Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Jake Guarnera has been a pleasant surprise in the first month of the season for the Michigan Wolverines. He slotted in at right guard following an injury to Brady Norton,
and even though he didn’t win the starting spot in fall camp, he has made positive strides in Norton’s absence and has cemented himself as a significant part of the rotation.
“(Guarnera has) just done everything the right way. He’s played at a really high level and played fearlessly,” head coach Sherrone Moore said this week. “He got thrown in as a starter, and he’s just gone out and played his tail off. We’ve seen him play physically and with the right technique. As far as being a solidified starter, we’ll see as the week goes but he’ll definitely play.”
Moore also explained how he saw Guarnera start to emerge in spring practice, and he’s only continued to improve throughout fall camp and the 2025 season. He has worked hard to crack the rotation, and his consistency is one of the main reasons why the Wolverines are confident in his ability to start.
“It started in spring, and we saw the evolution of him, changing his body and changing his mentality that he’s not just a redshirt freshman, but is a guy that needs to be ready to play,” Moore said. “He gave us all confidence as an offensive staff that he can go help us win games. The Jake that we see preparing is the same Jake that we’ve seen in the games.”
Guarnera possesses an impressive combination of physicality, proper technique and toughness, which has allowed him to fill in for Norton and have the Wolverines not miss a beat. The 6-foot-4, 311-pounder has demonstrated an ability to finish blocks and provide solid run blocking, helping Michigan average 7.6 yards per carry since he was inserted into the starting lineup.
“I’ve just been focusing on my technique and pushing through adversity,” Guarnera told the media on Tuesday. “Being a Michigan offensive lineman is a big deal so having that honor, taking it with pride and being serious about how I do things is important to me. I just kept pushing — I didn’t win the job out of camp, but I went back every day with the mindset that I had to keep pushing.”
Fifth-year senior center Greg Crippen has also played a role in Guarnera’s development, taking him under his wing and becoming a mentor. Crippen is widely regarded as one of the most intelligent offensive linemen at Michigan, so his ability to read defenses effectively and communicate efficiently should help Guarnera going forward.
“Greg Crippen, sitting next to him in meetings, has been a mentor for me the last two years,” Guarnera said. “Mentally and just being able to read the defenses, Greg also helped me with that a lot, so I’ve really been able to learn from him. He’s really honed in on his techniques, he’s very smart mentally and he takes the film-watching process very seriously.”
It remains to be seen if Guarnera will remain the starting right guard once Norton is healthy and able to play — Moore noted on Monday that Norton would have to earn his starting spot back — but Moore seems comfortable with whoever is out there. Guarnera’s strong showing thus far should give him a chance to retain the starting job.
