zach carpenter

Previously: Quarterback, Running Back, Receivers

Installment #4, and the final piece of the offensive side of the ball, for The Enemy, Ranked 2023 has arrived. Today we'll be looking at the offensive lines on Michigan's schedule. This list is not a murderer's row by any means and in fact the teams at the top of this list are teams in which the offensive line is one of the biggest question spots on their team. Part of this is Michigan being unable to play themselves (which I noted in RB), but part of it is Wisconsin and Illinois not being on the schedule either. So keep that in mind as you read this piece, which I will try to emphasize as we go along. 

12. Bowling Green

Note for tables in this piece: bold = returning starter, italic = transfer in who started at another school  

Bowling Green was 112th in Football Outsiders' adjusted line yards metric last season and now lose three starters off of that line. The returners, Bronson Warner at RG and Alex Wollschlaeger at RT, graded out horribly in PFF's charting last season (I don't like having to defer to PFF on OL, but I also didn't get a chance to chart BGSU myself in 2022 so I have no choice). That's a rough place to start from! Projected LG starter Tunde Fatukasi is a sort of half-returning starter, logging a ton of snaps last season on offense (442) after transferring from Rutgers (you may remember his brother, Rutgers stand-out LB Olakunle Fatukasi) but his grading wasn't any better. So while there are some pieces with experience, it's not exactly great experience. The same could be said for Kameren Stewart, who right now is not seen as a projected starter at tackle despite logging 461 offensive snaps of his own for the Falcons last year, also to subpar results. 

To try and help the rough performances from the returners and fill in the gaps, C Hunter Deyo comes in as a 4* RS Fr transfer from Iowa State. He didn't play for the Cyclones in any substantial capacity last season, so this is his first go-around. Former C Cade Zimmerly missed last season with an injury and may not be back until mid-season, so TBD on that. Nate Pabst is a second year player moving from DL to OL (never really what I want to hear), while reserves at G and T Chris Akporoghene and Armon Bethea, respectively, are P5 transfers in from various locations without much experience in multiple seasons of CFB. In summation, this is an OL that was terrible last year, loses three starters, brings back some pieces who were mostly substandard, and brings in transfers with little to no experience. Not great! 

[AFTER THE JUMP: More offensive lines]

Whether or not a coaching transition occurs this offseason, attrition is inevitable given the uncertainty around the program (and attrition is always inevitable). This one might sting for a while. The all-but-anointed next multi-year starter at center, Zach Carpenter, is now in the transfer portal:

Michigan center Zach Carpenter is in the transfer portal.

— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) December 11, 2020

Carpenter earned rave reviews in practice throughout his brief time at Michigan, earning 2019 Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year honors, then pushing through several older players to earn a spot on the two-deep behind Andrew Vastardis at center this season. When Vastardis sat out with an injury, Carpenter replaced him in the starting lineup, and we were already penciling him into next year's lineup.

Due to the loosening of eligibility restrictions during the pandemic, Vastardis could potentially come back for a sixth year if he wanted, though he may also want to begin a less contact-heavy life with two U-M degrees in hand instead. Freshman Reece Atteberry was a top-ten center prospect out of high school and redshirt freshman Nolan Rumler is a former top-200 recruit who's practiced at both guard and center. Michigan also has top-250 overall center prospect Raheem Anderson committed out of Cass Tech in the 2021 class set to sign next week. Those last three are probably the main competitors for the job next year unless Carpenter changes course or Vastardis returns.

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Previously: Podcast 11.0A, Podcast 11.0B, Podcast 11.0C. The Story. Quarterback. Running Back. Wide Receiver. Tight End. Offensive Tackle.

Depth Chart

Four games in the question had to be asked.

Is this... the Warinner effect?

Maybe? I think it's real. Michigan errors against stunts and various blitzes tend to be rare and largely understandable. … Michigan is picking up twists and blitzes and the like and from time to time I catch an OL doing something that seems advanced. Here Bredeson is locked on the LB but when he doesn't charge he takes the opportunity to help Ruiz out, and then goes to the LB:

LG #74

…almost nobody got to run straight at the RB without someone hitting him. That happened so much last year. It's happened some this year. But a minimal amount.

While Warinner was rebuilding Jon Runyan Jr midseason he was also creating a structure in which Michigan's guards went from horrible pass protectors to elite ones, and pushing Cesar Ruiz to NFL draft lists. It's been 20 years since you could assume Michigan OL who left the program were certainly going to get drafted. For one year, at least, that's back.

[After THE JUMP: MEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT]