Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh discussed how the Wolverines' spring practices have been going so far this morning on his podcast, singling out several individuals who have impressed.
He also talked about how pleased he has been with both the offensive and defensive lines, and how they've been a strength of the team in practice.
Offensive line coach Ed Warinner and Todd Rumler — the father of incoming freshman offensive lineman Nolan Rumler — joined the segment as well.
We have the highlights below:
Jim Harbaugh, on the Basketball Team's Success:
"I watched good parts of both games [against Montana and Florida]. I also texted Coach [John] Beilein and he texted back saying how he has great players and great coaches. You can see how tight knit the team is. It's awesome to be in the Sweet Sixteen three years in a row, and I love the way they play defense."
Jim Harbaugh, With an Update on Spring Ball:
"The thing that stands out the most to me is how physically in shape our players are. Practices are going up as we're ending them — they're crescendoing and guys aren't winded at the end.
"Every body looks trained and physical, even the linemen — they have flat stomachs and look strong.
"The offensive line as a whole has been really good — [senior right guard] Mike Onwenu is really standing out, along with [junior center Cesar] Ruiz and [senior left guard Ben] Bredeson. They're a strength of our team. [Fifth-year senior left tackle] Jon Runyan is having a very good spring, and [redshirt freshman Jalen] Mayfield and [redshirt sophomore Andrew] Stueber are battling it out at right tackle. [Redshirt sophomore Joel] Honigford is doing a nice job as well, and [redshirt freshman] Ryan Hayes is on the scene and finishing and playing athletic.
"This is the deepest line we've had here. The emergence of guys like Hayes, Honigford, [redshirt junior Stephen] Spanellis and [redshirt sophomore Chuck] Filiaga haven't allowed for much of a drop off when we move to the second team unit.
"Even the third unit has some really good players — Jess Speight, Andrew Vastardis, Griffin Korican, Greg Robinson and Dan Jokisch.
"Bredeson is such a tremendous leader for us — it's important for him to pull other guys along and coach them in a positive manner.
"[Redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Donovan] Jeter would be the first name I'd throw out on the defensive line as someone who's made a huge jump from last year. He's figuring it out and is playing explosive.
"[Defensive line coach] Shaun Nua has the defensive line running a lot, and they're so athletic. [Sophomore defensive end] Aidan Hutchinson is doing well, and so is [junior defensive end] Kwity Paye.
"[Senior defensive tackle] Carlo Kemp is so strong — he's playing the 2 and the 3-technique, and has gotten himself in great shape. [Redshirt freshman defensive end] Julius Welschof is figuring it out after having no high school football. He's coming along extremely well, and looks like Hutchinson when the two stand next to each other.
"I'm excited about both of those lines, because [strength and conditioning coach] Ben Herbert has done a great job getting both in shape.
"I'm also excited about the running backs, because there are a lot of great players in there right now. We had [junior] Ben Mason doing a day on offense and a day on defense, but he's now doing both each day, and is causing havoc as a 3-technique on defense, while playing running back and tight end as well.
"[Senior tight end] Sean McKeon has become elite at his position, and [redshirt junior tight end] Nick Eubanks is doing a good job and has more coaching points, but is becoming the blocker and pass catcher you want to see.
"[Redshirt freshman tight end Luke] Schoonmaker is doing a good job, and so is [redshirt freshman tight end] Mustapha Muhammad. [Freshman tight end] Erick All competes until he drops and we're so excited about him.
"[Fifth-year senior viper] Jordan Glasgow has become the guy we need to take out, because he's in with both the 1s and the 2s, and even shows up in the 3s. He's in there with multiple packages and takes every special team rep he can take as well. We literally have to tell him when to sit out."
Jim Harbaugh, on Nolan Rumler:
"There were only three linemen in high school last year who we thought who could bench press in the 425-450 range, and Nolan and [freshman lineman] Zach Carpenter were two of them. Two out of the three strongest linemen in the country are coming to Michigan, so that's pretty exciting.
"We signed six offensive linemen in the 2019 class, and I love all their interactions. It seems like Nolan and Zach are together every weekend.
"Nolan's work ethic is contagious, and his attitude of making Michigan great defines him perfectly. That attitude has rubbed off on everyone in the class.
Ed Warinner, on Nolan Rumler:
"I don't know if I've ever recruited a player stronger than Nolan — in all areas, both upper and lower body. He and Zach are both 425+ benchers, and they're still in high school.
"Nolan is just a finisher — it becomes contagious when you don't have to teach it, and it sets the bar for everyone else.
"He made 58 starts in high school and never allowed a sack — that just speaks to his competitive nature. He also played in 18 playoff games in four years, and yet never gave up a sack playing against the best competition in the state."
Todd Rumler, Discussing his son:
"I didn't try to coach him too much growing up because he was pretty self-motivated. He would always tell me after every game when he could tell the other team quit. Nolan has always had the mentality of physically dominating someone else on the field until they mentally quit and don't want to be there anymore.
"We were never able to find a play on tape where he got beat by a lineman and allowed a sack.
"It might sound cliche, but he chose Michigan because it felt like family and felt like home. We visited it 14 or 15 times over the past four years, and Coach Harbaugh explaining how he wanted to put the student back in student-athlete really hit home."
Ed Warinner, Going in-Depth on the Offensive Line:
"I told the interior guys yesterday how proud I was of how hard they worked in the offseason. Mike has taken a big step and trained hard this past year, and came in in great shape — if he continues like that, we'll see it on the field.
"Mike's growth has come from him studying the game. No one has been more aggressive asking questions and texting us, and those details are what will make him a great player.
"He's figuring out where his eyes should be and communicating, and we're seeing those high-level details in practice now. No one sends us more texts about what he should be doing on plays, so we're really happy with Mike.
"Ryan Hayes came to us as a tight end and wasn't as big and strong as the others. He has worked hard in the offseason, and we're seeing he has better strength and explosion in practice. His details are also good and so is his understanding of the schemes. He has a bright future.
"We told Mayfield and Stueber they'd both have a chance to be the starter, and their reps have been dead even so far. Someone will eventually move ahead, but it's not clear yet who it will be. Those two guys will give us a really good starter and a backup right tackle, and a good backup left tackle in Hayes.
"Chuck Filiaga has had a nice start to spring ball, and Joel Honigford has improved as well. Spanellis has always been steady and he's still right there.
"Ruiz is the quarterback of the line though — we put so much on his plate, and our new coaches on offense are amazed at how much he can handle. If Ben is the captain of the line, then Cesar is the lieutenant.
"Jon Runyan is also as steady as they come. He's the same every play and will be a high level of steady at left tackle for us this year."
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @BSB_Wolverine, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42, @Balas_Wolverine, @DrewCHallett and @Qb9Adam.
• Like us on Facebook
