Michigan football offensive line coach reveals position battle updates

Michigan football has a new-look crew once again this season, headlined by No. 1 high school recruit Bryce Underwood at quarterback. However, they do have some familiar faces on the offensive line.

After using five new starters last season, they have three veterans who are expected to retain their jobs. Center Greg Crippen, left guard Giovanni El-Hadi, and right tackle Andrew Sprague are all back, with the other two spots being up for grabs. El-Hadi has played 43 career games, including every contest last season. Meanwhile, Crippen logged 558 snaps at center last year, and Sprague had his first career start in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama.

At left tackle, the Wolverines could go with redshirt sophomore Andrew Link. Offensive line coach Grant Newsome spoke about him in his press conference on Wednesday, via Michigan's YouTube channel.

“Left tackle – Link’s been there, played well in the bowl game, and he’s done a great job of elevating his play,” he said. “We really challenged him to take that next step, to go from a guy who’s feeling his way through his first season, getting used to it, to go be the tackle he’s capable of being. I’ve been really impressed with the steps he’s taken this offseason to do that. He’s having a really good camp.”

Link struggled on the right side for most of the season, but performed well on the left side against Alabama. The 6-foot-6-inch, 328-pounder played on the left in high school.

However, another young Michigan man could take that role.

“Andrew Babalola is competing there as well,” Newsome continued. “We are much deeper than we were last year, and it’s a credit to those guys and the investment they made in themselves, not just individually, but getting closer and tighter as a unit. We feel like we’re not just going to be better, but deeper than we were a year ago.”

Babaloa was a five-star recruit in the 2025 class, the unanimous No. 1 recruit out of Kansas, and the consensus No. 14 overall player nationally. The 6-foot-6-inch, 300-pounder started playing football as a junior in high school, but his athleticism makes up for his lack of experience.

Newsome also gave insight into the right guard battle.

“Nate Efobi has done a great job of making that next step from where he was last year to being a guy who’s put himself in the mix to be the guy,” he said. “Lawrence Hattar, who transferred in from Ferris State, has been in the mix. We’ve also been working Jake Guarnera there, as well as Brady Norton. So, another good competition.”

Efobi played in six games as a sophomore last season and got the start at right guard in Michigan's spring game. Ditto for Norton, who started all 11 games at left tackle for Cal Poly last season.

Additionally, Hattar is a graduate student who played three seasons at Division II Ferris State, while Guarnera appeared in five games on special teams for the Wolverines as a freshman last year.

It could take Michigan time to decide its depth chart, but that's a good problem to have. The squad must give Underwood, who will be 18 this season, as much time in the pocket as possible to aid his development.