Michigan football fall camp: a crazy play idea from the O-Line

Since the start of Michigan football fall camp earlier this month, a certain play continues to get brought up when talking to the players and coaches. Offensive guard Zak Zinter reportedly wants to run a set with ten linemen on the field and one running back, and while it likely won’t happen, it has been mentioned quite a bit — the craziest part about it is that the Wolverines have the talent and depth along the O-line to pull it off.

Afterall, with an elite line that specializes in run blocking (and is very good at pass blocking), why not spice things up when the new season kicks off in Ann Arbor next month?

Crazy play idea continues to get brought up during Michigan football fall camp

This year’s Michigan football offensive line is possibly the best that it has ever been, which says a lot considering the Wolverines are the first program to ever win two straight Joe Moore Awards (2021-2022). Perhaps the O-line’s best trait is its depth — the Wolverines are 10-12 players deep along the offensive line, which is currently stirring up a few notable position battles at center, right tackle, and left tackle.

During Michigan football fall camp, we have heard a lot about a play idea with 10 down offensive linemen and one running back — there’s no hiding what the Wolverines’ intention would be whatsoever. “We’re going to run it, and you can try to stop us,” is the mentality behind the idea, and quite honestly, after seeing what the O-line has done at the line of scrimmage over the past few seasons, there is no question as to why this would get brought up by an offensive lineman or two.

“Every day, the linemen are sending me plays and formations, so I’m like, ‘can you guys just worry about what you’ve gotta do?’ But I love that they’re conceptually trying to understand,” Sherrone Moore said when asked about the idea. “And they really do; they conceptually understand the offense so that we’ll talk about it down the road.

“Sometimes they do (have good ideas). We won’t talk about some of them that maybe get implemented or not, but they do have good ideas. Most of them are well thought out; some of them are just thrown against the wall.”

The offensive line has the depth to pull it off

Offensive tackle Karsen Barnhart was also asked about this wild idea for the offensive line — here is what he had to say about it.

“I think it would, yeah,” Barnhart stated. “It’d be something fun to install in the room and then also watch on film.”

With the transfer portal and NIL, it is nearly impossible to acquire the kind of depth that Michigan football has thus far; so, how have the Wolverines’ kept their insane offensive line room in tact?

“I think it’s just Coach Moore and the guys and the camaraderie we have,” said veteran star offensive guard Trevor Keegan. “We have so much fun, we all trust each other, 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 goes a long way and pays a lot of dividends.

“Obviously, everybody just wants to work hard,” he continued. “The starting five, it’s a living organism, it’s always moving. We’re gonna need everybody this year. There’s always been injuries, there’s always been guys who’ve stepped up. Last year Jeff Persi stepped in and played a hell of a game, and everybody’s opportunities are going to come. So I think that’s the mindset right now.”

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at [email protected]. 

Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!