The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/201975
Shuffling The Deck Michigan's Offensive Line Is Still Looking For A Consistent Starting Five Heading Into November R By Michael Spath edshirt freshmen Ben Braden and Kyle Kalis were popular back in early August at Michigan's media day. The classmates posed for pictures and conducted interviews together, enjoying the limelight while they prepared to usher in a new era of dominant physical play at the two guard positions on the offensive line. However, Braden never made it to opening day, struggling with the nuances of the guard spot. He would move to left tackle midway through fall camp and is being groomed as a potential heir to fifth-year senior left tackle Taylor Lewan. Kalis, meanwhile, started the first six games for the Maize and Blue at right guard but was briefly replaced at Penn State in week six and then permanently replaced in the starting lineup seven days later against Indiana. Photographers that captured the image of Braden and Kalis standing side by side may want to keep the photo for posterity's sake … a collector's item of what could (and was supposed to) have been. Michigan's offensive line, instead, has been subject to tremendous upheaval this season. The Maize and Blue featured three different starting combinations in their first seven games and were expected to break in a fourth when U-M traveled to Michigan State Nov. 2. "You do like to get five and set it," U-M line coach Darrell Funk said. "Some years you have a rotational thing, and that's fine, but when you're dealing with young kids and the uncertainties of how they'll play — you see how they do in practices and in scrimmages, but in real-life football on Saturdays, sometimes things change. "We've entered each week with the idea that the best five, with all the information we have based on practice and previous games, are out there. Sometimes you have to readjust and try different lineups. But to be midway through the year and still shuf-