NFL combine: Teammates say Crystal Lake South alum Trevor Keegan ready to bring energy, leadership to NFL

INDIANAPOLIS – Ask any of Trevor Keegan’s offensive linemen teammates about him and all of them can’t help but laugh before answering a question.

While the fifth-year Michigan lineman and Crystal Lake South alumnus provided a steady presence on the Wolverine’s offensive line over the last few years, he also provided some levity along the way. That’s why each of his teammates were excited about Keegan’s future when talking about him at the NFL combine on Saturday.

“He’s just a high energy guy,” Michigan lineman Drake Nugent said. “He’s a natural leader. He has a charisma to him, guys want to follow him, including myself. They just want to be around him.”

Keegan missed his media availability Saturday but still participated in drills Sunday. He ran the 40-yard dash in 5.24 seconds and measured in a 30.5 inch vertical jump and a 8-foot-11 broad jump.

Nugent didn’t have to think long when asked to give an example of that high energy. He brought up a moment during the Wolverine’s national championship parade in January that went viral on the Internet when Keegan was shirtless during it in below-freezing temperatures, chugging a drink along the way.

Other teammates said Keegan had a way to break up the seriousness of a long season, especially during a title run. He’d wear unique eye black during games, make jokes during meetings and find something during tape review to comment about that would make things not as serious.

“He’s just a personality-based guy and you’ve got to love him for it,” Nugent said.

But kidding aside, Keegan also has the versatility that teammates think can help him succeed in the NFL. His 6-foot-6, 320-pound frame has made him tough to stop and helped him earn First Team All-Big Ten honors in 2022 and a Second Team nod in 2023.

He’s just a high energy guy. He’s a natural leader. He has a charisma to him, guys want to follow him, including myself. They just want to be around him.”

—  Drake Nugent, Michigan offensive lineman

Keegan was part of an offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award, given to the best offensive line in college football, in 2021 and 2022 and helped the Wolverines reach the College Football Playoff in 2022 and a national championship this January.

Teammates said that Keegan’s smart, big and physical style makes him tough to stop in both the run and pass game. They said that should continue in the NFL.

“He’s going to do tremendous at the next level,” Michigan’s Karsen Barnhart said. “He looks like a starter from day one. He’s going to be someone teams love and he’s going to come into the room and he’s going to have friends the first day. That’s how he is, that’s the character that he is.”

Michigan has made headlines at this season’s combine by bringing 18 players, the most by any school this year and two more than any school since at least 2003. Six of those players are linemen.

But despite the large number of different perspectives from Michigan players, one thought remained consistent about Keegan.

“I think that he can bring a lot to an NFL team,” Michigan’s Zak Zinter said “I think that any team that gets him would be lucky to have him.”