NEW YORK, N.Y. — Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson of the No. 2-ranked University of Michigan football program was named on Tuesday as one of three winners of the 2021 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year award, it was announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), in conjunction with The Associated Press (AP) and the Fiesta Bowl Organization.
Hutchinson is joined by fellow winners McKenzie Milton (Florida State) and J.J. Weaver (Kentucky). Milton was selected in a vote of AP College Football Poll Voters. Hutchinson and Weaver were selected by a combined vote of AP, CoSIDA, and Fiesta Bowl representatives, as well as editors of the publication Touchdown Illustrated. As a result, $30,000 will be donated in the name of Hutchinson to the University of Michigan’s general scholarship fund.
Hutchinson suffered a broken ankle early in the third game of the 2020 season at Indiana. His hard work and dedication in rehabbing that injury and coming back for this senior season as strong as ever has been recognized with this honor. Hutchinson has been the cornerstone of U-M’s championship season with a program-record 14.0 sacks among 58 total tackles.
Hutchinson has been recognized as the Heisman Trophy runner-up, and the winner of the Rotary Lombardi Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy, in addition to being a finalist for several more national honors. He is a CoSIDA Academic All-American, a consensus first-team All-American, the Big Ten Woodson-Nagurski Defensive Player of the Year, the Big Ten Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year, and the Big Ten Grange-Griffin Championship Game MVP. He was named Michigan’s Team MVP and Defensive Player of the Year also.
Hutchinson recorded more quarterback pressures (15) against Ohio State than any player in any game since the stat was first tracked by Pro Football Focus College and has seven sacks over U-M’s last four contests.
Winners will be honored at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl on January 1, 2022, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Hutchinson will not attend, as he’ll be with his teammates following Michigan’s matchup with Georgia in the Capital One Orange Bowl in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
