RETURNING PLAYERS: Greg Crippen (RS Sr.), Giovanni El-Hadi (RS Sr.), Connor Jones (RS Jr.), Brooks Bahr (RS So.), Nathan Efobi (RS So.), Evan Link (RS So.), Blake Frazier (RS Fr.), Jake Guarnera (RS Fr.), Luke Hamilton (RS Fr.), Ben Roebuck (RS Fr.), Andrew Sprague (RS Fr.)
NEWCOMERS: Lawrence Hattar (RS Sr.), Brady Norton (RS So.), Andrew Babalola (Fr.), Kaden Strayhorn (Fr.)
DEPARTURES: Raheem Anderson (transfer to Western Michigan), Tristan Bounds (transfer to Arizona), Andrew Gentry (transfer to BYU), Dominick Giudice (transfer to Missouri), Myles Hinton (NFL Draft), Jeffrey Persi (transfer to Pitt), Josh Priebe (NFL Draft)
OUTLOOK: Michigan really struggled up front in 2024, the first year under new offensive line coach Grant Newsome. They did seem to make some progress late in the year, but it was too late to salvage anything but a couple surprise victories against Ohio State and Alabama. The top performer up front was Myles Hinton, a mammoth Stanford transfer. Transfer left guard Josh Priebe struggled at times, and from the center to the right tackle was a travesty for much of the year. Greg Crippen and Dominick Giudice played hot potato with the reins of the center position for the entire year, Giovanni El-Hadi performed disappointingly at right guard, and redshirt freshman Evan Link posted multiple PFF grades of 0.0 in pass protection.
There has been a lot of turnover on the offensive line, with seven players either moving on to the NFL (Hinton, Priebe) or transferring. Giudice, Andrew Gentry, and Jeffrey Persi all had significant starting or playing experience, and all three decided to play elsewhere, leaving somewhat of a void in the remaining offensive line.
The bowl game against Alabama featured Link at left tackle and freshman Andrew Sprague at right tackle, and that may be the configuration we see to begin the spring. Link looked more comfortable on the left side, and Sprague showed some promise at right tackle, especially from an attitude perspective. Add in an off-season of strength and conditioning, and Sprague should be ready to roll.
As for new faces for 2025, Ferris State transfer Lawrence Hattar could possibly be penciled in to start at guard; he's a fifth year player with lots of starting experience at the Division II level. Andrew Babalola is a 5-star prospect who's big enough and athletic enough to compete for playing time at one of the tackle positions. Junior college transfer Brady Norton has potential down the road, but he's probably a developmental guy at this point.
A couple other players who have been rumored to be in contention for playing time are redshirt junior Connor Jones and redshirt sophomore Nathan Efobi. Redshirt freshman Blake Frazier has been mentioned as having potential if he can get/stay healthy, and redshirt freshman Ben Roebuck had college-ready size when he arrived in 2024. All of those players are huge question marks since we haven't really seen them on the field except during spring games.
Overall, the offensive line is a group with a lot of individual talent, but very little cohesion from playing together. Center Greg Crippen and offensive guard Giovanni El-Hadi have spent lots of time together as two fifth year seniors, but the rest of the players are either young or new to the system. It's probably a pipe dream to hope for a return to the Joe Moore Award-level play we saw in 2021 and 2022, but it's going to be very disappointing if Michigan can't perform better in the trenches than they did in 2024.
My hope is either Efobi or Frazier can grab onto the the open Guard spot, and that Crippen/ElHadi get their stuff together. Get the middle going and we're in business
ReplyDeleteI know you expect Lindsey to run outside more, but our Tackle situation may limit that, at least early on. Getting really good at one thing should be the goal to get our run game back
I do absolutely believe that Michigan will run outside more under Chip Lindsey. He's going to make opposing teams defend all parts of the field, and I think Michigan's backs (Haynes and Marshall, at least) are more suited to it. Mullings didn't have a ton of speed and was better getting his shoulders squared to the line of scrimmage. And I really just don't think Edwards had the skill set to do it. A big part of running outside and/or outside zone is having a sense to know when to stop running laterally and cut upfield, and you also often have to shed a tackle or two on the way if you want to get to the third level.
DeleteEdwards had the speed, but not the cutting/tackle breaking ability.
Mullings had the tackle breaking ability, but not the speed . . . and perhaps not the cutting ability (I can't say for sure because we never/rarely had a chance to see it).
Agree on last year's RBs
DeleteBut you're missing the blocking though, right? Do we have an OL that can get back to SMASH and learn Outside Zone? When ohio was implementing last spring, their run game was a mess, and that was with an elite WR corps to keep the back seven occupied
I think you're probably going to get good at whatever you practice. If Michigan wants their tackles to be good outside zone/pin-and-pull blockers, they just have to teach them the correct way and then rep it. Michigan's tackles have the athleticism to be good at outside zone. Sprague, Link, Babalola, etc. are good enough athletes to do it - they're better than Gentry and Persi.
