ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The last time Michigan football had so much young talent playing along the offensive line, it was 2020. And though that season didn’t go so well, the next year, the Wolverines’ O-line won the Joe Moore Award for the first of two consecutive seasons.
That 2020 line featured some very young players, including redshirt freshmen Trevor Keegan and Karsen Barnhart, and true freshman Zak Zinter. Keegan and Zinter became multi-year stalwarts, two bookend guards who dominated up front, helping lead the Wolverines to a national championship in 2023.
Could we perhaps be seeing the start of similar dominance up front? At least the founding waters of an elite offensive line?
At the moment, Michigan is starting three redshirt freshmen up front. Right tackle Andrew Sprague earned his job outright in fall camp, but with injuries at right guard and left tackle, we’re starting to see what Jake Guarnera and Blake Frazier, respectively, can do. For Guarnera, it’s not necessarily a surprise, but he’s excited about the potential that he and his fellow 2024 recruiting class teammates are able to do together.
“It’s really cool to see that because those are the guys that I came in with,” Guarnera said. “Blake was my roommate my first half of the year. Just being able to share the field with them like this early, it’s kind of like unbelievable. But we all worked hard to get here, and I’m excited to play next to them.”
Guarnera was expected to be the backup center and eventual starter at that position once Greg Crippen moves on. Yet, after pretty much staying at that position all spring ball, he started repping at guard in fall camp. At that point, he knew that he could compete at a high enough level to play the position and college football as a whole.
“Really, this year when I was competing for a job during fall camp,” Guarnera said. “And I think just staying consistent with how I worked and what I did helped me get to that point.”
Even though there’s a ton of potential with this younger group — and not just the offensive linemen, as there’s a true freshman quarterback in Bryce Underwood, true freshman wide receiver in Andrew Marsh, and redshirt freshman running back in Jordan Marshall, all getting their first real experience — Guarnera isn’t ready to buy into the hype.
First things first, he says, with a Purdue game coming up on Saturday, and then each ensuing game after that.
“Yeah, I think we’ll have a great group,” Guarnera said. “Just really, really worried about this season, trying to win, and then next year it’ll take care of itself.”
Even if Guarnera isn’t looking ahead, it’s hard not to envision how good this group might be with all the experience they’re getting now. Especially with how solid the freshmen have been in run blocking. Even so, the next game is Purdue, set for Saturday night at 7 p.m. EDT at The Big House on Big Ten Network.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Jake Guarnera highlights Michigan’s youth movement up front as redshirt freshmen shine
Reporting by Isaiah Hole, Wolverines Wire / Wolverines Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
