Michigan’s young group of offensive lineman are getting better as the season goes on, Michigan tackles and tight ends coach Greg Frey said.
The Wolverines have seen numerous underclassman step up and fill roles on the line, which makes Frey excited for the future.
“They’ve done real well,” Frey said. “Their transition coming from high school to college is going really good. You see them moving around, doing things more natural now than six or seven weeks ago. We’re really excited about the young group. It’s a good group and it’s going to be fun to watch them continue to grow and compete.”
He says the transition is typically a pretty difficult one for offensive linemen. He mentioned freshmen tackles James Hudson and Andrew Steuber as two guys who have looked good.
“You talk about Steuber and Hudson and some of those young guys, bringing them along in there and learning from [senior left tackle] Mason Cole is big,” Frey said. “That guy is a four-year starter. He’s been around the block a couple times, good ways and bad ways. So those guys are accelerated learning. You see that effect on [redshirt junior right tackle] Juwann [Bushell-Beatty].”
He said that Hudson still seems to have the long arms necessary to play tackle.
“James Hudson is playing a bunch of different spots,” Frey said. “He is a wonderful kid and has a high upside. It’s going to fun to watch him develop and just see where he fits.”
Frey said being able to have players like Cole and sophomore left guard Ben Bredeson on the line has gone a long way in preparing the whole group.
“Mason Cole and Ben Bredeson may be able to calm someone down, or get them or the right track or explain something a little different,” Frey said. “It’s a group moving forward and that’s what you want to see.”
Notes:
· Bushell-Beatty has graded out well in run blocking, but has some ways to go in pass protection.
“Juwann is really maturing,” Frey said. “His outlook, how he goes, has been really fun to watch. It’s interesting to see, he’s overcome some adversity early on and continued to battle, continued to press. He’s certainly not where we want him to be or where he can be, but he’s on that road and it’s been fun to watch.
“Every defense presents different challenges. So as a group, watching these, guys, they’re attacking those challenges. They’re still making some mistakes, still some things that we have to get where a guy gets anxious and we have to calm him down a little bit. But he’s solidly moving forward.”
· Sophomore tight end Sean McKeon is Michigan’s second leading receiver this season, and has 24 catches for 253 yards and a touchdown.
“Sean is a very talented young man,” Frey said. “He uses his gifts very well. He’s very smart, he’s very serious about the game. Where I think I’ve been able to help him is memorizing plays, doing those things, Sean is extremely talented, just understanding what we’re trying to get done.”
· Frey said he feels he’s helping all of the tight ends understand the different levels of a defense and giving them a new spin on things. He was complimentary of redshirt sophomore tight end Zach Gentry and his ability to pick up blocking.
“He’s doing great,” Frey said. “He’s coming along. He was involved in some of those big runs last week where he really did a tremendous job of moving through. … His work ethic has just stood out. Can’t say enough good things about all the tight ends.”
· Junior offensive lineman Grant Newsome is staying involved with the game planning. He hopes to return to the field in the spring.
“Grant does a lot of little tasks,” Frey said. “Sometimes I think he’s a little more dialed in with the players since he is a player, he’ll know a little bit more, maybe do a breakdown of pass rushes, forward scouting. He’ll come up and say ‘hey coach I was watching this game’ and I’m like ‘Why are you watching that?’ He’s certainly tied in to what young people today do with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. He brings a little bit of that expertise since he’s still a player. He doesn’t want the whistle, but he wants to help his teammates and is a great teammate.”
· Redshirt sophomore right tackle Nolan Ulizio has taken a back seat after being replaced by Bushell-Beatty on the right side on the line earlier this year. Frey was asked if he was being written off.
“Nolan is working on things that he has to work on every day,” Frey said. “You can only play five offensive linemen. A couple more come in during certain situations, but the key to it is that it’s a constant assessment of where we’re trying to get. Nolan is doing fabulous. He came in and played his role, he’s doing what we ask him to do. He’s working hard. He’s attacking and addressing it. I would never say written off. … He’s a very important part of this offense.”
· Frey said he’s been enjoying his first season back at Michigan after his stint at Indiana.
“It’s a blast,” Frey said. “Every season and every game takes shape differently, you don’t know what’s around the corner. That’s part of the fun of being a coach, being a player, being a fan. That’s what makes this game so great, you don’t know what’s going to take place.
“It’s been a great experience so far.”
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