Bound by common goals, Michigan’s captains speak from experience

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN. - SEPTEMBER 08: Michigan's Carlo Kemp in action during the Wolverines' 49-3 win over Western Michigan University in a college football game, Saturday, September 8, 2018, at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, MI. (Photo by Lon Horwedel/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)
By Austin Meek
Aug 21, 2019

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Four freshmen joined coach Jim Harbaugh in a secret room to tally the results of Michigan’s captains vote.

Maybe someday one of those freshmen will stand in front of his teammates and address them as a captain. Ben Bredeson, Carlo Kemp and Khaleke Hudson were freshmen once, too. It was difficult to imagine then how it would feel to be a senior, entrusted with leading a program where legends are stamped in bronze and brick.

Advertisement

“It’s kind of surreal, being a Michigan captain,” Kemp said. “When you’re a freshman you have a lot of really talented, much older guys. … You just never think you’re going to get to that point. It’s a huge honor.”

Each of Michigan’s 2019 captains brings a different résumé to the job. Kemp bounced between positions before establishing himself last year at defensive tackle. Bredeson is a two-time captain and four-year starter at left guard. Hudson is the spark plug for Michigan’s defense.

They arrived as members of Michigan’s 2016 recruiting class and, three years later, they hope to lead the Wolverines to the top rungs of college football. If there’s something they share, it’s the drive to deliver the special season that has eluded Michigan in recent history.

“I think there’s a lot of motivation behind this year,” Bredeson said. “We’ve had some finishes in my time here that you’d like to change, especially with bowl games and the Ohio State games. I think this team is a lot more focused, a lot more driven toward the common goal of getting better every single day.”

They express many of the same goals, but each of Michigan’s captains has a distinct voice. They speak from their own experiences and tell their own stories. When they talk, their teammates listen.

Here’s what they have to say.

The four-year starter

Bredeson has always been a step ahead. He started eight games as a freshman and carried himself with maturity beyond his years. As a senior, he’s in select company as a two-time team captain.

“It just shows the type of player and the type of man that you’ve got here,” Kemp said. “Ben, ever since he’s been here, has always been that way. It was kind of like a waiting game for him to be a captain.

“He’s really set the example because he in our class was one of the first ones to play and even got to start his freshman year. He’s always been a leader in that manner.”

Advertisement

Bredeson brings built-in credibility as a player who’s started 33 games in his Michigan career. As a returning captain, he’s learned how to pick his spots and tailor his message to the moment.

“I found that leadership is definitely a trial-and-error thing,” said Bredeson, who was named a second-team preseason All-American by The Athletic. “I found some things that worked, found some things that didn’t work.

“Certain guys you can motivate and some guys you’ve got to put your arm around. I had some good experiences, had some bad experiences last year and am definitely using all that to be better the second time around.”

Ben Bredeson has started 33 games in his Michigan career. (Jeff Hanisch / USA Today)

Last year, Bredeson shared captain’s duties with running back Karan Higdon and defensive players Devin Bush Jr. and Tyree Kinnel. Higdon was more outspoken — “like a rah-rah, emotional leader,” Bredeson said — and often took on the role of firing up the offense, while Bredeson’s style was more understated.

As Michigan’s lone offensive captain — quarterback Shea Patterson and safety Josh Metellus are the alternates — Bredeson has a dual role: to be a fiery leader or a calming presence, depending on what the Wolverines need in the moment.

“He’s a really good communicator,” Harbaugh said. “You’ll see him take an interest in other guys, empowering other guys. He’s able to do that. He’s got a gift for that, and he cares a lot about the team.”

The grinder

If Bredeson’s career has been a straight line, Kemp’s has been a zigzag. He started as a linebacker, moved to defensive end and toiled in the background before emerging as a starter at defensive tackle.

After working through those initial struggles, Kemp can speak firsthand to the power of perseverance.

“It’s built over this four-year period of working, being on scout team, getting your butt kicked every single day, to finally getting to play last year and now trying to not just play this year but excel in those areas,” he said.

Advertisement

As the nephew of NFL coaches Chuck and John Pagano, Kemp comes from a football family. He’s naturally expressive, eloquent with words and emphatic with his actions. Coaches and teammates say he’s among Michigan’s most improved players, which Kemp attributes to the urgency of knowing his college career is winding down.

“Carlo is our emotional leader and vocal leader,” defensive line coach Shaun Nua said. “He’s done a great job of accepting that role and taking advantage of it. Off the field stuff, I rely on him on making sure guys are doing the right things. On the field, he shows up at practice.”

With 20 tackles in his career, Kemp isn’t a captain because of his stats. He represents the everyday struggle, the proof that hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.

When he talks, Kemp isn’t just speaking for himself anymore.

“You’re kind of like the voice of all the people,” Kemp said. “That’s how I look at it.”

The viper

Anthony Campanile doesn’t need his eyes to know what Hudson is doing on a given play. It’s the sound that gives it away.

“You can hear it when you’re at a practice,” said Campanile, Michigan’s first-year linebackers coach. “He’s flying around. There’s impact. He’s challenging people.”

Hudson’s attacking nature makes him ideally suited to play the viper position, a role that involves rushing the quarterback, lining up in the box or running with receivers in man-to-man coverage. The intensity he brings to every snap is a tone-setter for the rest of the team.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been around somebody who practices that hard all the time,” Campanile said. “That’s probably the best compliment I could ever give somebody as a coach.

“I’ve coached some guys that practiced hard, like maniacs, who were awesome to coach. But you can turn on that tape and that guy is running. There’s no off switch. He’s got a motor that never stops.”

Advertisement

Hudson said he learned from watching players like Delano Hill, Chris Wormley and Jabrill Peppers. He watched how they handled their business — their work ethic in practice, how they treated their bodies in the training room, how they focused in team meetings — and tried to follow their example.

“That’s the people I wanted to be like because they led the team well,” said Hudson, who led the Wolverines with 18.5 tackles for loss in 2017. “They left a mark with Michigan football.”

As a senior, Hudson is trying to leave a mark of his own. He returned to Michigan after a junior season that, by his own estimation, left him with something to prove. Being a captain wasn’t his primary motivation, but it’s a sign of the respect he’s earned among his teammates.

“This caught me by surprise,” Hudson said. “I had my head down the whole time, working hard. I guess my teammates saw that and fed off that and wanted me to be the leader of the team. I’m just so appreciative and I can’t wait to get going.”

After spending the past three years together, Michigan’s captains know each other well. They’re comfortable enough to trade some jabs, as Kemp did when asked if Michigan’s defensive tackles were holding their own against the offensive line.

“Who said we weren’t?” Kemp shot back. “Was that Ben? Sounds like an offensive lineman comment.”

With his co-captain standing within earshot, Kemp went on to rave about Bredeson’s leadership and gravitas. “My boy!” Bredeson said, pointing to the sky.

Clearly, the respect is mutual. Bredeson, Hudson and Kemp have spent the past three years growing up together, preparing to lead Michigan through the rigors of a make-or-break season.

Michigan’s future captains will be watching.

“Since we’ve all gotten here, those are two great examples of guys that have always been outworking everyone else, doing the little things nobody sees,” Bredeson said of Hudson and Kemp. “Not the glorious work, nothing like that, but they do the right things. I love them both.”

(Top photo of Hudson and Kemp: Lon Horwedel / Icon Sportswire)

Get all-access to exclusive stories.

Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.

Austin Meek

Austin Meek covers Michigan football and basketball for The Athletic. He previously covered college sports for The Topeka Capital-Journal and served as sports columnist at The Register-Guard in Eugene, Oregon. Follow Austin on Twitter @byaustinmeek