Senior offensive lineman Giovanni El-Hadi describes Michigan's offensive unit as one full of players who have waited their turn and are ready to make a big impact in 2024. Whether it's himself, Greg Crippen, Donovan Edwards, Alex Orji or any of the receivers, El-Hadi admits the offense is inexperienced, but he has supreme confidence in himself and his teammates who are bound to see significant playing time for the first time of their collegiate careers.

"That chemistry we built over the years, we're just ready to show everybody what we're about," El-Hadi said on Tuesday's episode of the 'In the Trenches' podcast, hosted by Jon Jansen. "And it's great. Me and Dono [Donovan Edwards] had similar paths, especially like last year. We're thinking we're gonna start, and we're not. And same thing with [Alex Orji] and Davis [Warren] and the wide receivers."

Along the offensive line, El-Hadi and Crippen, a senior center, are pushing to win the starting jobs at right guard and center, respectively, in their careers. For El-Hadi at guard, three-time All-Big Ten selections Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter were always just a smidge better.

For Crippen, the path to playing time seemed wide open after Andrew Vastardis departed in 2021. But Michigan recruited over Crippen twice by nabbing centers Olu Oluwatimi and Drake Nugent out of the Transfer Portal.

Now, El-Hadi and Crippen, who are both entering their fourth season in Ann Arbor, are finally set to leave their mark in the Maize and Blue. El-Hadi says the offense that is being doubted will shock a lot of skeptics.

"We have a lot of older players this year. They're first-time starters," El-Hadi said. "And just the attitude we have, we're always meeting, we're always talking as an offense, we're always trying to help each other, help all the groups, not just our individual groups."

"[The offense] is gonna be a surprise to everybody."

Jansen presumed on the podcast that Myles Hinton, Josh Priebe and El-Hadi have all locked up starting roles, but that competition is still ongoing at center and right tackle.

Crippen is locked in a battle with rising graduate student Raheem Anderson at center, while Andrew Gentry and Jeff Persi have been dueling it out at right tackle all camp.

Regardless of who wins either job, El-Hadi says preparedness and trust are key to the Wolverines' success in 2024.

"Everybody has to be ready to play," El-Hadi said. "Whoever's next to me, I trust them. Whoever's at quarterback, I trust them. And I hope the same for me — that they trust me. ... At the end of the day, we all have to have that chemistry with each other, that if we're passing something off or we're working a double team, that you got my back, I got your back."

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