The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1265429
THE WOLVERINE 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 83 OFFENSIVE LINE QUICK FACTS Position Coach: Ed Warinner (third season). Returning Starter: RT Jalen Mayfield (13). Departing Starters: LG Ben Bredeson (46 career starts), RG Michael Onwenu (35), C Cesar Ruiz (31) and LT Jon Runyan Jr. (25). Projected New Starters: RG Andrew Stueber (2), LT Ryan Hayes (2), C Zach Carpenter and LG Chuck Filiaga. Top Reserves: C Andrew Vastardis, T/G Karsen Barnhart, G Nolan Rumler and T/G Trevor Keegan. Wait Until 2021: T/G Joel Honigford, T/G Jack Stewart and T Trente Jones. Newcomers: T Jeffrey Persi, T Zak Zinter and C Reece Atteberry. Moved In: None. Moved Out: Stephen Spanellis (transferred to Vanderbilt). Rookie Impact: None. Most Improved Player: Hayes. Best Pro Prospect: Mayfield. FYI ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. put Mayfield at No. 14 overall on his big board of the top draft-eligi- ble players for 2021. That was good for third among offensive linemen and fifth overall among Big Ten prospects. Kiper's ESPN cohort, Todd McShay, listed Mayfield at No. 20 on his big board. This year's offensive front has a combined 17 career starts, 13 of which belong to Mayfield. The four de- parted starters combined for 137 in their U-M days. Over 75 percent of the 2020 Michigan line's experi- ence comes from last fall. Mayfield logged 851 of- fensive snaps (fourth among linemen), while redshirt sophomore Ryan Hayes was in for 257 plays, fifth- year senior former walk-on Andrew Vastardis 27, redshirt junior Chuck Filiaga 23, redshirt junior Joel Honigford 19 and redshirt freshman Karsen Barnhart 13. The only linemen still on the roster that saw action up front in 2018 were redshirt junior Andrew Stueber (261), Filiaga (40), Mayfield (37), Vastardis (35) and Honigford (16). Vastardis also played three snaps dur- ing the 2017 campaign, giving the group a grand total of 1,582 career offensive snaps in college. Just over 56 percent of those snaps belong to May- field. That total would equal out to an average of 316.4 collegiate snaps per 2020 starter, roughly 50 more than Hayes and Stueber accu- mulated during the seasons that they made two starts each and played sparingly the rest of the year. PRESEASON ANALYSIS: OFFENSIVE LINE STARTERS Replacing four starters who were all drafted won't be easy, but line coach Ed Warinner loves this group. Any of nine or 10 players could start, and most of them are versatile enough to play multiple positions. This could be one of the Big Ten's better lines by the end of the year. DEPTH There were concerns about numbers in the very recent past — not anymore. The freshmen should be able to redshirt and grow in strength and knowledge while the veterans vie to start and play. That is the way some of U-M's better lines have developed. X-FACTOR Can some of the young guys find their groove the way Jalen Mayfield did in his first season as a starter? If so, this group has a chance to be really good. Experience and chemistry are everything when it comes to offensive line play, but other lines (think 1997) featured redshirt freshmen starters who jelled into a great unit, and quickly. OVERALL This group has star power, young and hungry underclassmen, and depth, perhaps the best collection of talent head coach Jim Harbaugh's had at the position since he arrived. The only thing it's lacking is experience, and that's about to change. Redshirt sophomore Ryan Hayes started the first two games of last season at left tackle, subbing in for an injured Jon Runyan Jr. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL YEAR-BY-YEAR RUSHING YARDS Rush Yards Yards Year Rush Yards Total Yards Per Game Per Rush 2019 1,959 5,220 150.7 4.0 2018 2,653 5,457 204.1 4.8 2017 2,310 4,536 177.7 4.4 2016 2,768 5,524 212.9 4.8 2015 2,057 5,147 158.2 4.2 2014 1,954 3,996 162.8 4.6 2013 1,634 4,855 125.7 3.3 2012 2,389 4,980 183.8 4.8 2011 2,884 5,261 221.8 5.2 2010 3,101 6,353 238.5 5.6