Michigan Football: 3 Thoughts on the return of Jalen Mayfield

O-line gets a big boost

The offensive line has been hard to read heading into the season but with Mayfield back in the fold, the transition to four new starters should go much smoother.

While left tackle Ryan Hayes was a backup most of last season, he did get some extensive playing time and he’s someone that won’t be wide-eyed on the field. He’s a legit player and now Michigan football has as good a group of bookend tackles as any in the Big Ten.

With tackle taken care of, Michigan can focus more on the interior of the offensive line and with someone like Karsen Barnhart it could make a big difference. There was buzz that he could be the starting right tackle, now he can compete inside at guard.

With Barnhardt, Zak Zinter, Andrew Stueber, Trevor Keegan and Chuck Filiaga, the Wolverines have more than enough talent at guard, plus center should be fine with Andrew Vastardis or Zach Carpenter if he’s healthy enough for the start of the season.

The bottom line is that with Mayfield, the group as a whole is better and that in turn, will make the Wolverines offense better in 2020.