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Michigan football: 3 biggest surprises from the Wolverines’ 2021 season

By Christopher Mangum

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 27: Hassan Haskins #25 of the Michigan Wolverines carries the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first quarter at Michigan Stadium on November 27, 2021 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 27: Hassan Haskins #25 of the Michigan Wolverines carries the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first quarter at Michigan Stadium on November 27, 2021 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 11: The Heisman Trophy finalists defensive end Aidan Hutchinson from Michigan, quarterback Kenny Pickett from Pittsburgh, quarterback C.J. Stroud from Ohio State and quarterback Bryce Young from Alabama pose with the Heisman Trophy at Marriott Marquis Hotel on December 11, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 11: The Heisman Trophy finalists defensive end Aidan Hutchinson from Michigan, quarterback Kenny Pickett from Pittsburgh, quarterback C.J. Stroud from Ohio State and quarterback Bryce Young from Alabama pose with the Heisman Trophy at Marriott Marquis Hotel on December 11, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images) /

1. Aidan Hutchinson’s amazing season

In 2019 and 2020, Aidan Hutchinson became a key player in Michigan’s defense. After a relatively unimpressive 2020 season, Hutchinson announced that he would return to Michigan for his senior year. This move would ultimately pay off for everyone involved.

Following Hutchinson’s junior season in 2020, he was predicted to be around a fifth-round pick at best. After sticking around for his senior season, Hutchinson is now projected to be drafted within the first two picks of the 2022 NFL Draft. Returning to Michigan was one of the best moves Hutchinson could have made for his career.

Hutchinson had always been regarded as a great leader and one of Michigan’s better defensive players, but in 2021, Hutchinson elevated his name to another level. He stepped into the captain’s role early in the season and swiftly made himself a force to be reckoned with.

As early as the first two weeks of the season, the tape shows that Hutchinson was a fierce competitor as he bulldozed his way through some of the nation’s top offensive linemen. By season’s end, Hutchinson had recorded a single-season program record of 14 sacks, shattering his father’s record of 11.

After helping lead his team to a massive win over Ohio State and a Big Ten title, Hutchinson was invited to New York for the Heisman ceremony. He would finish second in Heisman voting, only behind Alabama’s star quarterback Bryce Young.

Though Hutchinson could not secure the Heisman Trophy, he did still add quite a bit of hardware to his shelf this past season. Hutchinson finished his career as one of Michigan’s most revered defensive players of all time, along with winning numerous awards. These awards include the following:

Heisman Trophy runner-up, winner of the Rotary Lombardi Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy, CoSIDA Academic All-American, consensus first-team All-American, Big Ten Woodson-Nagurski Defensive Player of the Year, Big Ten Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year, and the Big Ten Grange-Griffin Championship Game MVP. Hutchinson was also named Michigan’s Team MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.

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