The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1094509
38 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2019 2019 SPRING FOOTBALL PREVIEW. OFFENSIVE LINE BY THE NUMBERS 1 M i c h i g a n 1 , 0 0 0 - y a rd rushers under Jim Har- baugh and behind this offensive line. Karan Hig- don also became only the second Michigan run- ning back since Mike Hart (2004-07) to hit that mark. 33 Career starts for guard Ben Bredeson heading into his final season in a Michigan uniform. He has played in 38 games. 54 Combined star ts U-M returns from 2018 up front. Jon Runyan, Ben Bredeson, Cesar Ruiz and M ichael Onwenu each started all 13 games for the Wolver ines, while Andrew Stueber started twice at right tackle. 60 Tackles for loss allowed by M ichigan in 2018, which ranked 15th na- tionally. That marked a significant step forward from the previous season, when it got nicked for 83 stops behind the line of scrimmage. WHO'S GONE RIGHT TACKLE JUWANN BUSHELL-BEATTY Bushell-Beatty proved a solid fifth-year starter at right tackle last season, although injury kept him out of the lineup in the final two games. WHO'S BACK FIFTH-YEAR SENIOR TACKLE JON RUNYAN Runyan's All-Big Ten notice capped a year of huge improvement for the left tackle. Some con- sider him a more natural right tackle, a move Michigan could potentially make in the spring. SENIOR LEFT GUARD BEN BREDESON Bredeson asserted himself as a captain last year at left guard, and will likely play the same role in his final campaign in a winged helmet. He'll be a four-year starter, who earned unanimous second- team all-conference honors each of the past two seasons. SENIOR RIGHT GUARD MICHAEL ONWENU Onwenu is a massive (6-3, 350) two-year starter who is still learning the mobility necessary to perform at his position. The third-team All-Big Ten nod from the coaches is one thing, but he's pushing to maintain against the competition all around. JUNIOR CENTER CESAR RUIZ Ruiz started five games as a true freshman guard two years ago, and established himself as Michi- gan's full-time center last season. He will likely play at the next level when all is said and done, and he's looking for a next-level performance in 2019. TOP NEWCOMER FRESHMAN GUARD NOLAN RUMLER The 6-3, 310-pound mauler out of Akron, Ohio, will look to establish himself early on in Michi- gan's two-deep. He was listed a top-200 national recruit by all three major recruiting services and started 58 games on four state championship squads, while never giving up a sack according to his coach, during his prep career. "We've got four returning starters. That's a dream for any offensive coach to come into, when you can count on those guys to know what they're doing — understanding the game plan, executing the game plan, how what I do affects the right tackle, the quarterback, the receivers. That's a great knowledge base to have." — Former U-M All-American Jon Jansen QUOTABLE POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH The Wolverines have a tackle spot to fill, and it could be either one. Some have projected gifted red- shirt freshman tackle Jalen May- field (6-5, 296) to make a strong bid for the left tackle spot, potentially moving Runyan to right tackle. But 6-7, 323-pound Andrew Stueber isn't going away without a fight. He subbed in for Bushell- Beatty when the latter couldn't perform over the season's final two games, and will push hard to grab a starting spot. BY JOHN BORTON L eft guard Ben Bredeson insisted at the start of the 2018 season that Michi- gan's offensive line stood ready to stop wearing the "weak link" target. With the help of new offensive line coach Ed Warinner, they did just that. All four returning Michigan starters earned some level of All-Big Ten notice, including fifth-year senior left tackle Jon Runyan earning first-team recognition from league coaches and Bredeson second-team honors from the conference's coaches and media. The Wolverines paved the way for a 1,000-yard rusher and chopped Michigan's sack total from a bracing 36 in 2017 to 23 last fall, an average of 1.77 per game that tied for 39th nationally. They're poised to take the next step as a veteran group this year. CESAR RUIZ PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN