As head coach Jim Harbaugh said at Big Ten Media Day, the Michigan Wolverines football team seemed to win the offseason, getting outstanding focus and conditioning gains from many. The second part of the equation — victories on the field — is all that matters, and offensive coordinator Josh Gattis believes they’ve got the pieces to make it happen this fall.
Quarterback Cade McNamara has made it his team, and kids are following his lead. The offense will always start up front with the line, though, and one player’s emergence — freshman guard/center Zak Zinter — bodes well in that respect.
“Our depth at the offensive line position, I think that’s a strength,” offensive coordinator Josh Gattis said Thursday, a day before Michigan officially starts fall camp. “We’ve talked about seven guys now that have started football games for us. We have to figure out now what’s the combination of the best five. I think that’s going to be a challenge for us as we move through camp."
Cade McNamara: 'Focus This Summer Highest Ever'
They feel they’ve got eight guys that can compete for a starting job, he noted, and it could be in several different combinations. Harbaugh provided some intriguing commentary when he noted Zinter was very much in the mix to start at center, an area in which the Wolverines struggled at times last year.
Sixth-year senior Andrew Vastardis got the nod there last season and was okay, but the top five might not include him in 2021.
“There’s a very realistic chance [Zinter starts at center],” Gattis said. “In fact, Zak, we absolutely love. And I’ll tell you, Zak could potentially be our best offensive player. Often times, people don’t talk about [lineman] as who’s your best offensive player … everyone always thinks it’s going to be a skill guy.
“That’s how highly we think of Zak Zinter in this building. In fact, I think our players would think the same of him. He’s a tremendous talent. Last year, he started two games before he ended up getting hurt as a true freshman. Physically, he gives us something we don’t have. He’s smart, strong, tough and athletic. Zak is a special player … a very, very special player.”
It’s not just about putting the best five on the field, Gattis added, but also figuring out where they all fit based on matchups. While he said Vastardis has done a ‘tremendous job,’ Gattis also noted Zinter’s potential move was more about what fits best with some of their matchups and their identity.
“You can see scenarios where [Zinter] plays multiple positions — but then again, who knows?” he continued. “I think that’s going to be a tremendous challenge for us this camp to see some of those other guys like Trente Jones. Is Trente going to continue to show us who he was this spring? He really elevated his game. He’s playing at a high level.
“Also having Trevor Keegan coming back from starting two games, Chuck Filiaga, all the different pieces. Karsen Barnhart … those guys weren’t even in our starting five this spring, but they’ve all started games.”
It’s a good problem to have, Gattis said, and they feel great about it. It makes first-year offensive line coach Sherrone Moore’s job harder, but in a way, Gattis noted, he’s a victim of his own success.
“That’s credit to Coach Moore’s development of those guys this spring,” he said. “Seeing the growth and how well those guys have taken their game to another level and developed themselves individually gives us tremendous confidence that we’ll find the best five, and they’ll make an impact for us offensively.”
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