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Michigan football: how will transfers impact the O-line in 2023

Michigan football has picked up several offensive linemen in the transfer portal. How will this translate to next season?

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Oct 15, 2022; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Blake Corum (2) receives congratulations from teammates after scoring a touchdown in the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osent

Michigan football has been one of the best in the country when it comes to the transfer portal this year. How will this impact the Wolverines in 2023?

Portal opens for Michigan football

Just a few seasons ago, Jim Harbaugh showed hesitation regarding the transfer portal and only brought in three transfers this past offseason. Clearly, something has changed in that department, as the Wolverines now have seven transfer commits, gaining two more yesterday alone.

Out of the seven, three have been offensive linemen, and each has the potential to be an immediate starter. Taking a transfer offensive lineman is nothing new to the Wolverines program, as just a year ago, center Olu Oluwatimi transferred to Michigan and made an immediate impact.

In fact, Oluwatimi was so successful in his first year with the Wolverines that he would go on to win both the Rimington Award (nation’s best center) and the Outland Award (nation’s best interior offensive lineman).

This is significant because, as of right now, Michigan will lose at least one of its five offensive linemen next season. Olu Oluwatimi is out of eligibility and will likely be one of the top offensive linemen in the NFL draft this offseason. The other four have eligibility remaining and could return if they so choose to.

Who will stay?

I would be shocked if all five offensive linemen chose to leave for the NFL, but don’t be surprised if we see three or four decide to test the waters.

Ryan Hayes, Trevor Keegan, and Zak Zinter all can go to the NFL and become a starter early in their careers. All three have been starting for the Wolverines these past two seasons and were integral reasons why Michigan football has had the best offensive line in the country both years.

Hayes only has one more year of eligibility, so I view him as the most likely to leave for the NFL, but I could see both Keegan or Zinter giving it a shot.

If any are to return, it’s more than likely to be Keegan, as he still has the most left to prove out of the three. While he’s shown that he is more than capable and has the strength and skill to play at the next level, he unfortunately had to work through some injuries this season. As he missed time with injuries in multiple games this season, it could do him wonders to return and show that he can stay healthy.

Regardless, I’m getting the feeling the Wolverines will be looking to replace at least three offensive linemen this off-season, as that’s been a big part of their transfer portal efforts.

Transitions being made

The most apparent transition will likely be the center position, as we know Oluwatimi is leaving for the NFL. We also know Drake Nugent, a transfer from Stanford, is more than capable of filling in that hole almost immediately. Nugent started two years at Stanford and will be more than capable of stepping immediately into the starting position at Michigan.

From there, the next most likely position Michigan football will need to fill could be right tackle. Two Wolverine transfer commits can play the tackle position as LaDarius Henderson, out of Arizona State, and Myles Hinton, out of Stanford, have experience there.

Hinton is the most likely to take a spot at offensive tackle, as he’s played the position for the last three seasons at Stanford. It certainly helps that he still has two more years of eligibility remaining and could be a multi-year starter for the Wolverines if he chooses.

Finally, the commitment of Henderson leads me to believe that the Wolverines will be losing at least one of their offensive guards in the offseason.

What will the line look like in 2023?

For obvious reasons, I hope all three players with eligibility return to Michigan football for at least one more season. Still, it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad idea if they were to give the NFL draft a chance. In recent years, plenty of Wolverines in the NFL have found success, many of which played as part of Jim Harbaugh’s teams.

Players like Taylor Lewan, Jon Runyan, Mike Onwenu, Ben Bredeson, and many others have become integral parts of their teams.

Regardless, if they were to choose the NFL path, Michigan football has put itself in a position where it will have plenty of replacements if need be. These players are all good enough to keep up the level of play the Wolverines have grown used to seeing from their offensive line.

Would they be good enough to win the Joe Moore award for the third year in a row? Who knows, but these are all seasoned veterans who will be able to fill in with ease.

The deadline to declare for the NFL Draft is January 16, 2023, so we won’t have to wait much longer to know what the Wolverine offensive line group will look like next season.

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Michigan football trending with two new four-star offensive linemen

The Wolverines are currently red hot in the 2024 recruiting class!

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Michigan football four-star offensive linemen
Dec 31, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Michigan Wolverines offensive lineman Ryan Hayes (76) and offensive lineman Trevor Keegan (77) against the TCU Horned Frogs during the 2022 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

As of late, Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines have gotten some high praise for their ability to develop offensive lineman. Over the past two seasons alone, the Michigan football offensive line has been the focal point for the Wolverines’ impressive offense, leading to two-straight Big Ten titles, CFP appearances, and back-to-back Joe Moore Awards (the first program to ever win two in a row). Now, Michigan is getting hot in the 2024 recruiting class, and the Wolverines are trending for two new four-star offensive linemen.

Michigan football trending with two new four-star offensive linemen

This week has been quite kind to the Michigan football recruiting efforts in the 2024 class, especially when it comes to the offensive line spot. After picking up two brand new four-star recruits from Ohio this week, Michigan now ranks No. 3 in the 247 Sports team rankings for the 2024 class. Michigan landed the No. 2 player in Ohio (RB) and a top-ranked Ohio offensive lineman to match.

