Name: Trevor Keegan
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 320 lbs.
High school: Crystal Lake (IL) Crystal Lake
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #77
Last year: I ranked Keegan #17 and said he would be the starting left guard (LINK). He started eleven games at left guard.
TTB Rating: 81
Keegan was a man mountain at left guard last season, moving people with regularity. He battled some injuries, but still managed to start eleven games, and he was well respected enough around the conference to be named First Team All-Big Ten. He was named Offensive Player of the Week twice, including against Penn State, when Michigan ran for a whopping 418 yards (Michigan's highest total since running for 481 yards in the 78-0 win over Rutgers in 2016).
Keegan is a highly valuable player and has been named a captain for 2023, but Michigan has such depth on the offensive line that it's tough to hold any of them in too high of esteem. If Keegan were to go down with injury again, there are a variety of offensive line concoctions that could hold up, including inserting Giovanni El-Hadi, shuffling La'Darius Henderson to guard, or inserting someone like Karsen Barnhart if Trente Jones is starting at tackle. It's a testament to the amount of talent on this team that a returning First Team All-Big Ten player and possible All-American is hanging out at #11 on the countdown.
Prediction: Starting left guard
Agree with everything above. That said I think the gap between Zinter (as an all american, 1st or 2nd round pick, and differentiating run blocking) and Keegan is substantial enough to put them at different spots on the countdown IMO. El Hadi can mostly replace Keegan but Zinter is a bigger leap. Theres a difference between really damn good and nationally elite. OGs matter.
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