- Position
- OL
- Number
- #55
- Pieces here
- 17
On the record
Called Shots →Evan Link, Nathan Efobi and Brady Norton all appear in Michigan's September 12, 2026 game against Oklahoma, as listed in the official participation report.
Evan Link is one of the five offensive linemen who start Michigan's September 19, 2026 game against UTEP, as listed in Michigan's official Player Participation release for that game.
The five offensive linemen listed as starters in Michigan's official Player Participation release for its September 26, 2026 game against Iowa are a different set of five men from all three sets Michigan has started so far in 2026 (Frazier-Link-Guarnera-Norton-Sprague, Frazier-Efobi-Guarnera-Norton-Sprague, and Link-Efobi-Guarnera-Norton-Frazier).
Written about him
Three of Michigan's five starting linemen are on the Penn State injury report
Michigan's initial Big Ten availability report for Saturday's game against Penn State, filed Wednesday, October 14, lists 14 players, six of them offensive linemen. Jake Guarnera, who started at center at Minnesota, and Brady Norton, another Minnesota starter, are Questionable; Nathan Efobi, a third starter, is Probable. Evan Link and Blake Frazier are not listed. Andrew Sprague is Out, the first time Michigan has opened a week with him at Out rather than Questionable, and Ace Hamilton is Out. Andrew Babalola, Out on all eight of his earlier designations this season, is Questionable. Manuel Beigel, Out on game day at Minnesota, is off the report, which makes him Available under the conference rule. In Michigan's two earlier conference weeks, ten Wednesday Questionable designations ended with three Outs on game day, all three of them offensive linemen; the six non-linemen all finished Available and the fourth lineman, Houston Ka'aha'aina-Torres, was a Game Time Decision who played. One take filed.
Michigan's defense scored as many touchdowns as the offense, and Michigan lost
Minnesota beat Michigan 20-14 at Huntington Bank Stadium, its first win over Michigan since 2014 and its first in Minneapolis since 1977. Michigan led 14-7 at halftime on Jordan Marshall's 5-yard run and Nathaniel Staehling's 79-yard interception return, then turned the ball over on a muffed punt and two Bryce Underwood interceptions in a span of 7:31. Minnesota scored 13 points off those turnovers on drives of 4, 34 and 35 yards. Michigan's offense gained 180 yards, its fewest of the season, held the ball for 41 seconds of the third quarter, and ran eight plays for no net yards between its touchdown and the fourth quarter. Underwood was 10 of 21 for 101 yards and was sacked three times. The running backs carried 18 times for 59 yards. Michigan's defense forced two turnovers, allowed one scoring drive longer than 35 yards and had no sacks. Michigan's last drive ended with two timeouts unused. JJ Buchanan, Nathan Efobi and Chase Taylor each went down during the game, and Kyle Whittingham said a couple of players could not finish without naming them. Michigan is 3-2 and 0-2 in the Big Ten.
Michigan Has Played Eight Of The Nineteen Offensive Linemen On Its Roster
Michigan beat eleventh-ranked Oklahoma 17-10 on September 12 with an offensive line that its own Player Participation release lists one deep at every position. Evan Link, the opening-day left guard, is not on that document anywhere, and nobody said why until Kyle Whittingham's Monday press conference, where he said the staff shuffled the lineup due to injury and nothing else. Link should return this week and may share left guard with Nathan Efobi. Andrew Babalola, a five-star who has still never played a college snap, had a setback and will not be available in the near future. Michigan lists nineteen offensive linemen. Eight have taken an offensive snap.
Michigan Would Not Name Its Two Starting Guards Because Three Seniors Are Going To Split The Job
Michigan's offensive coordinator held his final press conference before the opener on Wednesday afternoon and was asked the question that has followed this offensive line since camp opened. Jason Beck answered it with a number rather than a name. Evan Link, Nathan Efobi and Brady Norton will all play at the two guard spots, at what Beck called fairly similar snaps, and Clayton Sayfie of On3 reported that the rotation may hold for more than one game. The three tackles-and-center jobs are settled: Blake Frazier on the left, Jake Guarnera at center, Andrew Sprague on the right, the last of those hardened by Andrew Babalola's injury. Michigan's own roster still lists nineteen men as OL and nothing else, while it breaks the defensive line into ends and tackles, and on Wednesday the defensive coordinator named starters at both.