53 days until Michigan football: Options galore at offensive tackle
There’s much anticipation heading into the Michigan Wolverines football season, and TheWolverine.com is counting down the days until the Sept. 2 opener against East Carolina. We’ll discuss current Michigan events, the upcoming season and/or take a look at a significant number that correlates with how many days remain until kickoff, whether it be a player’s jersey number, a year, a date, a score, etc.
Michigan football has the fifth-most returning production in college football, per ESPN.com, with a lineup that’s largely solidified. But while the offensive line — which won the Joe Moore Award for the nation’s best group the last two seasons — is expected to be great again, the starting five is still undecided. There are a number of options for how things could play out, especially at tackle, where there are several proven commodities.
The most likely scenario, we project, is that Arizona State graduate transfer LaDarius Henderson wins the job at left tackle and graduate Karsen Barnhart once again starts on the right side. However, Henderson — who didn’t join the team in an official capacity until this summer — still has to win the job during fall camp. Barnhart, too, will have to earn his spot.
The wildcard is No. 53, graduate Trente Jones, who was Michigan’s starting right tackle at the beginning of last season, before he went down with a high-ankle sprain Oct. 8 at Indiana. Barnhart took over and never gave the job back. It’s possible a fully healthy Jones could start again, or serve as one of the Wolverines’ extra linemen in heavy packages, a role he’s played in the past.
Here are two more scenarios:
• Henderson doesn’t earn it: It’s certainly possible that Henderson doesn’t win the job during fall camp. Barnhart practiced quite a bit at left tackle this spring and played there in the spring game. He’d be the leading option to take over that spot. In that case, one of Jones or senior Myles Hinton could win the right tackle job.
• Hinton sets himself apart: Hinton — a 6-foot-7, 320-pound Stanford transfer who sat out the spring with a shoulder injury but is fully healthy now — is another wildcard.
He played in 23 games with 16 starts in Palo Alto, is athletic and has the perfect frame for a tackle (he’s a mountain of a man). He also said this spring that he just fell in love with football last fall. Previously, he focused more on academics (he was a science, technology and society major at Stanford) and always thought of himself as the brother to Chris Hinton, now in the NFL, and son of Christopher Hinton Sr., who’s in the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor.
Hinton has the physical tools, and now that he’s healthy he’ll be one of the top players to watch during Michigan’s fall camp.
Regardless of what happens at left tackle, there are a few different options on the right side with Barnhart, Jones and Hinton.
Michigan football countdown to kickoff
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