Trevor Keegan knows the Michigan football team — and their offensive line in particular — will have a goal on their backs this fall.
Keegan is the frontrunner, starting on the left for the Wolverines, reigning Joe Moore Award winners and Big Ten champions.
“We were the Chasers last year,” Keegan told The Michigan Insider this week. “We’re Michigan — we know everyone wants to hunt us. We are the biggest game on the schedule. We get their best every week and we are ready for it.”
A native of Chicagoland, Keegan has hosted teammates Braiden McGregor and Karsen Baernhart at his home last week while attending the BG 10 Champion Mega Football Camp organized in part by JJ McCarthy.
The whole experience was “a blast,” Keegan said, as the teammates enjoyed attending a Chicago Cubs game and the coaching aspect of the camp. Keegan, in his fourth year at Michigan, is a self-proclaimed “fool,” but he plans to take an offensive leadership role this fall.
He’ll probably start alongside the fifth grader Ryan Hayesdiploma student Olu OluwatimiJunior Zak Zinter and Redshirt Junior Trente Jones — the current frontrunners on the offensive line, according to coach Jim Harbaugh.
“It’s a veteran group. A group that was good last year and has a chance to be even better this year,” Harbaugh said.
Keegan added, “I’m expecting big things from myself and my team this year. It’s going to be a ride.”
Here’s what Trevor Keegan said to The Michigan Insider this week:
To attend the BG 10 Champion Mega Football Camp:
It was fantastic. I’m from this area. I grew up with AJ, JJ, T-Mac and everyone else. Just to give back to the northwest suburbs, the suburbs of Chicago, it was great. The boys played their nuts. It was a great time.
On bonding with his teammates during the week:
Without doubt. It wasn’t meant to be, but it definitely felt like it. We went to the Cubs game yesterday, we all just hung out, hung out with our families. We are a well-established team. That’s how it was – it’s the culture that we’ve built. It was a great time.
On welcoming teammates in his hometown:
I had Braiden, Karsen staying with me. I just show them around, show them a little bit of how I grew up. A lot of the guys are at JJ’s house, just showing off the area and stuff like that, so it was cool.
On his reflections on Michigan’s 2021 football season:
Last year was great. Personally, I’ve gotten a lot better over the season from my sophomore year through my junior year. I really said I want this. My mentality changed a bit, immersed in the script, seen more films. I’ve really evolved on the field and with my game.
I expect great things from myself and my team this year. It’s going to be a ride.
On wrapping up a Joe Moore winning season:
Last year we were 10 deep. This year we are also 10 deep. We only have leaders on our offensive line – find those new leaders this year, be vocal, do things the same as last year but with a little extra step. We want to go back to back joe moore Winners, we want to win a national championship.
Whether he’s a vocal leader of the offensive line:
i try to be I try to lead by example. I’m kind of the fool in the room, but I’m trying to guide them, show them the way.
Whether sentiment has changed around the Michigan team after winning the Big Ten:
It doesn’t feel different because we expected it. We expected to be like this. Last year we were the hunters. We’re Michigan – we know everyone wants to hunt us. We’re the biggest game on the schedule. We get their best every week and we’re prepared for that.
On the changes to expect on the Michigan offensive line this fall:
We have a whole range of different personnel groups in our offensive. I actually spoke to Cade about this last week. He says, “Everyone asks me if we’re more dynamic.” I say, ‘Cade, I don’t even know what that means, to be honest.’
Just put the ball in the hands of our playmakers and they make it from there. Just put the ball in our playmakers’ hands, do our job up front, QBs make the good reads, and we’ll be fine.
