The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 83 combination up front, and the coach even admits the freshmen — true and redshirt — could play a role in the fall. Cole, meanwhile, doesn't mind being the guinea pig, crediting Drevno, Harbaugh and passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch for helping him in the transition. "I went into spring saying if it worked out for me at center, it worked out," Cole explained. "Being able to move from tackle to center and play at a high level for both, it ups your stock a little bit and shows how versatile you are. "I know nothing is set in stone right now … it can go so many different ways, and I don't mind. If it doesn't, at least I got the experience and it makes me a more well- rounded player." The mental part of the move has been a tougher adjustment than the physical, according to the junior. Last year he only played center a little bit, and it was with an entirely new offense. It's been easier to un- derstand and grasp this spring, he said. It's been noticeable. At times, Skene noted, Cole looked as though he'd been play- ing there for more than a month. "I watched him in the spring game, and I think he looked pretty good for a guy that hasn't really played there before," he said. "It's not the same as a live season in the fall, but again, I've seen enough out of him at center to think, 'Okay, this can happen.' And if the coaches feel confident that can happen in there, everyone should be fine with it. "He reminds me a lot of the guy who played that very position for Alabama a cou- ple years ago, Barrett Jones. At one point in his career he had played every position, fin- ished as a center. He reminds me of him, and he was a very good player who is playing in the NFL now [with the Philadelphia Eagles]." Cole would love to follow in his footsteps, of course, but his primary goal is to make Michigan's line the best it can be the next two years. If that means he's at center, so be it. Last year he helped put the Wolverines back on the map at left tackle, and while he and his teammates remain grounded amid national predictions of a big season in Ann Arbor, he also realizes the potential. "Last season we started off just trying to jell and during the season, we got more con- sistent and got to know the offense better," he said. "By the bowl game we had so much time to prepare, we put it all together. "We'll keep building off that, keep that working mentality, and I think we'll have a really good year as an offensive line." That should be true wherever No. 52 lines up in the fall, inside or out. ❏ Mason Cole's Potential Move Raises The Stakes For Others Though Mason Cole isn't the guaranteed starting center for Michigan's opener with Hawai'i, he is the odds-on favorite. Former U-M All-Big Ten offensive lineman Doug Skene said he'd be comfortable if the junior was called upon to man the middle. "For him to go from tackle to center, that means he probably has that level of under - standing to handle it given the amount of football he's played," Skene said. "He seems like a smart guy." The bigger question, Skene noted, would be how does the new left tackle — pre- sumably sophomore Grant Newsome — hold up protecting the quarterback's blind side? "Now you can talk about the same concerns we had when the biggest worry was playing a true freshman [Cole] over there," Skene said. "There are a lot of ways to help a guy over there, though, to make sure he's comfortable. You can slide protection his way, can send a back or a tight end to help in pass pro. "You still have to be up to par with the blocking stuff, base pass and run. Guys are going to try to get a jump on him, so he has to prove he can pass block on the blind side. That's the money spot there at left tackle." But Newsome has done a very good job so far, according to Cole, and he's not alone. Several others have taken reps there, including redshirt sophomore Juwann Bushell- Beatty, and camp will sort out the best five on the line and where they'll play. Cole, in fact, might even find himself back at left tackle. "We'll keep working in the summer and fall camp, and it will play itself out," he said. There's no questioning Newsome's potential, Skene added while putting full trust in the coaching staff. "I have no doubts Tim Drevno and Jim Harbaugh are not going to put anyone out there who isn't up to the challenge," Skene said. "Newsome is a big, athletic dude who comes off the ball pretty well. "I haven't seen enough reps with him out there in passing downs to see how effec - tive he is one on one without any help, but the faster he can get that down, it opens up all kinds of possibilities on that line." And a better chance that Cole will land at center in the opener. — Chris Balas When Cole started the 2014 season opener against Appalachian State, he was the first true freshman in program history to start week one on the offensive line. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN Sophomore offensive tackle Grant Newsome played in four games last fall, including a start at Minnesota. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN