Michigan Wolverines

Wheatley: 'There's no such thing as a rhythm' for RBs

Published Aug. 18, 2015 12:05 p.m. ET

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Michigan running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley says time will not be a factor when it comes to choosing a starting running back. That goes for how long he will take to make the choice and how much time the No. 1 guy gets before someone else gets a shot. 

"The thing I've always said is, and it kind of goes back to when I was here, there's no such thing as a rhythm," Wheatley said on media day, per the Detroit News. "Let's throw that out. There's no such thing as a rhythm: 'Well, I have to get a couples carries, have to get into a rhythm.' No, you don't. Because your first play is the most important play.

"Your rhythm is practice. Your rhythm is game film. Your rhythm is studying. All those things have put you in a rhythm. So when you practice, you must practice like it's a game. Practice must be intense. That's your rhythm, so on game day, you can say I'm already in stride."

Wheatley knows of what he speaks as he was a star running back at Michigan 20 years ago, and his potential starters know what it means to wait. 

For juniors De'Veon Smith and Derrick Green, it's a matter of waiting to realize the potential that made them highly rated recruits. For former USC Trojan Ty Issac, it was waiting out a transfer year last fall. For Drake Johnson, it's waiting to be fully cleared after his second ACL tear. 

Who emerges as Wheatley's No. 1 remains to be seen, but it sounds like there is no time to waste. 

(H/T Detroit News)

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