In our position breakdown series, we take a look at each position group in Michigan football heading into spring practice.
How will the current depth chart change? What are the stories and highlights to watch heading into the spring and ultimately this season? Potential changes to how the group looks, whether it's players, coaches, situations, etc. What is the X element with ?
Let's talk about men first.
Position breakdown series
quarterback
run back
wide receiver
tight end
offensive line
corner
defensive tackle
linebacker
cornerback
safety
depth chart
corner
Fall 2024 signings: Andrew Sprague, Ben Roebuck, Luke Hamilton
What's the story?
The Wolverines will have five new starters next season, as six offensive linemen entered the NFL Draft. Talent, depth and a cohesive group have been key to success over the past few seasons and will be a goal in 2024.
Myles Hinton is a returning starter in many ways. He started the year as the starting right tackle and rotated with the unit at the end of the season. He also brings several years of experience from Stanford University. Hinton has all the tools to be an elite tackle. The key is to find consistency. How well he performs may depend on the players behind him whether he starts on the right or the left next season.
Hinton is the leader for one spot, with Andrew Gentry currently expected to occupy the other spot. Gentry is a former Top 100 recruit coming out of high school and is in his third year in Ann Arbor after a two-year mission trip. Not only is Gentry back in football shape, he's at his peak. The 23-year-old played every position in mop-up duty last year and showed his athleticism. But he's built to make tackles and that's what he should be this season.
Jeffrey Persi is an underrated player who started his career at the University of Michigan. He is expected to be involved in the tackle battle, but took snaps at right guard last season. He could be the sixth OL to be the focal point of this offense.
We have a similar situation at guard, where we probably know who the starter is, but we don't know if it's left or right. Giovanni El Hadi was likely to start for just about every team in college football last season. Trevor Keegan and Zach Ginter returned in 2023, blocking his path to a starting role. El Hadi has been very good in limited action and should earn his first start after waiting his turn.
Michigan will have an offensive lineman for the third consecutive season, along with Northwestern guard Josh Priebe. He brings the one thing Michigan doesn't have often: experience. Like El Hadi, Priebe has played left guard throughout his career, so one of them will need to move to right guard.
X factor
Greg Crippen is being considered for a major role in 2024.
Crippen was expected to compete for a starting spot in 2022, but Michigan added Olu Oluwatimi to the portal. Crippen remained at the University of Michigan, learning behind one of the best centers in football. In 2023, Michigan thought it had a chance to start again and added Drake Nugent to the portal. Nugent was rehabbing from an injury, and Crippen competed for the starting spot until the end of fall camp. Once again, Crippen stayed, learned, and waited his turn. Now it's his turn.
Crippen will be the starting center, but more importantly, he will likely be the leader of this offensive line and likely one of the key leaders on offense. Without getting too poetic, what Crippen has accomplished in this era of college football is almost unprecedented. Even though he's been transferred twice, he's stayed put and prepared every week as if he were a starter.
Crippen is already a talented center in his own right, and he enters this season using the experience he gained playing behind Orr and Nugent to make the most of his hard-earned opportunities. His job as a center goes beyond just blocking, and with a new starting quarterback, his read and protection calls will be critical.
I believe Crippen will be one of the best linemen at Michigan in 2024, so don't be shocked if he is named a captain. The first two acts of his Michigan Man story have already been written, and what he draws this year could be one of his best Michigan stories of the past decade.
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Discuss this article with the community on our premium message boards
Not a Maize & Blue Review subscriber? Sign up today to access all the latest Michigan intelligence from M&BR
Follow our staff on Twitter: @JoshHenschke, @Berry_Seth14, @TrevorMcCue, @DennisFithian, @BrockHeilig, @JimScarcelli, @Lucas Ray Mink, @JaredHalus
Subscribe to our podcast: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify
Check out Maize & Blue Review's video content on YouTube
Follow Maize & Blue Review on social media: Facebook; twitterTikTok, Instagram
