Michigan football: Is Giovanni El-Hadi the next great U-M lineman?
Michigan has become Offensive Line U. again after a hiatus, regularly putting linemen into the NFL and having captured the Joe Moore Award the last two seasons as the nation’s top offensive line. Former O-line coach Ed Warinner helped the group take a big step, and Sherrone Moore has taken it to another level.
Though he’s considered a “players’ coach” — his Michigan linemen and the others absolutely love him — he’s also a no-nonsense guy. They know when he means business and when it’s time to listen.
But they also know he has their best interest at heart. That’s why Michigan junior guard Giovanni El-Hadi has remained patient while waiting his turn behind elite guards Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter when he’d probably be starting at most other programs in the country. It hasn’t always been easy, he told Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches podcast recently, but he’ll always be ready when his number is called — and sometimes before.
When Keegan went down in one game last year and started limping off the field, El-Hadi didn’t even wait for Moore’s order before taking the field.
“When I am on, I have my helmet ready. I’m jumping, ready to go in there,” El-Hadi said. “I stay loose, jump around. Mentally … I’ve said before, it’s my opportunity to shine. Whatever I can get. This is what I have dreamed of … it’s everything I know.”
It’s not just his dream, he noted — it’s for his entire family, especially his mother. A soccer player growing up, El-Hadi quickly grew into a dominant physical specimen, and just as quickly picked up football.
But it was new to him when he had to sit as a freshman at Michigan. Though they won the Big Ten title his first year — and he loved every minute of it — it was a bit empty, he admitted.
“It was something new to me,” he said. “I understand when you get to college, it’s hard … but it didn’t sit right with me. It kills you inside when you don’t get to see the field.”
When he got his second Big Ten title ring this year, though, he cherished it, knowing he was a big reason for the team’s success. He played in all 14 games on special teams and played offensive line in nine contests with three starts at left guard.
“It was surreal. I don’t really get nervous, I don’t know why, but I felt ready,” the Michigan junior continued, “It was my opportunity to shine. I couldn’t be thinking like that … all I could think was just play football.
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And to make sure there wasn’t much, if any, dropoff after Keegan went out. Jansen marveled at how confident El-Hadi looked in that respect.
“With Coach Moore, it’s not that hard [to hit expectations],” El Hadi said. “We have a standard, and we keep that standard. The o-line runs the team. That’s what we always tell each other and pride ourselves on. We are everything to the team, so whenever we are strong, our team is strong.
“[But] we can’t get comfortable. All we know is that we are champions. We have these accolades, but we can’t get comfortable … we have to keep grinding. We have to keep everyone at a high standard, keep doing everything to the best of your ability, and keep putting your heart on the field.”
If they do that, they know they’ll all get their individual accolades and rewards, too. That’s how they approach it, and it’s why the culture has changed.
“At the end of the day, we know it’s a job. We play football for fun, but we all have dreams to go to the NFL and support our families,” El-Hadi said. “So, at the end of the day, it’s whoever wants it more.
“I am going to train every day until I get it to show Coach Moore and the guys out there that they can rely on me.”
He’s probably already there. Expect more on his plate this year while he continues to develop into what should be another elite Michigan lineman.
