RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesJohn Henry Daley had a bit of a circuitous route to college football stardom. After going on a two-year mission to Brazil, Daley reported to Provo, where he played for defensive coordinator Jay Hill for two years. But he didn't quite catch on with BYU , and he looked for a change of scenery.
He ended up in nearby Salt Lake City, playing for Kyle Whittingham, defensive end coach Lewis Powell and Utah. And there, he absolutely thrived, coming in as one of the best edge rushers in the country.
So when the duo left the Utes for Ann Arbor, it made sense for the All-American to follow suit.
Since Daley has a little more experience playing for Whittingham, he knows more about how the 66-year-old coach functions. He shared more with Rich Eisen on his eponymous show about how Whittingham is something of a college football throwback.
"I think I just like that he's old school. I think he's got high expectations. And a lot of people sometimes don't know the blueprint on how to get things done," Daley said. "And he's just like, 'Hey, it's hard work, dedication. And you're going to come in. You're going to clock in every single day. And you're going to build confidence in yourself and also in your teammates by how hard you work and seeing the dedication others put in.' So I can really appreciate somebody who doesn't kind of go for these outside variables, but says, 'Hey, control what you can control. And you're going to be successful.'"
Daley ruptured his Achilles tendon to close out his time in Salt Lake City. He finished the season in 11 games with 11.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss. He detailed a bit of how he and the coaches handled his injury and how he handled the transfer portal once he entered. Given his relationships, it made sense for him to follow his former staff as he appreciated the way they handled everything.
"Ruptured my Achilles, received surgery. And then, yeah, I went in the portal," Daley said. "And then had a lot of different universities reaching out to me. But I think one of the most important things that you can find, especially in sport and in coaches, is somebody who believes in you, who has high expectations of you, and who's going to hold you accountable to play at a certain level. And I'd already let these coaches know from the previous year what my expectations are. I'll give a player I want to be. And that's something that I come in every single day. I try to hold myself accountable for is, 'Hey, am I coming in today, and I'm being the player that I want to be?' And having coaches who not only believe in you but hold you accountable and say, 'Hey, you said you're going to be this dude. Well, hey, you don't have a lot of energy at practice today. You better pick it up,' and stuff like that. I mean, that's just something that you don't find everywhere."
There was some consternation about whether or not Daley would be ready to play this season given the severity of his injury. June 1 was his targeted day to return to action, and he hit that. He confirmed with Eisen that he is, indeed, fully healthy and ready to go.
"Yes," Daley said. "I am."
Fall camp is set to begin in August with eyes on the September 5 season opener.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: John Henry Daley reveals why he followed his coaches
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