Name: Blake Frazier
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 302 lbs.
High school: Austin (TX) Vandegrift
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #77
Last year: I ranked Frazier #36 and said he would be a backup offensive tackle (LINK). He started eight games and played in all thirteen games.
TTB Rating: 89
Legacy offensive lineman Blake Frazier got his first taste of playing a big role in the Big House last fall. The son of former Michigan center Steve Frazier, Blake was a in a three-headed battle for the left tackle job against Evan Link and Andrew Babalola. Babalola hurt his knee in camp, and Link hurt his leg partway through the season, so the last man standing was Frazier. Frazier was already starting as the sixth lineman in jumbo packages, so it made sense for him to slide in as a starter at left tackle. But that was still a tall task for a young guy who came in with a ton of potential but lacking bulk. He showed good feet and awareness last season, but there were times where he flat-out got overpowered.
The hope for 2026 is that he's no longer getting overpowered after another off-season in the weight room. There has been a lot of talk about the work of new strength coach Doug Elisaia and guys increasing their lifts significantly. Frazier is still only 302 pounds, so he's a little bit light to expect elite play at this point. I would like to see him up around 310-315 pounds when all is said and done, but he's still just a third-year player. It sounds like Frazier will be the starting left tackle, with Link playing left guard and Andrew Babalola playing a backup or Rhino (extra lineman) role. The group has an excellent offensive line coach in Jim Harding, so if Frazier is indeed the choice at left tackle, that probably bodes well for Frazier's potential to finish out his career and possibly get to the NFL.
Prediction: Starting left tackle
fingers crossed frazier put in the work this offseason. he had a rough year start to finsih, as to be expected with most 2nd year OL. granted texas rolled out some talented defenders but he still got abused much of that game.
ReplyDeletefrazier appears to have many of the necessary traits to bounce back this fall. if the OL meets or exceeds the staffs expectations and helps support a much improved O, frazier will play a major role
I thought Frazier exceeded expectations, mostly because I was so concerned with his thin frame, especially lower body
ReplyDeleteThe bowl game was a showcase for Texas DEs, mostly at the expense of Frazier (Norton got pummeled worse). Hopefully he’s more ready for those quick twitch pass rushers
We are getting top level coaching on the OL now, our guy is supposed to be the best in the business vs "learning on the job" guy. I expect a top unit this year, on par with 2022 and better than 2023.
ReplyDeleteYeah, agree
DeleteI was skeptical of some OL in 2o23, but as a unit they were almost as good as the two years prior
For 2o26, I’m a little concerned with the Guard play, and will watch Frazier closely against OU. My hope is that the unit is better than its parts, and that’s coaching
LT is one of the most important positions on the field so Frazier is a top 10 player for me, for better or worse.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else I'm expecting a leap. If he doesn't do it -- it's Babalola time or I guess Link time, but I think both are big dropoffs from what Frazier COULD BE in 2026. The sky doesn't fall if Frazier doesn't make that leap but if he does it's a game-changer for the Michigan O.
My top 15
Delete1. Underwood
2. Guarnera
3. Pierce
4. Daley
5. Etta
6. Hill
7. Snowden
8. Sprague
9. Frazier
10. Bracy
11. Link
12. Moore
13. Staehling
14. Buchanan
15. Marsh
Honorable Mention:
Z Marshall, J Marshall, Curtis, Bowles, Efobi
Surges into top 20 if an injury strikes above:
Carr, Moa, Earls, Hiter, Babalola, Palepale, Brandt, Hansen
solid list. only major change id make is inserting the kicker somewhere. kicking game even more consequential with a tough schedule vs handful of high end programs
Delete"only major change id make is inserting the kicker somewhere"
DeleteWith him, then long snapper and holder comes into the picture ... the kicker himself can't do a thing if the snap and hold aren't there. Such is the nature of the game, though: there's really not a position on the field that's truly in isolation; all have to work in concert for the overall team to be good.
I've been poking around the internet looking for statistical studies on the value of kickers within the context of the whole game. There's a lot of variables. From what I can gather, the metric the studies use is "field goal percentage above expected," and "expected" is an average based on distance and conditions. So a valuable kicker is one who exceeds what would, on average, be expected for that distance and conditions. By that metric, Justin Tucker, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens, was the best.
Looking back, Dominic Zvada would rank fairly high in 2024 and 2025, with an edge to his 2024 performance. James Turner's 2023 performance was good but not outstanding ... but he didn't need to be given the other parts of the team. So again, lots of variables, and lots of "it depends" qualifications.
Kicker is valuable but I struggle to bump anyone out of there and wonder (don't know) how much drop off there would be to whoever (if Butkowski got hit by a bus). I would put Zvada in the top 15 if he was back because of his value at 50 yard range and beyond but doesn't sound like Butkowski is that caliber of kicker.
DeleteI like the measures you are talking about -- but Butkowski strikes me as a little closer to 'expected' than Zvada.
Solid list but it's Michigan. Any top 15 must have at least one RB (even if you don't value them). It's very important for the team that Marshall stay healthy . Yes, Hiter is a great option but I would have Marshall about 10. And personally I would put Marsh higher because I think he will be important for Bryce's development and success.
ReplyDeleteNot only does Hiter seem like a good backup to Marshall, but Kuzdal also provides a high floor at the position. We already know Kuz can drop a 100 yard game on people. Honestly, I'd be more worried about an injury to almost any other starter after RB. And that's with unprecedented low depth beyond the top 3 options this year.
DeleteRelative to Marshall missing time due to health - think about any of the guys in my top 15 and how worried would you be (relative to Hiter/Kuzdal) handling the workload. This is pretty much my logic -- I'd be a lot more worried if one of those other starters went down. For example -- one of the OL start you're putting Babalola in there and he's essentially a freshman, so maybe giving up a key sack on a 3rd down that Norton isn't --- or changing up your whole playcalling because you gotta have the TE in to help block instead of out running routes. And on the interior it might be Norton in there and that's not going to be a disaster necessarily, but your rushing production might be more affected going from Link to Norton than giving 10 extra carries to Hiter and 10 more to Kuzdal (or maybe use Underwood more in the run game too). That's before considering the pass blocking ramifications.
I love watching our RBs -- they are crazy athletes and with the ball in hand they are the guys we focus in on -- but ultimately they are part-time players in a rotation, replaceable pieces, and dependent on the OL and scheme for most of their rushing production. I struggle to put them above somebody like a starting OL or DB who is going to be out there almost every snap.
As for Marsh -- I just think Buchanan might be objectively a better player. But I don't feel strongly on that. Would not surprise me if Marsh outplayed my ranking. Still, I think Buchanan not Marsh is likely to be the guy Bryce looks to on 3rd down conversion attempts. Kinda stepping into a Colston Loveland-like role. In short -- think Marsh might be a bigger play-maker but Buchanan might be a better receiver.
Agree Blue. The system matters. Beck is not only RunFirstRunOften, but he’s run mostly, with an Option tag thrown in … we need our two studs healthy all year
DeleteKuzdal is “just okay,” and even THAT is a stretch: his “breakout game” was against. Terp D that had ONE P4 win all season. They stunk
We need difference makers, not “okay”