Spring Football Preview: Offensive Line

Tag: Patrick Kugler


26Feb 2016
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Spring Football Preview: Offensive Line

Mason Cole 934x

Mason Cole

Projected starters: LT Grant Newsome (So.), LG Ben Braden (RS Sr.), C Mason Cole (Jr.), RG Kyle Kalis (RS Sr.), RT Erik Magnuson (RS Sr.). Newsome was the sixth lineman by the end of the season. Jim Harbaugh said recently that Cole would start getting snaps at center as soon as spring practices starts, those two developments seem to be related. Braden, Kalis, and Magnuson all started at those respective positions for the entirety of 2015.

Hit the jump for the rest of the offensive line preview.

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3Jun 2014
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2014 Season Countdown: #75 Patrick Kugler

Patrick Kugler (image via Go Blue Wolverine)

Name: Patrick Kugler
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 295 lbs.
High school: Wexford (PA) North Allegheny
Position: Center
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #57
Last year: I ranked Kugler #87 and said he would redshirt. He redshirted.

Kugler had surgery to repair his injured shoulder between his senior year of high school and his freshman year of college, so his rehab impaired his ability to contribute last season. Even so, a true freshman playing offensive line in college is somewhat rare, let alone at center. Kugler was a full go for the latter part of the season in practice, and he seemed none the worse for wear during the spring game.

Kugler enters the 2014 season as the third center on the roster. Redshirt junior Graham Glasgow leads the way, followed by redshirt junior Jack Miller, who started the first few games last year before being passed by Glasgow. So there’s a fair amount of experience ahead of the redshirt freshman. Despite being listed at 295 lbs., Kugler looked pretty thin this spring and could afford to add some mass before he hits the field in the regular season. I think he will eventually take over the position and could even help out at guard in the meantime, but that’s probably still a year or two away.

Prediction: Backup center

21Mar 2014
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Graham Glasgow did something bad

Why does Graham Glasgow look so paranoid? (image via Michigan Daily)

Redshirt junior offensive lineman Graham Glasgow, who started all 13 games in 2013, failed to meet “team expectations” and has been suspended for spring football and the season opener against Appalachian State. This is unfortunate for Glasgow himself, but also for the team, since he appeared to be the one sure starter on an offensive line in flux. During the spring up until this point, Glasgow had been playing center, guard, and tackle, and he would almost certainly have started at either center or guard in the fall.

The other options at center are these:

  • Redshirt freshman Patrick Kugler: The 6’5″, 295 lb. son of a former NFL offensive line coach (and current college head coach), Kugler was born and bred to be a lineman. Unfortunately, he’s young and coming off shoulder surgery. 
  • Redshirt junior Jack Miller: At 6’4″ and 297 lbs., Miller technically has the size to be an effective center, but he got blown off the ball too often last year when he began the year as Michigan’s starting center. He was sent to the bench by Glasgow, never to return, even when Glasgow had serious issues snapping the ball in his first few weeks. Miller has also been playing some left guard this spring.
  • Redshirt senior Joe Burzynski: The 6’1″, 288 lb. Burzynski is a little undersized and has never played regularly at the college level after walking on to the program a few years ago. He has mostly been a backup guard and got a brief chance to play significant time last year before tearing his ACL against Indiana. He has still not returned to full practices and may not be a full go until August.
  • Redshirt sophomore Blake Bars: The 6’5″, 290 lb. Bars has been practicing at tackle quite a bit this spring with the depth so poor at that position, but he has been a guard for most of his time on campus. He has snapped the ball a little bit during his time in Ann Arbor, but this would be sort of an emergency move.
  • Sophomore Kyle Bosch: In what would be another desperation move, Bosch came to Michigan prepared to play some center if necessary. The 6’5″, 301 lb. Bosch has not practiced at center at all (as far as I know) and is likely to start or at least push for a starting job at guard.
If I had to make a guess right now, I would tentatively say that I expect Kugler to be the starter against Appalachian State. Miller has already had a chance to show what he can do, and we’ve seen that he has struggled. The more important point there is that the coaches did not give him another chance to get on the field, which suggests to me that they were very unhappy with what they saw.
3Jun 2013
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2013 Season Countdown: #87 Patrick Kugler

Patrick Kugler

Name: Patrick Kugler
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 270 lbs.
High school: Wexford (PA) North Allegheny
Position: Center
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Kugler was a senior in high school. I gave him a TTB Rating of 86.

The son of an NFL offensive line coach (who has since been hired as UTEP’s head coach), Kugler committed to Michigan in February 2012.  His high school team went on to an undefeated season and a Pennsylvania state championship, while Kugler himself was selected for the Under Armour All-America Game, where he won the starting center job.

Kugler is perhaps the most college ready center to come to Michigan in the last 20 years, partly due to good size and partly due to his bloodlines and technique.  However, I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen a true freshman center in major college football, since that position typically requires the experience and intelligence to call protections.  The Wolverines have a couple options who are older and a little bigger, though perhaps not as talented in the long run.  I expect Kugler to spend this season on the bench.

Prediction: Redshirt

11Apr 2013
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Poll results: Who will be the best offensive lineman in the 2013 class?

Wexford (PA) North Allegheny center Patrick Kugler

Patrick Kugler: 63%
The freshman from Wexford (PA) North Allegheny played in the Under Armour All-American Game.  According to the 247 Composite rankings, he’s a 4-star, the #68 player nationally, and the country’s top center.  He will enroll at Michigan in June and potentially be a backup to whoever wins the starting center job this spring.  His father is a former professional offensive line coach who is now UTEP’s head football coach.


Kyle Bosch: 19%
Bosch is a 6’5″, 307 lb. player who enrolled in January.  He attended Wheaton (IL) St. Francis and was 247 Composite’s #3 offensive guard and #87 overall prospect.  In spring practice videos, he has appeared to be running with the second team at offensive guard.  He may factor into the playing rotation in the fall.


David Dawson: 12%
The Detroit (MI) Cass Tech prospect stands 6’4″ and 280 lbs.  He’s the 247 Composite’s #4 offensive guard – one spot below Bosch – and their #95 player overall.  Dawson also played in the Under Armour All-American Game.


Chris Fox and Logan Tuley-Tillman: 1% (tie)
Fox comes from Parker (CO) Ponderosa, while Tuley-Tillman hails from Peoria (IL) Manual; they were selected for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and the Under Armour game, respectively, although Fox was unable to participate due to a knee injury.  Fox stands 6’6″ and 300 lbs. and was recruited to play tackle, while Tuley-Tillman enrolled in January and has been practicing at left offensive tackle, standing 6’7″ and 285 lbs.  Fox was 247 Composite’s #5 offensive guard and #111 overall player, and Tuley-Tillman was the #12 offensive tackle and #167 player overall.


Dan Samuelson: 0%
Plymouth (IN) Plymouth offensive guard Samuelson stands 6’5″ and 290 lbs.  According to the 247 Composite rankings, he’s the #21 offensive guard and #414 overall player in the nation.