Projecting Michigan's Starting Offensive Line

With five (six) starters to replace and a new assistant coach in charge of the unit, Michigan's offensive line is definitely a work in progress heading into the 2024 campaign.

Dec 31, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Michigan Wolverines tight ends coach Grant Newsome against the / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

New offensive line coach Grant Newsome certainly has his work cut out for him heading into the 2024 season. Newsome was a standout player not long ago at Michigan and has climbed the ranks quickly since becoming a member of the U-M staff, but now he's tasked with replacing six starting offensive linemen all while everyone else on the offensive staff has plenty to figure out as well. Newsome needs to find the five best linemen to protect a new starting quarterback and he also needs to find the right group to potentially learn a new approach under new head coach Sherrone Moore and new offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell.

Luckily for Newsome he does have a very talented room of guys who have started some games. No one is necessarily "proven" but several have played and should be ready for the next step. Here's how things potentially look as we approach the halfway point of spring football.

Left Tackle - Myles Hinton

At 6-6, 340 pounds, Hinton certainly passes the eyeball test with flying colors. The former five-star recruit and Stanford standout transferred to Michigan ahead of last season and started out the year as the starting right tackle. After dealing with some injuries he was replaced by a committee of players and became one of the extra linemen on certain jumbo sets. Now, he's poised to be the lockdown left tackle and has received massive praise from Newsome during the spring.

"I think he’s got all the ability in the world and I think he’s a guy who, potential-wise, has all the ability to be the next great first-round tackle at the University of Michigan," Newsome said. "Now it’s on myself, as coaches, and on him to make that happen."

If a dude is being described as a potential first-round pick, he better be able to step up and not just be good but be dominant at his position. If Hinton can do that for Michigan in 2024, look out.

Left Guard - Josh Priebe

It can sometimes be hard to figure out where or how a transfer will fit in, but if recent history is any indicator, Josh Priebe is going to be big for the Wolverines. Over the last couple of years, guys like Olu Oluwatimi, Drake Nugent and LaDarius Henderson have all been huge pieces of Michigan offensive lines. Now, it's time for Priebe to do the same thing. The former Northwestern Wildcat and Big Ten third teamer is a Michigan native so first of all, he gets what it means to be a Wolverine. Second of all, he's a damn good player. During his four years at Northwestern he started 29 games, primarily at left guard, and has been described as a tough, smart and consistent player. If he can take over the spot vacated by Trevor Keegan and run with it, while Hinton takes a big step at LT, the left side of Michigan's line has the potential to be better than solid.

Center - Greg Crippen

Center is the one spot where there really is a question mark. Not necessarily when it comes to who it's going to be, as Greg Crippen seems to be the leader in the clubhouse by a decent margin, but about how well he's going to play. Oluwatimi and Nugent were phenomenal at center over the last two seasons and Crippen might be too, but he's extremely unproven. During his three years at Michigan, Crippen has played just 184 snaps total and pretty much all of them have been in mop-up duty. For perspective, Oluwatimi played 922 snaps during his one season at Michigan. Crippen is likely going to be the guy, and at 6-4, 309 pounds he's physically ready, but center is the hardest position to play on the line and he has big shoes to fill.

Right Guard - Gio El-Hadi

El-Hadi is an interesting player as he has worked hard, paid his dues and waited his turn behind some really, really good offensive linemen. Now, as a senior, he's up to 318 pounds and is as strong as anyone up front. He's got three starts under his belt, all at left guard, but in order to keep a very good player in Priebe at his natural position, it makes sense to move El-Hadi over to the right side of the ball. He hasn't played over there while at Michigan, but moving him there seems to make the most sense overall as opposed to Priebe on the right side after being so used to left guard.

Right Tackle - Andrew Gentry

Right tackle is probably the biggest question mark along the offensive line and there are a few guys who could end up playing in that spot. Newsome touched on the battle going on there and after he finished talking, one player seemed to get a little more praise than the others.

"There’s multiple guys in the mix there," Newsome said. "Andrew Gentry and Jeff Persi are both playing well and competing back and forth there.

"[Gentry] is going into this third year in the program but taking that mission he was out of football for two years. It’s been awesome to see that he’s kind of got his strength back and I think he’s able to compete at a high level. He’s been playing well and we’re excited to see how he and some of the other guys I mentioned before battle it out the rest of spring."

At 6-7, 327 pounds Gentry certainly looks the part but again, he's still working his way all the way back to where he should be as a third-year college player who missed two years of football. Persi has some experiences as well, but that was over at left tackle and beyond him it's a lot of youth. If Michigan was playing a game tomorrow, I bet we'd see No. 75 at right tackle.

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So there you have it. Michigan's starting offensive line, in my opinion as of April 5, is listed above and would be pretty darn solid. Three of the five have some starting experience while the other two are coming into their own and looking for an opportunity. There are a few young guys to keep an eye on, but the picture below feels like the move right now.