Amir Herring’s path to Michigan, outlook for 2023

No doubt about it, the Michigan Wolverines’ recent success along the offensive line has paid huge dividends for the program. As Sherrone Moore continues to reel in top talent on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal, the Wolverines appear to be in good hands at the position for years to come.

In addition to a handful of returning Joe Moore Award winners, Michigan rounds out its offensive line with… well, essentially starting offensive line. Giovanni El-Hadi, Raheem Anderson, Trente Jones, Greg Crippen, the list goes on and on. But throughout all of the talk surrounding Michigan’s offensive line, one young player has stood out in particular, and that is true freshman Amir Herring.

The story so far

A product of Michigan’s 2023 recruiting class, Herring attended West Bloomfield High School and was a key piece for the Lakers during the team’s 39-7 overall record during his four years as a starter. The former four-star recruit became the first offensive lineman in the school’s history to start at the freshman level, on a night that saw him line up at right tackle during the 2019 season opener against Oak Park. What’s also notable is this game featured premier defensive linemen on the opposing side, including Rayshaun Benny.

MLive regarding his excitement to begin practicing with Michigan, which happened for the first time prior to the Wolverines’ College Football Playoff game against TCU.

“I’m all about winning,” Herring said. I’m a guy who is going to do whatever it takes to find his niche in the winning culture of a program. Overall, (Michigan) is the premier offensive line school in the country with the best offensive line coach in the country (Sherrone Moore).”

During Michigan’s annual spring game, Herring was also a notable bright spot, popping on several occasions and even starting for the Blue Team.

Outlook for 2023

I’m not going to be shy about our prediction here — Amir Herring is likely Michigan’s next star along the offensive line. All indications are the former No. 4 overall player in the state of Michigan will follow a similar trajectory to what we saw him take in high school. It’s been said Herring was running with the starters by Day 2 of preseason camp at West Bloomfield.

Now, obviously, Ann Arbor isn’t West Bloomfield, so we should give him time to adjust to the college game. Speaking with The Michigan Insider recently, Herring spoke briefly about what it’s been like during the brief time that he’s been on campus.

“The last six months has been an unbelievable experience on and off the field. Getting used to college life, how classes are, how practices are in the spring, and just overall.” Herring said. “Other guys that are going through it also with me — the early enrollee guys — getting to know them, we really turned into a family over these last six months. And overall, all the other guys, we’re one big family at Michigan. Everybody does everything together, and that’s what I really like about our culture.”

If not for the depth of Michigan’s 2023 offensive line, Herring could have seen some extended run as a freshman. Instead, we should expect a developmental year for Herring, both in the weight room, working on the technicalities of the offensive line, and studying the playbook. Perhaps he’ll get some playing time in the non-conference when Michigan is up big late in games.