Introduction: Brady Hoke

Twenty-four hours ago a majority of the fan base, myself included, was apprehensive and somewhat angry that Brady Hoke had been tabbed as the new head football coach at the University of Michigan.    

Today, however, Brady Hoke won over hordes of skeptical maize and blue faithful across the nation. 

Between the gushing alumni support that rolled in from past Wolverine greats like Brady, Woodson, and Howard combined with Hoke’s passionate introductory press conference, I think it is safe to say that Brady’s approval rating is significantly higher today than it was just one short day ago.  In my post yesterday I explained that it was crucial for Brady to have a solid introductory press conference and provide fans and alum’s alike with the answers they needed to hear and boy did Hoke not disappoint.

Here are five of my favorite quotes from Brady Hoke’s introductory press conference:

1.     “For God’s sake… it’s MICHIGAN”

One of the first questions Hoke was asked was whether or not he thought that the Michigan football coaching job and the program itself was still amongst the nation’s elite.  Hoke literally looked like someone had stuck dog crap under his nose at the notion that Michigan was not one of the elite programs in college football.  Hoke sounded like he wanted to go find whoever said that and knock them senseless until they realize that the University of Michigan football program that he knows and loves IS most definitely one of the elite programs in the country.  Loved seeing how highly he regards U of M and this is exactly the type of mindset you want in your head coach when they are on the road recruiting their heart out for the program.

2.     “That school down in Ohio”

Hoke’s attitude towards Ohio State couldn’t be more different than the disappointingly passive stance that Rich Rod took towards the Buckeyes.  Hoke channeled some old-school Bo and refused to mention Ohio State by their actual name.  Hoke grew up a Michigan fan in Ohio and coached in some of the most important games in the rivalry.  He stressed how much that THE GAME means to both himself and the program and that everything that they do all year long will help prepare them to beat the Buckeyes in late November.  This is an attitude that needed to be brought back to Michigan football and I was damn glad to see how much Hoke hates the Bucks.  Hoke also made sure to mention that both Michigan State and Notre Dame are rivalry games that will define the successes and failures of the program.

3.     “I would have walked here”

Hoke’s love for Michigan was out in the open for all to see today.  He frequently mentioned how his ultimate goal as a football coach has been to get to the spot where he stood today.  He recounted how wonderful his years were here as the defensive line coach and referenced program greats and players alike.  Hoke will do anything and everything he can to make this University proud.  Once again this is a trait that you need to have as a coach when you are on the road recruiting.  You need someone who can express and describe just how great of an experience it is to be a Wolverine and I have no doubt that Hoke will be able to convey that quite well.  The support Hoke’s received from former players just goes to show how much the man loved Michigan and all of the guys that played here under him.

4.     “Every year the goal is a Big Ten Championship”

Hoke, like Rodriguez before him, understands that at the end of every season he will ultimately be judged by whether or not his team won the Big Ten conference.  Hoke won five Big Ten titles in his previous stint in Ann Arbor and he wants to keep adding to that number because he realizes the type of impact that those championships can have on the players and the University.  It was great to see Hoke’s defiant response to Drew Sharp’s question asking why Hoke’s stated goal was not to win National Championships.  Hoke emphatically stated to Sharp that he never said that was not one of his goals and that the only way they could be in the National Title picture would be to win the Big Ten. 

5.     “It will never be about Brady Hoke, it will always be about Michigan”

It seems like Hoke truly has no ego.  He stated multiple times how humbled and grateful he is to be working at one of the premiere educational institutions in the country.  He has nothing to say but good things about the University and it is blatantly obvious that he wants nothing more than to see players come here and have success.  Hoke made a great point in talking about how his coaching staff will always coach their hearts out for their seniors to reward the four years of sweat and blood that they give to the program.  Comments like these should help Hoke win over his new team.

It was great to see all of the support rolling in from alumni across the country and I can only hope that Brady Hoke can retain this recruiting class in the coming weeks while convincing Denard Robinson that he can build an offense to make him into an even bigger star.  He has a ton of challenges ahead and he will have to produce results on the field this fall to totally win over the faithful.

Yes, today was just talk, but for the first time in a long time it sure sounded like Michigan again.