DeleteI think Link got a bad rap in 2024. I really do. His poor pass protection was not due to a lack of athleticism. He had poor technique and looked terrified out there, like he didn't know what he was doing. If Lindsey, Newsome, etc. can get him comfortable and confident, then he can run outside zone.
New OC and big turnover on OL are an opportunity to emphasize/teach something new. Would Moore support a big change in the identity of the run game?
DeleteThat will be interesting to watch. Michigan's run game has been more diverse than Lindsey's, but it has had to be, because Michigan ran everything inside and needed a bunch of variations to keep defenses honest. Meanwhile, Lindsey has basically run inside zone, outside zone, and counter.
DeleteSo inside zone and counter fit, but outside zone doesn't. If outside zone gets added, what does Michigan take away, if anything? You can't be good at everything.
Cannot be good at everything is right. Even the loaded 2023 team struggled when trying to introduce OZ early in the year.
DeleteHopefully Moore/Lindsey/Newsome/Poggi/Castillo are being strategic about what the (mostly) young OL can take on while recognizing how far there is to go from the 2024 baseline.
For short-term results sake, I hope whatever they do is a good fit for Crippen.
OL is one big reason why I would not (at this point) bet on Sherrone Moore making it far beyond year 3.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to be more optimistic for 2025 but I don't see a great path to replacing Hinton and Priebe and the other outgoing contributors through internal development, long-shot portal additions, and freshman.
I have seen Gach listed elsewhere as another EE. It shouldn't matter, but here we are again in 2025 where it might. This unit is a big time concern IMO and hard to see the run game be successful when the OL is in disarray.
Lots to watch for in the spring though --
How are the portal guys stacking up?
Is anyone drawing enough buzz to pencil them into the starting lineup beyond Crippen, El Hadi, Link, and Sprague?
Are there any position switches being contemplated among the potential top 4 or 5 players?
OL will make or break 2025 season. If the OL is a top 20 unit, we are probably going to the playoffs. If the OL is the 2024 version, I think Moore may be let go as early as next offseason. My prediction is the 2025 OL will be a middling unit. Not as bad as 2024 but probably not top 20 unit either. Cohesion should be better but I think our OL roster is just not good enough due to poor recruitment in Harbaugh's last few years. The hope for a top 20 unit lies in one of the highly touted freshman to surprise during spring training and took away the starting job from the incumbent.
ReplyDeleteIf the only hope is a freshman OLmen then we're in worse trouble than I thought.
DeleteI do agree that the OL is the make or break factor for the upcoming season, as it is most seasons. However, there are multiple things that COULD happen to make it into a good unit. A few below:
+Sprague could be a star. It was just one game but his start against Alabama was very impressive for a freshman. If he's an all conference caliber OT the ceiling on the OL is dramatically elevated.
+Link could be good, actually. Last year was a trial by fire but that sort of experience for young guys tends to supercharge their growth and development (see 2020 to 2021). He might also be a better fit at OG, if there's an opening there. You expected improvement from a young guy like this and with the struggles of 2024 in the rearview, those lessons are helpful not damaging.
+Crippen and El Hadi could make a leap. There's no sugarcoating the fact that neither had great seasons in 2024. The expectation of having them be "next man up" after Nugent and Keegan did not go as many of us thought it might. But they were also first time starters on an offense that just fell flat all around. They both have size and talent and have been praised for many years as backups during the Harbaugh era. 5th years tend to see guys max out their ability. Having a competent OC, a competent QB, and a year of experience under their backs could be hugely beneficial to each in 2025 and it would not be a shock if either develops into a guy in the all-conference conversation.
+ A young player could emerge as a surprise starter. I'm reluctant to seriously consider any of the freshman because even when they are great players in the end, freshman OL tend to struggle. However, I think one of the other sophomores or juniors could come out of nowhere to steal a starting job. We have heard some buzz on Guarmera for example. Efobi perhaps. You get the idea. A quiet freshman year doesn't mean anything for an OL and many don't emerge into the playing time mix until their junior years.
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Right now we have 4 guys penciled in and an open spot. If one or two of the above scenarios play out (without any bad news to offfset it) then the OL unit starts looking a lot stronger and you can perhaps see the unit coalesce over the course of the season. Talent is there but they need to be developed intentionally and strategically.
I have been critical of Moore but I think he's a smart guy who knows that OL is critically important and that last year was a problem. I am a little more optimistic here because he made moves (adding Castillo, Lindsey, Poggi) to address the situations unlike some other positions and OL is a position where coaching/development is especially important. I just don't know if the talent is there given the least impressive portal haul Michigan has seen in many years. If the scenarios above come to fruition we can start getting more optimistic. That's how I see it anyway.