The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 85 OFFENSIVE LINE (6-3, 321), a pure guard, and Karsen Barn- hart (6-4, 301), who Jansen said could play all five positions across the front. Rumler, reportedly one of the stronger players on the team from the day he set foot on campus, had to adjust to life in Ann Arbor, but he has come a long way and looked much more comfortable by the start of winter condition- ing, Jansen reported. "Adjusting to college life, being a stu- dent-athlete, being away from home can be tough," Jansen noted. "By second semester I think he was feeling a lot better about it. You could see his confidence. When he came into the weight room, it was different from when he was a true freshman earlier in the year. "But he's built like a brick house. He's so freaking strong. It's only a matter of time." Barnhart, meanwhile, was "very natural" in his pass sets at the tackle position, Jansen noted, a two-sport high school standout who played basketball and even lined up some at tight end. His natural ability was evident early. "He won't play center, but he could. He could play any of the other four positions up front," Jansen said. "He's just a natural … his pass sets were beautiful. "Some guys are just athletes. You show them once and they just do it and say, 'like this?' He's just that kind of guy — look at it, see it, do it." Finally, redshirt freshman Jack Stewart (6-4, 291) and redshirt junior Joel Honigford (6-6, 284) could also factor into the mix with solid fall performances. Stewart needs to add some strength, while Honigford has shown flashes, at times — he just needs to gain confidence. "He's going to have to prove he can be trusted, both in the run and pass game," Jan- sen said of Stewart. "That he knows what he's doing and can get his head in the right spot. That's his quickest way to the field. "Joel has just got to be a tough guy. He just needs to prove he consistently knows what he's doing all the time, that he can move somebody off the ball and be reliable in the pass game. Then he can gain confi- dence and be a little creative in how he does things. But both are talented, Jansen noted. Added up, Gattis sees great potential for a group whose best football is ahead of them, but not that far off. "I'm excited … I think we actually can be a little bit more athletic up front [than last year]," Gattis said. "I think that's going to help us significantly in the run game." How quickly they get their pass blocking down could determine their ceiling, but it's a high one. It seems only a matter of time be- fore this position group is one of the team's best. ❑ Talented Freshmen Add Impressive Depth On The Line Michigan will add three to its line this fall, a trio of freshmen with great upside: • Early enrollee Zak Zinter (6-6, 300), North Andover (Mass.) Buckingham Browne & Nichols School: Rivals.com's No. 145 senior nationally could battle at guard or tackle. He is way ahead of the freshman curve. "He's big, strong and long — a great athlete," former Michigan All-American lineman Jon Jansen said. "He's a kid I think is going to play sooner than later, for sure, maybe at tackle. He can maul you, but he's also a good enough athlete to pass block. He is going to be a good football player." He's reminiscent of some of the maulers U-M has produced at guard, former Michigan All-Big Ten line- man Doug Skene added. "I like his movement, like his gap steps. He played the guard position there, so he's got an inside move, pounds the inside foot pretty well, which means he's taken coaching pretty well," Skene said. "He's trying to put people on the ground, trying to bury people." • Reece Atteberry (6-5, 280), Aurora (Colo.) Eaglecrest: Atteberry was a three-star recruit and the No. 53 offensive tackle nationally per Rivals, but folks close to the program think he is criminally underrated. He wants to play center and is preparing for it. "He plays in a really good stance," Skene said. "A lot of high school stances just aren't good. Even though he's always in a two-point stance, which I don't really care for, the first move out of that stance is always pretty good. "He's got the frame, so he checks that box. When he pulls his position backside to front-side linebacker, he gets around pretty good and gets into the hole pretty good. He moves in space pretty well, is flexible, and when they get him in the strength program he should improve. "His overall athleticism — you can see where coaches would want this kid." • Jeffrey Persi (6-7, 275), Mission Viejo (Calif.) JSerra Catholic: Rivals.com identified the athletic Persi as a four-star talent and the No. 35 offensive tackle in the country. "He's aggressive. I like his feet," Skene said. "They've got him doing a lot of wide hooks, wide-angle sweeps, so they're asking him to get some width out of his stance real fast to his left, and he's pretty good at it. He does a pretty good job of hooking guys, and if he doesn't, he still runs them to the sideline. "He looks pretty athletic. When you watch him after the play has gone by, watch him run in open space, he looks fluid and flexible. He's not a stiff in the open field. I had an eyeball on his athleticism, and I really like his lateral ability." — Chris Balas It is rare for a true freshman offensive lineman to see extensive action, but early enrollee Zak Zinter — Rivals.com's No. 145 overall player in the class of 2020 — appears ahead of the curve. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND