Michigan football: Jim Harbaugh discusses offensive tackle who 'has come on like gangbusters,' leader for third running back spot

Michigan Wolverines football will take some of its position battles into the season for a second straight year. As it stands heading into the season-opener Saturday against East Carolina, the Maize and Blue have four starting-caliber tackles in graduate Karsen Barnhart and LaDarius Henderson (Arizona State transfer) on the left side and senior Myles Hinton (Stanford) and graduate Trente Jones on the right (all of them, especially Barnhart, could switch sides).

Harbaugh said midway through fall camp that Barnhart was the most impressive tackle. Speaking on the ‘Inside Michigan Football’ radio show Monday night, though, the head man said all four have had their moments in preseason practices.

“All four have been great,” Harbaugh said. “Trente and Karsen Barnhart, the two new [guys] — LaDarius Henderson and Myles Hinton — at tackle.

“There have been days, weeks where Karsen Barnhart — boy, he’s the best tackle. You look at him, he’s like a Swiss Army Knife, the way he goes in at left guard, right guard, right tackle [and left tackle]. He’s played all those positions except center this camp, and he’s capable of doing that.

“Myles Hinton has come on like gangbusters. There have been days where he looks like the best. The whole week, he’s looking like the best. And Trente and LD both have been … so athletic, the way they move.”

It’s been competitive, just how Harbaugh likes it. Michigan will start two tackles the first game and another pair the next in order to find the best combination. Graduate Trevor Keegan and senior Zak Zinter are locked in at left and right guard, respectively, and graduate center Drake Nugent is the favorite to start at center.

“It’s good,” Harbaugh continued. “Now you’ve gotta see it in the games. We’ll see who plays the best in the ball games. That’s the ‘Michigan Method.’ Who gets to start? The best players. How do you know who the best players are? They play the best.”

Michigan has arguably the best running back tandem in the country in senior Blake Corum, who finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting last season, and junior Donovan Edwards. It’s a much deeper position group than a year ago, and both players are back healthy.

“Doesn’t get any better — I know that,” Harbaugh said of the Michigan duo. “How excited we all are that Blake decided to come back for the 2023 season. Seeing him back to true form [like] before the injury, like we expected and thought he would, he did.

“Donovan has gotten so much stronger, and he looks like he’s ready for a breakout season — which he had last year, but even more good things to come. It just looks that way and is setting up that way. I don’t know how it gets any better than those two.”

The third running back spot is up for grabs, and a few Michigan players are in contention, though there’s a leader at this point.

“It’s deep,” Harbaugh said. “Blake and Dono, and then [senior] Kalel Mullings is probably the third back right now. That’s going to sort out. [Freshman] Benjamin Hall is right there with him, [sophomore] CJ Stokes … there’s a guy [junior] Henry Donohue — ’Downhill Donohue’ — who had an incredible camp. [Graduate] Leon Franklin, [graduate] Danny Hughes is back — he was injured. [Junior] Tavi Dunlap, he was working through something right there at the end of camp and hopefully we can get him back soon, because he was really shining. The first week, I was like, ‘This is the guy — Tavi.’ Did not fumble one time all camp.

“I think we might’ve had a fumble or two the entire camp. I can’t recall one coming from a running back. So you talk about, there’s a real tone set there, there’s a real respect. The guys know the level that they have to play to, and Donovan Edwards, Blake Corum — Blake and Dono — have set that bar. I just see all those backs really stepping up to that.”

Michigan moved Mullings from linebacker to running back toward the end of last season after Corum and Edwards suffered injuries. He carried 14 times for 31 yards and 3 touchdowns, mostly serving as a short-yardage ball-carrier. Hall, meanwhile, was the star of Michigan’s spring game this April, recording 96 yards and 1 touchdown on 13 carries. Stokes had 55 rushes for 273 yards and 1 score during his freshman campaign in 2022.