Why Chris Hinton's Michigan football progression has been 'night and day'
Christopher Hinton Jr. arrived in Ann Arbor with significant expectations.
His father, Christopher Hinton, was an All-American lineman at Northwestern who was drafted fourth overall and appeared in seven Pro Bowls in the NFL. The younger Hinton was a five-star recruit and the second highest-ranked prospect in Michigan's 2019 recruiting class.
It can take some time for freshmen to adjust to the difficulty and pace of the collegiate level, and Hinton was no exception. While he appeared in 12 games and made one start at defensive tackle, he recorded nine tackles with a half tackle for loss and mostly was used as a rotational piece.
As he enters his sophomore season, however, Hinton is ready for an expanded role.
“Personally, it’s like night and day," he said on the "Inside Michigan Football" radio show with Jon Jansen on Monday night. "Coming back from quarantine, I just feel so much more comfortable on the field, off the field. Freshman year, coming to a new area, a new state, a new situation, it can take some time to adjust. So I had to adjust. Now, I feel like I’ve adjusted, so I’m ready to rock and roll.”
Hinton, listed at 6-foot-4, 305 pounds, is one of several players competing for playing time along the interior defensive line. He also isamong the youngest, as the Wolverines return veterans such as Carlo Kemp, Donovan Jeter and Jess Speight.
Of course, there was a reason Hinton was ranked so highly as a recruit. As defensive line coach Shaun Nua said Monday night, Hinton is "very athletic, with good mass."
"He’s a tremendous young man," defensive coordinator Don Brown said Wednesday. "This guy, I used to joke with him last year, what would you rather be, a slug or a bullet? I want him to be a bullet. He’s improved his short-area quickness. His COD, change of direction, tremendously. We’re starting to see those benefits."
Hinton feels like the rest of his game has caught up to his athleticism. During quarantine, he focused on learning Michigan's defensive playbook "like the back of my hand," while also studying opposing offenses and their tendencies.
"That just helps me with my confidence a lot, being able to play faster, being able to be confident in my technique," Hinton said. "I felt more comfortable being back here and playing. So I’m excited for the season.”
As a defensive lineman, Hinton relishes making big hits or sacks. Some of his goals for the season include generating sacks and pressures for the defense — along with becoming a "trustworthy defensive lineman." He's hoping his offseason development, along with what he learned as a freshman, will allow him to achieve those goals.
“You learn to take baby steps, that’s one thing, every day just try to get better at one thing," Hinton said. "It’s not a sprint — it’s a marathon. You have to just take every day, day by day, get better, learn more every day.
"I learned a lot and I’m ready to show it this year.”
Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here's how you can gain access to our most exclusive Michigan Wolverines content.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Chris Hinton's Michigan football progression is 'night and day'
