There was a time Michigan guard Stephen Schilling played on the left side of the offensive line.

It was in Bellevue High School in Washington state in a Wing-T offense, although the way he describes it, it was more about lining up as a defensive lineman in charge of protecting instead of preventing yardage.

Then, when he came to Michigan, he moved to the right side of the line and for the past two seasons started at right tackle. That is, until the spring, when the Wolverines' coaching staff suggested a move to the left.

Not only that, but also a shift from tackle to guard.

"It's a big change," Schilling said. "The guys you're going against are different, are 50 pounds heavier and are not as quick. When you're pass sitting on them, it comes quicker and contact comes faster in the pass and run game. It's just a lot different."

To the lay person, the changes might not seem like much. Offensive line is offensive line, often the most anonymous and thankless position in football.

But to the junior Schilling, there's a lot that goes into it. For three years, his body was trained to do everything from the right side. Now, everything shifts from his footwork to his hand techniques to the foot that he leads off with.

To get accustomed to it, he spent almost all spring doing more drills after practice ended in an attempt to take the comfort he felt on the right side and translating it to the left.

There's also one more change. As a tackle, he'd often have to deal with bull-rushing defensive ends, often being left to fend off defenders by himself. Now, he's stuck on the interior.

"You're working a lot more with the tackle and the center," Schilling said. "A lot more combo blocks."

All of the extra work Schilling put in is starting to be noticed as he learns to be something other than a bookend along with left tackle Mark Ortmann.

"He's becoming a little more comfortable at guard," Ortmann said. "I wouldn't say he was against it, but he wasn't as comfortable.

"Now, he's starting to come into his own at guard."

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for annarbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558 or by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com.