Chip Off the Old Blocker: Stronger Runyan Longs for More in Final Season

By Steve Kornacki

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Development came slowly but surely for Jon Runyan. He didn't become a starter until his fourth year at the University of Michigan, but then he played so well at left tackle in 2018 that he received the Hugh H. Rader Award as the team's top offensive lineman.

That was doubly significant because his father, who went on to become a Pro Bowl selection during a 14-year NFL career, also won the Rader Award in 1994, three years before his son was born. They're the first father-son combo to win it.

Jon Jr. also became the first Wolverine offensive tackle named All-Big Ten first team since Erik Magnuson in 2016, when he was one of Runyan's mentors.

Runyan was one of a handful of recruits who committed to previous Michigan coach Brady Hoke and became part of Jim Harbaugh's first recruiting class in February 2015. Runyan, a three-star recruit at St. Joseph Prep School in Philadelphia, has come far in five years.

"Jon has developed into a very good football player," Harbaugh said Monday (Sept. 23). "He's part of an offensive line that's an experienced group that we expect a lot from, and Jon's one of our best linemen.

"He's gotten extremely strong, and he's an athletic player. He's always been really good with focus and knowing what to do, leading guys. His leadership abilities also are very high."

Runyan, 6-foot-5, has gone from 275 to 315 pounds at Michigan and is on the Outland Trophy's 2019 watch list. The long hours in the weight room have paid dividends, and he credited strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert.

"I tried to get at it in the weight room as much as possible," Runyan said. "A lot of guys pushed me real hard through summer training, and it's a credit to Coach Herbert and his staff making me the person I am right now.

"We squatted our body weight 25 times and deadlifted our body weight 25 times. That's hard and I'd never been able to do that before, but I was able to do that over the winter and it felt good. I feel really strong right now."

He's become a mentor to young tackles such as Jalen Mayfield, Ryan Hayes and Andrew Stueber.

"I came in around a lot of good guys and (future) NFL players in Graham Glasgow, Erik Magnuson, Ben Braden, Mason Cole and Kyle Kalis," said Runyan. "I was really immature, and they taught me how to conduct myself as a professional in a college football setting. They set me on the path to become the player I am today, and now I see myself around these freshmen and sophomores.

"I was doing the stuff they're doing now, and I'm just trying to knock it out of them before I was able to. It's funny looking at them, and they're further ahead than I was. So, that's a big plus. I try to talk to them because that was something I needed when I was getting discouraged."

Ben Bredeson (L) and Runyan

Runyan, offensive guards Ben Bredeson and Michael Onwenu, injured tight end Sean McKeon and quarterback Shea Patterson are the senior starters on offense.

"Ben and Shea are the two guys that say a lot," said Runyan, "and me and Mike are more lead-by-example guys -- whether we're winning or losing, don't get too high or get too low. People feed off that when they see you not panicking, and I don't like to get mentally hijacked.

"If you get hijacked, you get too aggressive, you start making mistakes."

Displaying an exceptional work ethic in the weight room and film study also sets examples for younger players. Michigan offensive line coach Ed Warinner noted last week that he has film study with Runyan and Bredeson as early as 7:30 a.m.

Those two are on the left side of the O-line together. Bredeson is a two-time captain and has been selected second team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media in consecutive seasons. He's also on the Outland watch list and several preseason All-America teams.

"Jon and I have played together now going on year two," said Bredeson. "We know everything that the other is going to do, and you get that sense from being next to a guy so long."

Runyan is proud of his All-Big Ten first team honor, bestowed upon him by the conference's coaches, but was surprised when he received the news.

"Being All-Big Ten was kind of something I didn't expect," said Runyan, who also made the media's all-conference second team. "I have a lot of areas to improve and a lot of room for improvement."

When asked Monday about being a perfectionist, Runyan, a graduate student, admitted to that. Seeing the few errors more than the many positives impacted his outlook. Nobody expects more from himself, and he wanted something closer to perfection.

"I look back at how I played," said Runyan, "and the technique, and everything I tried to clean up this last summer. I think I was getting the job done, but looking back at it, I wasn't executing at the highest level."

Have the Runyan Rader Awards won 24 years apart found a side-by-side display somewhere yet?

"Dad's is back home, and I haven't had a chance to bring mine back yet," said Jon Jr. "It's in my room in my apartment. Winning it (at the team banquet) was something really special. It's something I'll never forget. It's a really happy feeling every time I look back on that."

Runyan
Runyan's father, Jon Sr., played at Michigan from 1993-95 and was an All-American his final season

His father started every game for 12 consecutive seasons (1997-2008) for the Tennessee Titans and then Philadelphia Eagles. He made 192 regular-season starts and 21 more in the postseason (213 total), including one for the Titans in a Jan. 30, 2000 Super Bowl loss to the St. Louis Rams.

He went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives as a New Jersey Republican and is the NFL's Vice President of Policy and Rules Administration.

His son graduated with a degree in sociology and is pursuing a real estate development certificate in the Rackham Graduate School on north campus.

However, before possibly moving on to the NFL and the business world himself, the son is dedicated to improving his play and the play of the offensive line after Saturday's (Sept. 21) 35-14 loss at Wisconsin. Runyan missed the first two games with an injury and had hoped for much better upon returning.

"We were able to block it so well last year, and we had the same game plan," Runyan said of the 38-13 win over the Badgers in Ann Arbor in 2018. "I thought me, coming back in the rotation, would help the line, after seeing our struggles the first two games. It's really disheartening.

"That game's behind us, and I've already watched it four times. We're ready to gear up and show it against Rutgers. We need to do the things we want to and dictate in a way that they have to react to us."

Runyan accepted responsibility for what went wrong but added, "Everything we want is still ahead of us."

He noted that the Wolverines lost a lackluster game to Notre Dame, 24-17, with just one offensive touchdown, before winning 10 consecutive games in 2018. Runyan ended up having a season chocked full of accolades.

The son of a blocking legend has come far but longs for more.