Michigan football's offensive line ranks 2nd in latest projection
Michigan football’s offensive line has won back-to-back Joe Moore Awards for the best trench group in the nation with a chance to make it three in a row this fall.
On3’s Jesse Simonton ranked the 10-best offensive lines heading into the 2023 season, where he labeled the Wolverines No. 2 overall behind Georgia. Some believe the two programs could be on a collision course for the College Football Playoff this fall.
“The reigning back-to-back Joe Moore Award winners have a retooled OL unit that should still be among the nation’s best in 2023,” Simonton said. “The Wolverines bring back two of the better guards in the country in Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter, and they’ve added multiple transfers who look primed to start at center (Drake Nugent from Stanford) and tackle (LaDarius Henderson from Arizona State).
“Michigan OC/OL coach Sherrone Moore has depth to work with, too, with fellow Stanford transfer tackle Myles Hinton and third-year interior vets Greg Crippen and Raheem Anderson.”
Right now, Georgia is the class of college football and take Simonton’s No. 1 spot. He explains what gives them a leg up over Michigan in his positional rankings.
“The Bulldogs return all three interior starting linemen, including one of the nation’s best center’s in Sedrick Van Pran and former 5-star recruit Tate Ratledge at guard,” he said. “Amarius Mims is a potential 1st Round pick at right tackle who started both College Football Playoff games for UGA last season.
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“Georgia has an ongoing competition at left tackle to replace 1st Round pick Broderick Jones, with former 4-star recruit Earnest Greene an early frontrunner for the spot.”
Michigan has a lot to sort out on its line before the season starters, but it has the tools in place to again be a dominant force. Our Clayton Sayfie recently discussed some of the position battles that could determine which was this group goes.
“The degrees to which these are really ‘battles’ vary, but there are really three competitions — left tackle, center and right tackle,” Sayfie wrote. “[Gradute Karsen Barnhart] was at left tackle in most practice photos and during the spring game, playing almost the entire scrimmage, and even if Henderson is the favorite to start there, he’ll have to take the job — it won’t be handed over.
“The right tackle battle hinges on what happens on the left side, in part. It’s hard to imagine Barnhart not starting for Michigan somewhere, but Jones — who began the 2022 season as the starting right tackle before suffering a high-ankle sprain at Indiana — won’t go down without a fight. And then there’s Hinton, who may have to wait a year to be in the top five but has loads of experience as well.”
