Michigan Football: Wolverines recruit Arizona talent with help of Shaun Nua
Greg Mattison’s backstabbing took a toll on Michigan Football but his 37-year-old replacement is bringing a renewed motivation to the players and the recruiting trail.
Michigan football defensive line coach Shaun Nua not only brings recruiting prowess but also the ability to motivate and get his guys to play hard.
Senior defensive tackle Carlo Kemp said, “Coach Nua gets right up in you every day, and just makes you want to play for him.”
Donovan Jeter added “He brings a different type of energy that Matty couldn’t bring,”
Aidan Hutchinson, a sophomore defensive tackle, also spoke highly of coach Nua.
“Completely different experience than last year. Very new. He brings in the young aspect of coaching. He’s fiery, he’s fired up. He’s taught me a lot already.”
While Michigan football did lose both defensive ends to the NFL draft, coach Nua remains undaunted by the challenges ahead of him.
What fans saw on a breezy, sunny afternoon at the open scrimmage was a toned-down version of what will be seen in the Aug. 31 season opener with Middle Tennessee State and beyond.
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) April 14, 2019
The full report from yesterday's Spring Game. 👇#GoBlue 〽️ pic.twitter.com/8NcUsK4con
“(I’m a) high energy, good teacher, and someone that can rally the guys and just come together, and help each other accomplish team goals,” he said.
Coach Nua went on to explain why he choose to leave Arizona State for Michigan football.
“It’s Michigan, man,” he remarked, “If you’re in this profession, if you’re a player or a coach, you want to be the best. You want to be at the top. You want to compete at the highest level and it can’t get any higher than this. So, everything is setup so we can get some goals accomplished and get there. Michigan can help us do that.”
Coach Nua may have departed Arizona – the state where he began his college playing career – but he hasn’t forgotten about all the talent he left behind, especially on the recruiting trail.
His roots from the southern state have clearly made an impression on the high school students from the area who usually stick to PAC -12 schools.
Currently, Michigan only has one student-athlete on the football roster from Arizona and since 2017, has only offered seven stars from the state.
However, everything is changing on the recruiting trail as Michigan is prioritizing the gifted athletes from all over the state of Arizona.
Let’s take a look at the 2020 and 2021 Michigan football targets from Arizona.