Best Guess Depth Chart
Doing this from my phone while watching MNF...bear with me.
QB: Milton, McNamara, Villari
RB: Charbonnet/Evans, Haskins/Corum, Turner, Andrighetto
FB: Mason
X: Bell, Johnson, All
Y (slot): Jackson, Henning
Z: Sainristil, Wilson
TE: Eubanks, All/Schoonmaker
LT: Hayes, Keegan, Persi
LG: Filiaga, Barnhart, Rumler/Stewart
C: Vastardis, Carpenter, Atteberry
RG: Stueber, Zinter, Korican
RT: Mayfield, Jones/Honigford
WDE: Paye, Villain, Upshaw
DT: Kemp, Smith, Paea, Jenkins
DT: Hinton, Jeter/Speight, Welschof
SDE: Hutchinson, Morris/McGregor, Newberg
Rush: Ojabo, Harrell
WLB: Ross, Hill-Green/Mullings
MLB: McGrone, Thomas, Warinner, Wheeler
VIPER: Barrett, Solomon, Velazquez, Mohan
SLB: VanSumeren, Savage
CB: Gray, Perry, Green-Warren
CB: Turner, Gem. Green, G. Johnson
NB: Seldon, Dennis
S: Hawkins, Paige, Ger. Green/Reynolds
S: Hill, Moten/Faustin, Q. Johnson, Morant, Cochran
K: Nordin, Moody
P: Hart, Robbins
...tear it apart. I intentionally tried NOT to put guys at multiple positions in the same position group.
We know Barnhart would be the backup RT (and LT)...because he was starting there when Mayfield was out, we know Ross would be the backup MLB, etc.
September 28th, 2020 at 10:33 PM ^
...Turner is back by the way.
Full pads and contact practices on Wednesday!
September 28th, 2020 at 10:37 PM ^
Aside from the LBs, our defense looks paper-thin. Must be the worst of Harbaugh's tenure.
September 28th, 2020 at 10:45 PM ^
I think the DL and Ss will be fine...I've been very vocal that this CB group is, well, I'll be nice and say "underwhelming."
Paye and Hutchinson are top 2 round draft picks. Hinton came on late and Kemp is very solid. They have a lot of young talent on the DL in their 2nd and 3rd year, just where they should be.
LBs are stout. Hawkins and Hill could be one of the best safety duos in the conference.
But CB is embarrassing. With Thomas it was thin, now? We better pray Turner and Perry end up being Charles Woodson and Ty Law. Doesn't seem likely.
Gray was awful at times last year, too slow...a safety playing CB. The others haven't played. Not good.
How we didn't get a grad transfer or 2 is beyond me, we're under the limit. COVID probably plays into it, but there had to be someone. A Mike Danna from the MAC who wants to play a year at the major level...somebody, anybody.
September 29th, 2020 at 12:20 AM ^
Not sure why so many people are disagreeing about the defense being paper-thin. It clearly is. The DL has 2 good players, 2 unproven ones, and very little in the way of backups. The safeties seems solid. The DB situation is clearly scary thin. So half of the defense looks pretty scary.
September 29th, 2020 at 9:49 AM ^
I think the defensive line has a lot more depth than it had a year ago. yeah two players quitty pay and Aiden Hutchinson who are both really outstanding. Chris Hinton is on the come up and Carlo camp is a returning starter...the defensive line and the linebackers will be more than fine compared to last year however the secondary is paper thin. Will need daxton Hill to save the day.
September 29th, 2020 at 4:06 PM ^
+1 for egregious misspellings
September 29th, 2020 at 12:25 AM ^
I think Mike Danna types are very rare because if they're good enough to come in and be useful right away on a defense like Michigan's, they're likely to be good enough to give the NFL a try. There's a very small window to hit on the grad transfer market.
But I'm sure they would have tried something had they known Thomas wasn't going to play. But when he opted out, I don't think they had time.
September 29th, 2020 at 7:51 AM ^
How we didn't get a grad transfer or 2 is beyond me, we're under the limit. COVID probably plays into it, but there had to be someone. A Mike Danna from the MAC who wants to play a year at the major level...somebody, anybody.
