ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Defensive tackles coach Larry Black, hired by Michigan football this offseason away from Vanderbilt, is well familiar with the Big Ten. As a former Indiana lineman, he had his share of playing in the conference.
But he also knew a little something about the Wolverines, considering his brother, Jibreel Black, played for the maize and blue around the same time that the elder brother was in Bloomington. Thus, when Michigan came calling, Larry knew that he would hear from his brother quite often.
In fact, he says that he and Jibreel speak every day about what's going on in Ann Arbor. And now, he's also starting to understand not only his brother more, but Michigan as well.
"He calls me every day. I talked to him yesterday," Black
said on Monday. "So, he's always like, 'What's going on?' He's always asking just how practice went. Jibreel always, when I was not here in Michigan, I would always say, 'Man, just like, what's going on up there?' And he had a little different thing about him. But I see now, being here. I see why he carried himself that way because it's such a special place."
Having that family tie to the program certainly has its advantages, perhaps the most is bringing the brothers closer together. But even as they continue to discuss what the Wolverines might be this season, the younger Black brother sometimes forgets that the elder does have experience being in the sporting cathedral at the corner of Main St. and Stadium.
"He always jokes like, 'Man, you're going to have a panic attack the first time you're in The Big House,'" Black said. "I'm like, 'I played in The Big House before. We're going to be all right.' But he's good, man. He's good. He has a true tie. And he's always cheering for this place to be great.
"So he calls me every day. We discuss football, discuss life. So he's our No. 1 fan, man. He wants to see us do really well."
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Larry Black says brother Jibreel showed him what makes Michigan special
