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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — We’re heard the same thing all offseason long: Michigan’s not only replacing its starting quarterback in 2020, but the bulk of its offensive line in the fall.
While that’s true from a literal standpoint, that doesn’t automatically mean a step back.
For quite some time, we’ve been pointing out that three of Michigan’s likely five starters have starting experience. Right tackle Jalen Mayfield started last year, left tackle Ryan Hayes started the first two games, while right guard Andrew Stueber started the last two games of 2018 at right tackle. But the Wolverines also like the pieces they have at left guard and center.
While we don’t know the starting lineup for sure, as fall competition is still underway and padded practices don’t begin for another week, there’s a lot to like about the position group, offensive coordinator Josh Gattis says. And it starts with the team’s presumed center, who only started being on scholarship one year ago.
“That group has started to come together in my eyes,” Gattis said. “And though a lot of people assume that it’s new faces, but a lot of old heads. A lot of guys have been in the building, that have been around – veteran-type players. First and foremost, the guy I think has done an exceptional job of leading our offensive line unit is Andrew Vastardis. He’s a fifth-year player who started as a walk-on. And I can’t say enough great things about – he’s the guy that gets it going at the center position for us. From a communication standpoint, making sure everybody’s on the same page. But then I would see his approach. And he showed flashes at the end of games last year when we were able to get him in with some leads. First, Michigan State, he got in for a few plays when Cesar went down. But being able to replace your center is always an important piece. And we feel like we’ve got an important piece with Andrew Vastardis there as our centerpiece. He’s back up to having some competition by (Zach) Carpenter, and we want to keep developing that room with Reece (Atteberry).”
Of course, it’s not just Vastardis or the aforementioned returning trio who can provide a lot for the OL. A lot also has to do with offensive line coach Ed Warinner, who has a long, long track record of producing NFL-caliber offensive lines.
Beyond coaching, however, the group has more experience than many recognize. Some of it isn’t game experience, but for those, they’ve been in the building for some time, as it were. But the most important thing, Gattis notes, isn’t necessarily experience, nor is it individual skill or effort.
No, it’s the chemistry between the five actually on the field. And that’s what Gattis is starting to see build.
“These guys are going into their third and fourth year into the program, so they’re not your typical freshmen or first-year players that you’re looking to replace a lot of your offensive linemen with,” Gattis said. “Obviously getting the great news that Jalen’s coming back. For Jalen, being around the team is so important. There was a number of different key components that really led to his decision: being around the team, getting his degree, but more importantly, he loves football. He wants to be an elite talent, he wants to be a first-rounder.
“So we feel really, really good about where we are as well as building depth. Seeing guys like Chuck Filiaga step up right now. Karsen Barnhart, Trevor Keegan – just to name a few. We feel very strong – Trente Jones has had a great camp. We feel very strong about the depth that we have, obviously now having Jalen back. But the pieces are coming together and you can see chemistry, the camaraderie really show itself. And that’s the key piece whenever you’re replacing a whole line. It’s not about how one individual can play, it’s about how all five can play together. So that’s the biggest thing we’ve been trying to create is an atmosphere where they’re playing closely together and being able to be all on the same page.”
However, it’s still a long way until the season opener on Oct. 24 at Minnesota, and Gattis wants to make sure the offensive line is ready to play.
That doesn’t mean he wants them to know the playbook or what defenses are doing, per se — though, of course, they should know that. But they need to be physically prepared to take the field.
What does that mean? Well, you perhaps saw the rash of injuries that plagued the NFL in Week Two, as several notable names were lost for the season. Nick Bosa and Saquon Barkley were among the casualties, and Gattis wants to ensure that his offense, particularly the offensive line and running backs, don’t suffer similar fates, as they’re the ones who take on the brunt of the physical toll on that side of the ball.
“I think that’s gonna be the emphasis once Sept. 30 hits and they allow us to get physical contact,” Gattis said. “It will be about how physical we can become as a football team and I think right now, I think there’s concerns overall in football because of all the time that we’ve missed. You’ve seen throughout the NFL this past week, there was a rash of some pretty bad injuries, because a lot of people missed all this contact. Initially, I think we all thought as coaches that we didn’t need the training camp, we didn’t need the spring football, but that’s starting to be proven wrong, that you need that physicality early on to provide that callous on the body to be able to withstand some of the physicality that’s in this game.
“When Sept. 30 hits, that’s gonna be a major emphasis. Up until this point, it’s been about the mental edge, it’s about the footwork, it’s about the hand placement, about the fine details. But when we can get the pads on, we’ve gotta make sure we get our guys ready for game one.
“And that’s not just our offensive line, that’s even our running backs. When you look at one of the key issues we experienced last year offensively was fumbling the football. So we’ve gotta make sure our backs are getting hit in practice, they’re getting thudded up, they’re getting taken to the ground so the first time we get touched in a game, we don’t respond in a negative way, that we could respond in a positive way, with power, and be able to play with a physical presence.”
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