How has the Michigan football offensive line avoided issues with the transfer portal?

It has been well documented that this year’s Michigan football offensive line is not only elite, but it is two-deep at every position. Despite some incredible rising in-house talent, a few veteran stars (such as Trevor Keegan), and new transfer portal additions (such as Drake Nugent), the Wolverines did not lose any major names to the transfer portal heading into the 2023 season. On Friday, one of the top linemen on this year’s squad was asked about how Michigan has kept its OL depth intact, and his answer was simple — it’s the culture.

Trevor Keegan explains how the Michigan football offensive line has avoided transfer portal problems

Yesterday morning, Michigan football offensive line standout Trevor Keegan, who has been a major part of the Wolverines’ offense over the past few seasons, was asked about how the offensive line has avoided issues regarding the transfer portal. In fairness, at just about any other program in the nation, many of these starting-caliber players would have immediately jumped into the portal, but not at Michigan.

“Yeah, I think it’s just coach Moore (offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore) and the guys and the camaraderie we have,” Michigan football offensive line standout Trevor Keegan explained to the media on Friday morning.

“We have so much fun, we all trust each other, and we have fun with each other. … I think it’s just a good group of guys that just want to play together, and they love being here at Michigan. They love what we do here. They love being here, and obviously, a degree from here (the University of Michigan) goes a long way and pays a lot of dividends.”

As fall camp hits its peak with just three weeks remaining until the fall opener against East Carolina, there are position battles at three of the five spots along the Wolverines’ elite offensive line. Both of the tackle positions are up for grabs, as well as the center spot. In fact, there is a chance that three new Michigan football transfer portal additions fill these roles, with Myles Hinton and LaDarius Henderson gunning for the right and left tackle spots (respectively) and ex-Stanford center Drake Nugent looking to fill the void in the middle of the O-line this year.

Additionally, with this 10-man offensive line, the Wolverines are looking to claim an NCAA record third-straight Joe Moore Award, which is given to the nation’s top offensive line annually. The current record is two in a row, which is also held by the Wolverines (2021-2022).

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