College football news that breaks around this time of year is rarely positive, and this update surrounding one of Michigan’s top freshman players is no exception. According to 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz, Michigan freshman offensive tackle Andrew Babalola is feared to have suffered a season-ending knee injury.
While it’s unclear at this time what the injury is specifically, any injury that forces you to be out for the season is brutal, especially for a young player and his development. Babalola got a lot of hype this preseason, and was a legitimate option to start at left tackle, so this hurts the Wolverines in the near and distant future.
Looking at Michigan’s options at that spot, which I broke down earlier this month, redshirt sophomore Evan Link seems like even more of a lock to be the starter at left tackle, considering he’s the only player repping at that position with in-game experience. While he was inconsistent, he did show genuine improvement and played his best football in the wins over Ohio State and Alabama, with the latter coming at left tackle.
Redshirt freshman Blake Frazier also has a case for working his way into that spot, but with this injury, Michigan may have to rotate some players along the line to find the best option.
This blow is especially brutal for Babalola, who only started playing football a few years ago and could use all the reps he could get. We also know from Rod Moore and Jaelin Llewellyn that being out for that long can weigh on your mental health, so hopefully teammates, coaches and fans can rally around Babalola as he recovers.
There will likely be plenty of news that comes out of this, as is sadly the case, given the ripple effect of long-term injuries. Stay with Maize n Brew for more updates along the team’s offensive line as it develops.
