INDIANAPOLIS — Josh Uche considers his journey one of perseverance, having to convince the Michigan coaching staff to give him more playing time.
But it his complicated life in football began much earlier than that. Let’s go back more than a decade, to Uche in fourth and fifth grade, his Pop Warner days.
His father signed him up to play, and by Uche’s own words, he wasn’t very good.
"Kind of got bullied, to be honest with you,” he told reporters Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine. "I got hit really hard, my head was hurt and I didn’t want to play anymore.”
The idea of quitting and doing something else ran through his head, he says. But his father “toughened him up” that year and sent him back out there. Soon, Uche was one of the best players on defense and learned to enjoy football.
Fast forward to early 2018, when Michigan was coming off an 8-5 season despite having one of the best defenses in the country, statistically. Uche wasn’t playing much — and said his roommate, Khaleke Hudson, was taking himself out of games just to get him in there — and went to defensive coordinator Don Brown.
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“He wanted to fight me, I think,” Brown said later that summer. “But he wants to play. It’s easy to say, ‘Coach, I want to play. Let me play.’”
“Well, go earn it.”
Uche thought he was doing everything he could. He was making plays in practice, he said. He had a good grasp of the packages Brown implemented. He considered transferring.
Then, that offseason, a lightbulb went off.
He bulked up and got into better shape. He ate better. And mastered what Brown was trying to do. By fall camp of 2018, “everything clicked for me,” he said.
“That’s when I got every single package down pat,” Uche continued. “All my different roles and checks.”
While playing time was a gradual thing, Uche proved to be an impactful third-down pass-rusher in 2018 — leading Michigan in sacks (7) on a limited number of snaps. His responsibilities grew again in 2019, when Brown allowed Uche to play more on first- and second-down. The turning point for the 6-foot-1, 245-pound Miami native came Week 2 against Army.
"I literally played every single down,” Uche said. "I was the defensive player that game. I made a lot of big plays that game and proved myself that I could stop the run, if anything.”
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Uche led the Wolverines in sacks again in 2019 (with 8 1/2), but did a lot more this time around. He added 11 1/2 tackles for loss, had two pass breakups, eight quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a recovery. He became a headache for opposing offensive lines — with Alabama offensive tackle Jedrick Wills, a projected first-round pick in April’s NFL draft, saying Uche was the most difficult pass-rusher he faced all season.
“Had some kind of moves, speed to him,” Wills said this week. “He was a good matchup there.”
Uche really turned heads late last month at the Senior Bowl, where he graded out highly during the week and shined in the game. The NFL has given Uche a grade of 6.26 (out of 8), projecting him as a fringe starter over the next couple of seasons. Draft analysts Mel Kiper (ESPN) and Daniel Jeremiah (NFL Network) both believe Uche could be a second-round pick. And Uche says teams like his versatility.
"I can do a multitude of things at a very high level,” Uche said. "But it’s definitely the pass-rush aspect of it. I feel like I’m one of the best edge-rushers in this draft class, and one of the best linebackers in this draft class.”
Two years ago, Uche was sitting the bench, not getting much playing time. He could have transferred and went nearly anywhere else to start. But that what have been the easy way out, he admits.
He doesn’t like easy. And it’s through his hard work and dedication things are beginning to pay off for him.
"I worked my butt off to get to this point here,” Uche said. "Nothing was given to me. I didn’t have a silver spoon. Every single rep I was given, I made the best out of it. Whatever job coach Brown wanted me to do, I did it at a high level. By God’s grace, I’m here today, I’m in the position I am today, by working hard and keeping my faith.”
Read more on Michigan football:
Ben Bredeson plays salesman at NFL combine
Cesar Ruiz believes he has first-round NFL talent
TE Sean McKeon soaks up the NFL combine experience
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones explains decision to enter NFL draft
QB Shea Patterson wanted chance to play one more year at Michigan
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Josh Uche wanted to quit football, leave Michigan. Now he’s a coveted NFL linebacker - MLive.com
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