The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/614487
Of course, if Cole makes the move to center, other changes are set in motion. The Wolverines should have three fifth-year seniors on the 2016 offensive line: left guard Ben Braden, right guard Kyle Kalis and right tackle Erik Magnuson. Magnuson (6-6, 305) has played several positions on the offensive line and could slide over to the left end of the group up front. If he did so, his replace- ment could involve one of a number of candidates. Braden played right tackle in 2014, and he could always be moved back outside, although it was Harbaugh and offensive line coach Tim Drevno who moved him to the interior of the line last spring. Braden's backup at left guard, 6-6, 301-pound David Dawson, is able to perform at either guard or tackle, and could plug in if necessary. Meanwhile, a newcomer cropped up over the course of the season at tackle and could enhance his status over Michigan's 15 bowl practices. True fresh- man Grant Newsome appeared in multiple Michigan games, and at one point Harbaugh listed him among the Wolverines' top seven performers on the of- fensive line. Newsome, at 6-7, 300, could plug in at right tackle if Magnuson should flip ends of the line. Or if he showed enough to handle the vital position, Newsome could potentially perform himself at left tackle, where he's presently listed as the top backup. "I know he's going to be really good, and he's ready now," Harbaugh said about Newsome, following the rookie's debut performance in Michigan's win at Minnesota. "He's physically more mature than most. He's mentally very sharp, more so than most. He's a battler. He's tough. He hasn't taken a back seat since he's been here. He gives no quarter, takes no quarter, you know?" Magnuson himself observed of Newsome: "He plays like an older guy. He doesn't play like a freshman." Newsome represents the second straight Wolverine offensive lineman to see the field as a true freshman, after Cole did so in 2014. Now those two could be key players in squaring away the center spot for 2016. "Any player, they're better when they play football," Harbaugh said. "You get better at playing football by playing football." The Wolverines will be playing plenty of it in the months to come. The 15 bowl practices afford not only the chance to get ready for the upcoming game, they allow younger players to be seen and different combinations to be observed. Spring ball will represent yet another step toward formulating an offensive line, followed by a summer of player-led workouts culminating in fall camp. By then, the picture should be much clearer on Glasgow's successor. The possible combinations are intriguing, and the Wolverines involved are ready for the battle before the 2016 fight. — John Borton