Offensive line has been of a weakness for Michigan for much of the last decade, but sophomore center Cesar Ruiz insists that’s not the case anymore.
The line struggled mightily last season in particular, but with new position coach Ed Warinner on board, the positivity seems to be legit.
“Coach Warinner brings a different attitude to the o-line,” Ruiz insisted. “You can just feel the energy in practice. Warinner is a wise man. He’s been coaching for so long and shares that experience with us.
“We implement it into our game, and it’s been paying off so far. He has two former centers starting in the NFL right now, and I hope to be the third. I take coaching very well, and just do whatever he tells me to do.
“You can just tell how much we’ve improved if you watch practice. We get things done now that we couldn’t do before.
“In fact, our o-line is one of the strengths of our offense — you’ll see what I mean. We’re just going to work, that’s all I say.
“Coach [Ben] Herb[ert] has also helped get our bodies right — we’ve gotten stronger and faster, and guys are watching more film too, which helps the mental part.”
Ruiz is seemingly a lock to start at center, but only one spot has been proclaimed publicly — quarterback.
Jim Harbaugh recently revealed that junior Shea Patterson will be the guy there, and Ruiz was actually teammates with him in high school at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
“Shea has always been confident,” the sophomore said. “He’s not cocky, but it’s hard to bring him down. It does a lot for our offense when he can take charge the way he does.”
Speaking of taking charge, Ruiz explained that he has become one of the leaders of the offense, despite only being a sophomore.
Leadership has always been a part of who he is, he explained, so it’s certainly nothing new for him.
“I’m comfortable with it,” he laughed. “I’m very vocal — I actually don’t have a voice right now because I’ve been yelling all day. I love communicating and leading things.
“Since I’m the center, I’ve had to step up and take on a bigger role. I have to make veteran decisions and think like an older player would. I’m used to making all the calls and doing everything because I did it in high school. I was 17 when I first got here but am 19 now, so I’ve grown up a lot.”
“Having [junior left guard] Ben Bredeson next to me makes things easier too.”
Notes
• Ruiz insisted that everyone on Michigan's offensive line is coming along nicely, but had especially high praise for redshirt junior tackle Jon Runyan Jr.
“Jon is talented," Ruiz laughed. "We have an athletic offensive line and actually have a competition to see who is the most athletic — Jon is up there. We do big man, WR, DB, 1-on-1s, and race competitions.
"There is a lot of competition at right tackle, which is making them all better.”
• The sophomore explained that he has modeled his game around an NFL center, which has helped him get a lot better.
“[Los Angeles Chargers] Mike Pouncey is my favorite," he revealed. "I’ve watched him and [his brother] Maurkice since they were at Florida, and noticed how much swag they have. I’ve modeled my game around those two.”
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