Michigan Missing Two O-Linemen for Conference Opener Against Iowa
The short version
- Michigan will be without RT Andrew Sprague and sixth OL Manuel Biegel vs. Iowa (3:30 p.m., CBS).
- Sprague played all 115 offensive snaps through two games and started 12 of 13 games in 2025; no set return timeline.
- Blake Frazier, Evan Link, Nate Efobi, Jake Guarnera and Brady Norton comprised the reshuffled line last week; Avery Gach is expected at Rhino.
- No. 18 Michigan (3-0) hosts No. 17 Iowa (3-0) in a top-20 Big Ten opener.
- Starters Dom Nichols (edge) and Zeke Berry (DB) were cleared from the availability report.
The No. 18 Wolverines will face No. 17 Iowa without right tackle Andrew Sprague and reserve lineman Manuel Biegel, per the Big Ten availability report.
Michigan enters its first Big Ten contest of the season with a depleted offensive front. The league's pregame availability report rules out starting right tackle Andrew Sprague and Manuel Biegel, the versatile sixth lineman the Wolverines deploy in their "Rhino" package. The matchup with Iowa kicks off at 3:30 p.m. Eastern and airs on CBS.
Both teams arrive unbeaten at 3-0 overall and 0-0 in conference play, with Iowa holding the No. 17 spot in the rankings and Michigan sitting at No. 18. It marks the second time this season that Michigan faces an opponent ranked in the top 20.
Sprague had carried a questionable designation for the previous three days before being declared out. His absence is significant: he was on the field for all 115 offensive snaps Michigan ran across its first two games and started 12 of the team's 13 contests in 2025. During fall camp, he locked down the right tackle job early, with the coaching staff describing the position as his to lose.
He was also held out last week, which forced the staff to rearrange the line. Blake Frazier shifted outside to right tackle, and Evan Link filled the vacancy at left tackle. The interior consisted of Nate Efobi at left guard, Jake Guarnera at center and Brady Norton at right guard.
There is no firm timetable for Sprague's recovery. Speaking earlier in the week on the "Inside Michigan Football" show, the coach said the outlook could range from a return this week to an absence of several weeks, with the staff still working alongside doctors to pin down a diagnosis and handle treatment properly. He added that Sprague is a significant piece of what Michigan does and the hope is he returns quickly.
Biegel's absence removes another contributor. A former defensive lineman who moved to offense during spring practice, he has logged 84 snaps over the past three weeks, including 29 in each of the last two games. Offensive coordinator Jason Beck has highlighted the physicality and the push the Rhino grouping generates in the run game, noting it has been used for years and also factors into pass protection in place of a tight end.
Beck added that three games into the season, Biegel has become one of the offense's brighter spots, and the results and grading from the package have been genuinely positive even with plenty still to refine.
The expected alignment up front mirrors the configuration used a week ago, with Avery Gach projected to step into the Rhino role in Biegel's place.
Michigan did receive some reassuring news on the defensive side. Edge rusher Dom Nichols and defensive back Zeke Berry, both starters who had been listed as questionable during the week, no longer appear on the report and are set to play.
Games to watch
