The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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22 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2020 6. DYLAN MCCAFFREY, R-JR., QB McCaffrey has played more and accomplished more than any quar- terback on the roster heading into the 2020 season. That's no guarantee that he wins the job, but it's an indica- tor of who arguably holds the upper hand, especially in a season featuring no spring football. McCaffrey has thrown for 242 yards and three touchdowns in two seasons. He's rushed 23 times for 166 yards and two more scores. He's suf- fered significant injuries during his first years playing, so the durability factor will be one to watch, provided he wins the job. 7. ZACH CHARBONNET, SO., RB Charbonnet got his Michigan ca- reer off to a running start in 2019, especially given that he came from offseason surgery. He led the Wol- verines with 149 carries for 726 yards and 11 touchdowns as a freshman, playing in all 13 Michigan games. He'll be looking to take the next step this year, and certainly could step for- ward as a 1,000-yard rusher for Gattis' offense. The biggest impediment to that happening isn't even a negative. With redshirt sophomore Hassan Haskins and fifth-year senior Chris Evans back on the roster, the Wolverines can spread the load enough to keep everyone fresh. 8. DAXTON HILL, SO., S Hill stands poised to step into a starting spot at safety, and possesses as much talent as Michigan has seen there in a long while. With great speed and athleticism, Hill served no- tice even as a true freshman that he can be a special player in Ann Arbor. He performed in all 13 games, se- curing 36 tackles and breaking up three passes. He also showed a con- siderable nose for the football, picking off a pass at Indiana and coming up with a pair of fumble recoveries. Hill also made a 25-yard reception on a fake punt play to move the chains in the early season win against Army. 9. RONNIE BELL, JR., WR Bell stepped forward to lead the Wol- verines in receiving in 2019. He made 48 catches for 758 yards, both team highs, and caught one touchdown pass. His ability to take advantage of the attention Collins drew supplied a big boost for the Michigan offense. The third-year Wolverine overcame some struggles with drops to emerge as U-M's most prolific wide- out. He'll again be in position to register among Michigan's top targets for the new starting quarterback. 10. CARLO KEMP, 5TH-SR., DT Kemp has a strong shot at becoming a two-year captain for the Wolverines, after being granted a fifth year in the maize and blue. He's looking to capi- talize, after securing 40 stops, 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and one fumble recovery last fall. This much is certain. He ached to get back to football with his teammates during the time the players were kept away from Ann Arbor due to COVID-19. "This time away has been, on that end, not the best," he noted earlier in the summer. "You miss all your friends and you kind of miss that routine. It feels good for a couple of days, when you don't have to get up so early and start working, but over time, you really start to miss that. "Right now, I wake up, and I have all this time. I don't know what to do with it." Kemp admits he pushed for the opportunity to return for a fifth year. He insists he has unfinished business at the college level, and wasn't ready to move on. "It's hard to leave your buddies," he said. "It's hard to leave your brothers. We've got a lot of good players coming back. To have one more year, a final shot, with the guys you came in with, is huge. " Wi n n i n g a b o w l game, putting your- self in the Big Ten C h a m p i o n s h i p Game is defi- n i t e l y s o m e - thing that's on my mind all the time." PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN