The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503142
THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 31 2023 SEASON PREVIEW 1 Running Backs — Senior Blake Corum and junior Donovan Edwards are argu- ably the best running back duo in the country, combining for 1,554 yards and 25 touchdowns a year ago. The big question — how will the carries be split in 2023? Edwards said this spring he expected it to be more 50-50, but Corum might have won the Heisman Trophy last year had he stayed healthy. In big games, we expect him to carry the load. At the same time, there's no denying Edwards is a threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball. He'd be the bell cow for many teams in the nation. They're complemented by veteran Kalel Mullings and good, young backs in CJ Stokes, Benja- min Hall and Cole Cabana. 2 Defensive Line — The interior line might be the deepest, most talented group we've seen in decades, led by senior Kris Jenkins and sophomore Mason Graham. Junior Rayshaun Benny might have been the most improved defender this spring, and sophomore Kenneth Grant has elite potential. Even grad student Cam Goode has improved. On the edges, senior Jaylen Harrell has always been underrated, and senior Braiden McGregor seems ready to break out. Derrick Moore and Josaiah Stewart could be outstanding pass rushers. 3 OFFENSIVE LINE — Only two starters return from last year's Joe Moore Award- winning line as the nation's best unit, but they're elite. Veterans Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter make up one of the best guard duos in the country. Three others — Karsen Barnhart, Trente Jones and Giovanni El-Hadi — have all started games and have plenty of experience, but they're going to have to battle with transfers LaDarius Henderson and Myles Hinton to win playing time. The big question — who plays center? The U-M coaches have high hopes for former Stanford center Drake Nugent, but youngsters Greg Crippen and Raheem Anderson had great springs. Guys like Reece Atteberry and Jeff Persi have also played a lot of football on the offensive line. 4 Quarterbacks — This isn't a case of having two guys battling it out for No. 1 as in recent years past, but junior J.J. McCarthy makes this position outstanding by himself. He threw for 2,719 yards and 22 touchdowns in a run-heavy offense and is also a major threat with his legs (306 yards, 5 scores). We expect the yardage totals to rise in both categories this fall. Indiana transfer Jack Tuttle has plenty of experience, while junior Davis Warren has potential. We expect the coaches to employ some packages for sophomore Alex Orji as well. He's an outstanding athlete and bruising runner. He also impressed with his arm this spring. 5 Defensive backs — The jury is still out on the corner opposite sophomore Will Johnson, but we have no doubt secondary coach/co-DC Steve Clinkscale will figure it out. His colleagues would say he's one of the best in the country. When you start with Johnson and junior safety Rod Moore, though, you're off to a great start. Both are among the Big Ten's best at their positions. Senior safety Makari Paige is underrated, and there's a lot of young talent waiting in the wings at both corner and safety. Michigan has so much talent on both sides of the ball that any number of players could be considered breakout candidates in 2023. Here are the guys we believe will make huge moves this fall: 1 Sophomore cornerback Will Johnson — Johnson is following the Charles Woodson trajectory … and no, we're not saying he's the next Charles Woodson or going to win the Heisman Trophy. But he emerged as one of the Big Ten's top young cornerbacks by the end of his freshman year and seems primed for an All-Big Ten season this year, potentially even more. He's an elite athlete ready to take the next step as a lockdown corner. 2 Sophomore edge Derrick Moore — The Wolverines need more pass rush from the edges than they got last year, and Moore has as much potential as anyone to bring it. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said this spring Moore can be "as good as he wants to be" in predicting he'd be drafted in the early rounds of a future NFL Draft. He just needs to be more consistent. But the second-year Wolverine is powerful, has great burst off the line, and had an outstanding spring (highlighted by a dominant spring game). He might be one of the favorites to lead the team in sacks. 3 Sophomore tight end COLSTON LOVELAND — Loveland opened eyes the minute he arrived on campus last year. By the end of the season, several were calling him a "potential future first-round NFL Draft pick." He still has work to do as a blocker, but he's clearly got the pass-catching aspect down. He caught 15 other passes in addition to his long (45-yard) touchdown in the win at Ohio State, including a 25-yard score in the Big Ten title win over Purdue. 4 Senior edge Braiden McGregor — This list is usually comprised of the younger guys, but oc- casionally a player saves his best for last. McGregor could be that man this year after he finished the season strong in 2022. He was outstanding in the Ohio State game with a key tackle for loss and 2 pass break-ups in a dominant second-half performance. Head coach Jim Harbaugh called him a "rising star." We'll see if McGregor is ready for it. 5 Sophomore defensive tackle Ken- neth Grant — Grant runs a 5.0 40- yard dash at around 350 pounds. That's insanity. Now, he's starting to learn how to play with proper pad level and technique. Sophomore Mason Graham and senior Kris Jenkins lead the way on the interior line, but Grant and ju- nior Rayshaun Benny were two of t h e team's most improved players this spring. One coach told us Grant would be "elite" when he figures i t all out. TOP FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH TOP FIVE STRONGEST POSITION GROUPS PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL First-team All-Big Ten guards Zak Zinter (65) and Trevor Keegan (77) re- turn to lead the U-M offensive line in 2023. PHOTO BY DOMINICK SOKOTOFF