The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1265378
PLAYER BIOS POSITION COACH Jay Harbaugh is in his sixth season with the Wolverines and his fourth as the team's running backs coach. He will also serve as the team's new special teams co- ordinator in 2020, after serving as an assistant for that unit from 2015-19. He has been around football his entire life — his dad, Jim, is Michigan's head coach, and his uncle, John, is in the NFL leading the Baltimore Ravens. Last season, Harbaugh led a group that saw several young talents emerge as the season wore on. Zach Charbonnet started the first six games of the season and set a Michigan freshman record for rushing touchdowns, finding the end zone 11 times. He was selected as third-team All-Big Ten by the media and honorable mention by the coaches. Charbonnet and Hassan Haskins combined for more than 1,300 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. Haskins was named All-Big Ten honorable mention for his redshirt freshman season in which he ran for 622 yards and four touchdowns on 121 carries. Former walk-on Tru Wilson was also a con- tributor in 2019, carrying the ball 44 times for 221 yards and one score. All three averaged at least 4.9 yards per carry. In 2018, Karan Higdon compiled 1,000 yards on the ground — a first at Michigan in seven seasons — un- der Harbaugh's guidance. Higdon was awarded with a spot on the first-team All-Big Ten squad and was named a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award (best all-around player) and the Doak Walker Award (best running back in the nation). Higdon was not the only gem in the Michigan back- field in 2018. Ben Mason finished the season with seven touchdowns, while the trio of Higdon, Wilson and Chris Evans — the team's top three rushers — each averaged at least 5.2 yards per carry. In his first year in charge of the running backs in 2017, Harbaugh oversaw a group that had three ball carriers run for more than 500 yards — marking the first time since 1991 that three or more U-M backs reached that figure — while averaging 5.0 yards per carry or better. 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. During his first season in that po- sition, 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. 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 summer of 2011. A native of San Diego, he holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from Oregon State. RETURNING PLAYERS ZACH CHARBONNET • RB So. • Camarillo, Calif. Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 220 • Appeared in all 13 games and started six as a freshman in 2019, and carried the ball 149 times for 726 yards and 11 touchdowns. • Was the team's Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 and a selection for third-team All-Big Ten (media) and honorable mention (coaches). • His 11 touchdowns set the school record for most scores by a freshman. • Named to the USA Today California All-State sec- ond 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. • Regarded by Rivals.com as a four-star recruit, the No. 8 talent in California, and the No. 4 running back and No. 60 overall player nationally. Year GP/GS Att. Yds. Avg. TD 2019 13/6 149 726 4.9 11 CHRIS EVANS • RB 5th-Sr. • Indianapolis Ht.: 5-11 • Wt.: 216 • Was reinstated to the team in January after an academic issue kept him off the field in 2019. RUNNING BACKS 66 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Redshirt sophomore Christian Turner rushed 44 times for 171 yards and a score last year. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL