, Wangler earned his first offensive touches this year after switching to play fullback prior to the start of the 2017 season. He caught his first career touchdown on a seven-yard route against Maryland and caught a nine-yard dump-off at Northwestern. A special teams stalwart and reliable blocker, Wangler also contributes as a member of the punt and kickoff return units.
Senior tackle Jon Runyan was presented with the Hugh H. Rader Memorial Award given to the team's best lineman. This fall, Runyan has helped lead one of the Big Ten's top offensive line units. All five starters secured All-Big Ten accolades, with Runyan being the team's lone first-teamer. As a group, this year's line has blocked for one of the most balanced offenses in the nation, averaging 214.3 yards per game on the ground and 212.9 yards per game through the passing game. They were only charged with one collective holding penalty all season, showing improved unit discipline. Runyan was credited by PFF College as having allowed just one sack and two hits all season long, leading the offensive line with 139 "key plays" as measured by PFF.
Fifth-year senior linebacker Noah Furbush was presented the Dr. Arthur D. Robinson Scholarship Award for his work in the classroom. Furbush is in pursuit of a Master's Degree of Engineering in Space Engineering having already completed his undergraduate studies with a B.E. in aerospace engineering. He has contributed 10 tackles this year and 55 in his career from the outside linebacker position, and is another of Michigan's reliable special teams contributors. Furbush also has one interception and one pass breakup this year to go with two career fumble recoveries and 3.5 tackles for loss.
For the second year in a row, junior offensive lineman Stephen Spanellis was honored for having the Top Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA). Spanellis has chosen a major of philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) with a minor in history and has earned a GPA of 3.901. He has appeared in 25 games in his career, including all 12 this year. Spanellis has played five games at center this year and has been a special teams contributor in all 12 contests as part of the field goal protection unit.
New to this year's awards show are the Offensive Skill Position Player of the Year and the Defensive Skill Position Player of the Year. The offensive skill position player was given to sophomore wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, and the defensive skill position player was awarded to junior defensive back David Long.
Peoples-Jones had an excellent season in his second year as a big-play wide receiver and punt returner for the Wolverines. His 39 receptions and seven touchdowns lead the U-M pass-catching corps, and his 541 receiving yards rank second. Peoples-Jones' 243 punt return yards and 37 rushing yards bump him to 821 all-purpose yards this season, second-most among all U-M contributors. The Southfield, Michigan, native set career highs in receptions (seven), yards (90), single-game touchdowns (three) and total TDs (seven). Since Jim Harbaugh has been head coach at Michigan, only Jehu Chesson (nine, 2015) has caught more touchdowns in a single season.
Peoples-Jones recorded a three-touchdown game on just four receptions early in the season against Southern Methodist. He also averaged 10.1 yards per punt return on 24 tries, boasting the second-best average among Big Ten players with at least 20 return attempts. He recorded a 60-yard punt return touchdown against Nebraska the very next week, marking his second punt return score of 60 yards or more. Another memorable moment this season was Peoples-Jones' 79-yard sideline catch at Michigan State, which helped seal Michigan's 21-7 win to take back the Paul Bunyan Trophy. Peoples-Jones earned All-Big Ten accolades as a wide receiver (third team, coaches; honorable mention, media) and punt returner (third team, coaches and media).
Long earned All-Big Ten first team accolades from the coaches and was a third-team selection by the media after an outstanding season. Long and his fellow members of the Michigan secondary stifled opposing aerial attacks, and they have allowed just a 48.8 percent completion percentage to opposing quarterbacks this season, averaging 145.9 passing yards against per game. Offenses have passed for 13 touchdowns against U-M this season, while the Wolverines have 11 interceptions, four of which have been returned for touchdowns.
