Aidan Hutchinson isn’t leaving his home state to play professional football after the Detroit Lions selected him second overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Born in Plymouth and playing high school football for Divine Child in Dearborn, Hutchinson played four seasons of college football for the University of Michigan Wolverines.
In his final year at Ann Arbor, he had 33 solo tackles, 14 sacks, three passes defended, and two forced fumbles.
In short, he was the man during his heyday.
If he does miss the campus, he can always go back for a visit given that Ann Arbor is less than an hour away from Detroit.
But what’s certain is that the Wolverines will miss him because he is always ready to compete.
As a parting gift, he received the university’s most prestigious award for athletes.
Michigan Football shared that Hutchinson was named the Male Athlete of the Year for 2021-22.
Aside from setting the team’s single-season sack record, he was also nominated for the Heisman Trophy and helped the Wolverines win the Big Ten Championship.
He also took home the Ted Hendricks Awards as the nation’s top defensive end and became a Unanimous All-American.
Time To Bring His Game To The NFL
Last season, the Lions finished third-last in team sacks with 30.
That’s where Hutchinson can help to bring back the Lions to football relevance.
For that reason, the team gave him a four-year, $35.71 million fully guaranteed contract which includes a $23.1 million signing bonus.
The same people who supported him with the Wolverines will also root for him as a member of the Lions.
Therefore, being at home may help him perform at a high level to possibly become the 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year.
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