ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football didn’t need to bring in three transfers along the offensive line this offseason, given that it had six players with starting experience and four somewhat entrenched starters returning. Yet, the Wolverines brought in three former starters to join the fray.
And Zak Zinter — a player in no danger of losing his starting position — couldn’t be happier with the incoming transfers.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s been great,” Zinter said. “(LaDarius Henderson), Drake (Nugent), Myles (Hinton) all came in, learned the playbook right away, and just have been dudes out there on the practice field so far.
“Drake, he’s got that dog when he goes out there and grinds his butt off. I mean, Myles and LD — elite big tackles that can get out, protect, good in the run game. So it’s been nice getting out there meshing with them.”
Hinton has his work cut out for him given he’s battling with Barnhart and Jones — two players who each struggled to beat out the other at right tackle. Henderson potentially has the same problem. But Nugent, who is on the Rimington Trophy watch list, has an easier path to being the starting center.
Not that it matters.
That’s because, as Zinter noted, ‘he’s got that dog in him,’ as the idiom goes in football. But Zinter elaborates on why Nugent is so impressive, and the former team captain at Stanford apparently has something of a mean streak — even in moments where it doesn’t seem to matter.
“I don’t know. I mean, we were both out in the spring. And we did like conditioning during practice and stuff,” Zinter said. “And we’re wearing heart rate monitors and stuff. And this dude was always in the red no matter what — I don’t know what it was. He’s got a fifth gear that just kicks in and he goes.
“And me and him and a couple of guys are running with the big skill (players) during conditioning times. And when everyone’s hurting, he’s just got that extra gear where it gets going. So I don’t know exactly where it comes from. But he’s definitely got it in him.”
It will be interesting to see who wins the starting jobs, and while Nugent is in a battle with junior Greg Crippen, it does seem that he’s next in line to be the uber-important man in the middle of the Wolverine offensive line in 2023.
If he’s at least as fierce as Andrew Vastardis was in 2021 while showcasing the mean streak that Olu Oluwatimi did in 2022, Michigan football will be in good hands at that position.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal title=”An offer for Wolverines fans” description=”For the best local Detroit news, sports, entertainment and culture coverage, subscribe to the Detroit Free Press.” url=”https://cm.freep.com/channeloffer?gps-source=CPSMGMIDARTICLE&utm_source=smg&utm_medium=inline&utm_content=wolverineswire&utm_campaign=smgtolocal&offer=W-SF&barBuild=atoms-pid” button_text=”$1 for 3 months”]