Spring Primer

Competition should be hot with several starting roles in question. The guys highlighted in red are my favorites to gain traction on the starting jobs this spring. 

Offense

Quarterback - McNamara will work to solidify his place as this team's number one quarterback going into 2021. Milton will look to be the top backup but he will get pressured by Villari and McCarthy. My guess is that if he doesn't redeem himself in 2021 he will transfer after the season. However, he is openly trying to be a leader and remain positive, and he didn't look like a complete trainwreck most of the time in 2020, so there is still some hope there as well. I just believe McNamara is, and always has been, the better QB prospect despite all differences in measurables. 

1. Cade McNamara
2. Joe Milton
3. Dan Villari
4. J.J. McCarthy*

Running Back - Haskins, who averaged over six yards per carry in 2020, appears to be the number one back and I can't complain. He is a tough, shifty runner that can break off large chunks of real estate. It will be nice for him to get a full spring behind the O-line and with the same QB handing off to him. Corum just needs an offseason, period, as he has yet to have one at all despite enrolling early last year. He is a nice option on third downs after missing a year due to suspension, averaging nearly 15 yards per catch as a true freshman. Garcia, Dunlap, and Edwards will all look to make impressions, with Edwards being a potential breakout player right away. The added competition will be great. In the end, this group could run a solid three guys deep in the regular season, which feels about right. 

1. Hassan Haskins
2. Blake Corum
3. Gaige Garcia
4. Donovan Edwards*
5. Tavierre Dunlap*

X Receiver - Johnson began to emerge as a sophomore and looked particularly good when McNamara was out there throwing the ball. He looks like the classic Michigan receiver - a big bodied player that runs good routes and makes plays with the ball in his hands. Dixon and Anthony could both be surprise freshman contributors. 

1. Cornelius Johnson
2. Cristian Dixon*
3. Andrel Anthony*

Y Receiver - After three years at Michigan, Bell continues to rise as a player. He has his best games against the top competition, possesses a wide catching radius, and gets excited about blocking. He was also a two-star prospect that nobody else wanted. What's not to love? Wilson showed up at times as a freshman and he should be a big factor in the rotation at receiver too. Worthy brings a lot of speed and dynamic play-making ability to help the blow tops off Big Ten defenses. 

1. Ronnie Bell
2. Roman Wilson
3. Xavier Worthy*

Slot - Jackson and Saintristil create a nice duo in the slot. The former is a slightly stronger and more explosive player, while the latter is one of the best route-runners on the team. Both will play a lot going forward. Athletically speaking, Henning is one of the most explosive players on the team. Can he unleash it after his first full offseason?

1. Giles Jackson
2. Mike Saintristil 
3. A.J. Henning

Tight End - Something interesting happened with Erick All in 2020. First, Harbuagh called him out as the "next great Michigan tight end" before the season. He made a few nice plays in week one but suffered a series of drops in the first few weeks of the season that ruined more than one drive on occasion. However, he too looked like a different player when McNamara finally came into the game. It was night and day, honestly. His development will be one worth watching this spring, especially with a healthy McNamara entrenched as the starter. All the guys behind All on the roster have talent and will look to compete for minutes, but I don't believe any of them are as talented as him. Schoonmaker has experience and Hibner has a year in the system, so the coaches have some good pieces to work with there. The biggest hindrance to this position in terms of collecting stats is the fact that there is simply too much talent at running back and receiver to think that they will be the main focus of any game plans any time soon. 

1. Erick All
2. Luke Schoonmaker
3. Mathew Hibner

Offensive Line - Ryan Hayes will be inserted back into the left tackle position after suffering an injury in 2020. He should be solid but will get pressured by some young rising talent on the line. Andrew Stueber, a 6'6"/330lb 5th-year behemoth, is now the most experienced player on the line after earning some All-Big Ten mentions in 2020. He will probably get some looks at both right tackle and right guard this spring as the coaches try to figure out the best combination on that side. Either way, he will be a starter and could be a draft pick next spring. Left guard will get manned by Trevor Keegan, who could be a player quickly on the rise. Keep your eyes on him during spring practices. Center could be anybody out of a group of four or five players that will give the position a shot this spring. My money is on one of the true freshmen, being Anderson and Crippin, to win the job. Both will be there in the spring. Though Reece Attebury does have a year in the system already, I don't know if he is naturally as gifted as either one of those two in-coming recruits. Karsen Barnhart got a lot of experience the last two years at right guard and left tackle, where he started a few games in 2020. He will get first crack at the starting right tackle job with Steuber next to him inside, but I am curious to see if he gets any reps at center. Zak Zinter will compete for playing time too, but he could end up being the odd man out for the time being. Luckily for him he appears to be versatile. Jones and Rumler both have a ton of potential too, and it feels like it should only be a matter of time before both get an opportunity to play somewhere. Giovanni El-Hadi looks like a future starter, but we probably won't see him much for another year at least. Overall, after a disastrous 2020 that saw a lot of younger players get their feet wet, I feel good about this group going into spring, as I see seven players that could be starters at most FBS programs.

