The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MAY 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 39 probably the leader of that offensive line group is Jake." The junior center insists he's not only ready to lead, he's totally on board with the new leadership that entered Schem- bechler Hall in 2026. He understandably felt a little unsure at first. He'd commit- ted to one staff, and now a whole host of other coaches and support personnel are in charge. But Guarnera quickly discovered the change involved one he could navigate. In fact, he began to embrace what Whit- tingham, new offensive line coach Jim Harding, new offensive coordinator Ja- son Beck and others were dialing up in- side Michigan's football fortress. "Trying to get to know the new staff, entering the portal gave me time to look at my options and see what the new staff was about," Guarnera ac- knowledged. "If I had a whole new staff com- ing in and I didn't mesh with any of them, that's not going to be a good recipe for success. Just being able to learn about the new staff, learn who they are, that was the big point of doing that." He learned they're not messing around, and he liked that feel. While the new staff didn't take a hard and fast my- way-or-the-highway approach — lis- tening to the players in meaningful ways — it laid down the law in other areas. Miss a workout, and you'll not only hurt your own development, but you'll affect your teammates as well. That's been enforced in creative fash- ion, Guarnera assured. "Now we have something in place, through the strength and development staff, if you miss a workout, you're com- ing in at 6 a.m. either Wednesday or Sat- urday," Guarnera explained. "And then if you miss two, your whole unit's coming in. Then if you miss a third, the entire offense or defense is coming in. That's something that keeps everyone on track. "We also have a list that goes out every day. If you miss class, things like that. Each position group will have a punish- ment for not going to class or being on the list." The clear-cut consequences served the Wolverines well over the past few months, he confirmed. "We've had a unit that's had to come in at 6 a.m.," Guarnera noted. "Thank- fully, the offensive line hasn't ever had to do that, but you'll see certain units … do that. We've seen that. But never when the entire offense or defense units come in, which is good. You won't have a guy missing three workouts in a semester. It's good to see kids are learning from their mistakes and learning how to handle themselves professionally now." When someone slips up, others are there to provide corrective instruction. Guarnera stated: "It's a lot of the older guys in that unit kind of guid- ing the younger kids and telling them, 'This is the standard. If you want to win, you've got to be here, you've got to invest in yourself. You missing workouts, the punishment is more teaching you that you're not getting yourself better. This is harming you, not coming to workouts. It's not like a punishment just because you missed it. This is you not coming in, and harming yourself more.'" INSTRUCTION FOR A STRONGER LINE Guarnera quickly picked up on why Harding came to Michigan billed as one of the best in the business when it came to offensive line development. Utah's starting tackles from last season — Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu — are both expected to go early in the upcom- ing 2026 NFL Draft. Utah doesn't tend to pull in five-star offensive line re- cruits, or five-stars period. That caught the attention of a con- sensus three-star prospect out of Ponte Vedra, Fla. He's now a 6-foot-4, 311-pound third-year Wolverine, one who's convinced Harding can assist him in taking the next big steps. "With Coach Harding, you see the success he had last year with the two tackles, Caleb and Spencer, and just how they're going to be faring out in the draft this year," Guarnera said. "I want to play for a coach who gets guys that are not as highly rated. I think he said he only had six to eight four-stars ever, and having two first-rounders this year speaks to his development. That's someone I want to play for." Listening to him teach, and knowing that Harding listens, made the fit even stronger for Michigan's projected start- ing center. "It's a lot more mental, thinking about how I can use information from the other team and use that to my ad- vantage," Guarnera explained, regard- ing Harding's teaching emphasis. "Then also, during practice, just some of the drills he works in during indy [individ- ual drills], they're a lot more specific to what the players need. A lot of drills during indy will be what a player re- quested. Being able to tell him what we need, and then he's able to translate that to drills and in film room. "Oh, it's a lot differ- ent. I feel like Coach H a r d i n g j u s t g o e s straight to the point. He tells you what you need fixed, and as long as you get the job done, you've got to do that. Just staying between the defender and the ball carrier, making sure your guy doesn't make the play. You've got to stay between him and the ball carrier until the whistle is blown." Guarnera made his first career start against Central Michigan early last season. He fought through the ups and downs of a 9-4 Michigan campaign, seeing both the good and the correct- able regarding Michigan's effort. "I felt we could run the ball last year," the junior center said. "Obviously, pass protection needed to get a little bit bet- ter. Just being able to develop in pass pro, give [sophomore quarterback] Bryce [Underwood] time to go through his reads, is something we're going to be working on this year." Enter Harding, once again. "It's a lot more identification with blitzes and drill work — a lot more indi- vidualized stuff like technique training and mentally being able to figure out where a blitz is coming from, how to pick it up, how to get back, things like that." Guarnera is picking it up in rapid fashion, according to Whittingham. The new center wanted to lead, and he didn't need to snap off his association with Michigan to do so. ❏ ❱ Guarnera "If I came in and then left, just because adversity happened, what kind of a leader am I if I do that?"