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Old Mill Alum Furman In Battle For Wolverine Playing Time
By Matt Zenitz
By the time he left Old Mill High School in 2010, Josh Furman had become synonymous with big plays.
There wasn't much Furman didn't do for the Patriot, whether it was breaking a long run as a running back or coming up with a momentum-changing tackle or turnover as a linebacker.
An exceptional athlete who has been timed as fast as 4.36 seconds in the 40-yard dash, Furman rushed for 45 touchdowns during his final two high school seasons while posting 145 tackles, 34 tackles for a loss, 11 sacks, nine forced fumbles and three interceptions.
He led Old Mill to the Class 4A state championship as a senior, a season during which he rushed for 2,285 yards and 31 touchdowns on offense and also recorded 60 tackles on defense.
Now at Michigan -- he committed to the Wolverines during the fall of his senior year at Old Mill -- Furman is playing safety and hoping to develop into the same type of game-changing player he was in high school.
"I just want to have a successful career," said Furman, who was rated as a four-star recruit by Scout.com. "I want to become a premier safety."
After redshirting as a freshman last year, the 6-foot-2, 208-pound Furman has started to make strides toward becoming that exact type of player. He saw action during five of Michigan's first six games, mostly on special teams. He tallied seven tackles, including a career-best three, during the Wolverines' 58-0 win against Minnesota Oct. 1.
Furman said he was a more confident and technically sound player during his second year with the Wolverines, after struggling some with the transition to safety last season, a position he had never played extensively before arriving at Michigan.
"I've made great progression since the start of my freshman year," Furman said. "I've gotten better in coverage and at making plays with my eyes and my feet."
Even with that being the case, Furman has struggled to find consistent playing time among a deep and talented group of defensive backs. He's currently third on the depth chart at free safety.
Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison told Rivals.com in September that while Furman had some days when he showed great improvement, there were other days when his technique, effort and knowledge of what to do weren't up to the Wolverines' standards.
Furman, though, is focused on continuing to improve and trying to carve out more and more playing time throughout the season.
"I'm just trying to continue getting better as a football player," Furman said. "I just want to get on the field and contribute in any way possible."
Issue 166: October 2011 |
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