Long is tied for the team lead with nine pass breakups, one interception among them. He plays 88.9 percent press coverage according to PFF College, the most in the country by more than five percent and far more than the average cornerback. The Los Angeles, California, product has allowed nine receptions on 36 targets (25 percent completion percentage) and has conceded 42 total yards, including a miniscule 1.0 yard after catch, on average. Quarterbacks targeting pass-catchers covered by Long have a passer rating of 37.3, and just 5.6 percent of throws sent his direction result in a first down or touchdown. Long forces an incompletion on 27.8 percent of throws, more than double the national average (13.7 percent). He allows just 0.1 yards per snap while in coverage, No. 1 in the nation.
For just the second time, Michigan issued its Toughest Player Award and Blue Collar Award. Junior left guard Ben Bredeson was the team's recipient of the Toughest Player Award, and sophomore linebacker Josh Ross was named the Blue Collar Award winner.
In addition to helping Karan Higdon become a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award, Bredeson was part of the second-ranked scoring unit in the Big Ten, averaging more than 36 points per contest. Michigan's offensive line has allowed 18 total sacks (1.5 per game), a 45 percent decrease from one season ago. PFF College credits Bredeson, who has made 32 career starts along the line, with one sack and four hurries allowed all year. He was named to the All-Big Ten second team by coaches and media for the second year in a row.
Ross stepped into a more impactful role at "will" linebacker this season. He has appeared in every game from that position and has also successfully contributed as a middle linebacker. His 50 tackles are a career high and rank fourth among all Wolverines, and he has been credited with 3.5 tackles for loss and a pair of pass breakups. Ross is another important special teams contributor, repping on the kick return unit among others.
The Rookie Of The Year is an award split three ways, with one winner each for offense, defense and special teams. The winner for offense is freshman wide receiver Ronnie Bell, the winner for defense is freshman defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson, and the winner for special teams is freshman kicker Jake Moody.
Bell burst onto the scene early this year, scoring touchdowns on his first two receptions as a Wolverine. His first touchdown catch was a memorable 56-yarder against Nebraska, and he added another on a 22-yard catch against Maryland. The Kansas City, Missouri, native also caught passes against Indiana and Ohio State, with carries against Michigan State and Northwestern after he began contributing to the run game by adding jet sweeps to his repertoire. Bell contributed on special teams as well and finished the season with eight catches, 145 yards and 18.1 yards per catch, second among all U-M pass-catchers.
Hutchinson appeared in all 12 games along Michigan's defensive line, providing disruptive play when given the opportunity. He was credited with 15 total tackles including 1.5 for loss, and registered a quarterback hurry against Indiana. Hutchinson made a career-high six stops in his first game at Michigan Stadium against Western Michigan and appeared on special teams throughout the season, on field goal protection and field goal defense.
Moody handled kickoff duties all season for U-M, leading the No. 21 kickoff unit in the NCAA which allowed a return average of 18.21 yards per return generated 40 touchbacks on 85 kickoffs. When an illness to Quinn Nordin forced Moody into placekicking duties against Indiana, he connected on six field goals and two extra points to set a program and Big Ten Conference game record for most made field goals. The Northville, Michigan, product finished the season 8-for-8, with a season-long of 39 yards at Ohio State, and converted all four PATs.
For the third time, U-M also gave out the Scout Team Player of the Year and Most Improved Player awards. Both awards include three winners apiece, with recipients on offense, defense and special teams.
The Most Improved Player Award includes wide receiver Nico Collins on offense, defensive lineman Carlo Kemp on defense and reliable contributor Tyler Cochran on special teams.
After catching just three passes last fall, Collins is second on the team with 33 receptions and six touchdowns this year. He leads all U-M players with 552 yards receiving and 46.0 receiving yards per game. Collins became one of quarterback Patterson's favorite targets this season with at least one catch of 20 yards or more in eight games, and he has caught a pass of 40 yards or more in five contests.
A first-year starter on defense, Kemp upped his contributions in a major way. He started 11 games as a defensive tackle and contributed to a stout front-four, plugging gaps in the run game and pushing the pocket to generate pressure inside. Kemp totaled 17 stops this season, up from three last fall, including 2.5 tackles for loss and a half-sack, which came against Southern Methodist. Kemp played both inside and outside last year, and his full-time switch to playing inside paid off this season. He was named Defensive Lineman of the Week for his performances against Big Ten foes Wisconsin and Penn State.
On special teams, Cochran became one of U-M's most important contributors. His coverage discipline and relentless pursuit on the kickoff unit are part of what has helped the Wolverines retain a top-25 kickoff defense for the second year in a row. Only two teams ranked among the top 25 kickoff coverage units have defended more return attempts than the 40 U-M has faced. The Wolverines allow 18.22 yards per return, on average, and Cochran was credited with one tackle this season, against Nebraska.
The Scout Team Player of the Year award also was split three ways, with two sets of co-winners. Freshman quarterback Joe Milton shared the honor with sophomore offensive lineman Jess Speight on offense. Sophomore defensive back Hunter Reynolds shared the honor with sophomore linebacker Adam Shibley on defense, and sophomore defensive back Jared Davis won the award on special teams.
Milton has appeared in three games for U-M this season, but his most notable contributions are as part of the scout team, where he often impersonated the opposing quarterback the defense would face that week. He was named Scout Team Offensive Player of the Week twice -- once for helping the defense prepare to face Trace McSorley and the Penn State offense, and once for helping it ready itself for Western Michigan's potent passing game.
Speight plays center along the scout offensive line, preparing Michigan's shutdown defense for that week's opposing offensive line tactician. He is typically responsible for adjusting protection calls, making key blocks and for giving the U-M defense an honest look at the capabilities of the offense they would face. Speight was named Scout Team Offensive Player of the Year for his role in preparing the defense to face Nebraska.
Reynolds has continued his rise on the U-M roster with another valuable season as part of the scout team defense. Often asked to lock down Michigan pass-catchers as the opponent's top coverage man, Reynolds was named Scout Team Defensive Player of the Week ahead of the Michigan State matchup. He has also appeared in one game this year, earning opportunity against Nebraska in the secondary and on special teams, and was a trusted presence on a young scout team defense.
Shibley has proven himself to be an aggressive player both in coverage and when making tackles in the run game. He roams the field as a linebacker on the scout defense and quickly became a thorn in the offense's side thanks in part to his all-out effort. Shibley appeared in one game on special teams this season, playing at Northwestern. The Cleveland, Ohio, native was named Scout Team Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the week preparing for Nebraska and won Scout Team Special Teams Player of the Week during Maryland week.
Davis is a tenacious defender and coverage man and was rewarded with recognition as the scout team's special teams contributor of the year. Davis was the Scout Team Special Teams Player of the Game for his role in preparing his teammates to face Western Michigan, and he was a reliable contributor in that area all season.
Following are the 2018 University of Michigan football team award winners:
Original Awards Presented by the M-Club of Greater Detroit
Bo Schembechler MVP: Chase Winovich
Dr. Arthur D. Robinson Scholarship Award: Noah Furbush
Robert P. Ufer Bequest: Jared Wangler
Roger Zatkoff Award: Devin Bush
Richard Katcher Award: Chase Winovich
Hugh H. Rader Memorial Award: Jon Runyan
Top GPA: Stephen Spanellis
Toughest Player Award: Ben Bredeson
Blue Collar Award: Josh Ross
Rookie of the Year (Offense): Ronnie Bell
Rookie of the Year (Defense): Aidan Hutchinson
Rookie of the Year (Special Teams): Jake Moody
Offensive Player of the Year: Shea Patterson
Defensive Player of the Year: Devin Bush
Special Teams Player of the Year: Joe Hewlett
Specialist of the Year: Will Hart
Offensive Skill Player of the Year: Donovan Peoples-Jones
Defensive Skill Player of the Year: David Long
Most Improved Player (Offense): Nico Collins
Most Improved Player (Defense): Carlo Kemp
Most Improved Player (Special Teams): Tyler Cochran
Co-Scout Team Players of the Year (Offense): Joe Milton and Jess Speight
Co-Scout Team Players of the Year (Defense): Hunter Reynolds and Adam Shibley
Scout Team Player of the Year (Special Teams): Jared Davis
