Portal In: Myles Hinton
Michigan has picked up another offensive line transfer in Stanford OT Myles Hinton:
Michigan got another commitment from a transfer offensive lineman, this time from former Stanford tackle Myles Hinton.
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) December 17, 2022
His brother, Christopher, played for Michigan as well. pic.twitter.com/ACjLSyQsN7
You may recognize the last name, and for good reason: Hinton is Chris' brother. Myles was a high 4*, top 100 recruit in the class of 2020, ranked 74th overall in the 247 Composite, the #6 offensive tackle prospect in the country. Michigan offered Myles, but he chose David Shaw's Stanford Cardinal. It was Shaw's departure from the Cardinal that led to Myles entering the portal on December 2. Though Michigan was mentioned as a natural landing spot given the pedigree as a recently minted OL factory and the connections with the Hinton family, there was little in the way of concrete reporting connecting the two sides. Rivals' Josh Henschke reported that Hinton was interested in Michigan on December 8 ($), but it was unclear at the time if the Wolverines deemed him a take. Apparently he is.
Hinton played 62 snaps across five games in the COVID-marred 2020 season and got the blanket redshirt that all players received that season. 2021 was his first as a starter for the Cardinal, playing in all 12 games but his PFF grades were not kind, to put it mildly. In 2022, Hinton played only seven games due to injury (he missed Weeks 3-5 and shut it down after their 10th game), seeing his PFF grades tick up, but still register on the "not great" side. I'm not sure how much to read into this: it could be a sign that Hinton is a risky take, or it could just be that the Stanford coaching staff was bad at its job (PFF College OL grading incompetence could play a part too). The team's record over the past two seasons (6-18) would suggest it might me more of the latter.
Having not watched any tape of Hinton, it seems likely Sherrone Moore will need to re-write some of what Hinton knows about playing OL at the FBS level to get him up to Michigan's standard, but the ceiling is still high. You're getting a guy with good family pedigree, an NFL-caliber frame (6-6, 308), and someone who was very highly touted coming out of high school. If you scrub his brain of all things "Stanford Football 2021-22" and instead teach "Michigan offensive line play 2021-22", the payoff could be immense. It's not clear to me if Hinton would be an instant starter from week one 2023, especially given that he has two years of eligibility remaining, but at the very least, he adds to the depth.
Speaking of which, Michigan's OL depth is now Marianas Trench level, pending NFL decisions from the starting guards. Karsen Barnhart intends to return, and it seems Trente Jones will as well, while Zak Zinter and Trevor Keegan are undecided. One could think that taking Hinton means that perhaps neither guard returns; it could also just be that Michigan likes their evaluation and are taking a player they think will be a Dude because why not? A quick look at Michigan's 2023 OL depth chart, with Ryan Hayes and Olu Oluwatimi moving on:
| LT | G | C | G | RT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La'Darius Henderson | Trevor Keegan? | Greg Crippen | Zak Zinter? | Trente Jones |
| Jeffery Persi | Gio El-Hadi | Raheem Anderson | Karsen Barnhart | Myles Hinton |
There is no content after the jump.
December 17th, 2022 at 6:55 PM ^
Oooo weee. Oline momentum is delicious
December 17th, 2022 at 6:56 PM ^
Can’t have a strong enough line. Give me all the commits.
December 17th, 2022 at 6:58 PM ^
Coach Moore will turn this young man into a solid, respectable football player. He has all the intangibles, just needs some coaching 👍.
December 17th, 2022 at 6:58 PM ^
bUt WiLl HiS cReDiTs TrAnSfeR?!?!?
December 18th, 2022 at 1:34 PM ^
Umm its Stanford. So yes.
December 17th, 2022 at 6:59 PM ^
Michigan played a lot of guys this year due to injuries. Just because you’re not a starter doesn’t mean you won’t play.
Hinton should have two years ?
December 17th, 2022 at 7:01 PM ^
When I awaken in the wee hours of the morning I, as a lifetime M fan/alum, naturally tend toward BPONE. But I am having a harder and harder time finding justification for my negativity. This pretty much eliminates the offensive line as fodder for worry.
What about kicking next year? Can I worry about that?
December 17th, 2022 at 7:08 PM ^
What about kicking next year? Can I worry about that?
I mean you can if you want, but Michigan has a pretty highly regarded kicker/punter waiting in the wings.
December 17th, 2022 at 7:56 PM ^
Just wait until Michigan loses to OSU in the championship game...
/S (Dear God, please)
December 19th, 2022 at 2:34 PM ^
"Just wait until Michigan loses to OSU in the championship game..."
+1 for negbang sympathy. So many are of the televangelist "name it and claim it" variety, whether theists or not. They think saying (typing) something has any effect on it actually happening.
It would be nice if the "Michigan Difference" included denial of superstition, but apparently it does not. Obviously your post was in jest.
Edit: No, I do not care whether or not one wears his/her "lucky sweater" during any upcoming Michigan game.
December 17th, 2022 at 7:03 PM ^
Hinton hitting'! Welcome.
December 17th, 2022 at 7:08 PM ^
Lets just blow off PFF OL scores because they had MSU's OL as better - much better - than Michigan's all season long! They seem to live in bizarro reverse world, so maybe the poor marks for Myles are actually sky high? I mean, after a summer with Sherrone Moore, that's not a stretch!
