The Michigan Wolverines have high expectations for the 2026 season, but a few things need to happen in order for this team to reach its ceiling and fulfill its potential — and a lot of that hinges on the performance of the offensive line unit.
Michigan consistently had one of the nation’s most physically dominant and imposing offensive lines from 2021-2023, which coincided with the best three-year run in school history. However, that standard dropped off in the last two years.
In 2025, Michigan’s offensive line was subpar. The Wolverines were solid in run blocking but ranked an abysmal 86th in pass-blocking according to Pro Football Focus — allowing 13 sacks and 89 quarterback pressures on 405 total dropbacks.
Now, first-year head coach Kyle Whittingham is hoping to revive the offensive line’s performance and get back to being one of the Big Ten’s best units. It’s easier said than done, but Whittingham is confident in the offensive line’s improvement.
“We feel good about our offensive front. We’ve made a lot of progress,” Whittingham said. “We feel very confident we’re going to be one of the best groups in the Big Ten. Right now, I think we have nine guys that will play at a high level.”
Michigan is expected to start center Jake Guarnera, left tackle Blake Frazier, right tackle Andrew Sprague, left guard Evan Link and right guard Nathan Efobi, but Brady Norton has also impressed in fall camp and is still in contention to start.
Guarnera and Sprague are considered potential All-Big Ten candidates, while Frazier, Link and Efobi have flashed elite upside at times but have also struggled with consistency so becoming a more cohesive and dependable unit will be critical.
“The offensive line has made really good strides from where we were in the spring,” Michigan offensive coordinator Jason Beck said. “There’s a lot of competition and depth. We’ll just continue to work and see who is the most consistent.”
Shortly after he took over as Michigan head coach, Whittingham reached out to offensive line coach Jim Harding to see if he would join the coaching staff. Harding’s impact has been substantial and was quickly felt in the offensive line room.
“Jim Harding is a proven commodity as an offensive line coach,” Whittingham told the media. “He puts together a high-quality offensive line unit year in and year out. He continues to groom these guys, and recruit them and build them.”
Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood was often pressured and forced to flee the pocket last year so giving him time to operate and keeping him upright will be pivotal. If the offensive line can do that, the offense should be significantly better.
“We didn’t uphold the standard last year,” Norton said. “It’s hard to be comfortable in the pocket when pressure is all over you, so when we keep the pocket clean for Bryce, you can tell how damn good of a player he is. He’s due for a big year.”
The overall performance of the offensive line — all signs point to it being much improved — will dictate the success of the2026 season because it must protect Underwood and jump-start a passing attack that faltered under pressure in 2025.