Michigan Football spring football preview: the offensive line

Michigan Football will begin spring practice on March 16. In all they will have 15 practices and they will conclude the spring session with the annual spring game at Michigan Stadium on April 13.

Michigan’s offensive line is going to be bookended by two outstanding and very experienced tackles, Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield, who have as combined 58 starts in their careers. The interior of Michigan’s line is wide-open and will be manned by 3 players with a combined zero career starts.

Thanks to some tremendous recruiting in the last few years, Michigan has an abundance of impressive young offensive linemen in the program.

Offensive line coach Darrell Funk has said many times that the best 5 players will play. If that means they have to move guys around and make some position switches, then that is what they will do. Here is an early guess at how things will shake out along the offensive line.

Projected starters

LT – Taylor Lewan (Sr): Lewan’s decision to return for his senior season gives Brady Hoke and Darrell Funk an All-American to anchor their offensive line. With another stellar season, Lewan will cement himself a place on this list: Michigan’s all-time best offensive linemen

LG – Kyle Kalis (RS Fr): Kalis is renowned for playing with a nasty streak and lining him up next to Lewan will give the Wolverines a fierce left side of the line. Kalis is one of the guys who will be a 4 year starter. Expect the coaches to take a look at him for the center position as well.

Jack Miller Michigan Football

Jack Miller will get a long look at center

C- Jack Miller (RS So) or Joey Burzynksi (RS Jr): Miller is a pure center, but has yet to stake his claim to the starting position. Expect many players to get a look here including Joey Burzynski who has appeared in 12 games as a reserve offensive linemen in his career.

RG – Ben Braden (RS Fr): Braden is a natural tackle, but he is so good and the coaches like him so much that I won’t be surprised to see him plugged into the line up at guard this year before sliding over to tackle next season.

RT – Michael Schofield (SR): Schofield is very underrated and has the size, 6-7, 300, and skills to play on Sundays. He pairs with Lewan to give Michigan the best set of tackles in the Big Ten.

Key reserves

Blake Bars (RS Fr): Projects as a guard at Michigan

Erik Magnuson (RS Fr): Is a tackle that the coaches like a lot.

Dan Gibbs (RS Fr): Is a tackle.

Chris Bryant (RS So): Will play guard.

Graham Glasgow (So): A walk-on, Glasgow will be in the mix at guard and center.

Incoming freshmen: Kyle Bosch, David Dawson, Chris Fox, Patrick Kugler, Dan Samuelson, Logan Tuley-Tillman. Bosch and Tuley-Tillman are both early enrollees and will be participating in spring practice.

About Rob White

Co-founder and Michigan Wolverines correspondent at isportsweb.com
I've been covering Michigan Football and Michigan Basketball since 2009.
You can follow me on Twitter @isportsRob and circle me at Google+

Leave a comment

*