I saw last week that the Lions OL was rated #9 and the Bears were #2. I don't follow the NFL very closely, but even I know that's bullshit!!
December 17th, 2022 at 7:35 PM ^
The Bears line is certainly number 2 so they're right in a manner of speaking
December 17th, 2022 at 7:40 PM ^
PFF might be valuing the skill players behind the OL more and attribute the success to RBs and QBs. From what I read in UFR, it seems they value individual performances more than team cohesiveness. Knowing what your partner is doing or would be doing is a big deal in Michigan's offense as opposed to just owning your opponent on your own. That is my untrained take on it.
December 17th, 2022 at 7:13 PM ^
About Stanford:
It's odd how much things have changed since I was a student at M in the Eighties.
I had a friend in the MMB go to Stanford after graduating at M for a free ride in their engineering grad program. He deserved it. He was insanely brilliant and also a gifted trombone player (which, I know, elicits jealousy from all). He considered joining the Stanford marching band, but when he showed up to their first rehearsal, they had a keg in the middle of the rehearsal hall and a sign up front that read, "No fat chicks!"
He decided to leave his marching days behind and simply focus upon his studies.
I trust Stanford's band has changed. As for their academic prowess, yeah, they probably are not too far behind Michigan. Clearly inferior, but they seem to be trying.
December 17th, 2022 at 7:39 PM ^
Maybe they have now but as of only a few years ago the band very much had not changed.
December 17th, 2022 at 8:01 PM ^
"Maybe they have now but as of only a few years ago the band very much had not changed."
Well, crap. +1 for the info. But maybe they were a safe haven for some?
December 17th, 2022 at 7:19 PM ^
Every guy on that two deep plays at least 3 NFL seasons imo
December 17th, 2022 at 7:26 PM ^
This is a good lottery ticket to take in the portal. My rule of thumb is when a perpetually good team starts to play poorly you'll see it first in offensive line development and Stanford fits that model with Shaw toward the end. UM can hopefully fix some issues Hinton has (seen a couple of places note his poor hand usage and issues IDing targets for blocking) because he's a plus run blocker and has natural size for tackle.
December 17th, 2022 at 7:40 PM ^
Wonder if Michigan is thinking about redshirting him next season if he doesn’t win a starting job? I’m not clear on his eligibility, but it sounds like he has 3 years if he doesn’t start.
December 17th, 2022 at 8:09 PM ^
I'm wondering the same. He could still take a redshirt, and I think he needs a lot of development to see his potential. I don't know how bad the injury was but usually when a guy comes back and then shuts it down late in a bad season it means he never actually got healthy.
December 17th, 2022 at 7:43 PM ^
Some birdies suggesting that Hello AJ Barner is up next. TE from Indiana who had a nice highlight TD catch against OSU actually this year as I mentioned in the other thread!
December 17th, 2022 at 7:49 PM ^
OL depth added is as good as anything for this program. Another great OL will see this team compete for everything again next year
December 17th, 2022 at 8:27 PM ^
It's gonna be interesting how this OL ends up. I feel like Zinter is definitely gone and I think Keegan is more likely than not to come back. If that's the case, would they put Henderson at LT or move him to where he projects in the NFL and put Persi at LT? If Henderson moves to guard, does Barnhart hit the portal? Who ends up at RT? Lots of moving parts but they're good problems to have
December 17th, 2022 at 8:35 PM ^
Barnhart should be starting next year.
You just don’t find that athleticism and In program experience very often. The dude can dunk a basketball smoothly.
He may not be an NFL tackle but he is an excellent Big Ten tackle.
December 17th, 2022 at 8:54 PM ^
We will see I guess. He was solid this year, but also was the back up to Jones to start the year. It really wouldn't shock me to see any of Hinton, Barnhart or Jones at RT, but if Barnhart doesn't have a starting spot after spring camp, I think we see a Filiaga situation and he goes elsewhere to start
December 17th, 2022 at 9:45 PM ^
I wonder if jones/Barnhart could play LT or if persi is lead for that spot. Then Henderson at LG, Crippen at C, El-Hadi at RG, RT is Jones/Barnhart. If Hinton can break into either OT spot, it would be pretty impressive.
December 17th, 2022 at 10:35 PM ^
If Barner is coming in as a tight end from Indiana, the only spot left I would like for Michigan to really go after is cornerback and do their best to get Cypress or Grimes to come here. any other positions are just added luxuries to quality depth unless we have some unexpected starter level attrition
December 17th, 2022 at 10:53 PM ^
Love it! But please keep Keegan and Zinter, please!
December 17th, 2022 at 11:00 PM ^
The OL situation is looking sweet with experienced backups at every position even with Hinton's step ladder potential and learning curve taken into account. You couldn't recruit to this depth of field based on traditional growth.
December 18th, 2022 at 1:33 PM ^
Hasn't lived up to billing but Stanford has been a tire fire of late. If I am an underachieving 4 or 5 star OL I am headed to UM if they want me. Also thank god our admissions program accepts Stanford credits.
December 18th, 2022 at 11:48 PM ^
Are there any Olu siblings? Brothers? Sisters?
Comments