Kyle Whititngham said on Monday that Michigan football isn't going away from the Rhino.
That's fine under one condition: the return of Andrew Babalola.
Michigan football hasn't had a completely healthy starting offensive line this season. Babalola, the highest-ranked offensive line signee in Wolverines history, is 19 games into his U-M career without having played a game.
Whittingham said he is practicing. That doesn't mean he's going to play, but Whittingham admitted that the Wolverines need him.
What is going on with Andrew Sprauge?
Sprague missed the UTEP game after not showing up on the injury report until Friday. He hasn't played since. Whittingham said on Monday that he was weeks away from playing. It's some sort of medical issue. The Michigan head coach was intentionally vague, trying to protect the privacy of Sprague, as he should.
Andrew Sprague ... "Way out there" if he comes back. No further details from Whittingham. Babalola is practicing, and Whitt says they need him.
— Chris Balas (@Balas_Wolverine) October 12, 2026
Still, it doesn't feel like the talented offensive tackle will be back anytime soon. That makes the return of Babalola even more important, especially if the Rhino is going to stay as a big part of the playbook.
The Rhino would probably work better in the running game if you had an elite player there like Babalola, although we haven't seen him play a snap. Whittingham said he reminds him of other first-round picks he has coached on the offensive line.
But he hasn't played in a game in nearly two years. It feels like the ideal starting offensive line might be Blake Frazier, Evan Link, Jake Guarnera, Andrew Babalola, and Andrew Sprague. The guards just haven't been very effective. It feels like Link could excel inside, although he's been fine at left tackle.
Fans have been focused on Bryce Underwood, who does need to play better. Having better pass protection and a functional running game will help Underwood succeed.
There's no reason that Michigan shouldn't be able to do that. Having the preferred 6-7 offensive lineman that the Wolverines haven't had all season would help. You also have to make it work with what you have, so if Babalola can't go and they keep trotting out the Rhino, it's going to be frustrating.
Whittingham believes in Beck. He believes in Underwood. He's giving those guys a chance to figure it out because, truth be told, the offense was good against Iowa, it just struggled in scoring range.
My hope is that Babalola is going to be part of the mix, which is leading to the coaching staff's continued belief in the Rhino. Otherwise, I just don't see it. Then again, I'm not the Michigan head coach.
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