Craig Roh Craig Robert Roh ( born January 25 , 1991 ) is an American football player from Scottsdale , Arizona . He was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Arizona for the 2008 - 2009 academic year and received the 2009 Scholar - Athlete Award from the College Football Hall of Fame . He enrolled at the University of Michigan in 2009 and started all 12 games at the " hybrid linebacker " position as a true freshman . Roh is currently the starter at the defensive end position for the 2011 Michigan Wolverines football team . He was a 2011 All - Big Ten honorable mention . He was a 2012 All - Big Ten second team selection . Early years . Roh grew up in Scottsdale , Arizona . His father , Fred Roh , played basketball at Grand Valley State University in Allendale , Michigan . Roh attended Paradise Valley Christian Prep for junior high , and also attended Chaparral High School in Scottsdale , where he was a member of the varsity football and basketball teams . He was a standout at the defensive end position for the Chaparral football team . As a junior in 2007 , Roh recorded 99 tackle s , 45 tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries . As a senior in 2008 , he recorded 140 tackles , 56 tackles for loss , 16 . 5 sack s , one interception and two fumble recoveries . He broke the school record for sacks in both years . He also helped lead Chaparral to the Arizona Class 4A - I state championship game in 2008 . Roh was selected by " The Arizona Republic " and " East Valley Tribune " as a first - team All - Arizona player as a junior and again as a senior . He was also named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Arizona and received the Curley Culp Award as the outstanding defensive lineman in Arizona . With a high school grade point average of 4 . 3 , he was also selected for the 2009 Scholar - Athlete Award from the College Football Hall of Fame . Recruiting . During his senior year , Roh became one of the most highly recruited high school football players in the United States . He was rated by ESPN . com as the fourth - best defensive end and the No . 48 player in the nation at all positions . Scout . com rated him as the eighth - best defensive end and the No . 67 overall player in the nation . Rivals . com rated him as the seventh - best defensive end , the No . 156 overall player , and the No . 3 quickest first step among defensive ends . With his combination of size ( 6 feet , 5 inches , and 230 pounds ) , strength ( bench press of 280 pounds , squat of 400 pounds ) and speed ( 4 . 675 in the 40 - yard dash ) , Roh received scholarship offers from many of the major college football programs , including Arizona State , Cal , Nebraska , Stanford , UCLA and USC . In late August 2008 , Roh made an official visit to the University of Michigan . He announced his commitment to Michigan three weeks later on September 19 , 2008 . In January 2009 , Roh played as a defensive end in the Under Armour All - America Game in Orlando , Florida , recording a sack and several quarterback hurries . University of Michigan . 2009 season . Roh earns starting role as a true freshman . Roh enrolled in Michigan ' s College of Literature , Science and the Arts and joined the football team for summer practice in August 2009 . He impressed the coaching staff during summer practice and earned a spot in the starting lineup as a true freshman . His speed and athleticism were attributes that drew the coaches ' attention . Michigan ' s tailback , Carlos Brown , described seeing the big freshman running by his side , and keeping up . Brown added , " He turned around and looked at me , and I said , ' That ' s Craig Roh running with me right down the field ? ' It ' s ridiculous . He ' s real fast . " Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez said that Roh had adapted so quickly that it was tough to deny him . Rodriguez added , " Probably for me , it was the one - on - one pass - rush drills that they did against the varsity or upperclass offensive linemen . He was a handful for those guys to block . . . . [ H ] e ' s a hard worker that wants to be great – he doesn ' t want to be good , he wants to be great . I ' m excited to see what he ' s going to do . " Michigan offensive tackle Stephen Schilling confirmed that Roh had " given some of the older guys some fits . " The " hybrid linebacker " position . Roh started all 12 games for Michigan in 2009 , playing at a position variously called the " quick " or " hybrid linebacker " . Roh describe his role as follows : " I ' m that hybrid type of position . Half linebacker , half defensive lineman . " The position requires Roh to be versatile , with duties that vary from rushing the quarterback to dropping into pass coverage or filling a gap . Roh has said that his favorite thing to do is sack the quarterback . He told one interviewer , " I love hitting the quarterback . I love it ! When I get there it ' s . . . there ' s nothing like it . " But Roh has emphasized in interviews that he enjoys the hybrid role . He told " The Detroit News " : " I love the versatility of ( my position ) . It makes me a more complete football player . " Success as a freshman . After Roh ' s first start , Coach Rodriguez said of him , " He ' s got a high motor , he ' s a guy who loves football , he plays so hard on every snap . " Michigan ' s All - American defensive lineman Brandon Graham added , " Oh , I seen Craig Roh out there , you know , sticking his nose in there , and he did good for today and all he can do is get better . " Roh was named Michigan ' s defensive player of the game in the third game of the season , a 45 – 17 victory over Eastern Michigan . Roh had seven tackles , including a tackle for loss , assisted on a sack and recorded his first collegiate interception late in the third quarter . Roh and quarterback Tate Forcier were the only two freshman to start all 12 games for Michigan during the 2009 season . For the season , Roh had 37 tackles , including 7 . 5 tackles for loss , two sacks , one interception and three pass breakups . At the conclusion of the 2008 football season , Roh was named to the " Sporting News " Freshman All - Big Ten team . He was also selected as a Freshman All - American honorable mention by " College Football News " . 2010 season . Weight gain and spring practice . During the offseason , Roh gained 20 pounds to increase his weight to 251 pounds . In an interview with " ESPN . com " ' s Adam Rittenberg , Roh described himself as " tiny " among Big Ten defensive linemen . Accordingly , he spent the offseason bulking up in the weight room and " followed a diet most people would dream about : six meals and more than 4 , 000 calories a day . " Roh told Rittenberg , " I have crazy metabolism , and putting on weight was tough for me . It ' s something I ' ve really got to concentrate on . Some meals , you ' re like , ' I really don ' t want to eat this right now , ' but you have to . " During spring practice , Roh again impressed the coaching staff . Michigan ' s defensive coordinator Greg Robinson mentioned Roh as one of the players who had " stepped up " in the spring camp . He was identified as one of the players who " could be counted on to at least partially fill [ Brandon ] Graham ' s role of chasing the quarterback . " " AnnArbor . com " cited him as one of the " Top 5 revelations " from spring practice and concluded that " he appears ready to take over as Michigan ' s top pass rusher next year . " Roh himself acknowledged , " I ' m a guy that ' s expected to perform this year . BG [ Graham ] was just an amazing player , and I feel like in some sense I need to replace what he ' s done . " Shortly before the 2010 season opener , " The Michigan Daily " and the " Bleacher Report " web site referred to him as Craig " Death " Roh . " The Detroit News " also published a profile on Roh under the headline , " Bulked - up linebacker Craig Roh to anchor young U - M defense . " Defensive coordinator Greg Robinson said at the time , " Craig is just another year into it . He showed versatility last year , now he ' s a little bigger , a little stronger , a little smarter about everything that ' s going on . He ' s a real good football player . " Development as team leader . In the first two games of the 2010 season , Roh began to establish himself as a team leader . Roh recorded five tackles and two tackles for loss in Michigan ' s season opener , a 30 – 10 win against Connecticut . One writer praised Roh ' s performance as follows : " Denard Robinson stole the spotlight during the Wolverines ' opener on Saturday , but don ' t be fooled into thinking that Roh wasn ' t just as exciting to watch , even without the ball in his hands . One could be forgiven for losing track of Roh because he lined up all over the field . From the five technique to outside linebacker to middle linebacker , playing both in a three - point stance and with his hand off the ground , Roh was very rarely in the same spot twice . " After the Connecticut game , Roh told reporters , " Last year , we weren ' t good , so this year we wanted to come out and make a statement . " He was also an outspoken defender of Michigan ' s embattled head coach , Rich Rodriguez . Following the Connecticut game , he told reporters : " He ' s had more on him than any other coach in the USA . He ' s just stayed so positive , and he ' s just kept his eyes toward the goal . To get this win right here , it ' s a stepping stone to what greater things can happen this season . " After a 28 – 24 win against Notre Dame , Roh spoke publicly about the character of the Michigan team . He noted that the team had adopted the battle cry , " Hoka Hey , " a Lakota phrase that traces its roots back to Oglala Lakota Chief Crazy Horse . Roh told reporters that the chant translates as " it ' s a great day to die . " Roh noted that the chant had become a rallying cry for the team : " They literally aren ' t going to die . It ' s sacrifice for your teammate . It ' s the whole team . We ' re relying on the offense ; the offense is relying on us . We all count on each other and would take a bullet for each other . " Asked about the success of his fellow sophomore Denard Robinson , Roh recalled having to chase him through spring practice and noted it was nice having someone else chase him . Roh added , " I had to chase that guy all spring and let me tell you , it ' s not easy catching that guy . " 2011 season . As a junior , Roh was moved to defensive end . After contracting a respiratory infection over the summer , Roh ' s performance suffered in the early games of the 2011 season . He came under criticism from Michigan ' s new defensive coordinator , Greg Mattison . After Roh appeared lifeless during a telephone conversation , his father flew from Arizona to Ann Arbor . They spent two days in Roh ' s apartment assessing where he was in life and football and reviewing Bible verses . During the visit with his father , Roh reported having an epiphany , and Michigan ' s coaching staff saw a turnaround in Roh ' s performance . Through the first seven games of the 2011 season , Roh had 13 solo tackles and seven assists . He led the team with 6 . 5 tackles for loss and was second on the team with 2 . 5 sacks . Following the 2011 Big Ten Conference football season , he earned All - Big Ten Conference honorable mention recognition from the media . 2012 season . Roh was an All - Big Ten second team selection by the coaches and honorable mention selection by the media as well as the Richard Katcher Award winner , given to Michigan ' s best defensive lineman each season . He earned Academic All - Big Ten recognition in 2012 .