Not sure how many will turn out to be true CBs, but we got 5 4-star DBs last cycle in Seldon, Mortant, Green-Warren, Paige, & Moten. Morant, Paige, & Seldon are already getting reviews.
September 29th, 2020 at 9:20 AM ^
Problem is, you listed a slot only guy (Sheldon), another CB that likely isn't ready to be covering B1G receivers (Green-Warren), and 3 safeties...plus THEY'RE FRESHMEN!!! Typically they would get a few years to get their feet wet.
September 29th, 2020 at 9:38 AM ^
Problem is, you listed a slot only guy (Sheldon)
Seldon may be short, but he's already proven he can cover bigger guys. While he may not be ideal to be an outside CB at his height, I think he's ready to be a contributor as the other DB in addition to the nickel/slot.
and 3 safeties.
Paige was an early enrollee and has been reported he already knows the playbook quite well and being a thinner guy seems to be getting some run at DB. Also, Dax Hill is being discussed as moving over to CB, which opens the door for Morant to play safety who also is getting good reviews. That would also allow Quinten Johnson to contribute at safety who will be entering his second year.
plus THEY'RE FRESHMEN!!! Typically they would get a few years to get their feet wet.
Granted, you don't really want freshman outside of 5-stars to be starters. But, CB is a position that it's generally OK. I think Seldon is for sure a heavy contributor and will be just fine. The real disappointment so far is that Jalen Perry, who was a 4-star from last year does not seem ready to contribute and that Myles Simms is gone and/or didn't pan out. There's no way around losing Thomas sucks, but we should be fine. I'd bet only OSU/PSU have the talent to stress the DBs.
September 29th, 2020 at 10:58 AM ^
The CB position is far from embarrassing. These dudes are tremendous athletes. Unique situation this year in losing Ambry. We will be fine on D. More zone.
September 28th, 2020 at 11:21 PM ^
Have you forgotten that Michigan started Ben Mason, BEN-freaking-MASON at DT in early games last year? DT was a total disaster. Should be somewhat less of a disaster this year and there's more DL depth overall, considering everyone on the three deep is back with another year of experience except Danna so that's like 11 of 12 guys.
Last year was the worst defensive depth of Harbaugh's tenure. This is probably the second worst bar the bar is very high. Last years defense was still a top 15 unit and this year could be top 10.
Agree that CB is...scary. Really a shame to have lost Thomas.
September 29th, 2020 at 6:14 AM ^
It's probably just me, but I feel like Ben Mason is on the Robbie Hummel eligibility plan.
September 29th, 2020 at 8:37 AM ^
Villain is a redshirt sophomore this year, which doesn’t count to eligibility. Technically he has 3 years of eligibility after this one. He’s already been in the program for three years. He could be a 7th year senior and a PhD candidate by the time he’s exhausted eligibility.
September 29th, 2020 at 10:04 AM ^
Lets just hope he gets to play these next three years - that his knee injuries are behind him, never to be heard from again!
September 29th, 2020 at 10:53 AM ^
Yea 2019 DL was probably worse. I guess it could be better because no one really knows how Hinton and Smith are doing, but must assume they will hold up.
September 28th, 2020 at 10:41 PM ^
Nice depth chart - not many nitpicks from me. I just love seeing a Warinner in the depth chart. Also, BVS as the first choice for SAM is pretty cool. (granted we rarely use that position).
September 28th, 2020 at 11:02 PM ^
CB’s definitely the weakest position group. I will say Zordich has been the best coach since being here of coaching up his group. Hopefully he finds 1-2 guys that step it up and contribute nicely. No AT changes the complexion tremendously.
September 28th, 2020 at 11:06 PM ^
Gray as your second corner and you’ll probably be okay. Matching Gray up with opponent’s #1 receiver and you’re looking at a long day.
September 29th, 2020 at 12:34 PM ^
Dollars to donuts Dax Hill will be manning up when we play a team with an elite receiver.
