The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1536962
O F F E N S I V E L I N E M E N 74 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY CHRIS BALAS O ffensive line coach Grant Newsome didn't blink last year when his position group lost its top six offensive linemen, most to the NFL. The then-first year Michigan O-line coach, one of the youngest as- sistant coaches in college football (and still the case for the 28-year- old), saw a group of competitors that included hungry backups who had waited their turn, an All-Big Ten transfer in Northwestern's Josh Priebe, and young talent waiting to emerge. He expressed confidence and insisted there didn't have to be much drop-off from the outstanding 2023 line. It didn't quite work out that way. His first group was one of the weak links on an offense that struggled from Game 1 to the end of the year. Those who were part of it, including graduate student guard Giovanni El-Hadi, called it "unacceptable" and vowed they would get back to being nasty and effec- tive in 2025. Newsome is all for it. At the same time, there's another element he felt was lacking last season. It's natural to be stressed and dis- appointed, he said, especially given how the of- fensive line thrived the previous three seasons, but he also wants his group to enjoy the game. "I always joke, 'We play a kids' game like some of the 6-year-olds out at recess,' … And yes, there are bigger stakes to it," the second-year line coach and fourth-year U-M assistant said this spring. "We all understand that. "But at the end of the day, you need to have fun playing football. I think there were times last year where I didn't do a good enough job of just letting them do that." Veterans Are Ready To Right The Ship Elite results bring high expectations, though, and there's going to be stress when they're not met. Though the line was far from the only issue last year — the wide receivers and quarterbacks weren't good enough, either — head coach Sherrone Moore went public with some of his con- MOTIVATED MAULERS Offensive Line Hopes To Return To Form After A Disappointing 2024 Season Michigan Offensive Linemen Drafted Into The NFL In The Last Five Years Year Player Position Team Round Overall Pick 2025 Myles Hinton OT Philadelphia Eagles 6th 191st 2024 Zak Zinter OG Cleveland Browns 3rd 85th Trevor Keegan OG Philadelphia Eagles 5th 172nd LaDarius Henderson OT Houston Texans 7th 249th 2023 Olu Oluwatimi C Seattle Seahawks 5th 154th Ryan Hayes OT Miami Dolphins 7th 238th 2022 Andrew Stueber OG New England Patriots 7th 245th 2021 Jalen Mayfield OT Atlanta Falcons 3rd 68th Graduate student Greg Crippen started the final eight games of the 2024 season and gives the U-M offensive line a veteran pres- ence at center heading into 2025. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN