When people talk about Michigan football, the first name often brought up is five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, for good reason.
However, there is another former five-star recruit, who could have a major impact on how Bryce Underwood plays this season and that's Andrew Babalola.
The 6-foot-6, 315-pound offensive tackle missed all of last season with an ACL injury. The highest-ranked offensive line recruit in program history was expected to compete for the starting left tackle job right away last season.
Of course, that didn't happen. Evan Link opened the year as the starter, then suffered his own season-ending injury, giving way to redshirt freshman Blake Frazier.
Frazier was solid. His pass protection was good. It was clear last season that he wasn't strong enough. He needed to get better in the run game, and standing firm against a bull rush.
Frazier has gotten bigger. Surely he's improved, but if you listened to Kyle Whittingham talk about Babalola on Thursday at Big Ten Media Days, it was clear that Frazier's days as Michigan's starting left tackle are probably numbered.
Andrew Babalola sounds like Michigan football's starting left tackle
Babalola recently told The Michigan Insider that he was 100 percent going into fall camp. Whittingham praised the talented sophomore, but he also revealed an interesting tidbit about the offensive line battle, saying that he doesn't see Babalola playing on the interior.
Some Michigan football fans, myself included, speculated that Babalola could move inside to get his feet wet after coming back from a season-ending injury. Yet, Whitingham saw it the opposite way, saying at Big Ten Media Days that he sees Babalola as an offensive tackle, comparing him to the pair of first-round picks just selected from Utah.
Whittingham also suggested that Frazier could add some strength and move inside. That would make for some interesting battles in the interior. If Babalola does end up winning the left tackle job, which would probably be the best thing long-term for Bryce Underwood, there are still plenty of options inside. Andrew Sprague seems locked in as the right tackle, as does Jake Guarnera at center.
Evan Link has started about 20 games at tackle, but will be a really good guard. That leaves Frazier, Nathan Efobi, and Brady Norton battling it out for the final starting spot. Frazier could also serve essentially as the swing tackle.
Either way, it's a good problem to have, and if Babalola is the starting left tackle Week 1, that will be telling about what kind of player he will become.
Michgan fans always talk about the talent of Underwood and also Savion Hiter, but Babalola could end up being the highest draft pick out of them all.
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