The usual CFB news that breaks around this time of year is rarely positive, and this update surrounding one of Michigan Wolverines’ top freshman players is no exception. It wasn’t just a potential loss of their five-star left tackle. The NCAA made its ruling on the U-Mich sign-stealing case on Friday, and Sherrone Moore was hit with some added penalties. Mr. Moore is left juggling both the fallout off the field and a position battle on it that just became a lot less of a competition.
For the past few weeks, Michigan’s offensive line had been shaping up nicely. Sherrone Moore laid out the framework in a press conference five days ago when things were normal. Greg Crippen has locked in at center, Gio El-Hadi looks cemented at left guard, and the LT competition between Evan Link and Andrew Babalola was heating up. “Yeah, it’s constant battle. We just, I mean, we literally just talked about it. So like I said, Andrew and Evan Link, that left tackle is a constant battle. And you can throw Blake Frazier in there. He’s also been working at right. So we’ve got guys moving all around. I love that, when that happens,” said Moore.
At right guard, the field remained crowded with Nathan Efobi, Lawrence Hattar, Jake Guarnera, and Brady Norton still fighting for first-team reps. At RT, Moore mentioned Andrew Sprague as a player who’s been impressive, with Blake Frazier pushing for time there as well. “So got a couple of spots we think we got cemented, but we’re gonna let those other guys find it out,” said the HC. But that depth at left tackle vanished almost overnight. Freshman Andrew Babalola, a five-star signee from Kansas and one of the crown jewels of Michigan’s 2025 class, suffered a serious knee injury in practice, which, according to reports, could be season-ending.
Just five days earlier, when Sherrone Moore had spoken of Babalola as a viable starter, someone who could push Link until the very end of camp. Instead, the 6-foot-6, 300-pound tackle is done before he ever played a snap. It’s a brutal blow for the Wolverines, especially considering Babalola was the No. 1 pick in Michigan’s spring game draft, a clear indicator of how much respect he’d earned from teammates and staff in such a short span.
Michigan’s offensive line is starting to take shape:
Greg Crippen (C) and Gio El-Hadi (LG) have cemented themselves as starters
Evan Link is battling with Andrew Babalola at left tackle. It sounds like Link is leading, but Babalola is fully capable of being a starter there.… pic.twitter.com/rSTNKIAaXp
— Christopher Breiler (@TWH_Chris) August 12, 2025
That now leaves Link as the last man standing. The redshirt sophomore had already been earning strong reviews from Sherrone Moore and his staff, and his name was trending toward the top of the depth chart even before the injury. The Wolverines needed stability on the blind side while breaking in true freshman QB Bryce Underwood, and Link might now be their only realistic option. Moore has praised Babalola’s football IQ and poise: “Talent, ability, but the intelligence factor of knowing the scheme and knowing the playbook. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes in what he does, and that’s a huge piece to it too. When you have that at that position, it’s pretty special. There are very few guys that can do it, but he can.”
The timing of the injury also forces Michigan to reshuffle its long-term outlook on the offensive line. At RT, Sprague remains the lead candidate, with Frazier still pushing for time, but the lack of competition at LT makes the depth chart far more fragile. Losing Babalola eliminates not just an immediate competitor but also the chance to rotate young blood into the mix during what should have been a developmental season. O-Line depth is like a safety net in circus high-wire acts—when it’s pulled away, the risk level skyrockets.
For the much “fined” coach Sherrone Moore, knows he doesn’t have time to lament. With Underwood about to step into one of the most pressure-packed jobs, the protection plan must be airtight. Losing Babalola stings, but the program’s history suggests they’ll lean on Link, trust Sprague to hold down the right side, and let the interior depth shake itself out.
Sherrone Moore’s 2-game balancing act got even trickier after NCAA ruling
If losing a star tackle wasn’t enough of a gut punch for Michigan, now comes another blow from the NCAA hammer. Forget LT depth charts for a second—although we all wish Andrew Babalola nothing but strength and patience in his recovery. Anyone who’s faced a season-ending injury knows how heavy the mental side can weigh, so here’s hoping teammates, coaches, and fans rally around the freshman as he takes the long road back. But for head coach Sherrone Moore, the turbulence doesn’t end in the trenches—it’s now spilling onto the sidelines.
According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, Moore has been handed a two-year show-cause order, the kind of tag that lingers like a storm cloud over a program. That comes on top of the suspension Michigan already self-imposed, with Moore sidelined for two games in 2025. Only now, he’ll also be forced to sit out an extra game—the season opener in 2026. Yes, a penalty that stretches into another year.
The timeline is oddly staggered. Moore’s self-imposed two-game suspension will run during Weeks 3 and 4 in 2025. The third game tacked on by the NCAA will keep him out for Michigan’s first matchup in 2026. It’s the NCAA’s way of making a statement without dropping the nuclear option. And it’s not just Moore. ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel reported the program itself will absorb a financial gut punch: a fine expected to clear $20 million, tied to lost postseason football revenue over the next two seasons.
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