The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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BY AUSTIN FOX Of the six offensive linemen Michi- gan signed in its 2019 recruiting class, none could match the height of Crys- tal Lake (Ill.) South four-star offensive tackle Trevor Keegan, who checked in at 6-6, 301 pounds. Athletes of his size often have im- mense potential at the high school level, and Crystal Lake South head coach Rob Fontana admitted that Keegan's was unveiled early in his varsity career. "Trevor would match up with older guys who wound up playing in the Big Ten, and would just brush them off," Fontana recalled. "That obviously raised some eyebrows for us. "One play that really stands out to me was against Crystal Lake Central this past year, when he ran back a punt for a touchdown. That play demon- strated how much of a physical freak Trevor is, and how he's able to do things other kids his size can't do." What's perhaps even more impres- sive about the young lineman, though, is the way he acts off the field and the maturity he often displays. "He's just a big knucklehead," the coach said with laugh. "We don't get many kids his size wandering our halls, so he takes over any room he walks into. "Trevor will show up at volleyball games and lead the student section in random cheers and things of that nature — it's hysterical seeing him do it because his classmates love it." Keegan himself admitted transition- ing socially to the collegiate lifestyle won't be a problem, citing how ad- vantageous his outgoing personality will be. The biggest adjustments, he explained, will be football-related. "I think learning to use proper tech- nique will be the biggest key, because you can get away without doing so in high school, but not in college," he observed. "The game is so much faster and intense at the next level, which is why it's crucial to play with the right form." Keegan revealed that the coaching staff told him he'd be playing the ever- important left tackle spot at Michigan, a position that freshmen seldom see meaningful snaps at. However, he's going to prepare as if it's a possibility. "I'm looking the most forward to getting the playbook down, because that's my ticket to getting on the field early," he confirmed. "Trevor can handle the yelling and screaming he's going to receive at Michigan, and actually feeds off it," Fontana chimed in. "It has allowed him to take his game to the next level, and has caused him to act as a pun- isher and a mauler out there." "Punisher" and "mauler" are un- doubtedly adjectives second-year of- fensive line coach Ed Warinner loves in his players. In his first year on the job, Warinner took a unit that had al- lowed 36 sacks in 2017 and dropped that number to 23 this past season, im- proving the group's performance by leaps and bounds. "Michigan didn't even jump onto my radar until Coach Warinner got there," Keegan revealed. "I wasn't too high on them before that, but once he arrived my thoughts toward them changed. "My family feels so comfortable with him, and his track record played a big factor for us too — he's someone who can get me to the NFL." Even though the Wolverines didn't emerge as a potential destination until Warinner's arrival, Keegan explained that he was still plenty familiar with the Maize and Blue growing up. "A lot of my family is actually from Michigan, so I was raised around U-M fans," he explained. "The other half of my family is from Ohio, so I grew up hearing about the Michigan-OSU ri- valry and remember everyone always telling me how big it was. "The fact that I'll not only play in that game someday, but am also just a few months from moving to campus is a dream come true. I can't believe it's about to happen." While most of U-M's 2019 signees rattle off a detailed list of accomplish- ments they'd like to achieve during their time in Ann Arbor, Keegan took a slightly different approach when pre- sented the question. "Our class just wants to change the program and establish a winning cul- ture there," he noted. "We want to be a successful team that goes down as one of the best classes to ever come through Michigan." Fontana thinks Keegan will have Crystal Lake South head coach Rob Fontana "Trevor would match up with older guys who wound up playing in the Big Ten, and would just brush them off. That obviously raised some eyebrows for us." Keegan was named the top football prospect in Illinois' class of 2019 by all three major recruiting services, and each also listed him among the top 208 recruits nationally. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN 48 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2019 Trevor Keegan Has The Physical Attributes And Intangibles To Succeed At U-M 2019 Projection Michigan loses fifth-year senior right tackle Juwann Bushell-Beatty from its starting 2018 offensive line, but both rising-fifth-year senior left tackle Jon Run- yan and rising-redshirt sophomore Andrew Stueber (who started the Ohio State game on the right side) will be back in 2019. On top of that, the staff appears to be incredibly high on redshirt freshman Jalen Mayfield, so Keegan will likely be buried on the depth chart as a rookie. This is common, with first-year linemen rarely seeing playing time. Next season should allow Keegan to adjust to the college lifestyle and conditioning demands, before potentially becoming a starter a few years down the road.