September 28th, 2020 at 11:07 PM ^
I forgot the TE, Matthew Hibner, he should be the 4th TE on this.
September 29th, 2020 at 10:10 AM ^
I say this approvingly: this is a very B1G TENNNNNN message board post.
4th string TEs FTW!
September 28th, 2020 at 11:08 PM ^
Barnhart is going to start at LG with Mayfield back. Best five and he is too good.
Interesting year for the D. We might have the best pair of DEs and LBs in the Big Ten. Hinton needs to perform.
CBs.....dang Ambry.
September 28th, 2020 at 11:13 PM ^
I thought so too, and was tempted to do the "and" slash for Filiaga/Barnhart. And we'll see once the pads get on.
But all of the recent comments from Warriner, Gattis and Harbaugh are all talking about Vastardis, Stueber, Hayes and Filiaga in the first group.
But maybe Barnhart bumps Filiaga, we'll see. Seniority may play out early with Barnhart getting snaps as the 6th OL before taking over midway through the year.
September 28th, 2020 at 11:21 PM ^
It’s going to be a tough battle. I think this line has great upside.
September 28th, 2020 at 11:16 PM ^
Something no one has mentioned...I was surprised the WRs were so thin.
I guess that's what happens when you lose 3 guys who all were eligible to come back, but 6 guys is not a lot.
I expect a TE on all downs. Also opens up the possibility of 2 RBs, and using Evans and Corum in the slot.
September 28th, 2020 at 11:26 PM ^
Has this not been fretted about continuously since Nico declared? With Black transferring and DPJ leaving early, it was already thin.
Other than Bell, I think there are like 10 career receptions returning. Total. VERY thin and extremely inexperienced. There's talent there though. So we'll see how the young speed and Johnson step up.
September 29th, 2020 at 7:37 AM ^
I think Evans is more likely to line out as a slot in order to maximize the number of athletes they can get on the field. Not sure how good Corums hands are. With how thin this depth chart, it’s important to also add Nate Schoenle. He may be a walk on but he was in serious talks about playing a decent role last year prior to getting injured.
September 29th, 2020 at 10:22 AM ^
I don't WR is thin. They're young, but there's a lot of talent there. Bell, Jackon, Sainristil, Johnson, Wilson, Henning will be just fine. Not having Nico sucks and we will likely have to adjust a but due to not having a big jump ball receiver, but this is the fastest WR we've had in a long time
September 29th, 2020 at 11:44 AM ^
Think KC Chiefs. A bunch of speed demons and some tight ends running all over the place so you don't miss the jump ball guy. That's my optimistic view anyway.
September 29th, 2020 at 5:56 PM ^
Good comparison. Sammy Watkins has some size though. But I guess comparable to Ronnie Bell. With his basketball background, Bell is probably our new "jump ball" guy. Johnson maybe too.
September 28th, 2020 at 11:17 PM ^
I wonder if we'll see a lot of 2-back sets. Seems like it gives so many options for deception, reads, going out for passes. Plus, we don't have many big targets at WR. Lots of talent at the RB position and guys like Jackson played at HB last year.
September 29th, 2020 at 12:52 PM ^
That would be interesting to see, and I think Evans could be a big factor if they do something like that. Probably depends on how the WRs are performing.
September 29th, 2020 at 10:22 PM ^
Per Gattis, we will. RB is too deep not to do it.
I expect some Charbonnet and Evans at the same time.
September 28th, 2020 at 11:52 PM ^
I find the Sainristil over Johnson at Z projection a little interesting. I’d been assuming Johnson would gather one of the starting spots on the outside due to his size.
September 29th, 2020 at 12:24 AM ^
Andrighetto? Is that a walk on rapper?
September 29th, 2020 at 8:05 AM ^
No, he's a walk-on wrapper.
September 29th, 2020 at 1:03 AM ^
What's the difference between the "Rush" position and the SAM? I'm always confused about that. I thought Uche was the SAM last year, but then was anyone in that Rush position? Or did he play both and the positions were deployed differently?
