Who Would I Start Going Forward in 2020?

 QB - Cade McNamara

Look, I don't believe the Milton experiment is completely over, but right now he just is not playing well. In fact, he seems to be getting worse from week to week and I am afraid of how far down it could go. He just isn't doing anything right. His second INT on his second pass of the night against Wisconsin was criminally negligent for a starting college quarterback and I have seen very little emotion or leadership from him. His body language tells me he barely cares right now. I think a good coaching staff would seek to replace Milton now with the understanding that if he fixes the flaws in his game he will get another shot eventually, somewhere. Just probably not at Michigan. McNamara is the type of kid that could correct what is wrong with the offense fairly quickly, just as he did when he entered the game against Wisconsin. He is a bit of the opposite type of passer from what Milton represents. As opposed to elite arm strength and athleticism, McNamara's game relies more on touch and timing - two things that have been missing for the last three weeks of play. While I don't expect him to light up the world, I do expect him to throw a more catchable ball that allows receivers to make plays. We saw a glimpse of that already. And Milton has just been trying force the ball into the receiver's hands through tight windows, often causing a drop or a tipped ball. Opposing defenses have quickly caught on and mix things up to confuse him and cause him to throw into double coverage. It is resulting in more turnovers from week to week and the icing on the cake was the pass he threw to nobody but a Wisconsin defender. That type of play simply cannot continue if this team actually wants to win. 

RB - Hassan Haskins and/or Zach Charbonnet 

I am perplexed as to why quarterback Joe Milton leads the team in carries and why freshman Blake Corum is second. Together they are averaging about three yards per carry. Meanwhile, Charbonnet and Haskins each average at least 7.5 yards per carry but have only gotten a total of 34 carries between them in four games. That is ridiculous and that trend needs to stop. Give those kids the ball. Of course, getting both starting tackles back from injury would be a huge boost to the run-game, as the team is currently starting five kids on the line who didn't start any games last season. In fact, none of them really played any meaningful minutes before this year, so it's no wonder consistency is hard to find up front. At any rate, the coaches need to establish what the identity of this run-game is and stop forcing the ball to everybody on the roster. I don't really understand the point they are trying to make when it hasn't worked in four weeks. Play Charbonnet and Haskins. The are your best chance. It's that simple. 

WR - Ronnie Bell, Cornelius Johnson, and Mike Saintristil

It's hard to tell how good this group actually is right now. Many of the passes have been coming in way too hot and not on time at all. That has made them difficult balls to catch. I mean, just look at how different the group performed as soon as McNamara came into the game, and look how well they catch the ball when Milton has put a little loft on his throws. I truly think they haven't had the opportunities to display their skills, and all these guys should be given a shot with a new passer chucking them balls. Having said all that, I would start Bell, Johnson, and Saintristil. Bell is simply the best and most experienced player out there. Johnson has flashed a lot of ability with good hands and large body. I believe he has a load of potential. Saintristil hasn't gotten many real opportunities yet with only three catches, but he made the most of the few he got when McNamara came into the game last Saturday. I think his route-running ability was wasted on Milton's bad timing and he and the younger passer might have a connection going already. Roman Wilson and Giles Jackson should continue to get reps too, but you just can't start all of them. Wilson in particular was probably the best receiver in the first couple weeks but he might be best-suited as a rotational player at the moment. Jackson has a bunch of catches but hasn't been getting many yards and hasn't scored a TD yet. Again, I believe he has had to work too hard to haul in Milton's passes in order to make a play with the ball in his hands.

TE - Nick Eubanks

Erick All is another player that I feel should get an immediate second chance with a new passer in the lineup. Once again, I feel Milton just wasn't delivering catchable balls in live action. I am sure it's a lot different in practice, but it just wasn't working in games. Give the kid a break here and let him prove himself under different circumstances. He is a decent blocker so it would be a shame to remove him from the field of play. Eubanks might be one of the few veteran leaders on the team, and he is pretty reliable. The fact that he only has four catches is bit mind boggling. Part of the problem might be the overall lack of snaps with the offense not able to get a fresh set of downs. Start Eubanks now and give All some targets too.

OL - Jalen Mayfield, Andrew Stueber, Andrew Vastardis, Ryan Hayes, and Karsen Barnhart OR Zak Zinter

The six guys above have seemed to be the most consistent of the linemen throughout the first half of the 2020 season. Mayfield is a pro talent. Steuber can play guard or tackle. Vastardis is smart. Hayes is athletic. And both Barnhart and Zinter have passed up some veterans on the depth chart to get their feet wet over the last couple weeks. If Mayfield and Hayes get healthy this unit could be very good. Otherwise, it's a just a bunch of young kids and inexperienced kids learning on the fly. Trevor Keegan is another young kid who has been pushing for playing time. He could take over at left guard as Chuck Filiaga doesn't look that good.

DL - Kwity Paye, Carlo Kemp and Christopher Hinton

This line has really struggled this year, even when they have been healthy. Things got ugly with both Aiden Hutchinson and Kwity Paye out against Wisconsin. Moving forward there needs to be some serious evaluation of talent, and I believe at this moment the team should go back to using three down linemen. But instead of making them cover two gaps, employ more of a 4-0-4 defense that would line two linemen to lined up just inside the tackles. Their jobs would be to crash the "B" gaps and penetrate the backfield. Paye (when he's healthy) and Kemp can do that job. So can Julius Welschof and Taylor Upshaw as backups there. Then the nose tackle will crash one of the two "A" gaps. Hinton, along with Donovan Jeter and Jess Speight should be able to handle that duty. The other "A" gap will get covered by an inside 'backer. This type of scheme is an attacking one that uses minimal numbers of defenders to clog up the lanes between the tackles. It also does not put undersized linemen in a position where they have to take on double-teams or cover two gaps at once. 

LB - Cam McGrone, Josh Ross, Michael Barrett, and Anthony Solomon

With the team going back to using three down linemen, the team should then throw it's best four linebackers out there to make the defense faster overall. All four guys can run, tackle, and cover, and they each will take turns rushing the passer and crashing lanes. 

DB - Vincent Gray, Gemon Green, Brad Hawkins, and Dax Hill

Yes the corners have been picked on a lot over the last three weeks by both opposing teams and the officials. It hasn't helped that there is very little in terms of a pass-rush right now. It's just hard to say how good this group can actually be but the body language so far has not been impressive. However, with a big game against Rutgers they could gain a little confidence and right the ship. I for one am willing to give this starting four another shot this week. Just keep the backups ready to go in case they struggle early. If some shifting needs to occur here I would move Hill into one of the corner spots and play either Sammy Faustin or Makari Paige at free safety. One other note here: STOP USING MAN COVERAGES!