Josh Furman Part One: pre-UM-Visit Concerns

Last weekend, Millersville, MD S/RB/LB Josh Furman made a visit to Michigan along with his father and coach - it was his first college football game. In this article we talk about GBW's conversations with Josh and his father and what they were thinking about prior to their Michigan visit: the you-know-what concerns...

As a middle schooler, Josh Furman used to watch Michigan quite a bit on T.V. He remembers as if it were yesterday.

  “I remember watching them with Chad Henne, Mike Hart on offense and Shawn Crable and Lamar Woodley on defense," he told GoBlueWolverine. "I have always kept an eye on what Michigan was doing. I looked at Michigan as one of the top teams in the country and wondered if I could play for a team like that."

  Well fast forward to today and he has a chance to play for the Wolverines. GOing into his official visit last weekend he had a lot of questions about them as well.

  "How does their defense really look? What is Coach Robinson like? What is the hybrid linebacker/ safety position that I hear so much about? Is the Big House as big in person as it looks on TV? I want to see everything Michigan has to offer."

  Around  this time last week rumors had already began swirling about possible U-M NCAA violations for players putting more hours of working out then was necessary (the NCAA allows only 20 hours for players to work out  weekly during the off-season). All of this caused concern for Josh’s dad.

  “I have heard so much about Coach Rodriguez -- you know, negative and positive things -- so I am really going to be paying attention to quite a few things when we get there," he told GBW before the visit.

  Mr. Furman knew exactly what he wanted to look for on the visit to Michigan considering he was a former scholarship player at the University of Maryland.

  “Game time situations, how the coaches treat the players when they come to the sideline. Is it true what I have been hearing about Coach Rodriguez? Plus, what type of academic support do they have to assist my son in that area? There is a lot I need to see when I go up to Michigan."

  It was quite clear that Mr. Furman had heard some unconstructive things about the Michigan program from a few people, and for any parent it is a cause for concern. However having conversations with wide receivers coach Tony Dews made him want to see for himself.

  “I have been talking to Coach Dews and he is a real guy, so he has given me some insight and answered most of my questions." However Mr. Furman added that he was, "... anticipating coming to Michigan to see things for myself."

  Coach Dews is not just a coach to Mr. Furman.

  “If it was not football Coach Dews is still the kind of guy I would like to hang out with ... he is just a real person."

  Josh wanted to see everything and he wanted to see what the real Michigan has to offer.

  “I just want to see Michigan," he told GBW before the visit, "and what it is all about ... that is what I want to see."

Stay tuned for Part Two of the interview-story ... were the concerns allayed?