2020 Pre-Spring Competitive Depth Chart
QB - 1a. Dylan McCaffrey 1b. Joe Milton 1c. Cade McNamara
Despite what anybody says outside the program, this job is completely up for grabs. All three top guys were talented high school football players and all three have a full year in Josh Gattis' offense under their belts. Most fans seem to be leaning towards giving Milton a chance while the media seems to be giving the edge to McCaffrey. Both are good athletes with loads of potential, but neither one might be as talented of a passer as McNamara, who is the youngest of all three. He actually passed for more yards in high school than the other two guys combined. Any way you dice it, the competitive fire should be high from everybody involved here all off-season. Having one guy emerge, no matter who it is, would be preferable going into fall camp though.
RB - 1. Zach Charbonnet 2. Hassan Haskins 3a. Chris Evans 3b. Christian Turner 3c. Blake Corum*
It really is Charbonnet's starting position to lose. He is just too big, strong, and talented for anybody else to overtake. However, plenty of touches will go to other guys. Haskins is the definite number two, as he showed the ability to make a play when the team needed a spark. The team has a very strong one-two punch in these guys. The rest of the guys, who are all very talented in their own rights, will battle it out for the third spot. Evans seems to be everybody's favorite, but that all depends on if he can return to his pre-suspension form. His versatility could be a perfect compliment to the top two guys who are simply harder runners.
TE - 1. Nick Eubanks 2. Erik All 3. Luke Schoonmaker
The team gets a lot of consistency back with Eubanks returning for a fifth season. His experience will help him as a leader and I expect him to score more TD's this season. All and Schoonmaker both flashed ability last year, with All being the more consistent of the two. Both need to make some developments over this spring in order to be ready to contribute more this fall.
WR - 1a. Nico Collins 1b. Ronnie Bell 3a. Giles Jackson 3b. Mike Saintristil 5. Cornelius Johnson 6. Quintel Kent 7. Jake McCurry
This position is in great shape. I honestly believe it is in much better shape than it was going into the 2019 season. One stat that sticks out in my minds is this: The top four guys returning for the Wolverines have an combined yards per catch average of about 17.39. That is over three yards more than the combined yards per catch of the two guys that left. In other words, this group just got faster overall. Collins himself averaged about 19 yards per catch and TD's (7). Bell led the team in receptions (48). Jackson and Saintristil both have legit 4.4 speed. And there is still some talent to spare on the bench too, particularly in C. Johnson.
LT - 1. Ryan Hayes 2. Trente Jones
Hayes has the leg up here due to his experience (two starts) and athleticism. He could also play tight end in a pinch. Jones might be the better raw talent built specifically for the position but I haven't heard much about his development. We should know more this summer. I think the competition here will be tighter than most fans might think, and there are a couple other guys that could play here too.
LG - 1. Chuck Filiaga 2. Joel Honigford 3. Jack Stewart
Filiaga is a senior who was a very-highly touted recruit coming out of Texas in 2017. He should win one of the open guard spots with his humongous frame (6'6"/340lbs) natural ability. Honigford isn't anything special but he should be a good back up as senior too.
C - 1a. Andrew Vastardis 1b. Zach Carpenter 1c. Nolan Rumler
Well, the team has to replace the best center that it has had in the last quarter-century. That won't be easy to do. Luckily, there is some talent to work with and I expect the coaches to throw their three best options at the wall to see who sticks. Vastardis is 5th-year senior and former walk-on who should be a leader though he will be limited physically. Carpenter seems more like a mauler that could be great in the run-game, but we just don't know enough about him yet. Rumler probably has the most raw talent of the three interior guys being considered for the job, so he could be a natural pick to replace Ruiz. Again, we just don't know enough about him yet to make too many assumptions. The coaches might want him at guard anyway. Of all the positions on the team, center is the biggest question mark as to who will most-likely win in the end.
RG - 1. Andrew Stueber 2. Karsen Barnhart 3. Zak Zinter*
Stueber will most-likely slide inside after missing out on the 2019 season due to an injury. With Mayfield emerging at tackle in his absenc and the entire interior of the line heading to the NFL, combined with the fact that Stueber currently weighs in at over 330lbs, it only makes sense that he moves inside. Barnhart could be good enough to start though, and Zinter was the highest ranked incoming line recruit, so the competition should be high.
