ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- The Michigan football roster has finally been revealed to the public.
Coach Jim Harbaugh announced it via his Twitter account early Wednesday. The roster drew interest mostly because the school waited so long before releasing it. NJ Advance Media submitted a Freedom Of Information request in an effort to obtain it, and Harbaugh eventually said that with final tryouts for the team starting no earlier than Aug. 28, the roster would be publicized Aug. 30.
NJ Advance Media recently said the school had released the names of football players on athletic scholarship. Then around 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, the roster appeared on Harbaugh's Twitter account.
No. 11 Michigan opens the season Saturday against No. 17 Florida in Texas.
Freshman James Hudson, who was listed as a defensive end when Michigan announced its signing class earlier this year, is now an offensive lineman. Offensive coordinator Tim Drevno addressed that switch Wednesday afternoon.
"James is a big, athletic guy who can move really well. Very powerful, very heavy-handed," Drevno said. "Felt like just with his measurables ... he can add something to our depth chart at the offensive line."
In addition to the late announcement of its roster, Michigan has also kept quiet about who its starting quarterback will be. Drevno was asked whether there's been more emphasis on secrecy within the program this season, because Michigan has a more inexperienced team with a lot of unknown and unproven commodities. But this isn't that much different from how Harbaugh has handled previous preseasons.
"I think we do what we do every year. We've got a job to do inside this facility and it's about us, it's about the family. You just don't want to say too much," Drevno said. "We want to be good at what we do. It's about Michigan football."
Proud to announce the 2017 Michigan Football roster. pic.twitter.com/zc3VejbU1R
— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) August 30, 2017