September 29th, 2020 at 6:48 AM ^
Yes he was the starter at both positions and still didn’t play enough
September 29th, 2020 at 8:09 AM ^
Rush end is described in this link as the Open End. An athletic lineman/hybrid.
September 29th, 2020 at 10:26 PM ^
I kind of made it up.
Rush is Uche.
SAM or SLB is Noah Furbush...basically a FB for the MLB (Devin Bush) to free him up on blitzes.
September 29th, 2020 at 5:26 AM ^
I honestly think things look good on paper. However, that CB position looks rough. It is odd to me we have not recruited that position better. I'm not sure how we are going to protect those guys with the way we play defense.
September 29th, 2020 at 10:18 AM ^
9-4 last season, lose 4 of our starting O Linemen, 3 of our top 4 WRs, our 2 year starting QB, and our #2 TE off the offense. Offense takes 2 steps back, but is good by the end of the season.
I really think the O Line is going to be fine, but Caesar Ruiz was an absolute stud who manhandled OSU and Bama level players, that's a major step down in his replacement.
Defense should be really good. D Line is stacked. LBs are OK, depth is a concern. You really miss players like Glasgow, Metalus, and Uche though. Thomas was our top returning player in the secondary, not getting him back is tough. Depth is a concern in the front 7. Danna was more solid than we think as a depth guy. Dwumfour was too injured. I like our starters on D overall though, the guys behind them though are a big question mark. I think our depth last season was underappreciated.
Roster has a lot of question marks, I'd be predicting 8-5 in a regular season, 6-3 or 5-4 in this one seems reasonable.
September 29th, 2020 at 10:52 AM ^
Uche and Thomas are big losses, but I don't worry about Glasgow or Metellus. Both were gamers who played smart and above their heads, but both are being replaced by guys who are at least superior athletically. If those replacements can be coached up and play smart they could actually be better.
Depth is better in the front 7, worse in the backfield.
September 29th, 2020 at 6:32 AM ^
I keep seeing Evans being placed above Haskins, and at this point I have to disagree. HH ran the ball real well late in the year. That includes against Alabama and OSU. I would say HH’s 2019 was better than Evans’ ‘18. I love Chris Evans and I think he will provide a lot for us in different ways this year, but I don’t see him getting more carries than Haskins.
September 29th, 2020 at 10:04 AM ^
Haskins had 18 carries for 61 yards (3.4 yards per carry) against Alabama with a long of 11. I don't consider that running real well.
(For comparison, Charbonnet had 84 yards on 13 carries - 6.5 yards per carry - against Alabama with a long of 12.)
September 29th, 2020 at 10:15 AM ^
They're different players. Haskins can get through the middle of the line, but isn't going to be a real threat outside or on a pass route. Evans will disembowel you outside and on routes, but isn't going to be very effective plowing through a MLB on that 3rd&3. They will have different roles, accordingly. And with those different roles, Evans better fits into Gattis' preferred attack options, especially in the open field area between the 20's. Additionally, Evans seems a bit more versatile than Haskins.
Personally, I hope they both have really great seasons!
September 29th, 2020 at 7:26 AM ^
I haven't paid much attention to the roster yet, but after reading our O-line and D-line projections, I am at peace and pretty confident they'll perform, and probably better than last year's team on the defensive side. Hopefully this comment doesn't age like milk.
September 29th, 2020 at 7:40 AM ^
Sounds about right, but do we typically have that many DE/LBs on the field at once? I don't recall that many instances of that. Last year Uche played a bunch of snaps, but it was generally as a WDE with two LBs and a VIPER, no?
I've also heard this multiple places about VanSumeren, but guys rarely break into the starting lineup without showing flashes the year before in a backup role. I'd be really surprised if he's a starter at any position because I haven't seen him do anything of significance yet.
September 29th, 2020 at 7:56 AM ^
I agree with your statement that we rarely see guys break into the starting lineup without showing flashes the year prior. Look at McGrone last year. If not for injury to Ross we probably are never given a chance to see what McGrone has. Originally, Jordan Anthony came in against Army before McGrone.