RT - 1. Jalen Mayfield 2. Trevor Keegan
This is Mayfield's job to lose now. He looks like a future star and a lot is expected of him this year as the line is looking for any kind of consistent carryover as the entire interior gets reshuffled. Keegan was a very highly-touted recruit last year and he could help provide a lot of depth along the line after a year in the program.
SDE - 1. Aiden Hutchinson 2. Taylor Upshaw 3. Julius Welschof 4. Aaron Lewis*
Paye and Hutchinson are basically interchangeable at the end positions. Both guys are two of the best players and leaders on this team for 2020. Hutch might even end up being better than his dad, who was one of my favorite players back in the early '90's. I think Upshaw is probably the best guy on the bench here, but there is some potential in the depths.
DT - 1. Carlo Kemp 2. Donovan Jeter 3. Jess Speight
Kemp will probably be a captain once again as a fifth-year senior. Big things are expected of him now that he should be getting more relief in 2020. The coaches simply asked too much of him to play the nose in a 3-4 scheme. He is much better fit to play the nose or in a 3-technique as a one-gap player. At 286lbs, he's just not built to take on multiple interior blockers, especially against elite opponents. I expect a much bigger year from him this season. Jeter is a question mark. The potential is there but it hasn't shown up on the field yet. Speight has been a nice surprise and he should help with depth.
DT - 1. Christopher Hinton 2. Mazi Smith
There is a load of talent here with these two young players. Hinton proved he is capable of playing and many expect a huge bump in production from him. Smith didn't play much but the coaches seem to think he will be ready to contribute more.
WDE - 1. Kwity Paye 2. Luiji Vilain 3. David Ojabo 4. Gabe Newburg
Paye is All-Big Ten material. Vilain, however, could be primed for a breakout if given an opportunity. Could Paye or Hutchinson move inside to provide more room at end? Ojabo and Newburg might both be ready to play a little too. This will actually be a very interesting position to watch as a bunch of younger guys are looking to emerge somewhere.
Viper - 1. Michael Barrett 2. Joey Velasquez 3. William Mohan
Barrett is the favorite to win this job and it seems that he will get the first shot at it. It's hard not to like his athletic ability and versatility as a player. He can literally do it all. There will be stiff competition for the back up spot here, and I am sure the coaches will try a number of different players here.
WLB - 1. Josh Ross 2. Devin Gil 3. Anthony Solomon
Ross should reclaim a starting spot. He was arguably the team's best returning defender before he got hurt. His leadership on the field was missed at times throughout the season. Gil has experience but vanished after struggling heavily against Wisconsin. Hill-Green has a lot of potential to serve as a backup right away as a freshman.
MLB - 1. Cam McGrone 2. Charles Thomas 3. Nikhai Hill-Green*
McGrone could be a super star in 2020 and a future first round pick. He can and will do it all from the middle of the defense. Thomas and Hill-Green will compete to be the top backup here.
Rover Safety - 1. Brad Hawkins 2. Quentin Johnson 3. George Johnson III
Hawkins should be a team leader this year too. He has the versatility to play all over the defense. Johnson has intriguing athleticism but zero experience. He should get a ton of reps this spring. Johnson moves over from receiver to
Cornerback - 1. Ambry Thomas 2. Gemon Green 3. Jalen Perry
Nice collection of talent here. Thomas has NFL potential and considered entering the draft this year. If he proves himself against the elite competition this year he will elevate his draft status, though I think his ceiling is in round two. Green and Perry were both 4-Star prospects so a lot more will be expected of them this year.
Cornerback - 1. Vincent Gray 2. Sammy Faustin 3. D.J. Turner II 4. Andre Seldon*
Gray is the favorite to win the job but there is some real talent in the depths looking for an opportunity. Seldon might be a key ingredient to the unit's overall success throughout the season. The competition should be fierce.
Free Safety - 1. Dax Hill 2. Germon Green 3. Makari Paige*
Hill looks like the best athlete on the team. A huge jump for him is expected in year two of his Michigan career. Green and Paige will battle it out for the top backup slot, but both guys will probably be scrapping for special teams reps in 2020.
