The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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30 THE WOLVERINE ❱ NOVEMBER 2025 M ichigan fans were holding their collective breath when Evan Link went down early in the Wolverines' 24-7 win over Washington Oct. 18. The third- year left tackle suffered a lower body injury and was carted off the field, the fans giving him an ovation when he was brought up through the Michigan Sta- dium tunnel. When that happens, it's usually the sign of a significant injury, and that's what head coach Sherrone Moore seemed to confirm in the postgame when he said, "It doesn't look too good." That was the extent of the bad news, though. On Oct. 20 Moore confirmed Link wouldn't play at Michigan State Oct. 25, but that he should return this year. "It wasn't as bad as we thought," he said. "I think we'll have him back sooner than later. We'll just take it week by week. "[Redshirt freshman] Blake [Frazier] will start [at MSU], and [junior] Brady Norton will also play some tackle, as well. He played that before in his ca- reer, so we always had that planned. We'll move guys around accordingly." Frazier played well in Link's absence, Moore confirmed. He'd started the sea- son as the No. 3 tackle but moved up af- ter freshman Andrew Babalola suffered a knee injury in fall camp. "I'm really proud of him, the player he's become," Moore continued. "Hav- ing those extra reps are huge. We've re- ally done that the past few years, getting young guys time to play or getting an- other guy that we feel could be a starter to play extra reps. "You've seen the progression, obvi- ously [starting with] gaining the weight. I think Blake came in at like 255-245 pounds, and he's about 300 now. Hav- ing a guy like that ready to go was huge, and he played well. He's got some things to fix, as we all do, but he definitely stepped up [when] needed." Junior running back Justice Haynes, who notched five straight 100-yard games before leaving a 31-13 loss at USC in the first half with an upper body in- jury after amassing 55 yards, dressed and worked with the "ones" before the Washington game, but he was held out of the contest. "He'll practice this week, so we'll see," Moore said of the running back Oct. 20. "I think he'll be good." Veteran safeties Rod Moore and Bran- dyn Hillman missed the Washington game but were also slated to practice. Grad senior Marlin Klein and sopho- more Hogan Hansen were expected to return to the tight end room after also missing the Washington game. Senior linebacker Ernest Hausmann was banged up but returned in the game with the Huskies, and grad defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny was also hurt during the game. He didn't check back in, and his status for the game in East Lansing was unclear. "He's doing OK. We'll look to see if he can practice this week and see where that goes, but we'll know in the middle of the week where he is," Moore said of Benny. "Ernie has had success play after play after play. … I think he'll be OK, too. He'll be fine." — Chris Balas ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Injuries Continue To Mount, Leading To Offensive Line Shakeup Junior left tackle Evan Link left the Washington game on a stretcher, but two days later head coach Sherrone Moore said "It wasn't as bad as we thought. I think we'll have him back sooner than later [this season]." PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL 2025 U-M FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time/Result Aug. 30 NEW MEXICO W, 34-17 Sept. 6 at Oklahoma L, 24-13 Sept. 13 CENTRAL MICHIGAN W, 63-3 Sept. 20 at Nebraska W, 30-27 Oct. 4 WISCONSIN W, 24-10 Oct. 11 at USC L, 31-13 Oct. 18 WASHINGTON W, 24-7 Oct. 25 at Michigan State (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1 PURDUE (BTN) 7:00 p.m. Nov. 15 vs. Northwestern* TBA Nov. 22 at Maryland TBA Nov. 29 OHIO STATE (FOX) 12 p.m. * at Wrigley Field in Chicago