Juan Castillo breaks down Michigan offensive linemen, including 'special kid' Andrew Babalola

Michigan Wolverines football‘s offensive line is looking to bounce back from a dismal 2024 campaign, with graduate student Giovanni El-Hadi even saying that last year’s performance was “unacceptable.”

Senior assistant offensive line coach Juan Castillo is back with the program, having served as an analyst on staff in 2019, and brings decades of experience with him.

Castillo has seen the group make strides — including with its work ethic — this offseason.

“They’ve only been back now, this is the second week,” Castillo said of Michigan’s summer training cycle while appearing on the ‘In The Trenches’ podcast. “But it was pretty cool to see some of the guys doing the extra work on their own, willing to get the guys together, and they’re just doing the extra work. That’s how offensive linemen become more consistent.

“It’s really about sacrificing and being disciplined, and them willing to sacrifice and do the extra work to get better and work together as a group. I think that’s what’s gonna make the difference.

“Everything is consistency in their fundamentals. I think that now they’re willing to sacrifice, they’re willing to do the extra work. So now, it’s about being consistent in their technique, in their fundamentals, so that they can become better. Because they’re willing to do the work.”

Andrew Babalola is a ‘special kid’

Michigan freshman Andrew Babalola is a 6-foot-6, 300-pounder who was a five-star recruit in the 2025 class. Head coach Sherrone Moore said following spring practices that he’ll compete for the starting left tackle job. While winning it would be a rare feat for a freshman, he’s in the mix, and the way he’s been talked about since stepping on campus indicates he has a bright future either way.

“Andrew is a special kid in that he’s very self-motivated,” Castillo said. “He wants to be good. He expects himself to be good.

“He’s the kind of kid that does all the extra work. To me, offensive line play is about doing the extra work. That’s how you become special. If you just do what everybody else does, you’re not gonna be that kind of offensive guy.

“It’s nice for other people to know that Andrew’s that kind of guy that does the extra work, that pushes himself, that’s a tough kid, that’s a smart kid. It’s important to him. He cares about it. He cares about being a good player.

“But, most important, is sacrifice and discipline. He’s willing to sacrifice, and he’s got the discipline to be able to do that.”

What Greg Crippen is working on

Michigan graduate center Greg Crippen took over the starting job after initial starter Dominick Giudice went down with injury last year. Crippen had a slow start to the season, having battled an injury himself during fall camp, but ultimately became the team’s best option in the middle of the line.

Castillo shared what the 6-foot-4, 309-pounder’s focus has been this offseason.

“With Greg, the important thing is just to let him know what he needed to work on,” the Michigan coach said. “Right now, we’re working point of attack. You see him out there working on the two sleds — there’s a Crowther sled and there’s a one-man sled.

“What he’s doing is he’s gotta really work point of attack, meaning a head-up nose or a shade nose.So, what he does on that Crowther sled is he gets right up against that Crowther sled and he snaps the ball, steps and gets into him. He’s gotta really feel comfortable straining as he snaps the football, because the guy’s right up on him.

“And then we have a one-man sled, and you come and watch through the building, you’ll probably see him out there right on that one-man sled, doing the same thing, trying to simulate the movements that you get when you’re playing on the sleds right now.

“Obviously, we’re not practicing and stuff. We’re trying to simulate those movements so they can become natural. And really, when you’re working those sleds, it’s almost like doing a power clean or a bench press. You’re working your hamstrings, you’re working your glutes and you’re working those muscles that you have to, to create movement at the point of attack.”

Andrew Sprague learning ‘how to bend’ and be ‘consistent’

Michigan coaches praised sophomore tackle Andrew Sprague for his work behind the scenes all of last season. Then, he met the hype in his first career start versus Alabama in a 19-13 ReliaQuest Bowl victory. Now, Moore projected him as a likely starter at right tackle.

“The nice thing about Andrew, I luckily have had [the opportunity to coach] some really tall kids — kids that are 6-7, 6-8 — and that’s what Andrew is,” Castillo said of Michigan’s tall lineman. “He’s the same thing, meaning that for him, I think just part of the sleds, he’s working on the sleds, learning how to bend.

“The other part is being consistent, staying square. Really, he’s still a young kid, so he’s still learning those things. The key with him is he’s doing the extra work. He’s also willing to sacrifice and has the discipline, so I think fans are gonna be happy with his play because of the individual that he is.”