Takeaways from Michigan Football’s updated team roster

Strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert always produces heavy offensive lines.

His Wisconsin and Arkansas ones frequently averaged over 320 pounds, with his 2014 Razorback linemen topping out at 328 a man. This is despite a diet plan that includes tons of kale and avocados.

When Michigan released its summer roster update Thursday, the gains pervaded the entire team. Maybe we shouldn’t be shocked. Remember Karan Higdon?

Of the 60 returning scholarship players, a eye-popping 26 of them gained 10 pounds or more from last season’s listed weights. In total, the 60 gained 8.18 pounds per player.

Some admitted that former coach Kevin Tolbert worried more about combine testing than literal strength gains. Now, everyone, as Rashan Gary said during spring practices, is, “putting on weight and moving faster. More explosive and stronger.”

Some of the most shocking results are from the skill players. Despite the swoll nature of Higdon’s picture above, he weighs 14 pounds less than the presumably shiftier Chris Evans.

At receiver, the sophomore quartet of Donovan Peoples-Jones, Tarik Black, Oliver Martin and Nico Collins all weigh above 200 pounds.

Most notably on the offensive line, Mike Onwenu appears to be around his ideal weight of 350, rather than the 370 pounds that forced him to take breathers.

Whereas Bryan Mone and Donovan Jeter gained 30 pounds between them to bolster the interior defensive line, presumed starter Aubrey Solomon lost 10 pounds. Does that portend a move to the more athletic 3-tech spot?

Tyree Kinnel tried to dispel concerns at Media Days that the weight gains would make the team slower.

“We just did the workouts, ate the food and all of a sudden we were gaining weight,” he said. “We’re getting bigger, but we don’t look fat, so I don’t know. At first we were concerned, because everyone was weighing a lot more, but looking at our bodies, it wasn’t bad.”

”People can get scared about us getting bigger and things, but we’re not slow. We’re still fast, still playing the way we did before, our bodies are just more toned.”

Here are the weight changes among returning scholarship players, organized by position.

Player, height, current weight — plus/minus

QUARTERBACK

Dylan McCaffrey, 6-5, 217 — +18

Brandon Peters, 6-5, 230 — +10

RUNNING BACK

Kurt Taylor, 5-8, 195 — -1

Chris Evans, 5-11, 216 — +10

Karan Higdon, 5-10, 202 — +12

O’Maury Samuels, 5-10, 205 — +13

Ben Mason, 6-3, 254 — +3

WIDE RECEIVER

Oliver Martin, 6-1, 200 — +2

Nico Collins, 6-4, 218 —+12

Tarik Black, 6-3, 215 — +9

Donovan Peoples-Jones, 6-2, 208 — +9

Eddie McDoom, 6-0, 187 — +6

Grant Perry, 6-0, 195 — +4

TIGHT END

Nick Eubanks, 6-5, 252 — +12

Zach Gentry, 6-8, 262 — +14

Sean McKeon, 6-5, 251 — +3

OFFENSIVE LINE

Phillip Paea, 6-4, 296 — +21

Michael Onwenu 6-3 350 — +0

Cesar Ruiz, 6-4, 319 — +3

James Hudson, 6-5, 301 — -1

Joel Honigford, 6-6, 295 — +20

Chuck Filiaga, 6-6, 341 — -4

Nolan Ulizio, 6-5, 305 — +10

Andrew Stueber, 6-7, 323 — +9

Stephen Spanellis, 6-5, 300 — +7

Ben Bredeson, 6-5, 320 — +12

Jon Runyan Jr., 6-5, 310 — +12

Juwann Bushell-Beatty, 6-6, 318 — +3

Grant Newsome, 6-7, 318 — +4

DEFENSIVE LINE

Carlo Kemp, 6-3, 280 — +16

Rashan Gary, 6-5, 283 — +2

Rueben Jones, 6-4, 250 — -5

Aubrey Solomon, 6-3, 287 — -10

Chase Winovich, 6-3, 255 — +2

Deron Irving-Bey, 6-4, 294 — +20

Michael Dwumfour, 6-2, 285 — +5

Bryan Mone, 6-4, 335 — +10

Lawrence Marshall 6-4 285 — +0

Donovan Jeter, 6-3, 308 — +20

Ron Johnson, 6-4, 267 — +3

Luiji Vilain, 6-4, 255 — +13

Kwity Paye, 6-4, 260 — +19

LINEBACKERS

Josh Uche, 6-3, 238 — +12

Khaleke Hudson, 6-0, 220 — +15

Drew Singleton, 6-2, 222 — -3

Devin Bush Jr., 5-11, 233 — +11

Josh Ross, 6-2, 225 — +4

Jordan Anthony, 6-0, 245 — +9

Devin Gil, 6-1, 231 — +11

Noah Furbush, 6-5, 237 — -3

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Ambry Thomas, 6-0, 183 — +4

Josh Metellus, 6-0, 204 — +5

Jaylen Kelly-Powell, 6-0, 184 — +11

Brad Hawkins, 6-2, 213 — +9

David Long, 5-11, 198 — +11

Tyree Kinnel, 5-11, 215 — +14

Lavert Hill, 5-11, 181 — +4

Benjamin St-Juste, 6-3, 196 — +3

J’Marick Woods, 6-3, 210 — +7

Brandon Watson, 5-11, 204 — +4

SPECIALISTS

Quinn Nordin, 6-1, 206 — +11

Brad Robbins, 6-2, 206 — +25