Michigan Football: Injured Troy Woolfolk Will Be Ready for Season Opener

Ever since Troy Woolfolk was ruled out of the Michigan spring football game, rumors surfaced concerning his recovery from ankle and fibula injuries suffered last August. Would the senior cornerback be healthy enough to play this fall? 

His absence during the 2010 season was devastating, and it was beginning to look like Michigan might also miss him this fall. He's now been waiting almost a year to prove he can really take the opposition's best receiver one-on-one.

It's been a long road back, and finally it appears Woolfolk will be ready when Western Michigan arrives Sept. 3.  

"Actually, it feels like the best shape I've ever been in," Woolfolk said Thursday. "I've got my speed back, my agility, my acceleration."

He also touched on the atmosphere of spring and summer drills.

"One of the great accomplishments of the spring and summer is the team unity," he said. "We're all on the same page. We know we can win, instead of having the expectation to win." 

When Woolfolk mentioned team unity, one can only recall the incident between him and departed quarterback Tate Forcier. 

Woolfolk, while at  last season's Big 10 Media Day, basically criticized Forcier's work ethic, saying Forcier didn't always participate at voluntary offseason workouts and that he wasn't being a leader.

The critique was reflected on Denard Robinson overtaking Forcier in the battle for the first-string quarterback job.

Woolfolk took some heat from the matter, but Forcier later admitted to slacking off due to being behind in class.

As it turned out, Robinson did win the quarterback job and Forcier transferred. Hopefully it was a learning experience for Woolfolk, too.

Ironically, cornerback J.T. Floyd, Woolfolk's replacement, missed the last five games, also with an ankle injury. Floyd, too, missed the spring game. 

But if all goes well, he will also be in the lineup at the opposite corner.