Will Michigan offensive line replacements be upgrades?

The Michigan offensive line dominated at times last year, earning the Joe Moore Award as the nation’s best unit. Three starters return from that group, and the two replacements have a chance to keep the line up there with the country’s best. 

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Make no mistake, Sherrone Moore told Jon Jansen on the recent In the Trenches podcast — losing the two Andrews (center Vastardis and right tackle Stueber) is a blow.

“Those two guys, they were very special — not just on the offensive line, but in the program,” the Michigan line coach and co-offensive coordinator said. “Vastardis, he was just such a leader. He was a gritty person — smart, tough, dependable. He’s all the things you’d want in a player and student athlete. He’s everything you want. He was awesome. He was a catalyst why we did this [winning a Big Ten title].

“Stueber was kind of the heartbeat from a physical standpoint of who we were. He did an amazing job of leading us with his role. They did great all year.”

Replacing them will be difficult, Moore said. At the same time, he believes they have players “that will be able to step up in their own ways and be very special,” he continued. 

“We’re excited about where we’re going there,” Moore said. “Guys had a really good spring. We’ll take the next step and see where we’re going to go.”

It starts in the middle with Virginia transfer Olu Oluwatimi. He showed up and opened eyes with his ability to hang with some of the best Michigan defensive linemen from the get-go. 

Oluwatimi has NFL aspirations. First and foremost, though, he wants to win a title of his own.

“He brings continued experience. He started 36 games and played at a really high level,” Moore praised. “Obviously … he was second in the Rimington [Award voting for nation’s top center].

“He brings a very smart, very cerebral [quality]. He’s smart from the standpoint of understanding the game, knowing what he was doing. The guy was seven installs deep when I came back from recruiting in January of what to do in the playbook. He’s about his business, attacks every day. I’m very excited to have him with us.

“Talent-wise, he’s as good as they come. I’m excited to see where he goes and where he leads this group.”

It took him only a few practices to get up to speed with a new offense at Michigan. Once he did, he was outstanding. 

“It was a little difficult because I think he had a little less responsibility before. Now, with how we do it, we put a little more range on him and what he does,” Moore said. “He’s really picked it up quickly, and he wants to do it. 

“The key — he studies at it and really attacks it. He really improved throughout those 15 practices. He’s really continuing to improve now and is still studying right now. His one goal is he wants to help us win a Big Ten title and really do what we did last year, be even better and take those steps to be the elite team we can be.”

Losing Stueber, a late-round NFL pick of the New England Patriots, opened the door for veterans Trente Jones and Karsen Barnhart. Both have been waiting their turn, and both will play. 

Jones, though, took the bull by the horns and ran with his opportunity in the offseason and in spring. He emerged as the clear No. 1 Michigan right tackle heading into summer, and there are things he can do athletically even Stueber couldn’t. 

“He just played at a different level. He played at the level we thought he could with the talent he has,” Moore said. “He’s extremely talented, extremely athletic. He’s probably as athletic as any lineman [we have], offensive or defensive. He really, really showed that in the spring. 

“Mentally, it all started to come together for him, not just from a playbook standpoint but from a toughness, physicality. You could see it evolve on film. Him being able to explain what was going on, as well, was huge. He could do that very articulately. We’re very excited for his progression and what he’s done.”

As they are for the entire line. The expectations will be high, and there’s a chance, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said, that this group could be even better than last year’s.

If that’s the case, Michigan should be in the thick of the Big Ten race until the end.