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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- As a recruit, John Henry Daley wasn't an afterthought, but he wasn't exactly revered from a national perspective. Rated No. 613 overall in the 2021 recruiting class, the Utah native was ranked as BYU's third-best recruit -- good for the region, but not someone who would be celebrated if he came to Ann Arbor initially.
However, after just three tackles in three years with the Cougars, Daley transferred to Utah, where he initially didn't do much more (four tackles and one sack in 2024) before he blew up his senior year, with 48 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, and 11.5 sacks. He comes to Michigan football as a proven playmaker, and one that feels like he hasn't even scratched the surface of his potential.
"I think last year, I was blessed to have great teammates, and I think part of what goes into success just in general is having a goal and working tirelessly towards that, regardless of how easy it is," Daley said. "And I think a lot of times people get stuck in the comfort zone of like, 'Hey, I don't really want to do that today. Oh, this extra workout, this extra work. Don't want to do this or that.' And that's something I told myself last year that I was just not going to do, regardless of what I've done for my entire career.
"I'm going to do what I don't want to do today. That way, tomorrow, I'm able to accomplish what I want. And that's something that, obviously, I had a great year last year, but I feel like that's really the floor, not the ceiling. And I plan on doing a lot better things going forward."
His mentality as an edge rusher sounds a lot like that of Aidan Hutchinson, who often told the strength staff to wring him out, to get the most out of him, and to make him uncomfortable. For Daley, it might be a little bit of a different story given that he's still recovering from a ruptured Achilles.
Expecting to return to full-go on June 1, Daley isn't daunted by his limited productivity or his injury. Nor is he looking at the newfound competition in the Big Ten and shying away from it.
"It's always a challenge going up against guys. The Big 12's got a lot of fantastic tackles, probably two first-rounders off Utah that I went up against and practiced every single day," Daley said. "And now we've got different guys in different uniforms and different systems that you're going to have to go study and see what type of blocking schemes and everything that they have.
"But I think every single day that you show up on the field, or you go to practice, you have to prove yourself. You have to prove it to everybody else, but also to yourself that you're who they think you are, who you think you are. And I think that's, regardless of what conference you're in, going out there and being able to perform at a high level."
While fans won't get to see Daley in action until fall, Monday marked the first time that it seems clear that he will be able to go by then, barring any unforeseen setbacks.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan's John Henry Daley pushing himself to be uncomfortable
Continue reading...
However, after just three tackles in three years with the Cougars, Daley transferred to Utah, where he initially didn't do much more (four tackles and one sack in 2024) before he blew up his senior year, with 48 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, and 11.5 sacks. He comes to Michigan football as a proven playmaker, and one that feels like he hasn't even scratched the surface of his potential.
"I think last year, I was blessed to have great teammates, and I think part of what goes into success just in general is having a goal and working tirelessly towards that, regardless of how easy it is," Daley said. "And I think a lot of times people get stuck in the comfort zone of like, 'Hey, I don't really want to do that today. Oh, this extra workout, this extra work. Don't want to do this or that.' And that's something I told myself last year that I was just not going to do, regardless of what I've done for my entire career.
"I'm going to do what I don't want to do today. That way, tomorrow, I'm able to accomplish what I want. And that's something that, obviously, I had a great year last year, but I feel like that's really the floor, not the ceiling. And I plan on doing a lot better things going forward."
His mentality as an edge rusher sounds a lot like that of Aidan Hutchinson, who often told the strength staff to wring him out, to get the most out of him, and to make him uncomfortable. For Daley, it might be a little bit of a different story given that he's still recovering from a ruptured Achilles.
Expecting to return to full-go on June 1, Daley isn't daunted by his limited productivity or his injury. Nor is he looking at the newfound competition in the Big Ten and shying away from it.
"It's always a challenge going up against guys. The Big 12's got a lot of fantastic tackles, probably two first-rounders off Utah that I went up against and practiced every single day," Daley said. "And now we've got different guys in different uniforms and different systems that you're going to have to go study and see what type of blocking schemes and everything that they have.
"But I think every single day that you show up on the field, or you go to practice, you have to prove yourself. You have to prove it to everybody else, but also to yourself that you're who they think you are, who you think you are. And I think that's, regardless of what conference you're in, going out there and being able to perform at a high level."
While fans won't get to see Daley in action until fall, Monday marked the first time that it seems clear that he will be able to go by then, barring any unforeseen setbacks.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan's John Henry Daley pushing himself to be uncomfortable
Continue reading...
