ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan coach Brady Hoke and the Wolverines celebrated a small victory Saturday morning even before the Wolverines took the field against the Spartans when 6-foot-9, 295-pound offensive tackle Denzel Ward (Chicago/Hales Franciscan) committed to Michigan.
"He [Hoke] was way more excited than I expected," Ward said. "He jumped way up and gave me a hug and everything. He was more hype than I was. That was crazy. I've seen him in game situations when he's happy and when I met him he was a cool guy, but I never thought I'd bring that type of excitement to someone like that just by pledging to be a part of their program."
Even though Ward didn't commit until Saturday morning, the junior had decided on Thursday evening that he would make the jump.