The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1473191
THE WOLVERINE 2022 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 15 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Michigan entered the 2021 season with modest expectations at most positions, apart from the defensive ends. Aidan Hutchin- son was expected to dominate from the edge and did, and Da- vid Ojabo emerged to comple- ment him and become part of the best duo in the country. No position group, however, exceeded expectations more than the offensive line. Sixth- year center Andrew Vastardis got healthy and became an out- standing linchpin, other veter- ans Ryan Hayes (left tackle) and Andrew Stueber (right tackle) had great years, and new starters Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter formed an outstanding young guard duo. Their play earned them the Joe Moore Award as the na- tion's top offensive line in coach Sherrone Moore's first year coaching the group. Now in his second year as co-offensive coordina- tor and line coach, Moore had one goal for his group for 2022, conveyed in March. "No [complacency]," Zinter, now a ju- nior, said of the group's spring approach. "Definitely the energy we have [stood out]. Nobody has ever repeated [in consecutive years] the Joe Moore Award. My goal, and the goal of the whole offensive line, is we want to be the first offensive line to be repeat winners of that award." He didn't even hesitate to consider the magnitude of his statement. "I think we've got a hell of a shot," he said. And so do many others. Phil Steele, author of an annual preseason magazine that's been around for nearly three de- cades, has the Wolverines' unit No. 1 in the country heading into the season, ahead of No. 2 Georgia and No. 3 Ohio State. The addition of Virginia grad transfer Olu Oluwatimi, a Rimington Trophy finalist (nation's top center) last year, and emer- gence of senior Trente Jones could lead to an even better unit in 2022. Head coach Jim Harbaugh said as much this spring, cautioning that they still had to prove it on the field. Former Michigan All-America offensive lineman Jon Jan- sen, too, believes they "absolutely" have the potential to be better, largely because of the experience and depth — starting with the three returning starters Hayes (a grad student at left tackle), Keegan (a senior at left guard) and Zinter (a junior at right guard). Stueber was great at right tackle last year, and Jansen gave him his due. But the new Michigan radio color commenta- tor believes Jones could take the line to another level. "I thought Trente Jones played extremely well [this spring]," he said. "Some guys are just built a certain way; they move a certain way. You look at them and say, 'That guy is going to be a player.' "When I look at Trente, I have this feeling the way he moves and the way he bends … he's not a waist bender. He's a guy that bends with his ankles, with his knees. He's in good po- sition. He can move from good position side to side. He can get out and run. I'd be shocked if it wasn't Trente at that right tackle position." Sophomore Greg Crippen broke his hand in the spring, but he could play center or either guard spot and has impressed since his arrival last year. Se- nior Karsen Barnhart provides elite depth, Jansen said, and would likely start at just about any other Big Ten school. He'll compete with Jones to start at Michigan. "He's a guy who would be able to go in at either guard spot, either tackle spot, and you won't have any drop-off in play," Jansen said. "That's a great position to be in, to know you've got seven guys. By the time fall camp rolls around, too, I think you'll see eight, nine, maybe even 10 guys in that two-deep that are competing. There's a lot of time between now and then for guys to continue to work on their bodies." Moore has been the catalyst, Jansen added. He spoke with people at Central Michigan when Moore first arrived in Ann Arbor five years ago, and they all said the same thing — he was a rising star, and it was only a matter of time before he moved up the ranks. In time, Jansen said, Moore will likely be an "outstanding head coach" somewhere. For now, though, he's Michigan's gem, and he'll continue to push his guys. "I'm really excited about that offensive line," Jansen added. He should be, Steele said in suggesting a possible second straight banner season. "The Wolverines won the coveted Joe Moore Award last year and will battle to become the first ever repeat winner," Steele wrote. "They lose two starters but add Vir- ginia transfer Olusegun Oluwatimi (sec- ond team All-American) at center, and he joins 14 very highly touted [players] on the unit, including second-team All-Big Ten left tackle Ryan Hayes. They average 316 pounds and have 87 career starts." Giving them a real shot to be the nation's best unit again. — Chris Balas Michigan Offensive Line Is Seeking An Unprecedented Achievement Joe Moore Award Winners The Joe Moore Award, presented by The Foun- dation For Teamwork, is named after Joe Moore, widely regarded as one of the best offensive line coaches in college football history. It is the only major college football award to honor a group or unit. The award annually recognizes the nation's Most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit that best displays the fundamental and historical aspects of great offensive line play: toughness, effort, teamwork, consistency, technique and finishing. While one school has won the award twice (Al- abama, 2015 and 2020), the feat has never been done in back-to-back seasons. Past recipients of the Joe Moore Award include the offensive lines of the following schools: Year School 2015 Alabama 2016 Iowa 2017 Notre Dame 2018 Oklahoma 2019 LSU 2020 Alabama 2021 Michigan The bronze trophy for the Joe Moore Award goes to the nation's most out- standing offensive line and, at more than 350 pounds, is the largest trophy in college football. Michigan is seeking to become the first back-to-back winner in the history of the award. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FOUNDATION FOR TEAMWORK