Michigan Wolverines football redshirt sophomore right tackle Jalen Mayfield declared for the NFL Draft once the season was postponed back in August, before opting back in in after the Big Ten reversed course in September.

Because Mayfield was signed with an agent, he had to go through the "wild process" of regaining his eligibility. He's now squared away, and he and his teammates are ready for the opener on Saturday night at Minnesota.

"It’s definitely been a long time coming," he said on the In The Trenches podcast with host and former U-M All-American Jon Jansen. "It feels like forever ago when we played against Alabama [in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1]. Everybody on the team is just so excited and so amped to finally be able to go against somebody else other than ourselves. It just feels right again.

"I know not everything is back the way it was, but there’s so much excitement running through our locker room and meeting rooms. You can really see a team that’s very hungry, very amped to finally get back into the swing of things.

"It’s remarkable how strong this team has come together and how close everybody is now. It’s just really exciting for me and I can’t wait to get out there Saturday."

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Last year, Mayfield was the youngster on a line that had four players who are now on NFL rosters in Ben Bredeson, Michael Onwenu, Cesar Ruiz and Jon Runyan. Now, he's the lone returning starter and the one giving others tips on how to be successful up front.

"It’s definitely different from last year," Mayfield explained. "I learned so much from Mike, Cesar, Ben and Jon. They really set the example of how to carry yourself as an older guy and how to bring young guys along. So I learned so much from them, and I can’t thank them enough for the way they brought me along.

"But it’s definitely different. I’m really excited to see on Saturday the amount of work that each guy has put in and all the time they waited for this exact moment. [Fifth-year senior center Andrew] Vastardis, [redshirt junior left guard] Chuck [Filiaga] and [redshirt junior right guard Andrew] Stueber have been waiting a long time for this. [Redshirt sophomore left tackle] Ryan [Hayes], he got to play last year, but I know he’s super amped for this opportunity and I know all five of us, we’re biting at the bit over here to get back and finally play as a unit. So I cannot wait for Saturday; it’s going to be really exciting."

It's not just the Wolverines' offensive line that will look different this year. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Joe Milton has the keys to the car, after being a reserve behind Shea Patterson the two years previous. Three wideouts in Tarik Black, Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones have all departed. Despite the attrition and the new faces, Mayfield believes the offense has taken a step forward in year two under coordinator Josh Gattis.

"We have a lot of youth, but we have a lot of playmakers and a lot of explosive playmakers in our offensive room," Mayfield said. "To see, every day, just the amount of growth that our young guys — especially at quarterback — [have] made through this little camp period that we’ve had, it's remarkable.

"We’ve got Joe, he’s doing things I haven’t seen anybody really ever do — some of the reads, some of the throws he makes are ridiculous and eye-opening.

"We just have such a talented group of guys. Our receivers, not everybody got a ton of playing time because we had such great receivers last year, but there were guys that really asserted themselves and stepped up this offseason and really made a conscious effort to be the best they could be, knowing that their number is going to be called this year.

"You can definitely see there’s a lot to be excited for. We’re going to open some eyes this year, and everybody’s going to be able to see it Saturday night and it’s going to be a really fun time."

The goal this week, Mayfield says, is to beat the Gophers, a team he was once committed to as a recruit. But in the back of the Wolverines' minds is the team they'll play at the end of the year.

"Our end goal is to be 1-0 this week and prepare for Ohio State," Mayfield said. "Each week, we’re going to prepare for that team. They’re in the back of our minds and we have one team in our heads and we always want to prepare for them. I know we’re super excited to get Minnesota on the clock, and we’re still preparing for that last game every year, just like we always have."

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