Sherrone Moore: Michigan freshman OL Andrew Babalola 'gonna be competing for that left tackle spot in the fall'

Michigan Wolverines football head coach Sherrone Moore said after the team’s April 19 spring game that three offensive linemen are currently in starting spots: graduate Giovanni El-Hadi at left guard, graduate Greg Crippen at center and sophomore Andrew Sprague at right tackle.

However, in an interview with Jon Jansen on the ‘In The Trenches’ podcast this week, Moore pointed out that nothing’s set in stone.

“First of all, you have a depth chart that you have day one, these guys go out, but I think every day there has to be competition,” Moore explained. “So, even those guys that are starters, they gotta be pushed by people, whether it’s the guy that’s right behind them, whether if I’m playing right tackle, maybe it’s the guy that’s playing left tackle, because he might be the next best guy and maybe you flip him over.

“So, it’s gonna be continuous competition, not only in fall camp but in the summer. They’re gonna compete in everything they do to make sure we see who the best five are.”

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Plus, Michigan is looking to have quite a bit of depth, too. The Wolverines had several offensive line injuries last season, and even when winning the national championship in 2023 had to have multiple different starting combinations.

“Ultimately, you want 10 guys to be able to help you go run and go win championships,” Moore said.

Michigan offensive line coach Grant Newsome said earlier this spring that the Wolverines were “six, seven or eight” deep, not exactly 10, but noted that there’s a lot of time remaining in the offseason to bolster that.

Sprague was a highly ranked recruit — top-110 on the On3 Industry — and started the final game of the season against Alabama during his true freshman campaign in 2024. He’s only built off of that this offseason.

“We always thought Sprague, highly recruited guy but had a lot of talent and back healthy,” the Michigan coach said. “He had a little bit of a knee injury early, early on, that he was recovering from — an ACL in high school. He was getting back to that, feeling good and once he felt healthy, you saw, OK, this dude is really, really good. I thought that he was mentally ready to go in there, and it really didn’t faze him.

“As soon as we told him he’s starting he was like, ‘OK, cool.’ And we’re like, ‘This is a true freshman starting against Alabama, and he doesn’t care.’ Felt like we invested in the time with him and he deserved it. He went out there and did a heck of a job, and I think he’s put himself in position to be that guy in the future.”

Another who could be in that mold: freshman early enrollee Andrew Babalola, a five-star prospect out of Overland Park (Ks.) Blue Valley Northwest. If he continues to develop throughout the offseason, he just may well be Michigan’s left tackle this fall — not that sophomore Evan Link and junior Brady Norton won’t have something to say about it. Both have been taking reps at the position this spring, as well.

“He’s a guy that’s gonna be competing for that left tackle spot in the fall, and we’re excited about it,” Moore said of Babalola.

The 6-foot-6, 300-pounder started for the Maize team at left tackle during Michigan’s spring game. He’s had a strong first several months on campus.

“Probably one of the smartest human beings — besides Grant Newsome — that I’ve ever met in my life,” Moore said. “We call him Newsome Jr. He was a direct admit to Ross Business School, so that takes some intelligence.

“The kid is very cognizant of what he’s doing, doesn’t make the same mistake twice. From a physical standpoint, he’s still growing. I think he came here about 280. He’s about 305, 310 now, and he’s 6-5, 6-6. But he has a basketball background, too. He’s got great feet, great balance and great flexibility — and he’s surprisingly strong.”

Babalola was listed at 300 pounds when he arrived on campus, so his current weight that Moore revealed shows that he’s added mass.