ANN ARBOR – The genesis of Blake Frazier becoming Michigan’s No. 1 left tackle wasn’t what he envisioned, but his first start this Saturday will be memorable for a multitude of reasons.
The redshirt freshman was thrust into action in the first quarter last week against Washington after starter Evan Link was carted off the field with a leg injury. Frazier, the son of former Michigan offensive lineman and 1997 national champion Steve Frazier, played the rest of the game at left tackle and is in line to start against Michigan State on Saturday.
“It’s great,” Frazier said. “Especially with me growing up a Michigan fan, I know what the game means. I’m excited, especially being a night game in East Lansing. It’s going to be a good opportunity to see what we’ve got as a team.
“I’ve known what it’s like to play in this game since I was 5 years old. It’s the state championship. The whole state’s bragging rights depend on it. You give it everything you’ve got and expect that records don’t matter. You’re going to get their best shot no matter what.”
Frazier grew up in Texas but was a Michigan fan largely because of his father’s ties to the program. He was rated as a four-star recruit coming out of Vandegrift High in Austin but arrived in Ann Arbor undersized at 250 pounds. He didn’t see game action as a true freshman in 2024 but has since bulked up to 295 pounds.
“I think I was pushing fall camp, the entirety of it,” Frazier said. “I’ve always personally prided myself on putting myself in the best position to succeed. I think as soon as I was fully available coming back from injury after last year, I was putting myself in position to play, if not being in the two-deep.”
While Saturday will be his first career start, Frazier did appear in the first six games as a sixth offensive lineman in certain packages.
According to Pro Football Focus, he has played 106 snaps and is the highest-graded Michigan offensive lineman in 2025.
“I think getting some playing time without officially starting was a good way to kind of get rid of the butterflies earlier in the season,” he said. “Getting out there, especially against New Mexico (in the season opener), was just a good way to, after last year not getting any playing time, knock any pregame jitters since I haven’t played in a game since high school until this year. I think it was a good way to kind of ease into this season.”
Michigan -14.5 point spread is listed at -105 on FanDuel for Saturday’s game against Michigan State. Our complete FanDuel Sportsbook review provides a guide on how to register and use their site.
The Wolverines will have three redshirt freshmen starting along the offensive line Saturday, although right guard Jake Guarnera and right tackle Andrew Sprague have started multiple games this season. Head coach Sherrone Moore said he doesn’t believe the group will miss a beat with Frazier in there.
“Really proud of him,” Moore said Monday. “Really proud of the player he’s become. Having those extra o line reps are huge. We’ve really done that in past years of getting young guys time to play, or getting another guy that we feel that could be a starter or a guy that’s going to play extra reps. So you’ve seen the progression.”
This isn’t the first time Frazier has had a quick ascent to a starting role. He was a 195-pound reserve tight end for his high school’s junior varsity team as a sophomore before transforming his body in the offseason and earning the starting right tackle job on varsity as a junior.
Now his main job in his first collegiate start is protecting quarterback Bryce Underwood’s blind side.
“I love it,” Frazier said. “Honestly, I think it makes me play better. In high school, I started my junior year at right tackle and my senior year at left tackle, and I honestly think, obviously developing a player, but also having that pressure of, ‘I’m in charge of this guy’s blind side’ is something that I pride myself on. I think that it allows me to play more free and have that certain sense of responsibility.”
He also has a father to lean on who knows first-hand how much the Michigan-MSU rivalry means.
“It’s an emotional game, but we talk all the time about playing with passion and not emotion,” Frazier said. “I think it’s important you understand what this game means and you find a way to put your heart and soul into it, but at the end of the day, when the whistle blows, go back to the huddle and get ready to play the next play.”
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