Michigan football 2014: Brady Hoke

Brady Hoke says Michigan will not vote on team captains until the close of the regular season.

(Patrick Record | MLive.com)

ANN ARBOR -- Brady Hoke has changed the way he wants his team to approach leadership this season.

And, as a result, he's tweaking one of Michigan's longest standing traditions.

Hoke said Monday that Michigan will have captains in 2014, and players will vote on them. But, unlike most years, that vote won't happen until after the regular season ends.

"We've had unbelievable leadership throughout the team, and we've talked about how 'if you're good enough, you're old enough (to lead),' " said Hoke, whose team will open the 2014 campaign Saturday against Appalachian State (noon, ESPN2). "We will have captains, but they'll be voted on (after the Ohio State game).

"Game-by-game, I think there's 18 fourth and fifth-year guys that we will have represent the team at the coin toss."

Michigan has elected captains every year since 1879. The only two seasons in recent history that have deviated from the tradition of players selecting captains before the year begins came in 2008 and 2009 -- Rich Rodriguez's first two years with the program.

Hoke has allowed his teams to vote on captains before the year started in each of his first three seasons on campus.

But this offseason, Hoke had a change in philosophy.

He said he decided to change the way Michigan voted on captains in February, after a 7-6 finish in 2013 -- a season in which he admittedly wasn't pleased with the overall leadership of the club. Hoke spoke a great deal this offseason about removing "entitlement" from the senior class, and putting an emphasis on leadership throughout the roster.

Regardless of age.

"We've got great leadership in our senior class, we really do, especially on defense and with Devin (Gardner), he's been absolutely fantastic," Hoke said. "But, at the same time, we've talked about leadership throughout the team. Throughout every class. We have a (leadership) representative group that's a big part of what we do.

"I met with the seniors when we talked about this, they're always going to be the guys we're going to try and play for, coach for. That's not changing. Their influence is important. But every team is different. This team is a little unique, in a lot of ways."

Gardner, who has talked in the past about his desire to be a captain at Michigan before his career ends, said Monday that despite formal titles -- the Wolverines will have captains throughout the season.

And he plans on being one of them.

"I feel like I'm going to be looked at as a captain because of the position I play, even some of the young guys, they've called me 'captain Gardner,' and I told them not to do that," Gardner smiled. "It's not a big deal. We just want to win football games. It's not going to hold us back.

"I think coach Hoke made that decision because he thinks it's going to help the team."

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