The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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[ O F F E N S I V E L I N E ] THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 75 left guard last year despite fighting through nagging injuries much of the season. Zinter was a first-team selec- tion at right guard by both the coaches and the media, a dominant run blocker who figures to be a favorite for Big Ten Lineman of the Year and more in 2023. "Both those guys, the goal for them is to be the most dominant players at their position," Moore said. "Both of them being first-team all-conference players but understanding, 'What are your goals?' Obviously, they both have personal goals to play at the next level, and they could have done that this year. I think for them, refining all the tools for this year, making sure they are as dominant as they can be is what they really want to do to be ready for the next level." But they also want to make sure the team is where it wants to be come play- off time in January. Keegan admitted that was the only thing he and Zinter talked about when they walked off the field following the Fiesta Bowl playoff loss to TCU. Moore wasn't at all surprised to hear it. "They've been great leaders," he said. "Both are very infectious guys. Both have a lot of pride. They play with a big chip on their shoulder, and they'll just continue to do that. "We talk all the time — remember what happened in 2020 [the 2-4 sea- son], how you felt? I think that's a mo- tivating factor we all use. From time to time as we go through the day, we talk about it to make sure we're not ever go- ing back to that thought process." They've set the bar for the others in the room, and there are several. Junior Giovanni El-Hadi would probably start for every other program in the Big Ten, and he played in nine games at Michi- gan (with three starts) a year ago. He plays with a mean streak and as though he's entrenched in the lineup every time he plays. He took a big step forward in the spring, Moore said, becoming more familiar with the offense and playing with added confidence. His time is coming. "Like I told him, 'You've started games for us, and you're one snap away from being a starter again,'" Moore said. "He just has to continue to work like he's been working, do what he's been doing, and push himself mentally and physically. That will ultimately PRESEASON ANALYSIS STARTER ★★★★½ There are three starters returning, and two of them are among the best players in the country in guards Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter. Both could be playing in the NFL but instead chose to come back for a shot at a national title. Right tackle Karsen Barnhart has played a lot of football, and he's fighting for his job with another guy who has, too, in Trente Jones. Stanford transfer Drake Nugent is the favorite to start at center, and he's one of the top returning players in the country at the position, per Pro Football Focus. Left tackle is the question mark, but there are capable candidates. DEPTH ★★★★½ Some have suggested Michigan's second- string line would start for many Big Ten teams — the Wolverines are that deep, led by junior Giovanni El-Hadi at left guard. He's a future All-Big Ten player. Transfers Myles Hinton and LaDarius Henderson will fight for starting jobs, and sophomore Andrew Gentry is a future star. There's talent all over the place. OVERALL ★★★★½ This group has a legitimate shot to earn a third straight Joe Moore Award as the na- tion's top offensive line. Line coach Sherrone Moore has made an impact in his first two years with the unit, and the bar has been set. There are legitimately 10 guys in the mix to play this fall, and all of them are extremely talented. This is the deepest room in the Big Ten and one of the best in the country. It wouldn't surprise if this were a five-star group again by the end of the year. ❱ U-M's offensive line won the Joe Moore Award in 2022 for an unprecedented second consecu- tive year. The award is given each season to the top O-line group in the nation and has been handed out each year since 2015. The Wolverines are the second Big Ten team on the list to be given the honor after the Iowa Hawkeyes won it in 2016. With Michigan's win, it joined Alabama (2015, 2020) as one of two programs in the nation to have won the award twice. ❱ U-M turned to the transfer portal again for help on the line after the success it had in 2022 with Olu Oluwatimi, who won the Rimington and Outland awards. The Wolverines brought in a pair of former Stanford linemen in Drake Nugent and Myles Hinton, expected to compete at center and right tackle, respectively. LaDarius Henderson was added from Arizona State to compete for the left tackle job left now open with Ryan Hayes moving on to the NFL. ❱ The offensive line helped set a school record with 6,423 yards of total offense in 2022, breaking the previous mark of 6,353 set during the 2010 campaign. U-M's OL yielded just 17 sacks and 69 negative plays on 970 offensive snaps, finished 23rd nationally in sacks allowed per game (1.21) and ranked 43rd in tackles for loss allowed (4.93). ❱ Athlon Sports ranked U-M's offensive line No. 2 headed into the season behind only Georgia, tabbing senior guard Zak Zinter and graduate center Drake Nugent as preseason second-team All- Americans. Lindy's Sports ranked the Wolverines' offensive line No. 1 in the nation, with individual player rankings as follows: Zinter (No. 2 guard and a preseason first-team All-American), graduate Trevor Keegan (No. 4 guard) and Nugent (No. 7 center and No. 4 draft prospect at the position). [ F Y I ] O-LINE STARTING EXPERIENCE Player Starts Zak Zinter 30 LaDarius Henderson* 29 Drake Nugent* 24 Trevor Keegan 22 Myles Hinton* 16 Karsen Barnhart 15 Trente Jones 8 Giovanni El-Hadi 3 Jeffrey Persi 1 Total 148 * at previous school