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Michigan football OL Giovanni El-Hadi to return for 2025 season

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•about 9 hours•

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Giovanni El-Hadi
Michigan Wolverines football offensive lineman Giovanni El-Hadi will return for a fifth season in 2025. (Photo by Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)

Michigan Wolverines football offensive lineman Giovanni El-Hadi will return for his fifth season in Ann Arbor in 2025, he announced on Instagram. El-Hadi has one year of eligibility remaining.

The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder has appeared in 43 games, including 32 on the offensive line with 16 starts, during his career. He opened all 13 games at right guard in 2024.

“First and foremost, I want to express all glory and honor is to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” El-Hadi wrote in his social media post.

“He has blessed me with the ability and the opportunity to play football.

“I am truly grateful for the support of my family, coaches and most of all, God, throughout my journey. With one year of eligibility remaining, I have made the decision to return to Michigan for my final season and help bring home another national championship.

“I am completely dedicated to this team, this university and to giving my all on the field, trusting that God will guide us every step of the way.”

After serving as a backup for three seasons, El-Hadi got his chance to start in 2024. He totaled 744 offensive snaps, and registered a 66.8 overall PFF grade. El-Hadi recorded a 76.0 PFF mark in pass blocking, allowing 9 pressures and 2 sacks. He was named All-Big Ten honorable mention by the coaches and media.

The Sterling Heights, Mich., native had starting experience prior to this past season, though. He opened three games at left guard in 2022, against Maryland, Nebraska and Illinois. He played in all 15 games the following year in 2023, but he didn’t earn any starts since future NFL Draft picks Zak Zinter and Trevor Keegan were ahead of him at guard.

“At 95 to 97 percent of programs across the country, he is a three-year starter and is probably in the NFL already,” Michigan offensive line coach Grant Newsome said before the 2024 season. “I think it’s a credit to him and his mentality, being patient but not being complacent. Going out and competing and winning the starting job.”

Heading into this past fall, El-Hadi acknowledged that it was tough to stay patient, but that he turned down opportunities to transfer and decided to stick it out with the Wolverines.

“I didn’t want to leave,” El-Hadi said in August. “Didn’t want to go nowhere else. I had opportunities, but I decided to stay over here and be patient. It’s my turn now.

“To be honest with you, it wasn’t an easy decision [to stay at Michigan] with the outside noise, having everyone telling me something different. I just had to trust and talk to God about it a lot. I wanted to stay here. Whenever things got hard before I never ran, so what’s the point of leaving now?”

A product of Sterling Heights (Mich.) Stevenson, El-Hadi was a four-star recruit in the 2021 class. He was ranked as the No. 218 overall player and No. 20 offensive tackle in the nation, according to the On3 Industy Ranking.

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