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 M E N THE WOLVERINE 2026 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 75 became the No. 9 overall pick of the draft, taken in the first round by the Cleveland Browns. Then the New England Patriots took Caleb Lomu later in that opening round at No. 28 overall. Harding, Michi- gan's assistant head coach as well as of- fensive line coach, posted his crowning achievement after 24 years in the business, the last dozen with Utah. "He's a good teacher," offered former Michigan offensive tackle Jon Jansen, a two-time captain, two-time All-Ameri- can, national champion and veteran of a decade in the NFL. "I like the techniques that he's teaching. There are a lot of bad habits that he's got to break, so it's going to take some time. There were some good things and some bad things in the spring game, but none of them will be a surprise to him. "He knew going in that there is still a lot of work to do. But I like how he coaches the guys, how he teaches them. I like how he teaches the techniques. The track re- cord is, Jim Harding is a really good of- fensive line coach. I don't expect that to change." Coming out of spring football, the starting offensive line appeared to be as follows: junior Blake Frazier (6-6, 295) at left tackle; se- nior Nathan Efobi (6-3, 312) at left guard; junior Jake Guarnera (6-4, 311) at center; se- nior Brady Norton (6-4, 312) at right guard; and junior Andrew Sprague (6-8, 315) at right tackle. Together, and with better depth this season, they ought to form a more formidable crew than the Wolverines fea- tured in 2025, Jansen explained. "I 100 percent believe that," Jansen said, regarding expectations for at least an above-average Michigan offensive line. "Some of that is just because you've got three returning starters, in Blake, Sprague at right tackle, and Jake at the center po- sition — which I think is an upgrade over Crip [Greg Crippen]. I love Crip, but Jake is just definitely an upgrade." "Sprague had a really good spring. He's taken steps in the right direction. Frazier put the feedbag on. He's going to be a little bit heavier, a little bit thicker, and there's the upgrade at the center position. In that regard, they'll be above average. "You look at the guard position and Efo- bi's got some experience there, and cer- tainly he's got some talent. I think he will be a big beneficiary of having Jim Harding as his offensive line coach. Brady Norton — how does he figure into things? And [6-5, 308-pound sophomore Avery] Gach had a good spring. I think the unit will be above average, and by the end of the year, it should be well above that." Veterans To Step Up Jansen puts plenty of confidence in the trio of returning starters for the Wolver- ines. Frazier, Guarnera and Sprague need to be rock solid for the Wolverines to be what they want up front, and the former All-American anticipates they will be. "There's a natu- ral progression," he said. "Those guys are going to be much more com- fo r ta b l e h av i n g experienced ev- erything they ex- perienced last year. By default, when you've done it, you've seen it, you know what works, what doesn't work. That is going to be an advan- tage to them, and I think they'll improve. "Now you throw on top of that a coach who is technique-driven — and it's every single technique. It's not just in the pass pro. It's in the run game. It's all the little things. When a certain play is called, it's anticipating defensive movement and where you put your hat on this type of play. How you help your partner. That's the next step for those three guys. "It's 'OK, now that I've got myself taken care of, with things I'm going to work on and get better at, how do I help my guard as a tackle? How do I help my tight end as a tackle? As a center, what can I be do- ing to help both guards, as far as being vo- cal in that center position. That's where these players are really going to take the next step." Norton is a leading candidate to grab the position at right guard, but he'll get pushed by Gach. Jansen noted that for Norton, a summer weight build-up wouldn't hurt. "Brady is just a tremendous athlete," Jansen said. "He needs to get a little heavier to play that guard position. He's a smart kid, he's aggressive, he's got experience at both positions." Regarding Gach, Jansen likes his mental- ity. "He's got to get a grasp of the offense, but his approach to the game is going to lend itself to him being a really good guard. It's his aggressive style, his nature of want- ing to seek out violence that's really going to help him." Michigan's line could feature a pair of very large wild cards. Senior Evan Link QUICK FACTS Position Coach: Jim Harding (1st year at U-M) Returning Starters: Jake Guarnera (11 career starts), Blake Frazier (8), Andrew Sprague (13) Departing Starters: Greg Crippen (21), Giovanni El-Hadi (25) Projected New Starters: Evan Link (18), Nathan Efobi (5) or Brady Norton (3) Top Reserves: Andrew Babalola, Houston Ka'aha'aina-Torres Newcomers: Tommy Fraumann, Ace Hamil- ton, Malakai Lee, Marky Walbridge Moved In: Ka'aha'aina-Torres (Nebraska) Moved Out: Ty Haywood (Alabama), Con- nor Jones (Georgia State), Kaden Strayhorn (Alabama) Rookie Impact: None Most Improved Player: Blake Frazier Best Pro Prospect: Andrew Babalola ❱ ❱ X-FACTOR X-FACTOR Sophomore ANDREW BABALOLA was competing for the starting left tackle job in 2025 fall camp before sustaining a season-ending ACL injury. Now that he's expected to be fully healthy, he should be a major factor on the line, whether that's attaining a starting spot or serving as the jumbo tight end position that offensive coordinator Jason Beck calls "rhino." THEY SAID IT "He's been with me for over a decade and has produced a solid offensive line every single year. I don't think this year is going to be any different." — Head coach Kyle Whittingham on offensive line coach Jim Harding