Versatile transfer newcomer Brady Norton in the mix to earn starting job at Michigan

Michigan Wolverines football offensive lineman Brady Norton was one of the program’s key transfer portal pickups in December. The Cal Poly transfer is ranked as the No. 71 overall player and ninth-best interior offensive lineman to transfer this offseason, per On3.

Norton, who has three years of eligibility remaining, is taking reps at tackle during spring ball but can also play guard. He’s acclimating well to the Big Ten level during practices.

“Brady’s been great, been a great addition,” Michigan offensive line coach Grant Newsome said. “Very smart, loves ball. Obviously, he has some good experience. Although it was at a lower level, you haven’t seen any of that struggle that you not worry about but wonder, hey, is this gonna be too fast for him? Everyone’s a lot bigger, stronger, faster — you haven’t seen that at all.

“He’s doing really, really well, and he’s another guy that’s gonna put himself in that mix to be one of those best five. Been awesome to see that from him.”

The 6-foot-3 offensive lineman was listed at 275 pounds at Cal Poly last season, but he told TheWolverine.com in late-December that he was around 295, noting that he wanted to get up to 310 “to compete at this level.”

“I’m very happy with where he is weight-wise,” Newsome said. “[Head strength and conditioning] Coach [Justin] Tress and [nutritionist] Abigail [O’Connor] and her staff have done a great job with all those guys.

“But he’s at a weight where he can play at this conference right now, so I don’t have any concerns about, is he big enough, is he strong enough? He’s already one of the stronger guys in the room, so physically I have zero concern about, is he anything enough to be able to contribute.”

In terms of stature at tackle, Newsome already has comparisons to two former teammates and a three-time All-Big Ten honoree: The first, Mason Cole, who played six seasons in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers. Cole was listed at 6-foot-5, 297 pounds in 2017, his final season at Michigan, and played both tackle and center for the Maize and Blue. The other is Jon Runyan Jr., a current New York Giants offensive lineman who was listed at 6-foot-5, 321 pounds at U-M and played left tackle.

“Brady has been working, yes, tackle and guard. He gives us a lot of positional flexibility,” Newsome said. “Not the tallest guy, but I was talking about him today in a staff meeting — he reminds me a lot of a Mason Cole, Jon Runyan Jr. type, where he’s just a really good football player.

“If he ends up being a tackle, it’s not gonna look like [Michigan draft hopeful] Myles Hinton getting off the bus, but he’s a really, really good football player. He’s already made our room better, and I’m excited to see him continue to push to be one of the starting five.”

Michigan interior linemen who are stepping up

Michigan lost depth on the interior of its line when Raheem Anderson (Western Michigan) and Dominick Giudice (Missouri) decided to transfer. That means some players will have to step up and also that versatility is at a premium.

Junior Nathan Efobi has emerged as a potential starter at right guard, and sophomore Jake Guarnera is stepping up into a two-deep role at both center and guard.

“In terms of interior guys who continue to step up, I think Nate is at the top of that list of guys who have talent that next step,” Newsome said. “Jake Guarnera is playing really good ball, as well. Jake’s been working center or guard.

“That’s the nice thing of having a younger group is that there are a lot of reps and there’s a lot of moving guys around and trying to see what the best five that we can put on the field is.”

Efobi — a 6-foot-3, 307-pound Atlanta, Georgia, native — has played only 2 offensive snaps in his career, seeing 1 in two different contests in 2024, but has impressed behind the scenes for some time.

“He’s had a really good spring so far,” Newsome said of Efobi. “A really, really solid spring. We’ve been very encouraged to see him kind of push to take that next step.

“That was the challenge for him of, ‘Hey, you’re no longer that young guy that’s just a freshman or a redshirt freshman. Take that next step and go compete to put yourself in the mix for the starting lineup.’ And he’s done that so far this spring.”