Jim Harbaugh on Michigan line play, transfer impact, and the one who 'might be our best player'
Jim Harbaugh and Michigan brought in seven transfers from the portal to bolster the ranks, including three on the offensive line who will press for playing time. One, LaDarius Henderson, is still finishing classes at Arizona State, while Stanford transfers Drake Nugent and Myles Hinton are banged up and limited this spring.
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They and the four others (edge Josaiah Stewart, quarterback Jack Tuttle, tight end A.J. Barner, and linebacker Ernest Hausmann) will all get the same opportunities as the guys who have been here longer, head coach Harbaugh said Friday.
“All the new guys in the program over the last six weeks, seven weeks since they’ve been here have been great additions,” Harbaugh praised. “Every single one, with the license and ability to help our football program.”
But the offensive line additions will make the room a bit more crowded, for sure. Harbaugh didn’t apologize for it — nor should he. It’s the competition that has helped the program win back-to-back titles, and now there’s more of it.
Returning starters Zak Zinter and Trevor Keegan are locks to start at guard. Beyond that, however, it appears to be wide open.
“It’s a good problem to have, right?” Harbaugh said. “How hard is it going to be to get to five starters? It will probably be pretty hard, like it was last year. We had 6, 7, 8 guys we considered starters. Look now … we have Trevor Keegan, Karsen Barnhart, Greg Crippen. Gio [El Hadi], Trente Jones, Zak Zinter, Jeff Persi … we consider them all starters. LaDarius, Drake Nugent, and Myles Hinton are all capable. Andrew Gentry is going to be really good. Reece Atteberry is really good. Dom Giudice has come over from the defensive side. He’s really good.”
Then they have “three really good freshmen coming” in Amir Herring, Evan Link, and Nathan Efobi.
“We’ll just do what we did — keep attacking, and everybody paying the price,” Harbaugh said. “As long as we’re doing that, as long as everybody is paying the price, everybody is doing that, then each person can grow to their potential.
“Another thing … there are so many good players others [can’t] think they can give half the effort they should and still reap the benefits of success. It just never works that way. Everybody has got to pay the price to win. That doesn’t happen, then one pays the price of losing. Nothing comes cheap, you know. There are no cheap victories for the team or anyone on it. I’m very excited about the O-line.”
He’d say the same about the defensive line, he said.
“You know Kenneth Grant, Mason Graham … Kris Jenkins is potentially our best player on the defense,” Harbaugh continued. “He’s going to be really good. Rayshaun Benny is really coming on. Then there’s Josaiah Stewart. TJ Guy is somebody who has the potential to do good. So does Cam Goode …”
He listed all the others, as well, including a “whole bevy of incoming freshmen … “big guys able to play nose tackle and the end position we’re really excited about.”
So, they’re “having at it,” Harbaugh said. If they bring it like they have the past few years, the lines could be just as good … and that’s where it all starts.
“Where that goes … if guys really work hard, do everything they can to maximize their potential, we’ll be in good shape,” Harbaugh said.
