Really nice article on Mike Hart and why he's happy to be here
WMU football assistant Mike Hart blending playing success, coaching experience to bolster Broncos' backfield
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David Drew | ddrew1@mlive.com By David Drew | ddrew1@mlive.com
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on April 05, 2014 at 7:00 AM, updated April 05, 2014 at 7:08 AM
WMU Football
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KALAMAZOO, MI – Mike Hart’s resume as a football player overpowers his success as a young coach, but he will have a chance to further close the gap with an opportunity at Western Michigan University he called “exciting.”
Hart, who was a superstar running back at the University of Michigan from 2004-07, will have a chance to build the Broncos’ rushing attack from the ground up with a mostly young and inexperienced group of running backs.
The 27-year-old Hart replaced Charles Huff, who left for Penn State, as Western Michigan’s running backs coach on Feb. 4. Hart said WMU’s newly-renovated facilities along with second-year coach P.J. Fleck’s vision made him want to hop in Fleck’s boat.
“What coach Fleck has done with his vision and his plan, and sometimes there is a vision, but no plan, but he has a great plan and he’s executing it,” Hart said. “I was happy to jump on board. It’s a beautiful place.
“It’s a lot easier to recruit to a place like this. The university sells itself. The facility sells itself. All I have to do if I’m recruiting is sell myself as a coach. Everything else is kind of a given here and it’s exciting.”
WMU returns fifth-year senior Dareyon Chance, a starter last year, but after that the Broncos’ backfield will be very young and inexperienced.
Austin Guido, Fabian Johnson and Trevor Sweeney will be sophomores, but none of the three carried the ball. They will compete for playing time with three talented incoming freshmen in Jarvion Franklin, a 6-foot, 220-pound two-star back, Leo Ekwoge, a 5-11, 205-pound three-star back and Jamauri Bogan, a 5-8, 170-pound three-star back.
SEE ALSO: Hiring of Hart creates buzz among incoming running backs
Hart, who set Wolverines records for rushing attempts (1,015) and yards (5,040), said he’s expecting to have a lot of fun and put in a lot of work to make WMU’s rushing attack a true threat after the Broncos had the second-worst rushing average in the MAC last season.
“The guys that are coming in, it’s going to be fun and the guys that I have, they’re getting better every day also,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot of competition in the fall. It’s going to be fun to develop some guys. I have Dareyon Chance returning, who was a starter last year. The other guys don’t have much experience, so it really comes down to myself and helping them develop. Whoever wins the battle will play.”
While Hart did not play a huge role in the recruiting of the three incoming running backs, he did meet with them and helped secure their signatures on National Letters of Intent.
Fleck spring 14 mug.JPGP.J. Fleck
Fleck said he wasn’t sure if his pitch to Hart would be enough to persuade him to switch MAC allegiances when he and his wife Tracie met with Hart and his wife Monique in the winter. Fleck said he’s excited the young coach hopped on board and added that Hart has the ability to bolster his resume in a big way at WMU.
“I think one thing that he really wants to be known as is an elite recruiter,” Fleck said. “One thing we’re going to do is give him the opportunity to be an elite recruiter here. The second thing is he wants to be known as an elite coach in college football. Recruiting is very important, but when it’s all said and done you’re a football coach.
“He really wants to be established as a really elite running back coach and I think the best way to do that is to show you can develop running backs. It’s easy to go in somewhere where you have three or four backs that have experience and know the system. The hard part is starting over with some incoming freshmen. I know he’s up for the challenge and he’ll be just fine.”
While his success as a player carry a lot of weight, Hart’s coaching experience at Eastern Michigan, where he spent the three previous seasons, officially serving as running backs coach the last two years, can be pointed to as well.
The Eagles’ rushing offense was in the top half of the Mid-American Conference the past three seasons. EMU surpassed or flirted with 2,000 rushing yards each season Hart was on staff, going for 2,620 yards in 2011, which was 14th in the nation. The Eagles amassed 1,960 yards in 2012 and 1,896 last season. Individually, EMU running back Bronson Hill last year became the first Eagles back to surpass the 1,000-yard mark since 2003.
Hart said he’s hoping to blend his playing experience with his growing coaching experience to make Western Michigan a special place.
“I think when your coach actually played the position and played it recently, I think it’s easier to listen to what a coach says sometimes,” he said. “Just because I played, it doesn’t make me a good coach at the same time. As long as I tell them the right things and they continue to believe in me and work, they’ll continue to develop. I think from my viewpoint, they know I’ve been there before and it’s easier to listen to me because I played the position.
Email David Drew at ddrew1@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter and on Google+
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WestMi
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Syracuse
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Preview | Boxscore | Recap
Leaders WestMi Syracuse
Points 2 tied with 11 T. Cooney 18
Rebounds T. Haymond 4 C. Fair 11
Assists C. Tava 6 T. Ennis 6
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(This post was last modified: 04-05-2014 08:48 AM by broncojohnny.)
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Really nice article on Mike Hart and why he's happy to be here
