When Giovanni El-Hadi had to come in during his sophomore campaign to fill in at left guard when Trevor Keegan went down with injury, the Michigan football offensive line didn’t miss a beat. It was a clear sign that the future was bright when El-Hadi was ready to step in.
However, after having to wait another full year-plus before he got to start, in 2024, El-Hadi didn’t look nearly as confident on the field as he had when called upon in 2022.
This past season, El-Hadi had moved from the left to the right guard position, and it didn’t fully appear to be a natural transition. Now the senior from Macomb County, Michigan confirmed he’s moving back, and he’s liking the early returns.
“Yeah, I’m playing left guard. Moving back to the left,” El-Hadi said. “It’s going good. Yeah, it’s going really good. I feel a little bit more natural on the left. I played my first two years on the left side. Last year, (Josh Priebe) came back. When the Priebe came, they moved me to the right to change positions. Then I asked to go back to the left. It’s going good.”
Why does he feel like he’s better at left guard, especially considering he appeared to be improving at right guard by the end of the season? For one, it’s time on task, but he also has that on the right side.
Still, like Malcolm Gladwell’s notion that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something, El-Hadi feels like he has that playing on the left side of the line more so than the right.
“To be good at something, I have to be consistent,” El-Hadi said. “I was pretty consistent on the left side. I did it for a lot of years. Before that, I only ever played right. When I came here, I played left. You kind of get used to it. It’s like second nature. That’s why I feel a little better on the left side.”
#starting #Gio #ElHadi #moving #left #guard
