Michigan football O-line starter: 'We have to be 10 deep'

All of the attention might be on the quarterback battle for Michigan football, but there are some other unsettled position battles and a couple of them are on the offensive line.

One player who isn't involved in a position battle at this point is senior guard Giovanni El-Hadi. The veteran and four-star recruit from the 2021 class has bided his time. He started a game in 2022 and played well enough to be a regular starter then.

That's why it's impressive that he stayed (those who stay will be champions) even though other programs were throwing "bags" at him. Michigan football fans should be stoked that he stayed and it won't shock me if he earns All-Big Ten honors this season.

Michigan football O-lineman knows depth is important

El-Hadi, Myles Hinton, and Josh Priebe are the three guaranteed starters at this point. Things are still up in the air at right tackle and center. But El-Hadi downplayed that too, saying on Friday that the Wolverines are going to need 10 quality players up front and he's not wrong.

“We have to build our own identity,” El-Hadi said. “We have to uphold the standard. We don’t need five guys to play, we need ten. And we all have to be on the same page. We all have to be ready whenever our name is called up. People are going to get hurt. That’s how it goes. It’s football. And whoever is up next, you got to go out there and play well.”

Dom Giudice is in the mix at center with Greg Crippen and Raheem Anderson at center. Evan Link has also made a strong push at right tackle in an attempt to beat out Jeffrey Persi and Andrew Gentry.

There are others solid players who could play some meaningful snaps if needed and that's a good thing for Michigan football, which should have one of the best offensive lines in the Big Ten once again.