ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The Wolverines had quite possibly their best offensive line recruiting haul ever, at least on paper, this past offseason. From in-state standout Avery Gach and MSU legacy Kaden Strayhorn to the two five-stars -- Andrew Babalola and Ty Haywood -- it's an impressive group that has a ton of potential.
Babalola is the highest-rated of the bunch, and as an early enrollee, he's already turning heads. There has been some speculation that the Kansas native could end up starting in year one, and while Michigan football offensive line coach Grant Newsome won't go that far, he's liked what he's seen out of his talented first-year player in spring ball.
"Yeah, he's been just fine. He's been just fine," Newsome said. "He's incredibly smart. He's an incredibly gifted and talented player, as well. So, there's always some growing pains being a freshman left tackle when they kind of get their first experience going against Derrick Moore and TJ Guy and Dom Nichols, the elite edges that we have. But I've been very impressed with not only him, but really all three of the freshmen we have currently on campus have exceeded our expectations so far of where they would be at this point -- especially when you sometimes have to remind yourself that these kids should be going to AP English in the fourth period, not out of Michigan football practice. So it's been super encouraging to see how well all three of those guys are playing so far."
Haywood was a late addition to the class, having committed on signing day proper in February. A longtime Alabama commit, there was no talk of Haywood having a wandering eye publicly until December. He made his first visit to Ann Arbor in January, and at that point, the maize and blue were able to seal the deal.
Newsome, of course, doesn't have any practical experience that can shine some light on Haywood's viability as a first-year player, as he hasn't arrived on campus just yet. But he is excited about the potential that he brings and what he'll add to the room once he arrives.
"We're thrilled to have Ty joining us here in the summer," Newsome said. "He was interesting. He was a guy who we had Coach Moore offer and recruited, and I recruited for a long time, ended up committing to Bama early, obviously. He kind of reached back out and said he was considering opening things up. We were ecstatic, not just personality-wise and ability-wise, but kind of who he is and how much he loves ball. It fits our room and gives us another extremely talented player who can hopefully contribute whenever he's ready, whether that's year one, year two -- whatever it may be."
Fans will get an opportunity to see Babalola in action in the annual spring game, which is set for April 19 at The Big House.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Could Andrew Babalola and Ty Haywood play early for Michigan football?
