Around The Big Ten: An In-Depth Look at Michigan

Michigan lost its last two games on the schedule for the fourth straight year, finishing with a 9-4 record and No.18 national finish. What are the expectations for the Wolverines in 2020 and who are the key players returning? TheWolverine.com editor Chris Balas takes a look.

Three prominent storylines

Who takes over at quarterback, and can he be an upgrade?

Shea Patterson was Michigan’s MVP last year, but he didn’t really come around until midseason. Even then, he struggled in some of the bigger games, including a relatively poor performance in a Citrus Bowl loss to Alabama, and had issues with turnovers.

Redshirt junior Dylan McCaffrey has waited his turn, and while he’s shown flashes, he’s been a bit reckless running the ball and injury prone as a result. He’s a leader, but he still needs to prove he can throw the ball and move the team with consistency. Redshirt sophomore Joe Milton is a physical freak and has all the tools, but he needs to prove he can read offenses and protect the ball.

Can the defense step up against the best teams on the schedule?

Defensive coordinator Don Brown has been outstanding for the vast majority of his tenure at U-M, but Ohio State’s offense has been an issue since 2017 (as it has for most who have played the Buckeyes). Big plays have been the Achilles heel and cost the Wolverines a game they probably should have won at Penn State last year, while Alabama’s athletes were too much for the Michigan secondary. There’s been talk that U-M will continue to employ a more diverse defense in 2020, with safeties coach and former Mississippi State D.C. Bob Shoop another mind who could help in that area.

How will the revamped offensive line hold up?

Michigan loses four starters from an offensive line that featured four All-Big Ten performers in guards Ben Bredeson and Mike Onwenu, center Cesar Ruiz and tackle Jon Runyan Jr., and while there’s a lot of good, young talent, not much of it is proven. Right tackle Jalen Mayfield had a very good first year and is one to build around, but line coach Ed Warinner is going to have to whip an untested group into shape. It could take some time.

Three biggest departures

Ben Bredeson – The All-Big Ten guard and four-year starter played with a high motor on every play and tried to finish every block, a leader on an offensive line that will sent four to the NFL this year. The Wolverines have some talented young linemen waiting in the wings, but Bredeson was the leader of that group and one of the conference’s best linemen. He’ll be tough to replace.

Josh Uche – In hindsight, the Michigan defensive end/linebacker probably should have played more snaps. He earned more as a senior, but he was often used situationally as a pass rusher, a skill that has put him in the conversation as a first day NFL Draft pick. He was by far the Wolverines’ best pass rusher, an area in which the 2020 Wolverines could be lacking.

Lavert Hill – The third-team All-American and two-time All-Big Ten selection wasn’t the lockdown corner many expected him to be his senior year, but he still had a great season. He and Ambry Thomas formed a formidable duo in the defensive backfield, and while there’s some young talent there, a drop-off seems inevitable. Cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich has done well getting the most out of his group, but Hill will be tough for the current crop to replace.

Three key returners

Nico Collins – The senior wide receiver has the size and skill to be an elite receiver and put up monster numbers, especially now that Donovan Peoples-Jones has moved on. The 6-4, 222-pounder caught 37 passes for 729 yards a year ago in earning team Offensive Player of the Year honors and has the ability to be a 1,000-yard guy. He and junior Ronnie Bell could form one of the better 1-2 duos in the conference.

Ambry Thomas — The senior corner returns after earning Defensive Skill Player of the Year honors following a breakout season. Though he wasn’t as decorated as Hill, Thomas was the Wolverines’ best cover corner by the end of the year and is one of the team’s fastest players. He’ll be called upon in 2020 to help slow each opponent’s best receiver.

Aidan Hutchinson – The junior defensive end can play inside or out, a high motor guy who holds up at the point of attack and can also get to the quarterback. He’ll be asked to improve upon his 10 tackles for loss and — especially — his 4.5 sacks. They’ll need someone to step up in a pass rushing role in Uche’s absence.

Three biggest additions

Zach Carpenter – The redshirt freshman didn’t play in 2019, learning from junior Cesar Ruiz. He’s the heir apparent at one of the most critical positions on the offfense, so he’ll need to learn quickly. He’s got the size at 6-5, 320, and he impressed in earning scout team player of the year.

Mazi Smith – Smith was expected to see some action as a true freshman, having come in as one of the strongest guys on the team, but health and conditioning issues set him back. The Wolverines need more beef and depth on the interior line to go with fifth-year senior Carlo Kemp and sophomore Chris Hinton … defensive coordinator Don Brown said this spring he expect Smith to be ready to assume that role.

AJ Henning – The Wolverines have plenty of capable bodies at wide receiver, but Henning should add to a talented corps. He adds speed, having placed fourth in the state of Illinois in the 100 meters last year, and much more according to coach Rob Zvonar.

“It is a combination of everything the great ones have,” he told the Chicago Sun Times. “It is vision, it’s balance, it’s football IQ. It’s his ball skills and the way he can concentrate and catch a football. He makes these unbelievable catches all the time. He has a presence out there. You hear about when guys get in the zone, whatever sport it is. They talk about how the game slowed down for them. Everybody else is going full speed, and he just sees everything in slow motion.”

Expectations for 2020

Ohio State has elevated its program to the ranks of the elite, making it the Big One and the Little 13. Other programs have been favored to win the conference over the past several years, including Michigan last season, but OSU is and should be the favorite for the foreseeable future the way they’ve been operating and recruiting.

Still, the Wolverines have an opportunity for a very good season. The receiving corps should be outstanding, and the running back corps is deep (though there’s still room for a game breaker here). The defense returns a number of key players at several positions. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Cam McGrone and sophomore safety Daxton Hill are among the rising stars at their positions, the defensive ends (Hutchinson and Kwity Paye) are stellar and the secondary is athletic.

U-M’s fate will rest on an unproven offensive line that returns only one starter in right tackle Jalen Mayfield and the new quarterback. There’s a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, even if much of it is unproven, and the schedule is favorable outside of a trip to Columbus at the end of November.

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