Michigan has plenty of intrigue on the offensive line heading into 2026, and Andrew Sprague sits right in the middle of it. The redshirt sophomore is already one of the more established pieces up front, but his profile still carries a clear dose of upside. At 6-foot-8 and 315 pounds, he has the frame, the experience and the chance to become one of the Wolverines’ most important blockers this fall.
Sprague’s 2025 season gave Michigan a steady answer at right tackle. He started the final game of 2024 as a redshirting freshman, then became a full-time starter last season and logged 740 snaps, third-most on the team. All but four of those came at right tackle, where he picked up honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition.
The numbers paint him as a solid, if not fully finished, player. In Pro Football Focus’s pass-blocking grade, Sprague checked in 84th among 310 FBS offensive tackles.
He ranked 161st in pass-blocking efficiency, allowed just one sack in 346 pass-blocking snaps, and gave up 20 pressures, which tied for 118th most nationally. As a run blocker, he landed 60th in PFF’s run-blocking grade, and Michigan averaged 2.62 yards before contact when running directly to the right or left of the right tackle, usually Sprague.
He also brought reliability that showed up beyond the advanced metrics. Sprague was charged with only two penalties all season, and outside of a difficult outing at Northwestern - five pressures and one sack allowed - he was generally viewed as a dependable presence on the right side.
That combination of experience and room to grow is why he matters so much entering 2026. Michigan offensive line coach Jim Harding is inheriting a group with talent, but Sprague is one of the players who should benefit most from Harding’s coaching. The former top-100 prospect still has room to add strength, and his size and background make him a natural candidate to take another step.
There is also a clear reason for the optimism. Harding has a track record of developing strong pass-protecting tackles, including first-round NFL Draft picks Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu this spring. After Michigan’s spring game, Whittingham pointed to Sprague and Jake Guarnera as players who had confirmed themselves as expected starters.
That said, Sprague is not alone in the tackle mix. Blake Frazier, Andrew Babalola, Evan Link, Marky Walbridge and others are all in the competition for time, and Michigan clearly likes its options.
Babalola made this year’s top-20 despite not playing a collegiate snap, while Frazier cracked the top 10. That depth is the main reason Sprague lands at No. 11 instead of moving into the top tier of the countdown.
The fan vote matched the ranking almost exactly. Sprague came in 11th on the fan ballot, collected four top-three votes and was a frequent pick in the 5-11 range, with 41.7 percent of voters placing him there. He was left off 15.7 percent of ballots, which pushed him to No. 12 in the final tally.
Michigan assistant offensive line coach Mike Lynch summed up the excitement around him this way: "He's another guy, the pass pro, having watched the film from '25 to where he's gotten in the spring. And he's a guy that's came in and he's wanted to watch more film - him and Blake.
His pass pro has gotten better. He's more physical, I think, than he was in the fall.
He's a guy that it's really important to him, and he just keeps working and keeps getting better. I'm excited about him."
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