Despite what anybody says outside the program, this job is completely up for grabs. All three top guys were talented high school football players and all three have a full year in Josh Gattis' offense under their belts. Most fans seem to be leaning towards giving Milton a chance while the media seems to be giving the edge to McCaffrey. Both are good athletes with loads of potential, but neither one might be as talented of a passer as McNamara, who is the youngest of all three. He actually passed for more yards in high school than the other two guys combined. Any way you dice it, the competitive fire should be high from everybody involved here all off-season. Having one guy emerge, no matter who it is, would be preferable going into fall camp though.
RB - 1. Zach Charbonnet 2. Hassan Haskins 3a. Chris Evans 3b. Christian Turner 3c. Blake Corum*
It really is Charbonnet's starting position to lose. He is just too big, strong, and talented for anybody else to overtake. However, plenty of touches will go to other guys. Haskins is the definite number two, as he showed the ability to make a play when the team needed a spark. The team has a very strong one-two punch in these guys. The rest of the guys, who are all very talented in their own rights, will battle it out for the third spot. Evans seems to be everybody's favorite, but that all depends on if he can return to his pre-suspension form. His versatility could be a perfect compliment to the top two guys who are simply harder runners.
TE - 1. Nick Eubanks 2. Erik All 3. Luke Schoonmaker
The team gets a lot of consistency back with Eubanks returning for a fifth season. His experience will help him as a leader and I expect him to score more TD's this season. All and Schoonmaker both flashed ability last year, with All being the more consistent of the two. Both need to make some developments over this spring in order to be ready to contribute more this fall.
WR - 1a. Nico Collins 1b. Ronnie Bell 3a. Giles Jackson 3b. Mike Saintristil 5. Cornelius Johnson 6. Quintel Kent 7. Jake McCurry
This position is in great shape. I honestly believe it is in much better shape than it was going into the 2019 season. One stat that sticks out in my minds is this: The top four guys returning for the Wolverines have an combined yards per catch average of about 17.39. That is over three yards more than the combined yards per catch of the two guys that left. In other words, this group just got faster overall. Collins himself averaged about 19 yards per catch and TD's (7). Bell led the team in receptions (48). Jackson and Saintristil both have legit 4.4 speed. And there is still some talent to spare on the bench too, particularly in C. Johnson.
LT - 1. Ryan Hayes 2. Trente Jones
Hayes has the leg up here due to his experience (two starts) and athleticism. He could also play tight end in a pinch. Jones might be the better raw talent built specifically for the position but I haven't heard much about his development. We should know more this summer. I think the competition here will be tighter than most fans might think, and there are a couple other guys that could play here too.
LG - 1. Chuck Filiaga 2. Joel Honigford 3. Jack Stewart
Filiaga is a senior who was a very-highly touted recruit coming out of Texas in 2017. He should win one of the open guard spots with his humongous frame (6'6"/340lbs) natural ability. Honigford isn't anything special but he should be a good back up as senior too.
C - 1a. Andrew Vastardis 1b. Zach Carpenter 1c. Nolan Rumler
Well, the team has to replace the best center that it has had in the last quarter-century. That won't be easy to do. Luckily, there is some talent to work with and I expect the coaches to throw their three best options at the wall to see who sticks. Vastardis is 5th-year senior and former walk-on who should be a leader though he will be limited physically. Carpenter seems more like a mauler that could be great in the run-game, but we just don't know enough about him yet. Rumler probably has the most raw talent of the three interior guys being considered for the job, so he could be a natural pick to replace Ruiz. Again, we just don't know enough about him yet to make too many assumptions. The coaches might want him at guard anyway. Of all the positions on the team, center is the biggest question mark as to who will most-likely win in the end.
RG - 1. Andrew Stueber 2. Karsen Barnhart 3. Zak Zinter*
Stueber will most-likely slide inside after missing out on the 2019 season due to an injury. With Mayfield emerging at tackle in his absenc and the entire interior of the line heading to the NFL, combined with the fact that Stueber currently weighs in at over 330lbs, it only makes sense that he moves inside. Barnhart could be good enough to start though, and Zinter was the highest ranked incoming line recruit, so the competition should be high.
RT - 1. Jalen Mayfield 2. Trevor Keegan
This is Mayfield's job to lose now. He looks like a future star and a lot is expected of him this year as the line is looking for any kind of consistent carryover as the entire interior gets reshuffled. Keegan was a very highly-touted recruit last year and he could help provide a lot of depth along the line after a year in the program.
SDE - 1. Aiden Hutchinson 2. Taylor Upshaw 3. Julius Welschof 4. Aaron Lewis*
Paye and Hutchinson are basically interchangeable at the end positions. Both guys are two of the best players and leaders on this team for 2020. Hutch might even end up being better than his dad, who was one of my favorite players back in the early '90's. I think Upshaw is probably the best guy on the bench here, but there is some potential in the depths.
DT - 1. Carlo Kemp 2. Donovan Jeter 3. Jess Speight
Kemp will probably be a captain once again as a fifth-year senior. Big things are expected of him now that he should be getting more relief in 2020. The coaches simply asked too much of him to play the nose in a 3-4 scheme. He is much better fit to play the nose or in a 3-technique as a one-gap player. At 286lbs, he's just not built to take on multiple interior blockers, especially against elite opponents. I expect a much bigger year from him this season. Jeter is a question mark. The potential is there but it hasn't shown up on the field yet. Speight has been a nice surprise and he should help with depth.
DT - 1. Christopher Hinton 2. Mazi Smith
There is a load of talent here with these two young players. Hinton proved he is capable of playing and many expect a huge bump in production from him. Smith didn't play much but the coaches seem to think he will be ready to contribute more.
WDE - 1. Kwity Paye 2. Luiji Vilain 3. David Ojabo 4. Gabe Newburg
Paye is All-Big Ten material. Vilain, however, could be primed for a breakout if given an opportunity. Could Paye or Hutchinson move inside to provide more room at end? Ojabo and Newburg might both be ready to play a little too. This will actually be a very interesting position to watch as a bunch of younger guys are looking to emerge somewhere.
Viper - 1. Michael Barrett 2. Joey Velasquez 3. William Mohan
Barrett is the favorite to win this job and it seems that he will get the first shot at it. It's hard not to like his athletic ability and versatility as a player. He can literally do it all. There will be stiff competition for the back up spot here, and I am sure the coaches will try a number of different players here.
WLB - 1. Josh Ross 2. Devin Gil 3. Anthony Solomon
Ross should reclaim a starting spot. He was arguably the team's best returning defender before he got hurt. His leadership on the field was missed at times throughout the season. Gil has experience but vanished after struggling heavily against Wisconsin. Hill-Green has a lot of potential to serve as a backup right away as a freshman.
MLB - 1. Cam McGrone 2. Charles Thomas 3. Nikhai Hill-Green*
McGrone could be a super star in 2020 and a future first round pick. He can and will do it all from the middle of the defense. Thomas and Hill-Green will compete to be the top backup here.
Rover Safety - 1. Brad Hawkins 2. Quentin Johnson 3. George Johnson III
Hawkins should be a team leader this year too. He has the versatility to play all over the defense. Johnson has intriguing athleticism but zero experience. He should get a ton of reps this spring. Johnson moves over from receiver to
Cornerback - 1. Ambry Thomas 2. Gemon Green 3. Jalen Perry
Nice collection of talent here. Thomas has NFL potential and considered entering the draft this year. If he proves himself against the elite competition this year he will elevate his draft status, though I think his ceiling is in round two. Green and Perry were both 4-Star prospects so a lot more will be expected of them this year.
Cornerback - 1. Vincent Gray 2. Sammy Faustin 3. D.J. Turner II 4. Andre Seldon*
Gray is the favorite to win the job but there is some real talent in the depths looking for an opportunity. Seldon might be a key ingredient to the unit's overall success throughout the season. The competition should be fierce.
Free Safety - 1. Dax Hill 2. Germon Green 3. Makari Paige*
Hill looks like the best athlete on the team. A huge jump for him is expected in year two of his Michigan career. Green and Paige will battle it out for the top backup slot, but both guys will probably be scrapping for special teams reps in 2020.
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