ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The Michigan football team hasn't been particularly banged up, at least compared to the past two years. But there have been injuries along the offensive line that have somewhat inhibited the team from finding its best five.
After Week 2, starting right tackle Andrew Sprague has been out with an undisclosed injury or illness. While there was some hope he could return relatively soon -- especially after the bye week -- it appears he will be out for the long term. But there is good news, as fellow offensive tackle Andrew Babalola will return to practice on Monday after having been out since near the end of fall camp.
"Andrew (Sprague), I'm not sure if it's way out there. If he comes back, it's way out there," Whittingham said.
"Andrew Babalola, fortunately, will be able to start practice this week. Which will be the first time in about a month. And it's been a big disappointment for us, we were really counting on him. He was clear to play way back when we talked about he had a setback and then another setback. And so, hopefully, we're not going to look for him to keep on the field. And he'll definitely have a chance to help us.
"And so, to answer your question, he'll start practicing today. We'll gradually ramp him up throughout the week and see if he's ready to contribute this Saturday. It would really help us if he can. We're really thin there. And I've got some other guys teamed up in the Minnesota game that will be questionable if that'll come out on Wednesday at the end of the week."
As far as Sprague is concerned, it's unclear what exactly is wrong with him, and it all seems that there wasn't any kind of consensus from those who are helping determine whether or not he can play.
Whittingham says that there is now a bit of a consensus and that it's that he'll be out for at least the next several weeks. With seven more games to go, that very well may preclude him from the season, or at least the bulk of it.
"Yeah, I'm perplexed. So is he, I think," Whittingham said. "Because there's a lot that goes into it. Several opinions, differing opinions. I guess now the opinions have dovetailed a little bit and kind of settled in a place where everyone's in agreement. And it doesn't change the fact that he's not available or won't be available for several weeks. But at least we feel now that maybe they've got a handle on it. Not a handle on it, but they've got some agreement. So we should miss him. He's a good player."
As far as Babalola is concerned, we'll see if he'll practice well enough to dress and be available for the Penn State game. Fellow offensive tackle Manuel Beigel -- who had served as the rhino -- has likewise been out for several weeks, thus allowing sophomore Avery Gach playing time.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Kyle Whittingham reveals troubling Andrew Sprague injury update
