Michigan captains react to Andrew Babalola injury, Evan Link's camp
The Michigan Wolverines were dealt a bit of a blow this week when news emerged of a potential season-ending injury to freshman offensive lineman Andrew Babalola, who was competing for the starting left tackle job.
Babalola had taken to the position and the work it was going to take to win the job like a sponge, which makes it difficult to watch when he goes down with an injury. Newly minted captain and offensive guard Giovanni El-Hadi sang his praises earlier in camp and reflected on the setback during a Thursday media session.
“I just told him just keep trusting in God in this plan and that everything’s a lesson,” El-Hadi said on Thursday at Schembechler Hall. “It’s not easy what he is going through. I’m feeling for the kid. [Just telling him to] stay strong and always be there for him. … He was a really good camp. Like I told you guys the other interview, a really great kid, very smart, very talented. He’s going to be a star.”
Even with Babalola’s strong push, junior Evan Link had held him off in camp and is primed to start at the position when the season opens next Saturday against New Mexico in Ann Arbor.
Both Link and El-Hadi started last season on the right side of the line and are flipping over to the left at tackle and guard, respectively.
”He has been really good,” El-Hadi said. “We have that chemistry from last year and it’s just been really great. And just everything, from the run game, pass game, we have that good connection.”
Link’s improvement has been praised by both teammates and coaches this offseason, who say that the mental game has improved for the Michigan offensive tackle.
”Probably mentally [is where he has improved the most],” El-Hadi said. “It’s not easy to play this game and he’s been doing a great job. When we make a mistake, you’ll throw it out of your head. When you do have a good play, throw it out of your head and just worry about the next play.”
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Senior EDGE and captain Derrick Moore has seen the presumed Michigan starting left tackle in plenty of one-on-ones during camp and sees a more confident player, too.
”I feel like one thing about Evan is just confidence in himself,” Moore said. “No matter if he gets beaten in practice or not. I feel like Evan… you just learn how to build that confidence. And I feel like as like an edge guy who goes against him every day, we talk to him. We tell him, ‘Bro, you’re going to get beat. It is part of the game of football.’
“‘The same way that we study you, somebody in seasoning is also studying you. What can you do to beat that guy every play? Just continue to have confidence in yourself. If you get beat, don’t let it get to you. Just line it back up and just play the next snap.'”
Overall, Moore said that Michigan’s fall camp featured some more back-and-forth battles this time around, and he thinks they have the ingredients to get back to the standard set in Ann Arbor.
”I feel like it’s been great back-and-forth battles,” Moore said. “There would be days where we just dominated the O-line every day [last year]. But I feel like going into this camp, it’s been a lot of back and forth and I’m also glad to have that.
“Going into the season, we have full confidence in this offensive line to just pretty much dominate whoever they come across.”
