78 days until Michigan football: On an intriguing pair of linemen ahead of 2023
There’s much anticipation heading into the Michigan Wolverines football season, and TheWolverine.com is counting down the days until the Sept. 2 opener against East Carolina. We’ll discuss current Michigan events, the upcoming season and/or take a look at a significant number that correlates with how many days remain until kickoff, whether it be a player’s jersey number, a year, a date, a score, etc.
Michigan football is charging hard into the 2023 football season with title aspirations, but we know that those goals will only be fulfilled with elite play in the trenches on both sides of the ball. With that in mind, there are a few intriguing names on the roster that both wear No. 78.
Starting on offense, one cannot help but wonder where former Stanford offensive tackle Myles Hinton fits into the 2023 tapestry. There will be plenty of competition at both tackle spots with Arizona State transfer LaDarius Henderson stepping in and Karsen Barnhart and Trente Jones already on the roster. Right now, we would give them all a higher chance of playing a big role than Hinton.
But Hinton remains intriguing. He is a mammoth of a man at 6-7, 320 and has starting experience at Stanford. Where is his potential opening for a role with this roster? The most logical spot would be right tackle, where Barnhart and Jones held down the fort last season for Michigan. He is coming off right shoulder surgery this offseason, but a healthy Hinton could give the Wolverines some more terrific competition for a unit looking to stay at the top of the sport.
“Honestly, I don’t know yet,” Hinton told The Wolverine of his role this spring. “The course of action for me is to get better, get stronger, quicker, faster, just learn the play book as fast as I can and see where it falls. Also the reason I came here was to be challenged. I didn’t want to come and walk into a spot, because I knew if I walked into a spot, I wouldn’t grow. So if I can come to a spot where there’s some comp, there’s room to grow, I’ll be pushed in that way.”
We will have to wait and see how it plays out.
The defensive No. 78
On the other side of the ball, Michigan is working on the development of sophomore defensive tackle Kenneth Grant. Grant, one of head coach Jim Harbaugh’s “gifts from the football gods” in the 2022 recruiting class, stands at 6-3 and 345 pounds. That sort of mass makes him an easy name to pencil in as a potential replacement for Mazi Smith at the nose.
Grant has the chance to be a special due to his mixture of size and athleticism. But it will be the details that help him find a role on the defense.
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“Mazi Smith has been a great mentor to me,” Grant said this spring. “He’s been that guy to give me a small hints and details. I feel like I could be a leader on this team just by him setting the example.”
Grant is still learning, and even his predecessor took three seasons to truly emerge into the player he would become. It would be wise to apply patience to his development, which will be aided be a deep group of defensive tackles. Mason Graham, Kris Jenkins, Rayshaun Benny and Cam Goode can do a lot to take some off of each other’s plates.
What happens with Grant and Hinton in 2023 remains to be seen. But the No. 78 will be an asset for the Wolverines on both sides of the ball and continue to solidify their depth in the trenches.
Michigan football countdown to kickoff
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