The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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RUNNING BACKS RUNNING BACKS 66 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW PLAYER BIOS POSITION COACH Jay Harbaugh is in his fifth sea- son with the Wolverines and his third as the team's running backs coach. He has been around football his entire life — his dad, Jim, is Michi- gan's head coach, and his uncle, John, is in the NFL leading the Baltimore Ravens. In the 2018 season, Harbaugh saw running back Karan Higdon record 1,000 yards on the ground — a first at Michigan in seven seasons. Higdon was awarded for his work running the football with unanimous first-team All-Big Ten honors and was named a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award (best all-around player) and the Doak Walker Award (best RB in the nation). Higdon was not the only gem in the Michigan backfield in 2018. Ben Mason finished the season with seven touchdowns, and the trio of Tru Wilson, Chris Evans and Christian Turner each boasted a yards-per-carry average of 4.9 or better. In his first year mentoring the ball carriers, Har- baugh saw three of his running backs average 5.0 yards per carry or better and ran for more than 500 yards each, marking the first time since 1991 that three or more U-M backs reached that figure. In addition, the Wolverines also ran for more than 2,000 yards as a team for the third straight season. Harbaugh served as U-M's tight ends coach in 2015 and 2016. In his first season in that position, he guided a group that accounted for 72 catches, 926 receiving yards and three touchdown grabs. The crew also produced an All-American in Jake Butt, who repeated the honor as a senior in 2016. Harbaugh spent the three seasons prior to coming to Michigan under his uncle's tutelage, including the 2014 season as an offensive quality control coach focusing on statistical analysis, self-scouting reports and breakdowns of opposing defenses. He was also part of the Baltimore Ravens coaching staff that won Super Bowl XLVII in 2013, beating his father's San Francisco 49ers. Harbaugh spent four seasons as an undergraduate assistant at Oregon State under head coach Mike Riley. The Beavers played in two bowl games during Harbaugh's tenure (2008-11), including a win in the 2008 Sun Bowl. Harbaugh also interned for the San Francisco 49ers in the scouting department during the sum- mer of 2011. A native of San Diego, he holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from Oregon State. RETURNING PLAYERS HASSAN HASKINS • RB R-Fr. • Eureka, Mo. Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 212 • Appeared in three games on special teams in 2018, includ- ing in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl against Florida. • Was named the Missouri Class 6 Offensive Player of the Year and voted onto the Class 6A all-state first team in 2017. • Tabbed as a three-star prospect, the No. 12 player in Missouri and the No. 40 running back in the country. BEN MASON • FB/DL Jr. • Newtown, Conn. Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 254 • Played in all 13 of Michigan's games in 2018 at fullback and on special teams. • Tallied seven touchdowns on 33 carries and notched five tackles on special teams. • Set single-game career highs with three touch- downs and six carries against Nebraska in 2018. • Received the team's Toughest Player Award in 2017, when he appeared in every game on spe- cial teams and logged time in nine games at fullback, notching two touchdowns. • Named the Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year in 2016. • Ranked by Rivals as a three-star prospect, the No. 6 talent in Connecticut and the No. 35 inside linebacker in the nation. Year GP/GS Att. Yds. Avg. TD 2017 13/1 3 4 1.3 2 2018 13/1 33 80 2.4 7 Totals 26/2 36 84 2.3 9 CHRISTIAN TURNER • RB R-Fr. • Buford, Ga. Ht.: 5-11 • Wt.: 200 • Saw snaps at running back in three games during his first season in Ann Arbor. • Made his Michigan debut against Nebraska, delivering a solid performance of 10 carries for 55 yards. • Rated as a three-star recruit, the No. 46 player in Georgia and the No. 18 running back in the nation by Rivals. BEN VANSUMEREN • RB R-Fr. • Essexville, Mich. Ht.: 6-2• Wt.: 236 • Played in four games for the Wolverines during the 2018 season, lining up at fullback in two and serving on special teams in two. • Notched a state regular-season record with 85 receptions, totaling 1,259 yards and 13 touch- downs, during his senior year at Buford High School. • Was selected as a first-team All-State wide re- ceiver by USA Today following his final prep sea- son. • Regarded by Rivals as a three-star talent, the No. 15 recruit in Michigan and the No. 34 athlete in his class. TRU WILSON • RB Sr. • Warren, Mich. Ht.: 5-10 • Wt.: 202 • Appeared in all 13 games last season, including 11 games at running back. • Tallied 364 rushing yards and a touchdown, highlighted by a 58 yards on eight carries against SMU. • Averaged 5.9 yards per carry, which was the high- est of any Michigan player that recorded more than 10 carries. • Named Scout Team Player of the Week for his work leading up to the Rutgers game in 2017. • Came to Michigan as a two-star defensive back prospect who played on both sides of the ball in high school and was originally a walk-on. Year GP/GS Att. Yds. Avg. TD 2016 1/0 1 1 1.0 0 2017 4/0 0 0 0.0 0 2018 13/0 62 369 5.9 1 Totals 18/0 63 370 5.9 1 NEWCOMERS ZACH CHARBONNET • RB Fr. • Camarillo, Calif. Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 222 • Regarded by Rivals as a four-star recruit, the No. 8 talent in the state of California and the No. 4 running back and No. 60 overall player nationally. • Named to the USA Today California All-State second team in 2018. • Finished his prep career with a yards-per-carry average north of 8.0 and also tallied 62 total touchdowns. • Played both ways on occasion for Oaks Christian School, notching three picks and forcing a fumble on defense during his senior season. ROSTER No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Year Elig. Hometown (High School) 49 Lucas Andrighetto* RB 5-11 180 So. Fr. Mountain View, Calif. (St. Francis) 46 Matt Brown* FB 6-0 232 Jr. So. Solon, Ohio (Solon) 44 Jared Char* RB 5-11 204 Sr. Jr. Farmington Hills, Mich. (Harrison) 24 Zach Charbonnet RB 6-1 222 Fr. Fr. Camarillo, Calif. (Oaks Christian) 34 Julian Garrett* RB 5-9 200 So. Fr. Centreville, Va. (Centreville) 25 Hassan Haskins RB 6-1 212 So. Fr. Eureka, Mo. (Eureka Senior) 42 Ben Mason FB/DL 6-3 254 Jr. Jr. Newtown, Conn. (Newtown) 49 Tyler Plocki* FB 6-0 228 Jr. So. Saline, Mich. (Saline) 3 Christian Turner RB 5-11 200 So. Fr. Buford, Ga. (Buford) 40 Ben VanSumeren RB 6-2 236 So. Fr. Essexville, Mich. (Garber) 13 Tru Wilson RB 5-10 202 Sr. Sr. Warren, Mich. (De La Salle) * Walk-on