The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Where he may lack some of the physical attributes of other players, he does play with good leverage. When his technique is right, he is a pretty solid football player. "Because he is limited in some ways, he is not afforded the luxury of fudging on his technique. A bigger player might be able to have a few flaws and still be able to exist, but he has to be perfect. And, at times, it is." Another player to watch this spring is redshirt sophomore Graham Glasgow. At 6-6, 303 pounds, Glasgow has more of an offensive tackle's frame, but the coaches have positioned Glasgow inside, and they have liked the results thus far. "He plays center very confidentially," Borges said. "He has a big, imposing figure. And he has learned how to play football better. When he first got here, he was still learning the intricacies of the game. "As he has gotten more comfortable, his technique has improved. He's a strong guy, and he is big, which is unlike a lot of centers." The Competition At Guard Heats Up Kalis and Braden, who are tentatively pegged to play the right and left guard spots, respectively, spent last season working on the practice squad and learning the playbook. And although that experience can certainly help developmentally, the coaches will know very little until they can see the youngsters in live action — reacting to realtime defensive schemes, pre-play audibles and ingame checks. "They have all put the nose in the playbook pretty good and taken to the tutelage of not only the coaches but of the more experienced players like Taylor and Mike," Borges said. "But handling the pressure of the game is different. It's not like scout team anymore, where you're reading the plays off a card. "Now you have to make the calls and the defense is moving and the bullets are flying, so to speak. … We have some new dudes in there, and we're go- ing to find out how well they know the playbook. The reality of the playbook, not just thumbing through pages. "You have to get him in and let him play. That's the only way to do it — get him as many reps as you possibly can, so he sees as many different scenarios as he can, so less and less is a surprise to him. That is, in a sense, a roundabout definition of experience: where less and less is a surprise. The more a guy is experienced, the less he is surprised by what the defense does." Kalis (6-5, 297 pounds) was a five-star prospect according to Rivals.com when he came into the program as a true freshman last year. The Michigan coaches recruited him to be an interior lineman, although he played tackle in high school. "He's a very strong kid that I think has a chance to play inside because of his power," Borges said. "As he learns to play with better leverage — which is still something he is learning — he is more capable of using his strength. His body type and skill set