ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The Michigan Wolverines had unprecedented levels of success from 2021-23, even by the lofty standards in Ann Arbor. But after an off-year, the maize and blue are looking to rekindle the recent success from just a few years ago. And as spring practice continues, it looks like things are on track for a bit of a resurgence.
Michigan football isn't just using this time to get better on the field, but if you walk into Schembechler Hall any given day, you'll see a parade of recruits making their way in and through the facilities. And it wasn't long ago that the current players were in that same position.
One spring standout, edge rusher Dom Nichols, was one of those hopefuls to traverse the halls and take in practice just two years ago. Last year, he was actually in uniform as an early enrollee. But, as a he recalls going and checking out different teams in spring ball, two schools stood out in 2023 -- the Wolverines and the Georgia Bulldogs.
"I visited a lot of schools during my recruiting process. I remember comparing this spring ball, because I was here when I was a recruit for their spring ball, and comparing it to Georgia's," Nichols said. "I mean, obviously Georgia at the time was also one of the best teams in the country, but this place is just different. It's just how they go about things. I mean, we're trained -- we're trained soldiers. This is what it feels like. We're going at it every day how we should, and I mean, just building to win every game this season."
So what made Ann Arbor different than Athens? Why did Nichols choose to leave Ijamsville, Maryland and head north rather than south? There was one particular thing that made Michigan (and Georgia) stand apart from the pack, but also particularly differentiated the Wolverines.
"Physicality. That was the biggest thing," Nichols said. "It's not normal to go somewhere and just see the beat Ohio drill, the sirens going off, and dudes just getting ready to hit for three hours. Most schools just don't do that, trying to save guys. I mean, you could say we're trying to save guys. We got time to get healthy. We can go ahead and bang in the spring. That's how it should be."
Nichols only has one spring ball under his belt, which he felt was very physical in nature, but he says that the Wolverines' preparation in 2025 leans even more into that variety. Noting that there was some uncertainty given the changes to the program a year ago, now, this team is hitting the ground running.
"I think this spring is a little more intense," Nichols said. "We're going through some coaching changes last spring, and obviously for me it's going to be a little more intense. I came here as an early enrollee last year, so I was still getting used to the whole process. But, yeah, this spring was definitely like we're ready to go. We're ready to play football."
Michigan will showcase its new-look team on April 19 in the annual spring game which is set to take place at The Big House.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football EDGE compares team to Georgia in spring practice