1. Andrew Stueber (G/T)
2. Ryan Hayes (T)
3. Karsen Barnhart (G/T)
4. Trevor Keegan (G)
5. Zak Zinter (G)
6. Trente Jones (T)
7. Nolan Rumler (G/C)
8. Chuck Filiaga (G)
9. Jack Stewart (G)
10. Jeffrey Persi (T)
11. Reece Attebury (C)
12. Giovanni El-Hadi (G/T)
13. Greg Crippin* (C)
14. Raheem Anderson* (G/C)
15. Tristan Bounds* (T)

Defense

Defensive Line: There is some obvious talent on the surface with a ton of question marks just beneath it. Hutchinson is a disrupter who should be one of the best ends in the conference in 2021 after ending his 2020 campaign with a leg injury at Indiana. Hinton has flashed some potential but really needs to work on consistency. Spring will be good for him. Donovan Jeter has yet to make any kind of long term impact on the line and his time is about up. The coaches hope that Mazi Smith, who did get some playing time as a sophomore, will develop into a starter this offseason. Upshaw has the early lead on the starting job opposite Hutchinson, but there are a few younger, more talented guys looking to leapfrog him on the depth chart. If a player emerges at Sam linebacker we will see a lot more 3-man fronts. No matter who is calling the defensive plays, if they can't get some improvement up front on the line it will be another long season, as there was little to no pass-rush when Hutch and Paye got hurt. Braiden McGregor could benefit from a full spring more than anybody if he's ready to go after ending his high school career with a knee surgery just over a year ago.

1. Aiden Hutchinson (DE)
2. Christopher Hinton (DT)
3. Mazi Smith (NT)
4. Taylor Upshaw (DE)
5. Julius Welcschof (DE)
6. Gabe Newburg (DE)
7. Braiden McGregor (DE/DT)
8. Donovan Jeter (NT)
9. Jess Spieght (DT)
10. Jaylen Harrell (DE/Sam)
11. Mike Morris (DT)
12. Phillip Paea (NT)
13. Kris Jenkins (DT)

Linebacker: On paper this looked like one of the most talented positions on the team. It didn't quite work out well in 2020, but that was largely due to injuries to Cam McGrone and half the starting defensive line. McGrone is now gone but Josh Ross appears to have chosen to come back for a fifth season. He is a reliable defender should compete for All-Conference honors. Michael Barrett had some big moments in 2020 but struggled with consistency and injuries, as did most of the defense. He should be much improved next season, but we could see him move inside if he doesn't provide the type of pass rush the new defensive coaches desire from the outside 'backers. More on that in the spring. I really like David Ojabo's potential as a Sam linebacker, provided he can show that he can make plays in space and rush the passer consistently. There literally was no pressure from that spot after Josh Uche left. Ben Van Sumeren tried but he just looked out of position. Jaylen Harrell could also be a guy there too, but he has a lot to prove yet. Adam Shibley was the top backup on the inside last season and got the nod when McGrone went down. He has some ability but probably doesn't have much of a high ceiling. Seeing guys like Solomon, Mullings, Hill-Green, and Mohan emerge this spring would be a relief, but early enrollee Junior Colson might possess the most raw talent in the entire bunch. Anyway, despite the loss of McGrone, there appears to be enough to work with here. 

1. Josh Ross (Inside)
2. Michael Barrett (Viper)
3. Kalel Mullings (Inside)
4. David Ojabo (Sam/DE)
5. Adam Shibley (Inside)
6. Anthony Solomon (Inside/Outside)
7. Ben VanSumeren (Inside/Sam)
8. Nikhai Hill-Green (Inside)
9. Cornell Wheeler (Inside)
10. William Mohan (Viper)
11. Joey Valesquez (Viper/Safety)
12. Edward Warinner (Inside)
13. Junior Colson* (Outside)

Safety: Again, there is a ton of potential here that was a bit untapped in 2020. Hawkins did lead the team in tackles for the first few games, though there is an argument to be made about how it's not really a great thing to have a DB lead the team in tackles. Dax Hill had some struggles in coverage but seemed to improve as the season went on. The talent behind those two is deep but inexperienced. Again, as is the theme with this team, spring should work wonders in developing all that talent properly. 

1. Dax Hill
2. Brad Hawkins
3. Makari Paige
4. R.J. Moten
5. Quentin Johnson
6. Jordan Morant
7. Hunter Reynolds
8. German Green

Cornerback: I won't get into all the struggles this group had in 2020. I will say that a lot of it was due to two things more than anything: a simple lack of confidence and a lack of a pass rush. They were too afraid of getting beat to attempt to make any plays. They just looked soft at times. And they often panicked when they couldn't locate the ball, which did happen more times than I would like to remember. However, they did improve in the six games they played and the corners actually gave up less than a 50% completion rate to opposing quarterbacks. That's a good start, IMO. The bench has a lot of raw talent sitting on it. Turner II, Seldon, and Green-Warren could all make huge leaps this spring. Will they challenge the returning starters for their jobs? I hope so. I also hope that those starters can improve and fend off any challengers. Either way, I think this group will get better. Of course, they can only go so far if the pass-rush can't get it together. 

1. Vincent Gray
2. Gemon Green
3. D.J. Turner II
4. Andre Seldon 
5. Jalen Perry
6. Darion Green-Warren
7. Sammy Faustin
8. George Johnson
9. Eamonn Dennis

Kicker: Moody doesn't have the leg strength of Quinn Nordin but he is fairly solid from within 40 yards. Any improvement in his consistency could be deadly. 

1. Jake Moody
2. Karl Kerska
3. Cole Hussung

Punter: Robbins has proven that he is capable of handling the punting duties and he could be one of the best in the conference. 

1. Brad Robbins
2. Karl Kerska