Andrew Babalola is making a real push to be Michigan football’s Week 1 starter at left tackle, and the early signs point his way.
Babalola has already been seen working with the ones at left tackle, and he looks like the frontrunner for the job. The biggest thing standing in his way is simple: he hasn’t played much yet.
The case for Babalola starts with upside. Michigan has already gotten a look at Evan Link on the outside protecting Bryce Underwood, and that wasn’t up to the standard set by past Michigan football lineman.
Blake Frazier took over when Link went down for the season, but he didn’t exactly lock the spot down either. That leaves the opening for Babalola, a five-star prospect who still has plenty of raw edges after missing reps because of the ACL tear.
Even so, if he can handle the role, he has a better short-term ceiling than the other options.
#Michigan HC Kyle Whittingham says the main three battling for the left tackle spot is Andrew Babalola, Blake Frazier and Evan Link
- Brice Marich (@BriceMarich) August 10, 2026
There’s also a clean way to sort out the rest of the line if Babalola wins the job. Blake Frazier and Evan Link can slide inside to guard, where the pressure is different and the blindside responsibility isn’t hanging over them. That move has been floated all offseason, and Michigan’s socials have already shown Link taking snaps at guard while Babalola works on the left side.
Michigan’s line room has enough flexibility to make it work. Jim Harding has six or seven players who could step in quickly if needed, and the plan is to have 10 linemen ready to play by the start of the season.
Harding’s group has the depth to keep sorting through options, but the best five will have to be on the field in September. Right now, that path starts with Babalola at left tackle.
In Other News...
Dusty May Finally Opened Up About His Sudden Michigan Exit
Dusty May was back in Ann Arbor recently for a hip procedure, and the timing also gave him a chance to talk publicly about how quickly his Michigan tenure ended. In an interview with Brian Boesch, the former Wolverines coach looked back on a stretch that moved faster than anyone expected, even after he had just guided Michigan to a national title.
May said the shift came after the championship run, when the NBA came calling and the Dallas Mavericks made their pitch. He pointed to the leadership in Dallas, the young core on the roster and the chance to coach at that level as major factors, a combination strong enough to pull him into a move that arrived earlier than he had originally planned. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Chasing Another High-Upside Defensive Line Project
Michigan has kept leaning into high-upside defensive line bets, and Jeremiah Mark is the latest name to surface on the 2027 board. A former basketball player who is still relatively new to football recruiting, Mark has already started drawing multiple Power Five offers, which is why his rise has begun to attract the attention of major programs across the country. Michigans recent commitment from four-star edge rusher Ifeanyi Emedobi, another player with limited football experience, fits the same mold and shows the staff is clearly willing to bet on traits as much as polish.
The next step in that pursuit will come with a game-day visit, as Michigan plans to bring Mark in for a closer look in an atmosphere that should give him a feel for the programs pitch and development track. For a staff that has already shown a willingness to chase raw, toolsy defensive linemen early, the visit is another chance to make an impression before the recruiting battle gets even busier. Mark is also making the rounds at several major conference schools, so Michigan will need that visit to land well if it wants to stay in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce Underwood Just Landed In A Heated Big Ten QB Debate
The preseason Big Ten quarterback conversation is already getting testy, and Michigans Bryce Underwood is right in the middle of it. Todd McShay and Josh Pate turned in sharply different quarterback rankings, with McShay bristling at where Pate slotted UCLAs Nico Iamaleava and Underwood among the conferences top passers. The disagreement comes down to philosophy as much as personnel, with one side leaning on what has already been shown on the field and the other trying to project what these quarterbacks can become.
For Michigan fans, Underwoods spot in the debate is a sign of how quickly his name has entered a bigger conversation. The freshman season is the backdrop here, and so is the broader uncertainty around how to weigh upside against proven production in a league that is always eager to argue about quarterbacks. Iamaleavas recent career moves and uneven performance only add another layer to the discussion, but the real tension is whether rankings like these should reward present-day rsum or long-term expectation. [Read more 🡒]