The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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48 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2018 we'll plan on this being a long, trust- ing friendship between Ed Warinner and the Michigan football program. I have been very, very, very impressed with Ed." So have others, who know what they're talking about when it comes to offensive line play. Former Michigan captain and All-American offensive tackle Jon Jansen intensely scrutinizes not only the Wolverines' offensive line, but those of other teams. What Jansen has witnessed in Warinner 's past stops, he hopes shows up quickly and more consis- tently in Michigan's front wall of blockers. "I know he had really good offen- sive lines at Ohio State," Jansen said. "They had good offenses, they were successful, they were ranked high — yeah, all that's great. But when I watched their offensive line, I saw guys put their heads in the right place. I saw them step with the right foot. I saw them deliver blows. "Even at Minnesota last year, it was the same thing. I saw good technique being used. Do we want to continue to get more talent at the offensive line position? Yes. But we have to develop the talent we have now and find ways for them to have success." Jansen said he'll be watching closely what Warinner does, for instance, with someone like Ben Bredeson. The junior guard stands to improve just from experience in his third season of starting, but there can be more to the equation in the former All-American's mind. "When I watched O h i o S t a t e ' s o ff e n - sive line, and when I watched Minnesota's offensive line last year, those guys used those proper techniques," Jan- sen said. "I'm really ex- cited to see what he can do with a guy like Ben Bredeson. "I think Ben has a lot of talent, and there's a lot of room for him to improve very quickly. With the right technique, and with a center as ath- letic as [sophomore] Ce- sar Ruiz, if Ben's able to play at that guard posi- tion, I think he's going to be an absolute stud." Kevin Noon covers Ohio State for BuckeyeGrove.com. He witnessed a Big Ten-record 4,321 rushing yards by OSU in 2013, and single-season school records in points (672) and touchdowns (90) in 2014, all behind Warinner's offensive lines. "Warinner is just a really good teacher," Noon said. "People that play under him are just extremely loyal to him. Technique-wise, he just gets it. He manages to get the most out of his guys. "… He did a great job as a line coach, especially. The results showed on the field. Urban Meyer trusted him a lot and always said that was an of- fensive line-driven team." OTHER CHAINS-MOVING SWITCHES Entering mid-March, McElwain re- mained listed as Michigan's wide re- ceivers coach. He's certainly expected to make an impact there, working with developing talents like sopho- mores Tarik Black, Donovan Peoples- Jones and Nico Collins, and many others. But U-M had yet to list an offensive coordinator following Drevno's de- parture. Whether given a title or not, McElwain stands ready to push Mich- igan's offensive ideas and schemes forward. McElwain, as Alabama offensive coordinator, helped Nick Saban go from 7-6 in his first season to 12-2. He wound up part of national champion- ships in 2009 and 2011, and drew high praise from players along the way. "I think the way he connects with players is as good as it gets," former Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson told The Wolverine. "It didn't matter if you were a lineman or a quarterback, he really connected so well with the players." "I loved Jim, I really did," noted Mike Johnson, a two-time All-Amer- ican guard at Alabama. "He's some- body that as an offensive lineman, you loved his mentality. "Obviously with [running back] Mark Ingram winning the Heisman in 2009, we had a run-first mentality a lot of the time. That was part Nick Saban, part Jim McElwain, I'm sure, but Jim had a way of making sure he put the onus on the offensive line." Jansen likes what McElwain might bring in the area of long gainers, an area in which the Wolverines were sorely lacking in 2017. "He'll give the offense the oppor- tunity to be a little more explosive, in terms of big-play capability," Jansen said. "When you watch what he did at Colorado State, when you watch what he did at Alabama and then at Florida … last year, they got beat up with suspensions and guys being hurt and not available. Until then, they were SEC East champs two years in a row with him. They had explosive offenses. They had the ability to put a First-year wide receivers coach Jim McElwain posted a 44-28 record as the head coach at Colorado State (2012-14) and Florida (2015-17). PHOTO COURTESY INSIDETHEGATORS.COM Sherrone Moore coached tight ends at Louisville (2012-13) and Central Michigan (2014-17) before taking the same post at U-M. In his final year at CMU, he was also the assis- tant head coach and recruiting coordinator. PHOTO COURTESY CENTRAL MICHIGAN