ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It was big news back in 2020 when former Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star center Greg Crippen flipped from Notre Dame to Michigan football. The newfound center who had snapped the ball for J.J. McCarthy in high school was going to keep the era going in college. However, it didn’t exactly work out that way.
Crippen arrived in Ann Arbor in 2021, thinking he would sit behind Andrew Vastardis and then get his turn. But in 2022, the Wolverines brought in Olu Oluwatimi from Virginia (who went on that year to win the Rimington Trophy, given to the nation’s best center). In 2023, surely Crippen’s time, Michigan dug back into the transfer portal and secured Stanford center Drake Nugent. In 2024, now with no transfer center on the roster, it wasn’t Crippen who was named the starter, but former three-star defensive lineman Dominick Giudice.
Finally, in Week 6, with Giudice injured, Crippen got his opportunity, and he ran with it all the way to the end of the season. As a result, Giudice transferred to Missouri while Crippen cemented himself as a starter in spring ball. On Monday, he recalled his wayward trajectory to this point and shared why he’s particularly excited this year to prove his quality.
“It’s been a long journey for me,” Crippen said. “I think you guys, some of you guys, have seen the ups and downs. But I think the biggest thing for me is just the mental side of things. Physically, I feel like that is something I’ve always — I could do it, but mentally, I think there’s just a lot of growth. Confidence in myself and positive thoughts and stuff like that.
“And, yeah, it’s great to hear. But I’ve got a lot of big expectations for myself this year. And I just want for us to keep winning and be the reason for that.”
It’s not just Crippen who wants to prove his mettle, but also the entire offensive line. 2024 wasn’t the standard in any stretch of the imagination, and Crippen wasn’t the only one who felt he wasn’t up to snuff. Given that three of the current starting linemen were around in 2023 (and two in the two years before that, when the Wolverines won the Joe Moore Award), they know what it takes to be the best in the country. In comparing this new-look unit to the dominant lines of yesteryear, Crippen isn’t sure that it’s there, but he is excited about how much better they seem to be in fall camp than last season.
“I would say the biggest guys who have had the most experience, I’d say, on the O-line is me and Gio — and Link obviously played a lot last year,” Crippen said. “But, obviously, comparing to 2023, we’ve got all those guys who were fourth and fifth-year guys. But this year, we have some younger players. But, like I’ve said, in camp we’ve really fired off the ball and did a great job because we have a great defense. And I’m really, really happy where we’re at. And I think we’re ready to just make a huge impact this year — I mean, as a team.”
Fans will get to see the new-look offensive line on Saturday when Michigan football hosts New Mexico at The Big House for the 2025 season opener. Kickoff is at 7:36 p.m. EDT, and the game will be broadcast on NBC.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Greg Crippen, Michigan’s new starting center, aims to lead O-line revival in 2025 season
Reporting by Isaiah Hole, Wolverines Wire / Wolverines Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
