The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1265378
THE WOLVERINE 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 45 2020 SEASON PREVIEW 1 Wide Receivers — Senior Nico Collins is one of the league's best returning pass catchers after hauling in a team-high seven receiving touchdowns and 19.7 yards per catch, which ranked second in the Big Ten and 15th nationally. He was the team's Of- fensive Player of the Year, while junior Ronnie Bell was right there with him as the team's leading receiver (48 catches for 758 yards) and his position group's best blocker. Bell was one of the nation's best after the catch as well, ranking 13th nationally among pass catch- ers with at least 50 targets by averaging 9.9 yards after the catch per reception last year. Those two will be complemented by sophomores Mike Sainristil, Giles Jackson and Corne- lius Johnson, each of whom made at least 12 appearances last year, and a strong freshman class that includes four-stars A.J. Henning and Roman Wilson. Collins should lead this loaded group and threaten to become U-M's first 1,000- yard receiver since Jeremy Gallon in 2013. 2 Defensive Ends — Senior Kwity Paye and junior Aidan Hutchin- son, the self-described "salt and pepper" bookends on the line, had 118 total stops, 22.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks between them last year, and both bring it on every down. Among defensive ends who played at least 600 snaps last year, their PFF defensive grades ranked 21st (Hutchinson, 82.9) and 27th (Paye, 80.9) nationally. Finding backups for them is going to be the key. Redshirt freshman David Ojabo has the makings of an elite pass rusher in the mold of departed second-round pick Josh Uche, and redshirt sophomore Taylor Upshaw has abil- ity, but there's no proven depth here yet. That will be one of line coach Shaun Nua's projects when the team gets back to work this fall. 3 Linebackers — Jordan Glasgow be- came a surprise key part of Michigan's linebacking corps last season and won't be replaced easily. On a positive note, redshirt junior Josh Ross was an All-Big Ten honorable mention selec- tion two years ago after notching 61 tackles, and he'll return after having missed most of the season and redshirting last year. Redshirt sophomore Cam McGrone was the team's breakout player last year and will be a first-team All-Big Ten candidate after notching 66 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and four sacks a year ago. Redshirt sophomore Michael Barrett has been waiting his turn at viper and has all the ath- leticism the coaches are looking for at that position. They have high expectations for him. 4 Cornerbacks — Senior Ambry Thomas returned for his senior season with one goal in mind — to win a Big Ten championship. After earning second-team All-Big Ten honors from PFF last year as the Wolverines' No. 2 corner, he is now the unquestioned No. 1, and that comes with high expectations in Don Brown's defense. He'll be on an island in coverage many times. Brown said this spring he hopes redshirt sophomore Vincent Gray (20 tackles, five passes broken up in 2019) will stick around for a few more years before going to the NFL. That's how highly he thinks of the player who allowed just 12 of the 37 targets thrown his way last year (32.4 percent) to be completed. Developing No. 3 and No. 4 corners will be a key at this position. 5 Safeties — Senior Brad Hawkins was one of the underrated players on the team last year; he missed the Ohio State game and his absence was noticeable. PFF listed him as the first-team "flex defender" on its All-Big Ten squad. He'll return along with sophomore Daxton Hill to form what should be a formidable duo on the back end of the defense, but this position needs depth to emerge. Redshirt sopho- more Sammy Faustin will have an opportunity to step up. Top Five Strongest Position Groups Junior wideout Ronnie Bell ranked 13th nationally in yards after the catch per reception (9.9) among receivers with at least 50 targets last year. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Five Biggest Question Marks 1. What will Michigan get from the quarterback position? Shea Patterson was inconsistent and had trouble with ball protec- tion at times, but he still threw for 3,061 yards last year — only the third player in Michigan history to reach that landmark (John Na- varre, 2003; Jake Rudock, 2015) — and won 19 games in two years. There was also talk that redshirt junior Dylan McCaffrey was ready to surpass him when he replaced Patterson in last year's blowout loss at Wisconsin. McCaffrey was leading the team down the field before a dirty hit to the head knocked him from the game and shelved him for weeks. Nobody knows what McCaffrey or redshirt sophomore Joe Milton can do when given the keys to the offense. We're about to find out. 2. How will the offensive line shake out, and will it take a step back? Michigan had four offensive linemen drafted this year, the second program ever to have that many selected from its front in one year. Coach Ed Warinner would have loved to have a spring to replace them, but three — redshirt sophomore left tackle Ryan Hayes, redshirt sophomore right tackle Jalen Mayfield and redshirt junior Andrew Stueber — all have at least 257 snaps along the offensive line. Redshirt junior Chuck Filiaga, and redshirt freshmen Trevor Keegan, Zach Carpenter and Karsen Barnhart, among others, are fighting for starting spots. While the coaches believe this line is more athletic, which will lead to better success in the running game, it could take some time for this group to jell. 3. Where will the pass rush come from? Linebacker Josh Uche, a second-round NFL Draft pick (New Eng- land), generated pressure on about a quarter of his snaps last year, showing out as an elite pass rusher. The Wolverines don't have someone with his ability on the roster at this point, so defensive co- ordinator Don Brown admitted this spring they'd get a bit creative. Expect more four-man looks up front and a "by-committee" ap- proach here in the blitz game, as well. Generating more pressure from the interior line should (again and also) be a priority. 4. Can the defense step up and limit big plays in the biggest games? In other words, can Brown's group slow Ohio State? The Buckeyes have put up 62 and 56 points on the Wolverines the last two years, and Brown would be the first to admit that's unacceptable. The defense spotted Wisconsin 35 in a blowout loss as well. Brown's group played well for large chunks of the Penn State and Alabama games, but huge plays in the passing game — at least two or three on blown assignments — did the Wolverines in. It would help, too, if the offense could score a bit more in these battles. It put up only 14 at Wisconsin and 16 against the Crimson Tide. 5. How will running back carries be split? Running backs coach Jay Harbaugh has a lot of options here, most with different characteristics. Many teams would prefer a true No. 1 back, and sophomore Zach Charbonnet would be the most likely to emerge in that role. He played through pain after the first few games last season to finish with 726 yards and 11 scores. Redshirt sophomore Hassan Haskins and freshman Blake Corum should push him, but redshirt sophomore Christian Turner is back and healthy, and fifth-year senior Chris Evans also returns after a year's suspension and is skilled, too. He could provide a threat in the passing game.