Grant Newsome sometimes has to catch himself.
Whether he’s in the film room, mid-rep in practice or out on the gridiron, the Michigan offensive line coach often finds himself in need of a reminder that his group is younger than most. Of the Wolverines’ current starting five offensive linemen, three are redshirt freshmen.
“With all three of those guys, you forget they’re redshirt freshmen sometimes, which is a good thing,” Newsome said Wednesday. “But sometimes, as coach, you have to remind yourself, ‘Oh shoot, he hasn’t seen that before.’ He hasn’t played four years of football where he’s seen that look before, or knows how to adjust to that on the fly.”
Right tackle Andrew Sprague, right guard Jake Guarnera and left tackle Blake Frazier are the aforementioned fresh faces. While Sprague is the outlier of the bunch — having earned his starting role immediately after fall camp — both Guarnera and Frazier are new to the job.
Despite their relative inexperience, the trio has anchored the injury-stricken O-line with poise and consistency. And on a team with a next-man-up mentality, they’ve grown up quickly and visibly.
“It hasn’t had to be like, ‘We have to go back to square one, or, ‘Hey, can this guy handle this?’ ” Newsome said. “Those guys, they work their tails off. They’re smart. They’ve prepared for it. Sprague got a little taste of playing last year, but Jake and Blake have prepared mentally, physically the whole offseason as if they were going to be the guy the whole year.”
Though he’s part of the same class, Sprague is considered the “veteran” of the group. After earning his first start last season in the ReliaQuest Bowl, he’s since started every game for Michigan this season, adding some much-needed experience to an offensive line seemingly constantly under construction.
But these fluctuations in the O-line have come out of necessity rather than choice.
In Week 2 against No. 18 Oklahoma, junior offensive lineman Brady Norton went down with an injury, and Guarnera was immediately called up to fill in. Similarly, Frazier earned his first career start after junior offensive lineman Evan Link was carted off the field with an injury against Washington.
It’s been a fast-paced few weeks for the Wolverines’ young starters. The pressure, the workload and the slim margin for error have tested them in every way. Luckily for them, Newsome understands the burden, because during his sophomore year, he was also called upon to start on Michigan’s offensive line.
“Starting early in this conference is difficult,” Newsome said. “… You’re playing in a premier conference with talented edge rushers. But to brag on our defense, the great thing for us is those guys have gotten reps last year, this year, against edges who are as talented or more talented than anyone will see this year. … It can never perfectly imitate the game and the emotions and everything that goes into that, but having a great defense gives you the best shot.”
There’s no substitute for experience, and in a fast-paced and physical conference like the Big Ten, the Wolverines’ young offensive linemen are getting plenty of it. They’ll inevitably miss a run block or get beaten in pass protection, but they’re continuously growing.
So when Newsome has to catch himself again — in film, in practice or mid-game — it’s for a reason. Lately, his freshmen haven’t looked much like freshmen.
