Tag: Karsen Barnhart

Michigan 24, Penn State 15

I apologize for the delayed/short post. I had a crazy busy weekend and I was on the road for much of it, so I didn’t have much of a chance to write.

Great win. It shouldn’t be underestimated how great of a victory this was, in light of all the distractions in recent weeks. Michigan went into Happy Valley missing its head coach, a head coach that was stupidly suspended at the end of the day on Friday with zero new information in the previous week. I postulated last Monday on Rivals that the Big Ten might make a decision late on Friday, making it impossible or at least unlikely that Michigan would be able to get an injunction/temporary restraining order in time to get Harbaugh available for Saturday. Sure enough, that’s what happened. Supposedly, commissioner Tony Petitti released the suspension to the media before notifying Michigan itself, so M heard it first through the media. From a public perception standpoint, Petitti is lucky Michigan won this game, because the uproar would have been deafening if suddenly the Wolverines lost a game less than 24 hours after its head coach was suspended for such stupid reasons.

Who cares if Sherrone Moore cried? It was an emotional victory, for all the reasons mentioned above and more. I wish he didn’t cuss a couple times on national TV, but he’s not paid to be interviewed in an emotional moment after games. You know who is paid to do that? Jim Harbaugh. If the Big Ten wants family-friendly interviews after games, maybe they should let the guys who are head coaches coach the games and be interviewed, since that’s part of their job. The cussing would be a bigger deal if it was Harbaugh, who has two decades of head coaching experience. So f*** the Big Ten.

Anyway . . .

Hit the jump for more.

Michigan 52, Indiana 7

Run the damn ball. Coming into the game, Indiana was ranked #91 in rushing defense. And it was raining. So naturally, Michigan decided to come out throwing, with four pass plays and two rushes in the first six plays. Two of those pass plays resulted in sacks, and one was a drop by Colston Loveland. Meanwhile, the two carries by Corum averaged 4.5 yards per rush. Michigan wasn’t necessarily going to obliterate Indiana on the ground with huge runs, but they could have just taken over the game physically instead of trying to throw in those conditions.

Hit the jump for more.

2023 Season Countdown: #26 Karsen Barnhart

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Name: Karsen Barnhart
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 316 lbs.
High school: Paw Paw (MI) Paw Paw
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #52
Last year: I ranked Barnhart #26 and said he would be a backup offensive lineman (LINK). He started nine games.
TTB Rating: 86

Through four seasons at Michigan, Barnhart has been the Jack-of-all-Trades-iest lineman on Michigan’s roster. He has started at left tackle (5 games), left guard (2), and right tackle (8) over the past three seasons, and he has played in relief duty in thirteen games. He even started as the holder on the field goal unit and served as an usher in section 31R at Michigan Stadium.

So it’s no surprise that he’s guaranteed a starting position in year five.

Or is he?

PLOT TWIST.

Jim Harbaugh loves competition, so he brought in former Stanford starter Myles Hinton and former Arizona State starter La’Darius Henderson to a team brimming with talent already. Now Barnhart is in a battle with Hinton, Henderson, and fellow fifth year senior Trente Jones to start at tackle. Word has been that Henderson will be the likely starter at left tackle, leaving the other three to vie for the role on the right side. I’m giving the starting nod to Barnhart, who has more overall starts (15) than Jones (8). Barnhart seems to be the steadier player, while Jones has some impressive blocks but then some ugly whiffs. Barnhart has also put on about seven pounds since last year, so perhaps that will help him move people a little better.

Prediction: Starting right tackle

2022 Season Countdown: #26 Karsen Barnhart

Name: Karsen Barnhart
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 308 lbs.
High school: Paw Paw (MI) Paw Paw
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #52
Last year: I ranked Barnhart #24a and said he would be the starting right tackle (LINK). He started two games at left guard.
TTB Rating: 86

For the second year in a row, Barnhart served as Michigan’s extra lineman. He’s a utility man who can start at either tackle or either guard spot. When he was a redshirt freshman in 2020, he got a bunch of playing time on a bad offensive line. Last year he played left guard when Trevor Keegan couldn’t go, but he also was a backup tackle in blowouts. Barnhart has not really left an indelible mark as a beast of a player just waiting to break out of his cage, but he has been solid and has a good athletic profile to be “next.”

Last year’s pure blocking tight end, sixth lineman Trente Jones, is likely to start at right tackle now that Andrew Stueber has moved on to the NFL. I will be curious to see if Barnhart takes on Jones’s role as a blocking tight end, or if the staff will simply let the tight ends handle the tight end role, since the tight end room is so stacked with talent. Regardless of whether Barnhart is a blocking tight end or just the backup at guard/tackle, he’s going to play a lot. And when 2023 rolls around, he will probably have a starting role somewhere along the line.

Prediction: Backup offensive lineman

2021 Season Countdown: #24a Karsen Barnhart

Name: Karsen Barnhart
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 307 lbs.
High school: Paw Paw (MI) Paw Paw
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #52
Last year: I ranked Barnhart #36 and said he would be a backup offensive guard (LINK). He started four games at left tackle.
TTB Rating: 86

Barnhart was a high school tight end and basketball player who figured to need a few years to develop his body and technique before he was ready to play a major role in college. After redshirting in 2019, he was slated to be a backup in 2020. That idea went out the window when injuries felled three-fifths of the starting line, giving Barnhart a chance to start four games at left tackle. Despite not being ready, he held his own at times but struggled to get much of a push because of a lack of bulk and strength.

It remains to be seen how the line will be staffed in 2021. Some projections have Barnhart replacing Jalen Mayfield at right tackle, while others have Barnhart on the outside looking in. Michigan’s early starting line in fall practice has been (from left to right) Ryan Hayes, Trevor Keegan, Andrew Vastardis, Zak Zinter, and Andrew Stueber. I can’t really see Vastardis spending an entire season as the starting center – at least not if Michigan wants to be good – so I’m expecting someone else to slip into the starting five, and that person is Barnhart.

Prediction: Starting right tackle