Now, it appears as if Michigan football may pick up a few more commitments soon, as the Wolverines are trending for two new four-star offensive linemen.

Michigan recruiting trending for four-star Max Anderson

The first of the two four-star offensive linemen that Michigan football is trending for is Max Anderson from Reedy High School in Frisco, TX. Anderson stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs in at 300 pounds — his massive frame is matched with some incredible talent as well. He is rated as a four-star recruit by On3 and is ranked as the No. 209 player in the class, the No. 7 interior offensive lineman, and the No. 42 player in the state of Texas. Additionally, the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine gives Michigan football an 89.9% chance of landing his commitment.

Michigan recruiting trending for four-star Andrew Sprague

The second of the two four-star offensive linemen that Michigan football is trending with is Andrew Sprague of Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, MO. Andrew Sprague, like Max Anderson, has an impressive, college-ready frame (6-foot-8, 270 pounds) and the talent to back it up. According to On3, Andrew Sprague is a four-star offensive tackle and is ranked as the No. 142 player in the class, the No. 14 offensive tackle, and the No. 4 player in the state of Missouri. Earlier this week, he included the Michigan Wolverines in his top 10 remaining schools, which is a solid sign for Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan football coaching staff.



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Trending: Five-star QB Jadyn Davis sets commitment date

A major Michigan football recruiting target has announced his commitment date and details.

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Five-star QB Jadyn Davis Michigan football
Oct 19, 2019; University Park, PA, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh stands on the field during a practice prior to the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

When it comes to the recruitment of Jadyn Davis — who the Wolverines hope to be the crown jewel of the 2024 recruiting class — it has been months of effort an uncertainty for Jim Harbaugh and his staff. Finally, at the end of this month, five-star QB Jadyn Davis will announce his commitment; hopefully, it will be for the Michigan football team.

Five-star QB Jadyn Davis sets commitment date for late-March

On March 31st, five-star QB Jadyn Davis will be announcing his commitment. Right now, the ever-talented quarterback prospect is expected to commit to Michigan football; in fact, every major recruiting outlet has thought that the announcement would have come much sooner, though thus far, Davis has maintained radio silence on the matter. Today, Davis will announce his top-5 remaining schools.

Five-star QB Jadyn Davis is one of the most sought-after recruits in the 2024 recruiting cycle. He stands around 6-foot-1, weighs in at 190 pounds, and has all of the talent in the world to match his solid frame. 247 Sports rates Davis as a five-star quarterback and ranks him as the No. 28 player in the nation, the No. 2 quarterback in his class, and the No. 1 player from North Carolina.

Davis is expected to turn Maize and Blue, though the long wait has some worried

Davis currently has six crystal balls on 247 Sports — all of which are for the Michigan football team. If that was not enough, the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine gives Michigan football a 90.3% chance of landing the immensely talented quarterback recruit.

No one is quite sure why five-star QB Jadyn Davis has not committed thus far — especially since he was in Ann Arbor last weekend and is heavily favored to wind up in the Maize and Blue — though we will all find out where he is headed soon enough. While some suspect that Davis is waiting because he is not interested in Michigan, others believe that he is just a high school student trying to weigh his options before making a life-changing choice. You decide which side of the fence you’d rather be on there.

Regardless of how you feel on the subject, Jadyn Davis will make his announcement a week from today on March 31st.



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Michigan’s recruiting class shoots into top 3 after series of commitments

The Wolverines’ class ranks among the nation’s best right now.

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Michigan football top 3 recruiting class
© Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK

ANN ARBOR, MI — Most Maize and Blue fans have noticed that the Wolverines are getting hot on the recruiting trail right now. As of late, Michigan has landed a number of the nation’s best prospects, and over the past two days alone, Michigan football has pulled two top-ranked four-star recruits from the Buckeye state. Now, with nine players committed for the 2024 cycle, the Wolverines’ efforts have been paying off as they boast a top 3 recruiting class.

Michigan football recruiting class shoots into top 3

On Tuesday, Michigan football landed the highest rated recruit in its class so far: four-star running back Jordan Marshall, who picked the Wolverines over the Buckeyes this week. The day after, Michigan landed another four-star from Ohio: Ben Roebuck, an offensive tackle from St. Edward High School.

The Wolverines’ two commitments this week put the class up to nine commits thus far, boasting an average rating of 90.58 and totaling 165.36 recruiting points. Of the nine commits that have picked Michigan football thus far, six are ranked as four-stars on 247 Sports; the other three are three-stars. Michigan football currently sits at No. 3 in the class rankings, only behind LSU and Georgia of the SEC.

Not only is Michigan’s class a top 3 recruiting class, but the Wolverines also boast the best class in the Big Ten, above schools like Ohio State (15), Penn State (22), and others. Here are the nine players that Michigan football has landed thus far:

  • Jordan Marshall (RB)
  • Jacob Oden (ATH)
  • Hogan Hansen (TE)
  • Mason Curtis (LB)
  • Luke Hamilton (OL)
  • Ted Hammond (DL)
  • Ben Roebuck (OL)
  • Manuel Beigel (DL)
  • Zach Ludwig (LB)


Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple PodcastsSpotify, and all other steaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

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