Those Who Stayed Hope to Make Michigan a National Champion

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh watches during during an NCAA college football intra-squad spring game in Ann Arbor, Mich., on April 1, 2023. Carlos Osorio/AP Photo

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Those who stay will be champions has been a Michigan football mantra for generations, dating to Bo Schembechler saying those six words to his first team in 1969.

The two-time defending Big Ten champion Wolverines, who played their spring game Saturday, are thrilled many key players chose to stay this season in the hopes of handling unfinished business.