The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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86 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW OFFENSIVE LINE really good initial quickness, very good punch in pass pro and uses his length to separate and be able to vice on a guy." The "unbelievable" measurables are what have elevated sophomore Grant Newsome to become the probable starter at the all-important left tackle position. The 6-7, 300-pounder proved too good to redshirt last season, earning a start at Minnesota and playing in four games. Playing at Lawrenceville Academy, a boarding school in New Jersey, for four years helped prepare him for life in college, Drevno said. Newsome is mature beyond his years, evident in conversation. On the field, he has everything it takes to be the next Michigan great. "He's got long arms, and [strength coach] Kevin Tolbert and his staff have done a great job developing him with his strength from the time he came in until spring," Drevno said. "He's done a nice job out there. He's a very smart young man, has very good football aware- ness. He fixes problems and is very passionate about football, wants to be good … he's done a very nice job." The self-sufficiency developed at Lawrenceville helped ready him for success early on at Michigan, but it's the players he goes against every day who have prepared him for Big Ten play. Going against some of the best ends in the country has primed him for the battles to come. "He did a nice job. There were times he got beat, but that's going to happen," Drevno said. "That's how you get better, and there are some good guys rushing him over there with [ends] Chris Wormley and Taco Charlton. That's good for us to get better." The key to the line's performance, however, might lie in the cen- ter position, arguably the most important of the five spots up front. Glasgow exceeded all expectations in taking the job and running with it from the day the new coaches arrived on campus last year, and replacing him won't be easy. Cole will get first crack, and he played well at times in the spring. "It's very hard to grab a football and snap it with someone breath- ing down your neck, so I think he did a great job," Drevno said. "He's a smart guy and did a great job communicating calls up and down the line, a great job snapping and stepping, blocking and really took ownership of it. "He wanted to be good at it, and he really became versatile by playing this position." But as he notes "all the time," nothing in stone says that Cole is the starting center. "If we did played a game tomorrow, yeah, Mason would be the "We've got some freshmen and other guys coming in … they're all competing every day. My job is to put the best five guys on the field and see how it fits." OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/LINE COACH TIM DREVNO David Baas, 2004: A consensus All-American, Baas moved to center from guard early in the season and shared the Rimington Award as the nation's best center after helping lead the Wolverines to a share of the Big Ten title, their last to date. He also won the Hugh H. Rader award as the Wolverines' best offensive lineman and was a finalist for the Outland Trophy, which is annually given to college football's best interior lineman. John Vitale, 1986: Vitale started nine games at guard in 1985 and slid to center in 1986 to replace Bob Tabachino. He started all 13 games there for the Big Ten champions, a team that finished 11-2 and No. 8 nationally. Steve Everitt, 1989: Everitt started 12 games as a redshirt freshman in Bo Schem- bechler's last year as Michigan head coach. He helped lead the Wolverines to their second straight Big Ten title and would become the Cleveland Browns' first-round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft. Zach Adami, 1997: Adami replaced All-American Rod Payne and was an All-Big Ten selection for the 1997 national championship team. He never played in the NFL, but he was critical to U-M's offense in a special season. David Molk, 2008: Molk was one of the few bright spots on a 2008 team that won only three games in former head coach Rich Rodriguez' first year. He would become the Rimington Award winner as the nation's top center in 2011 and enjoy a few years in the NFL before injuries ended his career. — Chris Balas Top Five First-Year Centers Of The Last 30 Years Fifth-year senior Ben Braden is one of Michigan's biggest players, checking in at 6-6 and 322 pounds. He was the second-heaviest player on the Wolverines' roster this spring. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN