Michigan Football: Who will likely start on the offensive line?
Last season Michigan Football’s main concern was the play of their offensive line. The new look line will try to rebound in 2018 with plenty of different names.
Watching Michigan Football has been painful at times these past several years. It’s difficult to watch a team that’s so unbalanced as far as production goes. When the defense is on the field, the Wolverines look like a championship caliber team. When the offense is on the field, they look incompetent of scoring on even a semi-consistent basis.
You could point fingers at anyone on the offensive side of the ball, whether that’s coaches, quarterbacks, or wide receivers. The main source of this slump starts with the unpredictable offensive line. This line has to be the primary area of concern for the Wolverines with just two weeks of spring camp remaining.
As far as the current state of the offensive line goes, Detroit Free Press reporter Nick Baumgardner disclosed:
"At this point, Michigan’s only sure about a few things. Sophomore Cesar Ruiz is going to play center. Juniors Ben Bredeson and Michael Onwenu will be guards, along with competition from Stephen Spanellis. Both tackle spots are wide open. Runyan, Juwann Bushell-Beatty, Chuck Filiaga, James Hudson, Andrew Stueber will vie for the spots."
As of now, it appears the primary competition will be for the right and left tackle positions.
John Runyan Jr and Juwann Bushell-Beatty have the competition won as far as experience goes. Runyan has appeared in nine total games, with just one career start. He was never able to assert himself on this line that was having trouble whether he played or not. Runyan is usually used on special teams or in a backup role, but now he’ll have to prepare himself to be potential starter.
We all know Bushell-Beatty as Grant Newsome’s replacement following his severe knee injury in 2016. Bushell-Beatty has started only eight games since then because of his inconsistent play. The fifth year senior appeared in 22 total games, making him the most experienced tackle candidate on the team.
When September nears, experience will only matter so much. Head coach, Jim Harbaugh will start the player that gives the team the best chance of winning. Some of these young guys acutally have a good chance of stealing a spot from the seniors too.
Chuck Filiaga was a standout at Aledo High School in Texas, graduating in 2017. 247sports rated Filiaga as the No. 98 overall recruit in the class. He has the size you want from tackle, with a 6’6″, 345 pound frame. Chuck is extremely athletic and definitely has what is takes to win a starting tackle spot. In my mind he’s far more talented than Bushell-Beatty and Runyan.
Hudson is a former four star defensive line recruit, but played both ways in high school. Stuebner is former three star recruit with much to prove. Considering their background and lack of experience, these two players are underdogs in this battle. But remember, Harbaugh is known for turning the three star recruit into a long-term, valuable player.
Next: Spring injury updates and news
We’ll see who the Wolverines and o-line coach Ed Warinner decide to start come September 1. As of now, I would personally have Filiaga and Bushell-Beatty as my tackles. Regardless, the line has to show more consistency for the Wolverines to contend in the Big Ten.