Evan Link enters 2026 as one of the more familiar faces on Michigan’s offensive line, and that alone makes him a key piece in this top 25 countdown. He lands at No. 23 after already logging 20 games up front for the Wolverines, with starts at both right tackle and left tackle giving him a rare kind of value on a line still sorting itself out.
Link’s résumé at Michigan is already layered. He opened his career by starting 11 games at right tackle in 2024, then won the left tackle job out of fall camp last season and started the first six games there before a season-ending injury cut things short. Even with the move to the other side, he held up well enough in those snaps, despite not being viewed by most talent evaluators coming out of high school as a natural left tackle.
That background is part of what makes his 2026 role so interesting. He’s been treated as something of a swing tackle because he has experience on both edges, but there’s a real case for him sliding inside.
Link has generally been more effective as a run blocker than in pass protection, and his strength shows when he’s able to drive defensive linemen backward. The issue, at least at times, has been mobility in space when he’s asked to protect outside.
New position coach Jim Harding will have plenty to sort through, and the only two players already penciled in as starters are center Jake Guarnera and right tackle Andrew Sprague. That leaves left tackle, left guard, and right guard open for competition.
Link’s first battle likely comes at left tackle, where he’ll be in the mix with Blake Frazier and Andrew Babalola. If he doesn’t land there, he could still factor into the guard spots alongside Nathan Efobi, Zach Norton, and Avery Gach, depending on how the tackle competition shakes out.
The sense here is that Frazier or Babalola are more likely to win the left tackle job, largely because both bring a little more mobility than Link. That’s why Link looks like a cleaner fit inside, where his power and experience could play better. He could end up as a favorite at either left guard or right guard, depending on how the rest of the line settles.
There’s still a path for him to start at left tackle or left guard in 2026, and there’s also a very real chance he becomes Michigan’s sixth offensive lineman and the first one off the bench if injuries hit. However it plays out, Link gives the Wolverines something every line wants: experience, flexibility, and a steady veteran presence.
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