Jim Harbaugh came to Dominick Giudice with an idea. Now the senior is Michigan's starting center

Former Michigan Wolverines football head coach Jim Harbaugh, now the head man of the Los Angeles Chargers, is an ideas guy. From blowout signing day events to team trips overseas to holding dozens of satellite camps across the country in the span of a month, Harbaugh has thought of it all.

He also has an impeccable track record evaluating and implementing talent within a football program, including encouraging players to switch positions — Mike Sainristil (wide receiver to cornerback), Zach Gentry (quarterback to tight end), Chase Winovich (tight end to linebacker to defensive end), Jabrill Peppers (safety to linebacker) and Khalid Hil (tight end to fullback) are some prime examples.

One of the most recent successful moves is senior Dominick Giudice from defensive tackle to offensive line.

The 6-foot-4, 310-pounder out of Middletown (N.J.) Mater Dei spent his freshman campaign on defense, before playing both ways as a sophomore in 2022. The transition to offense started with Harbaugh pulling him aside.

“Coach Harbaugh actually pulled me into his office right before my sophomore season and said he had an idea about me moving to the offensive side of the ball,” Giudice explained.

“I was a little surprised, honestly. I liked playing defensive line, but I thought it would be a great opportunity, because obviously Coach Harbaugh has made decisions with other players like that before, and it’s worked out, as you’ve seen with Mike Sainristil and some other guys.

“I wouldn’t not trust his judgement, so if he saw that as a good fit for me … obviously I thought about it a little bit, but I thought it was something that would work out for me. Clearly it has, thank God.”

Giudice, who played on both sides of the ball in high school, is now Michigan’s starter in the middle of the line and ranks second among Big Ten centers with an 82.5 PFF pass-blocking rating through four games.

“I think it suits me well,” Giudice said. “I have some knowledge of playing defense, so being able to understand defenses’ fronts, how defensive schemes work and move has given me a little bit of a leg up, I believe.

“Also, the physicality and the toughness I brought with me from the defensive line has been able to help. And just learning the next step mentally to get me to do the right things as a center has put me in a good position.”

When his teammates and coaches have been asked about his strengths as a player, ‘communication’ has almost always come up. His background surely plays a part in that.

“I think I have a good relationship with all the guys, and then communication-wise, I’m an Italian kid from New Jersey, so I’ve always talked a lot,” Giudice said with a laugh. “I love talking! I feel like that’s helped me a little bit, being a talkative guy, being personable.”

Greg Crippen also rotating in at center for Michigan

Michigan senior Greg Crippen is Giudice’s backup but has played extensively, averaging 16.8 offensive snaps per contest (he’s seen action in three of four tilts) to the starter’s 45.3.

“Obviously, we’re the University of Michigan,” Giudice said. “Competition is what we strive for, right? We say all the time, ‘Pressure is a privilege.’

“Any point in the season, whoever’s playing better, that’s gonna be the person who plays in the game, and we don’t shy away from that at all. At the end of the day, we want to win. University of Michigan, I care about us winning. Whoever is able to put us in the best position, I’m going to do whatever I can to help us win.”

Heading into fall camp, head coach Sherrone Moore listed Crippen as battling with classmate Raheem Anderson at center. But by the end, it was Giudice who came out on top and began the year as the starter. Giudice was viewed by those outside the program as a surprise, but to him earning the role was a culmination of the work he had put in.

“All along, I put my head down and just worked, whatever the outcome was going to be,” Giudice said. “But going into camp, I had a pretty good feeling, and then was just able to do what I kept doing, and graded out well.”

The competition with Crippen has kept Giudice on his toes, but he believes every Michigan offensive linemen should have that same level of drive.

“Even just the standard of playing offensive line for Michigan football keeps you motivated,” he said. “You want to live up to that standard. You don’t want to let it down, let the people that have played offensive line for Michigan before down. Obviously, it adds to it, but there are many things you can find to motivate you.”

Michigan has rushed for 301 and 290 yards in its last two games, respectively, wins over Arkansas State and USC. The offensive line has paved the way and is starting to come together at a higher level.

“Over time, we have meshed a lot better,” Giudice said. “With an offensive line, you need five playing as one consistently, and with the guys that we’ve had in new spots — including myself — it’s going to take some time to see that jell, see that come together.

“I think as we’ve gotten more game experience together and have been able to see different things, see different teams, work through different things, it’s only built our communication and trust with each other.”