The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 37 19. DEVIN GIL, R-JR., LB Gil has played in 26 straight games with 14 starts for the Wolverines, a vet- eran who knows exactly want Brown wants. Last year, he made 33 stops, posted 1.5 sacks among 3.5 tackles for loss and recovered a fumble. With Michigan needing all hands on deck to cover for significant personnel losses, Gil will be looked upon to take the next step. 20. JAKE MOODY, SO., PK Moody stepped into the placekicking job late in the year, and set a program record with six field goals against Indi- ana. He wound up knocking through 10 of 11 attempts, including a career- long 48-yarder in the Peach Bowl against Florida. Harbaugh hopes he'll be notching more point-after attempts and fewer field goals, but Moody proved reliable on both. 21. DAXTON HILL, FR., DB A highly sought-after prep prospect, Hill becomes one of two true freshmen on this top-25 list. He has the speed, size and aggressiveness to play safety, which is where he will likely end up. Heading into fall camp, though, there was more than a little talk sug- gesting he might be called on to cover at cornerback early on, due to injuries. Wherever he plays — and Harbaugh said he'd like to see Hill at safety — the head coach is expecting him to make an impact. "It's been a helpful thing this year to have the freshmen come in right away after they graduated," Harbaugh said at the Big Ten football meetings in Chi- cago. "Come in, in June and be able to get the physicals, get the workouts, some of the baseline things [are] done earlier than usual. "Also right into class and summer school. He says it's hard, he says it's good, but they're all doing a good job of balancing that right now, getting a preview of what it's going to be like in the fall." The reports he's heard on the head- lining freshman, Harbaugh said: "Good. All the reports have been good. I'm excited to watch him play." When Hill signed with Michigan, Harbaugh made it very clear he is well aware of the speed and tenacity the rookie brings with him to the field. "From the safety position, he's a hit- ter," Harbaugh said. "He is not afraid of contact. Maybe the fastest guy on the field. In high school, I didn't see a game where he wasn't the fastest guy out there, and he's going to be that type of player in college." 22. CHRISTIAN TURNER, R-FR., RB Turner will be fighting hard for the No. 1 tailback spot, after a solid show- ing in the Peach Bowl. He saw a long touchdown run called back when he barely stepped on the sideline, and wound up with 99 yards on 20 tries (5.0 average) for the season. The battle will be fierce at this key position, but Turner has shown the speed, cutting ability and toughness to make a bid. 23. DYLAN MCCAFFREY, R-SO., QB McCaffrey enters the season one play away from becoming the No. 1 quarterback, as well as the No. 1 most indispensable player on the roster. He's more than the emergency call should Patterson go down, though, after throwing for 126 yards and a pair of touchdowns last season. Harbaugh has indicated he wants to play both Patterson and McCaffrey in every game. 24. AMBRY THOMAS, JR., CB Thomas is another versatile player whose worth goes beyond a bid for a starting cornerback job. He returned 19 kickoffs a year ago for an average of 21.7 yards per try, including a 99-yard touchdown dash. On defense, he posted nine tackles, with an interception and a fumble re- covery. 25. ZACH CHARBONNET, FR., RB Charbonnet missed spring football after coming to Michigan requiring a routine surgery to repair a damaged meniscus in a knee. He is up and run- ning again, and will certainly challenge for one of the top spots in Michigan's lineup of backs. The most physically imposing of the U-M tailbacks, the 6-1, 220-pounder also features speed and elusiveness suf- ficient to make him the second of the two true freshmen on our list. ❏ "I've got to call out Mikey," Wilson offered. "He's a jitterbug. He's really good." Redshirt freshman tackle Jalen Mayfield pointed out this spring: "The guy should be in high school, and he's doing a ridiculously good job at what he's doing." Sainristil is a great candidate to make the postseason top 25, but with all the competition at wide receiver, the proof has to emerge on the field. 4. Erick All — The rookie tight end out of Fairfield, Ohio, is another early en- rollee who drew well above average notice for a freshman in spring practice. Teammates and coaches alike took note of his fearlessness and physicality. The Wolverines aren't short of experienced tight ends this season, perhaps lessening the potential rookie impact from the 6-4, 229-pounder. But head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Josh Gattis are determined to use all the weapons that can help the effort in the fall, so seeing All isn't out of the question. 5. DT Christopher Hinton — Michigan needs defensive tackles. Hinton is a Rivals.com five-star prep — actually the highest-rated recruit in the class according to that outlet, edging out No. 24 Hill with his No. 15 listing — out of Norcross, Ga., the hometown of former Wolverine Jeff Backus. None of that makes him an immediate candidate to see the field, but none of it hurts either. Hinton comes with good size, at 6-4, 303, aggressiveness and instincts. He might not be thrown into the fire right way, but he'll be clawing for the chance. — John Borton Freshman wideout Mike Sainristil wasted no time turning heads this spring and should continue to thrive despite the former three-star recruit playing in a talented wide receiving corps. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN