ANN ARBOR – When Michigan’s Hunter Neff and Joe Taylor returned to the locker room after the team’s season-opening victory over Colorado State on Sept. 3, they were in for quite the surprise when they checked their phones.
Both received copious text messages after the walk-ons from Chelsea High each saw the field in the game and made an impact. Neff, a senior, had an 8-yard reception on an out route on his first career snap, while Taylor, a sophomore, played on special teams and returned a kickoff 24 yards in the fourth quarter.
“Just really proud of those guys,” Chelsea coach Josh Lucas said of his former players. “To have both those guys there and what they meant to our football program both on and off the field, it has been awesome to watch. The night game (against Hawaii), I was with Joe’s dad and Hunter’s dad at the parent tailgate, so it was nice to see those guys and see how happy they were knowing that their boys were out there playing. It is really cool.”
Not only was getting on the field rewarding for Neff and Taylor because of the large contingent of family, friends and former teammates and coaches keenly watching them, but also because of the work they put in during the offseason to get this opportunity.
Neff, a senior, did not appear in a game his first two years in Ann Arbor and then suffered a torn ACL during a spring practice in 2021, sidelining him for the rest of the season. The 6-foot-3, 231-pounder has always been a diehard Michigan fan and frequently attended games growing up, but he wondered if the injury might spoil his dream of playing at the Big House.
Neff’s rehab process took 10 months to get back to full strength, and he said it was all worth it to live his dream. He played two snaps against Colorado State and had four more in last week’s victory against UConn, but it was his first one that he will always remember.
“I just had so much adrenaline going out there,” he said. “It was like an out-of-body experience almost.
“It was a lot more of a process coming back than I expected it to be. I don’t think anyone’s really prepared for what it takes to get back to where you were before. But it was definitely a rewarding process. It took a lot of work, but it was a blessing.”
Meanwhile, Taylor, a sophomore, only appeared in one game last season and did not dress for most of them, including Michigan’s first win over Ohio State since 2011. Not being in uniform while celebrating the victory fueled the 5-foot-10, 185-pound sophomore throughout the offseason.
“I think that was kind of like a turning point for me,” Taylor said. “I remember sitting on the field during the Ohio State game thinking, ‘I will do anything in my power to dress.’ I didn’t want to have that feeling ever again of not being able to dress, so I made sure that I was gonna make it happen. I need to make sure that next year I have a role.”
Michigan's Joe Taylor celebrates after making a tackle against Hawaii on Sept. 11. (Photo used with permission from Michigan Photography)Michigan Photography
Taylor has earned a significant one this season on special teams. He is third on the team with 47 special teams snaps and is on the kickoff, kick return and punt return units. He also has the third-highest special teams grade on the team, according to Pro Football Focus.
The 2020 Ann Arbor News Offensive Player of the Year also played his first offensive snap at receiver against UConn and made a key block on the punter to create a seam for A.J. Henning, who returned the punt 61 yards for a touchdown.
“He’s had a great impact,” Henning said of Taylor. “Him being in the receiver room and then just seeing what he does on special teams, the effort and the attitude he plays with – one of the plays last week – he just totally ran through a guy. You just see that and you see the effort he’s playing with, it’s been great. He took care of the (punter) for me, gave him an extra pat on the back for handling that.”
On last week’s “Inside Michigan Football” radio show, head coach Jim Harbaugh said Taylor reminds him of senior Caden Kolesar, a former walk-on who has developed into one of Michigan’s top special teams players, evident by his blocked punt last week.
“I’ve just been right by his side,” Taylor said of Kolesar. “Just trying to watch him perfect his craft and then learn from him. He’s been probably one of the biggest influences I’ve had. He really gets people to buy into special teams. He’s made a career here at Michigan just off of special teams. He’s been a huge help in me getting to where I am today and where I want to be down the road.”
Neither Taylor nor Neff expected to be playing football at Michigan early on during the recruiting process. Neff was originally committed to Lawrence Tech before Harbaugh offered him a spot on the team as a preferred walk-on, while Taylor was committed to walk on to the Wolverines’ baseball team. But an injury to his throwing arm and a phone call from former Michigan football analyst Steve Casula changed his mind.
Both believe they made the right decisions, especially since they get to play together again for the first time since they were teammates at Chelsea in 2018, when they finished one win away from a state title.
“It’s been awesome,” Neff said of Taylor. “We’re good family friends too. His dad was our strength coach at Chelsea, and he was like a father figure growing up. So watching Joe progress and get on the field has just been awesome to see.”
Meanwhile, Lucas is relishing every moment he gets to watch his former standouts play for a top-five team in the country located just miles down the road.
“Hunter worked his butt off just to give himself an opportunity to come back,” he said. “Just being out there is one thing, but making a catch at the Big House in front of 100,000 people is another thing.
“For Joe, from the get-go, I thought he was one of the better players in high school football, and now it’s showing out at Michigan. Each week keeps building for him. I’m just really proud of him and his work ethic and just putting his head down and getting to work every day. Nothing for him was ever given to him. He has had to earn all these things he is getting.”
The Link LonkSeptember 24, 2022 at 01:27AM
https://www.mlive.com/wolverines/2022/09/hard-work-paying-off-for-michigan-football-walk-ons-from-chelsea.html
Hard work paying off for Michigan football walk-ons from Chelsea - MLive.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=hard&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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